The announcement by the Turkish labor minister to grant Syrian refugees something more than tents and blankets was a positive one. He said that refugees will be registered as temporary residents and the government will help them get jobs in sectors that need labor force.
Not only is it a humane gesture favoring 1,700,000 Syrian refugees but also a progressive political stance as it would help the refugees remain steadfast against the regime and at the same time benefit the Turkish economy.
The Syrian regime's policy is to force its citizens to emigrate. Assad forces claim they target armed people in populated areas, but in fact they are bombing these locations to punish ordinary residents. They also want to punish the neighboring countries by putting strain on their economy through forcing millions of Syrians to take refuge there.
The Assad regime, its thugs and other terrorist groups have destroyed cities and villages, terrified people and forced them to flee. These hapless people left their homes both out of fear and to look for food and treatment after their cities were systematically besieged and international aid was blocked.
In the largest displacement of people in modern history continuing for the past three years, around nine million Syrians have crossed borders to seek refuge in neighboring countries including Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Assad regime is claiming that the neighboring states as well as a majority of resentful refugees will be forced to reconcile with the regime and come back under its terms. This explains the regime's strategy of rendering millions of people living in revolting areas homeless. However, after these three difficult years, this policy no longer remains valid.
Despite displacing more than one-third of its population, the regime is still unable to control the partly freed areas. This shows that the regime will not be able to keep its promise of bringing back the refugees even if they recognize its authority. After punishing those living in the areas that revolted against it, the regime is now forcing the youth in the less-affected areas to join its Iranian-led militias and defend the lands left under its authority.
The compulsory recruitment attempt might go against the regime and cause an internal friction within the army itself. Most of those refusing to be enlisted are from among the regime’s supporters which exposes the state of despair in Assad regime. The Washington Post report re-enforces the fear of Assad's end. The paper reported a decrease in Assad support among Alawites.
Another evidence of the regime's possible ouster is a US official’s remarks who said that President Obama has changed his opinion and asked his aides to look for alternatives to Assad, believing that his remaining in power would make fighting ISIS impossible. Whether Obama is sincere or just wants to appease Arab governments, the fact remains that it is impossible to defeat terrorism as long as Syria is not stable and it will not be so under Assad.
While waiting for a political or military solution, granting refugees the opportunity to live with temporary identities and giving them simple jobs to make a living, is a beautiful humane step that will give these oppressed people a glimpse of hope after years of suffering and torment.
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