The Syrian Refugee Crisis in the Middle East

This chapter examines the response of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to the Syrian refugee crisis in the Middle East. The Syrian displacement crisis that began in 2011 has been a humanitarian catastrophe unfolding during one of the most tumultuous and complex times in contemporary Middle Eastern history. The Syria crisis has been a transformational development, a “game-changer,” on a number of levels, including the impact on local and regional dynamics, the scope and nature of the international response, and the challenges to the global refugee protection regime it has triggered. This chapter first provides an overview of the complex displacement patterns involving Syrian refugees before discussing the international community's response to the crisis. It also considers the policy challenges arising from the Syrian displacement crisis and suggests that a qualitative and quantitative shift in approach to dealing with displacement in the region seems to herald the way forward, with a pressing need for innovative outlooks and meaningful partnerships that give primacy to refugees' own perspectives.