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Since 2011, Syria has had civil unrest beginning with the Arab Spring protests, which were nationwide protests against the government which resulted in violent crackdowns by the Syrian government. Soon enough, it changed from protests to armed rebellion from various groups formed during the protesting process. Groups involved include al-Qaeda affiliates, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Syrian Government, and the Free Syrian Army (FSA). Since the FSA is considered an opposition faction, it is able to receive support by the United States and other Gulf Countries, giving it increased fighting capacity. During the Syrian crisis, around 5 million citizens have fled the country seeking a new home. It is believed by many that the movement of Syrian refugees into many Middle Eastern and European Union countries is becoming economically unstable.
How valid is this argument? Since the crisis began, Lebanon has registered 1.1 million refugees, making up 25% of its population. In the same time, its economy has had its fastest growth rate since 2010. In the job market, it has been observed that the Syrians have displaced many natives from unskilled, informal, and part time jobs, which has sent them back to school in hopes of getting higher paying, higher skilled jobs. The unemployment rate has not increased either. Tax expenditures on the refugees have been budgeted by these countries and it seems that it has not harmed them financially. The same situation goes for Jordan and Turkey, where both countries have seen consistent economic growth.
It is clear that the Syrian Refugee Crisis has had more positives than negatives on the Middle Eastern economies thus far, but it is tough to tell what each country's refugee threshold will be. The European Union has had many applications for asylum and citizens fear that it will harm the economy. One cannot predict economic success accurately enough to judge how many refugees should be allowed to register in a country, but as long as the Syrian crisis continues, these refugees will be on the search for a new home and new jobs.
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