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Ambassador Wendy Chamberlain opened the discussion by providing context to the refugee crisis plaguing Iraq and its neighbors. About 1.2 million Iraqi refugees are currently residing in Syria, while another 750,000 are displaced in Jordan. About 54,000 and 40,000 have found refuge in Iran and Lebanon, respectively. In addition to the refugees escaping Iraq, roughly 1.7 million have become Internally Displaced People (IDPs) after fleeing their homes for safety elsewhere within the country.

Nir Rosen began his remarks by highlighting the parallels between Palestinian and Iraqi refugees. In his view, Iraqis have become the “new Palestinians,” also threatening to destabilize the Middle East. He noted that Ba‘thists and former regime members fearing reprisals for their association with Saddam Hussayn generated the first wave of refugees. However, not until the outbreak of civil war in 2005 did a mass exodus and genuine humanitarian crisis erupt. Fearing Shi‘a militias tied to the Iraqi government and unable to find refuge in the Shi‘a south, hordes of Sunnis fled their homes for safe haven. Describing the economic and social hardships that Iraqi refugees endure, Mr. Rosen explained that most fleeing Iraqis were forced to sell their possessions in order to secure their financial wellbeing. Due to the high price of private schooling, child refugees residing in Jordan typically do not attend school, and many of their parents can only find jobs on the black market. Relative to Iraq’s other neighbors, Syria has been quite generous toward the displaced Iraqis, offering them the same health care and free schooling afforded to Syrian citizens. However, the refugees’ resettlement in Damascus has spurred a spike in crime and prostitution.

Ken Bacon offered several explanations as to why the Iraqi refugee crisis has received underwhelming media attention. Above all, the American military’s efforts to pacify Iraq have dominated the headlines. In contrast to the humanitarian emergency in Darfur, the displaced Iraqis are not resettled in refugee camps and instead have blended into the urban centers of Iraq’s neighbors, such as ‘Amman and Damascus. Mr. Bacon described the United States’ response to the crisis as “pathetic,” citing the political difficulty for American policymakers to acknowledge the negative repercussions of the war in Iraq. Furthermore, security concerns have prevented the United States from resettling large numbers of Iraqis within its borders. Hoping to resettle 7,000 Iraqis by the end of the current fiscal year, the US has until now only admitted a meager 130 refugees.

Mr. Bacon also outlined how the United States can effectively address the humanitarian crisis in the heart of the Middle East. While working toward a peaceful and stable Iraq that will eventually welcome the refugees home, Washington simultaneously should financially support the host countries that have born the burden of the crisis. Iraqi refugees account for 14% of Jordan’s population — equivalent to an influx of 45 million people into the United States. With only a small minority of Iraqi child refugees attending classes in Jordan, according to Mr. Bacon, the United States should pump money into ‘Amman so as to enable more displaced Iraqis to receive an education.

After offering their initial remarks, the three panelists took questions from the audience. Responding to a question about advocacy efforts to bolster American support for Iraqi refugees, Mr. Rosen pessimistically stated that the United States was “sick” of Iraq and has begun to blame the Iraqis for the chaos enveloping their country. Later, Mr. Bacon explained that “denial and indifference” have contributed to insufficient resettlement efforts in the United States. Unlike at the end of the Vietnam War, the United States has not admitted defeat in Iraq. Washington considers the refugees as simply temporary and thus not requiring resettlement inside the United States.