The Syrian refugee crisis and global security threats a case study of Germany

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Ahmad Barakat

Abstract

In recent times, various governments have increasingly regarded both newly arrived and well-established refugee groups as potential sources of concern, posing challenges to the internal stability of the state, regional security, and even global security. The concerns of European host states encompass a range of issues, including the inadvertent provision of a safe haven for foreign combatants, as well as the potential for affiliates of ISIS and other Islamist groups to exploit the hosting nation as a platform for carrying out terrorist activities. However, the academic community currently faces a dearth of theoretical frameworks and empirical investigations that establish a connection between the influx of refugees and instances of criminal behaviour or acts of terrorism. The objective of this study is to evaluate the assertion that Syrian refugees provide a potential risk to global security. This will be accomplished by a focused analysis of crime and terrorism rates inside Germany, a nation that had a significant influx of refugees from Syria during the period spanning from 2015 to 2020. This study posits and substantiates, via the utilisation of descriptive statistical analysis, the absence of a direct correlation between Syrian refugees and crime rates or instances of terrorism. Drawing upon primary German, English and Arabic sources, the study makes the conclusion that the increase in the number of Syrian refugees was not necessarily accompanied by an increasing threat to security.


Keywords: Syrian refugees, Global security, Terrorism, Threat, ISIS

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Author Biography

Ahmad Barakat, Department of Political Science and International Studies, University of Birmingham

Ahmad Barakat is a visiting lecturer in Middle East politics at the University of Birmingham. His research examines the political economy in the Middle East. and in the politics and diplomacy of the Middle East. He completed his PhD in political science and international studies at the University of Birmingham. He is a former Syrian diplomat and human rights expert.