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Myson Darden

Mr.Phillips

English 3

11 December 2017

Syrian Crisis in Lebanon and Turkey

Many people show a blind eye to the violence that has arose from the Syrian Civil War. This crisis

arose from division within the Syrian government and opposition to President Bashar al-Assad and his role of

presidency. With tension and violence on the up rise, Syrian civilians feel it is necessary to flee their

homeland to escape from persecution. When it comes to the Syrian Civil War in the Middle East people

seem to think that it impacts only Syria. The Syrian Civil War is affecting Lebanese and Turkish economies,

because they have to provide expensive aid, shelter, food, and care toward the mass number of refugees

storming into the countries.

The Lebanese government has taken a fatal blow when it comes to their economy in recent years.

According to studies from Julia Romano at the Wilson Center, Up to 1.5 million displaced persons are

believed to have crossed the border into Lebanon. This means that Syrians refugees have felt so persecuted

by violence that they have felt the need to flee their homeland Syria, in mass numbers. According to Julia

Romano , This rapid percentage increase in the refugee population is a serious burden on Lebanon's

economy and Lebanon cannot afford to increase public department. This is stating that a peripheral

country like Lebanon isnt fit and stable enough in their economy to load refugees into the country because

they dont have enough money to support and aid them and they must focus on their own internal financial

problems before they can worry about the refugees.

The citizens of Lebanon are being laid off negatively affecting their financial status. According to Al-

Araj Ellias from the Al Monitor, This crisis is also expected to increase rampant poverty among the Lebanese

and widen the income inequality gap .When an unexpected group of people can into Lebanon an already
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competitive workforce just gets more difficult when Syrians come in search for work and can be paid less

than Lebanese workers causes many Lebanese to become unemployed. This is expected to widen the

amount of space between the amounts of money people make from highest paid to lowest paid that can

negatively impact the Lebanese government. Expert Soner Caynptay from the Washington Institute states,

Lebanese laborers are unable to find work competing in a particularly intensified informal sector.

Caynptay explains that with more than 1.5 million displaced persons from Syria infiltrating Lebanon, the

Lebanese are unable to find work because of the amount of Syrians taking away their job opportunities that

were once theirs.

The fear of violence in Lebanon has greatly impacted their tourism negatively therefore negatively

impacting their economy. According to Julia Romano for the Wilson Center, Tourism, especially from the

Gulf states has dropped, avoid traveling to Lebanon due to safety concerns. The Syrian Civil War have left

tourist not wanting any part in this affected area and dont feel safe entering anywhere in or around

Lebanon due to increased violence in recent years which has dropped their GDP and most importantly their

economy.

Lebanon is not the only that has been affected, Turkey is also a major country that has been

negatively impacted by the Syrian Civil War, refugees entering the country have been to say the least costly.

Supporting and supporting as well as aiding the Syrians have a struggle. Soner Compthy from the

Washington Institute said, Currently over 163,000 Syrians are being housed in thirteen refugee camps and

two temporary receiving centers in Turkey. Soner explains how the Turkish government is barely managing

to house the mass load of displaced Syrians in Turkey. Mogul from the Market Mogul stated that it was

estimated that by the end of 2017 refugees had directly cost Turkey around 3 billion dollars. The outright

cost of food, shelter, aid, and equipment held in the camps and housing units have been exponentially

pricey therefore negatively affecting their economy..

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Not only has it been costly to aid the Syrian refugees, The Syrian Civil War has caused trade in

Turkey to deplete significantly casing Turkey's economy to be pessimistically affected. According to M.

Hande Akment from Newsweek, Turkey exported goods to Syria worth 1.8 billion dollars in 2010, in 2012

Turkey's trade value with Syria deteriorated to 497 million dollars. Before the crisis Turkey and Syria had a

healthy relationship importing and exporting goods with each other, but with violence arising in Syria and

Turkey trade has plummeted, severely impacting the already deteriorated Syrian economy as well as the

plummeting Turkish government's economy. According to Mogul from the Market Mogul, This conflict also

generated significant cost for Turkish companies also trading with the rest of the Arabian Peninsula as the

transport links via Syria were blocked or unsafe to drive through. With terrorist and nonconformist such as

ISIS on the rise trade ports along the Arabian Peninsula have been blockaded, so importing trade to Syria

cannot be completed as well as exporting goods to other countries outside of Syria, this has severely

impacted trade and GDP of Syria and Turkish economy.

Not only trade has trade decreased but, Turkey's economic spending on military has gone through

the roof. According to M. Hande Akment for News Week it states that By 2017, military spending increase

to 22.6billion, an increase 25%. Akment is explaining that with the threat of non conformist and a possible

threat of dangerous Syrian refugees Turkish military has had to use loads of money to defend themselves

from possible invasions or attacks. According to Metin Gurcan from Al Monitor The government is planning

to meet an expected 30% increase in military defense expenditures by direct taxation of its citizens and a

series of price hikes to be borne by the public Gucan explains that with military defence spending on the

rise the citizens are being impacted by having to be highly taxed in order to pay off military cost. This takes a

huge toll on the population to cough off pricy tax money in order for the country to be correctly equipped

with the right weaponry, and is divided in the Turkish population weather it is right or not to tax Turkish

citizens.
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The Syrian Civil War's impact on Turkey and Lebanon`s economy should be taken very seriously

because the crisis is negatively impacting the surrounding countries of Syria's borders economy which can

later affect other countries. A report issued by the World Bank estimated the total cost of the Syrian Civil

War to all 5 countries (Syria,Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey) at about 35 billion according to M.

Hande Akmendent from Newsweek. It`s time for citizens everywhere to take a closer look at the Syrian Civil

War and understand its impacts and see what they can do to help.
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Works Cited

Canpthlay, Soner. Syrian Refugees on Loose. Washington Institute, The Washington Syrian Crisis

Program, 19 Mar. 2017, www.washingtoninstitute.org .16 Nov 2017.

Elias,Al-Araj. Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle East. Al-Monitor: the Pulse of the Middle

East, 2 May 2017, www.al-monitor.com/. 2 Dec. 2017.

Hande, Akment M. Turkish Economy Declining Rapidly. Newsweek, 27 May 2017,

www.newsweek.com/. November 14th 2017.

Niger, Hokesel. Economic Struggles of the Middle East. Crisis Group, The Crisis Journalist

Group, 5 July 2017, www.crisisgroup.org/. 20 Nov. 2017.

Romano, Julia Criag. Lebanese Economy Affected by Syrian Crisis . Wilson Center, 16 June

2017, https://www.wilsoncenter.org/ . 23 Nov 2017.

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