In The Guardian today, James Denselow discusses how options are narrowing for Iraqi refugees as Syria, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and others close their borders, and calls on the West to do something before the situation reaches disastrous proportions:
Indeed, with the Saudis building the world’s most hi-tech fence and joining the Kuwaitis and the Jordanians in attempting to hermetically seal their border, the ways out for Iraqis are narrowing by the day. What’s more the imminent Turkish incursion into northern Iraq may trigger a new wave of refugees that may find themselves running into cul-de sacs of no-go areas, literally unable to seek refuge. The nature of the heavy weaponry that Turkey is preparing on its border with Iraq, including armour and artillery, could reveal the gilded statue that is the Kurdish regional government (KRG), as being based on a bed of political quicksand, and the relative security of the north of the country could become a thing of the past…
Instead of waiting for such an inevitable tragedy to occur, steps must be taken now to reinforce the UNHCR and affiliated bodies with financial and political capital. This will take pressure off the neighbouring host countries and make clear that the refugee issue is separate from the myriad of political disputes that are currently in lay. Continued inaction sees the walls of the Iraqi labyrinth shift ever closer on those most vulnerable and that must not be allowed to happen.
Read the rest here.