USD Holds Discussion on European Refugee Crisis

USD Holds Discussion on European Refugee Crisis

IPJ Refugee Photo

In an increasingly globalized world, a single event has implications for those who are thousands of miles away. The current refugee crisis is bringing to light issues of individual rights and decency, and what obligations we have to our fellow human beings. 

On September 21st, the Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies held a discussion on the current humanitarian crisis. Titled “The Escalating Refugee Crisis in Europe: No End in Sight,” the event included a brief introduction by Ann-Cathrin Howard as well as a panel discussion with Necla Tschirgi of the Kroc School of Peace Studies, Dr. Everard Meade, Director of the Trans-Border Institute, and Dr. Petra Beckmann-Schulz of the Friedrich-Naumann-Stiftung fuer die Freiheit.

In recent months, over three million refugees have fled to neighboring countries, with many attempting the long and treacherous journey to Europe, seeing the region as a safe haven, away from the upheaval and conflict associated with economic downturn, civil war, and ISIS.

Since August, the continuous stream of refugees into Europe has drawn worldwide attention, most notably in how countries are responding to the crisis. Viewers from across the world have seen the images of border fences being built and footage of people in crowded rafts attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea.

 A Global Problem in Need of a Global Solution

“We felt that the refugee crisis that is unfolding before our eyes is an important discussion for International Day of Peace,” said Tschirgi. “This is a global problem and we need to act globally.”

For Tschirgi, this refugee migration is unique because of its scope and scale, as well as the speed at which it is taking place.

“The problem, unfortunately, will not go away any time soon,” she said.

With many different dimensions to the current refugee crisis, Tschirgi emphasized that there is a need to address the long-term solutions that depend on international solidarity. Tschirgi also noted that what is occurring now is not something that happened overnight. Instead, it took months and years to fester. For her, it is essential that the international community address the crisis at its source, and understand that what is occurring is a result of poverty, unemployment, conflict, and dictatorial regimes.

“The problems are global in nature,” she said. “We have to address this problem at multiple levels.”

Social Media and the Politics of Pictures

For Meade, his discussion hinged on the “politics of the pictures.” Photos, with the ability to convey vulnerabilities, have changed some attitudes towards the migration crisis. However, with that change, Meade stressed the fear that the reaction to photos “does not change the substance of the debate.”

According to Meade, European countries are building border fences without an “assessment of humanitarian merit or cost” because of the images being broadcasted throughout the world. With pictures having the capacity to convey messages, Meade stressed that it “provokes this language of crisis,” by depicting the refugees as a big group, “frenzied” and “crazed.”

For Meade, the external enforcement of migration, which “keeps certain flows of migrants out,” is brought about by reactions to the crisis, and is contributing to the death of migrants during their journey to Europe.

“When you externalize it, you funnel people through more dangerous routes,” he said.

The Importance of Peace

Although the USD campus is thousands of miles away from the refugee crisis in Europe, the globalized world we live in connects us with the crisis every day. As Tschirgi pointed out, the current problem is “a microcosm of events that face the world.”

Because of this, International Day of Peace at USD became a chance to hear from leading scholars on the issue, and better understand what Patricia Marquez, Dean of the Kroc School of Peace Studies, meant when she defined peace: “Peace is not an abstraction for those caught in the conflict. Peace is a matter of life or death.”

To celebrate International Day of Peace, USD’s Joan B. Kroc School of Peace Studies (@usdpeace) held a Twitter campaign that asked campus community members to answer the question, “What does ‘peace’ mean to you?” To view the answers and join the conversation, search for #USDPeace.

— Allyson Meyer ‘16