The state of our world in 2015. There are many causes of horrors like the one shown above. America's military interventions in Syria, Iraq, Libya and Yemen and the disasters they produced have not helped. The death toll so far is over 1.3 million and rising, plus 6 million or more refugees.
The world has recently been shocked and appalled by this image and tragedy. This three year old boy, Aylan Kurdi, washed up dead on the shores of Bodrum in southwest Turkey. He drowned in the Mediterranean Sea along with his five-year-old brother Galip and mother Rihan. Only the father, Abdullah, survived. The family was on one of two boats that departed Bodrum and headed to the Greek island of Kos. Both boats sank shortly after leaving the Turkish coast. Twelve bodies have been recovered so far, including those of five children.
The drowned family were kurds who were fleeing northern Syria after being driven out of their homes by the terrorist group that calls themselves 'The Islamic State' (IS)
The United Nations estimates that 230,000 people have been killed in Syria's Civil War (the real number is probably much higher), and more than 6 million people out of a population of 22 million have been displaced (that's more than a fourth of the entire population). More than 2,600 have died trying to cross the Mediterranean to Europe this year alone. More than 350,000 refugees have fled to Europe so far, after fleeing Libya and Syria.
The current refugee crisis and terrorism in Iraq and Syria is a legacy of America's intervention in the region.
George Bush's war in Iraq was been responsible for killing 1.3 Iraqis and creating a power vacuum in the region which has spawned violence, fundamentalism and terrorism.
Things got worse in 2012 when U.S. Secretary of State Hilary Clinton decided that she knew what was best for the people of Syria. She decided that President Assad "had to go", (even though 55% of the Syrian people supported Assad). In coordination with Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar she launched a war to invade Syria and overthrow the government. Huge military bases were set up in Jordan and Turkey for puppet armies. Before the U.S. got involved, this was a war with casualties in the 1,000's. Yet now around 200,000 people have died and cultural and archaeological treasures have been destroyed. The U.S. has inflamed a conflict that may have been ended quickly by the Syrian government, had we not chosen to get involved.
U.S. support for the rebels fighting Assad has helped groups like IS come to power.
Now the refugee crisis in Europe is swelling to unseen heights. 2,000 New arrivals show up every day in Hungary and up to 140,000 applications have been filled for asylum in the nation, while Germany has received 800,000 applications. This situation is a humanitarian disaster and a by-product of U.S. and NATO military imperialism.
RELATED LINKS
Obama's Attack on Syria (World Future Fund)
Obama's 2011 Attack on Libya (World Future Fund)
Europe's migrant crisis: Chaos as trains are stopped in Hungary (CNN, 9-3-15)
Aylan Kurdi: Canadian immigration minister suspends election campaign to investigate why Syrian family's refugee application was refused (The Independent, 9-3-15)