By: Connor Rasmussen
In 2011, the events of the Arab Spring launched Syria into a brutal civil war that is still being waged today. This conflict has forced and continues to force many Syrians out of their homes for their own safety. News stories focus on how these refugees board rafts to try to make their way across the Mediterranean, eager to reach safety and a new home in Europe. But this is not the reality for the vast majority of refugees. Most choose the safer option of land travel, their destination being other Middle Eastern countries. However, the realities in these new homes are not ones of safety and security, but instead abject poverty, prejudice, and exploitation. While Europe has an international agreement that guarantees the human rights of refugees to some degree, no such agreement exists in the Middle East. This Note asks what must be done to lay the foundation for the creation of such an agreement and how that agreement itself may be constructed.