Lenze Interview – Podcast May 20, 2019

The Syrian Civil War And Its Impact On Europe. Democratic Perspective again welcomes Dr. Paul Lenze, Jr., political science professor at NAU and Middle East expert to discuss his new book: Syrian Forced Migration and Public Health in the European Union.
He points to 2015 as the key date in the Syrian civil war when Russia got involved. That’s when millions of Syrians and others from the region began migrating to Europe. The so-called Old (western) Europe welcomed the refugees. The New (eastern) Europe didn’t. Nevertheless, he says the assimilation process has gone relatively well. But it depends on situations on the ground. Western European countries have helped them assimilate while Eastern European countries have kept them in camps.

Asked how to get to something positive going forward, Lenze says there needs to be a negotiated settlement. Assad has won. We need to bring all parties to the table for talks. We need to stop support of the Saudis in the Yemen civil war. We need to stop the bellicose reactions to Iran. And we need to bring in UN.

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