|
BEIJING, Oct. 9 (Xinhua) -- The Western powers' continuous intervention in the Middle East, especially since the Arab uprising, or the so-called Color Revolution, has worsened the situation in the troubled region and led to the worst refugee crisis since World War II for Europe.
Struggling to cope with the refugee crisis, the West appears to be taking the moral high ground, except it has no reason to do so because it should shoulder at least some of the blame for the crisis itself.
The Arab uprising, which started in Tunisia in late 2010, spread throughout the Arab world and toppled rulers in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya and Yemen in what seems to be a domino effect.
Looking back, the revolution in the region was initiated by dissatisfied people in those countries, where social contradictions have accumulated due to various reasons. However, the Western powers, particularly the United States, took advantage of the turmoil and tried to promote agendas beneficial to themselves.
The West led by the United States has directly or indirectly intervened to overthrow some of the leaders and blatantly supported Syrian opposition to topple Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Waving the flags of democracy and freedom, advocating non-violent protests and demonstrations, the West, particularly the United States, pushed forward the Color Revolution by immensely pressuring ruling regimes and ultimately collapsing them, creating a power vacuum afterward and leading to further political unrest and social disorder.
The non-violent toppling attempt failed and an all-out civil war broke out in Syria, facilitating the rise of the radical militant group Islamic State.
Only seeking to secure their own safety and interests, Western powers have meddled in regional affairs, incited turmoil and waged wars, bringing chaos to the area and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes.
As of September, the Syrian crisis alone has displaced over 12 million people, with millions of them fleeing to neighboring countries, mostly to Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, according to data from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
The Western powers probably have never really cared about the pains and sufferings of the people in the region until now, when they are no longer bystanders and are faced with the thorny problem of the refugee crisis.
Four years of turmoil following the uprising have mired countries including Syria, Iraq and Libya, from where tens of thousand of migrants have flocked to European countries since the beginning of this year, most of them from Syria.
The Western countries have no other choice but to accept the "side effect" of the Color Revolution they once supported, as they should be held collectively accountable for the Mideast refugee crisis today.
Related:
UN official calls refugee crisis "crisis of values"
GENEVA, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- A top international protection expert for the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR on Thursday warned of growing risks of the lack of commitment from governments worldwide to the core human rights and rule of law principles and called the current refugee crisis "a crisis of values."
In a speech to UNHCR's annual Executive Committee meeting, Volker Turk, UNHCR's Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, described a troubled global landscape of increased war and conflict and worsening humanitarian environment. Full story >>>
EU ministers approve additional money to tackle refugee crisis
BRUSSELS, Oct. 8 (Xinhua) -- The European Union member states' home affairs ministers on Thursday gather in Luxembourg for a regular meeting, where they approved additional financial assistance from the 2015 EU budget in response to the migration crisis.
In a fast-track procedure the Justice and Home Affairs Council of the EU accepted draft amending budget no. 7 for 2015 which strengthened the EU support under the European agenda on migration by 401.3 million euros (451.3 million U.S. dollars) in commitments and 57.0 million euros in payments. Full story >>>
Greek, Austrian leaders reiterate determination to address refugee crisis
ATHENS, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann reiterated on Tuesday their countries' determination to jointly address the ongoing refugee crisis within the European framework during their visit to the Aegean Sea island of Lesvos.
Tsipras welcomed the Austrian leader for the second time in four months in Greece and together they visited reception and identification centers at Lesvos, which has received about half of the 380,000 migrants and refugees who have reached Greek shores from nearby Turkey this year. Full story >>>
