Red Lines is a searing documentary about the crisis in Syria that both humanizes the conflict and vividly illustrates the complexities on the ground. This is a must-see film for anyone who wants to understand what is happening in Syria.
I attended a screening last night put on by the Jewish Community Relations Council, St. George’s Orthodox Christian Church, Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation, United Muslim Relief, and the Immigrant Refugee Service Corps and at St. George's Orthodox Church in Fishers, Ind. The film was presented by two members of the Multifaith Alliance for Syrian Refugees - Georgette Bennett, the founder of the Alliance, and Shadi Martini, himself a Syrian refugee.
Red Lines is both compelling and informative. The 70-minute film follows two activists - one, a woman, who works on the ground in Syria to identify "good guys" and train civil society leaders; and a man who works mainly in DC to keep the US government up to speed on the conflict. The name plays on President Obama's infamous "red line" comment about the Assad regime's use of chemical weapons.
I've been tracking the situation in Syria, which started in March 2011, for at least the last three years. It's hard to imagine a worse situation: 12 million people displaced, under siege, and out of the reach of humanitarian aid - most of whom are still inside Syria. Four million registered refugees have fled Syria, but hundreds of thousands have not been registered (and are thus not able to receive aid or resettlement). Between 300,000 and 500,000 people dead. 80% of Syrians now live in poverty, and Syria has slipped from 117 to 173 out of 180-some countries on the World Development Index. In the last five years, the average life expectancy in Syria has dropped from 80 years old to 56.
80% of these refugees are urban refugees as opposed to those living in refugee camps. That means they are squatters living in squalid, densely-populated environments where they are often deeply resented. It is illegal for them to work, so they are vulnerable to exploitation.
80% of these refugees are women and children, despite what you hear by some conservative conspiracy theorists. (For the best graph and map you've ever seen, click here.)
Attacks on medical workers and health care facilities in Syria is common. Some 15,000 doctors have fled Syria, so few remain. Those who remain have little to work with. 60% of hospitals and 80% of ambulances in Syria have been destroyed by the genocidal Assad regime.
One of the worst dimensions of the conflict is the lost generation of Syrian children. For the last five years, most of these kids have been unable to go to school. If these children grow up uneducated with few options for bettering their lives, they will become the terrorists of the future.
The film illustrates clearly that it is contingent upon us in the US to do much, much more to help these people. The Assad regime needs to be overthrown, and in the meantime we need to support the development of civilian councils. Syria will need to be totally rebuilt.
The refugees need housing, education, trauma counseling, and work. Most of the Syrian refugees are well educated. A Sept. 11 Wall Street Journal article indicated perhaps as much as 80% of the adult refugees are college-educated. We want these people in America. Unfortunately, the US has only increased its quota of Syrian refugees to 30,000 over the next fiscal year.
Not even close to that many will actually be resettled in the US, because the vetting process is so cumbersome. This isn't to say we should loosen the vetting process. Rather, we should advocate for more staffing and streamlining, as we currently have several different vetting agencies who all operate with different protocols. It can take up to two years for one refugee to successfully complete the screening process.
We can also provide scholarships for Syrian refugees in American universities. Plenty of models are available. This would allow many more refugees to come to the US on student visas and help shape future leaders of Syria.
Refugees could also use more rescue ships. Doctors Without Borders (MSF) currently operates three in the Mediterranean Sea, but none operate in the Aegean. As we have seen in the news, many desperate refugees have died after paying smugglers to transport them to Europe on dangerously-undersized boats. And these are the people with means to escape Syria. Think about the situation of those who cannot even get out of the country.
Finally, refugees can use the assistance of compassionate people in telling the truth about them. A well-funded backlash has spread conspiracy theories about these refugees, alleging that they are mostly male jihadists who are trying to infiltrate the US and Europe. This is all false and damaging. Here's a good, short explanation of the crisis, the reality that the refugees face, and the manner that the US and Europe have addressed it.
Unfortunately, the situation is getting worse by the day. The Assad regime, emboldened by inaction and silence in the West, has beefed up its campaign of genocide. Russia, an ally of the Assad regime, has joined the fray ostensibly to fight ISIS. However, that's just not true, as 90% of Russia's bombing targets are anti-Assad rebels (which aren't the same as ISIS).
The US government needs to work with its partners to establish humanitarian safe zones in Syria; drop food to the civilians who are under siege; bomb Assad targets; vet, train, and arm the rebels; and educate/train civil society leaders to be ready to take over governance and public safety.
There's no reason why we can't do all of this. US military is already in the area, as we are carrying out airstrikes against ISIS targets. ISIS - which is monstrous and needs to be dealt with - is still only responsible for somewhere between 3-15% of civilian deaths in Syria. Yet we bomb IS targets and leave Assad alone. We've also dropped guns to Kurds in Iraq to fight ISIS, so why can't we drop food and medical supplies to Syrians? We know people on the ground who can identify the good guys and train them. It's time-consuming, but worth it. At the very least we need to establish safe zones.
You can meet the Multifaith Alliance members here:
12:15 pm – Friday, Oct. 30
Inter Church Center
1100 W. 42nd St. Indianapolis, IN
Discussion on Syria in ICC Dining Room
6:15pm – Friday, Oct. 30
Indianapolis Hebrew Congregation
6501 N. Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN
Shabbat services with guest speakers