According to figures from the United Nations refugee agency, the majority of refugees in the world today — and ever since the start of this century — have been fleeing from countries that were sanctioned, couped, and/or invaded, by the U.S. Government.
The latest such annual report by the UNHCR is “Global Trends Forced Displacement 2021”, and it indicates that “69% originated from just five countries” which were: Syria (6.9 million), Venezuela (4.6 million), Afghanistan (2.7 million), South Sudan (2.4 million), and Myanmar (1.2 million). The report’s “Figure 7” “People displaced across borders by host country | end-2021” shows that the top recipient-countries that year were: Turkiye (3,759,800), Colombia (1,843,900), Uganda (1,529,900), Pakistan (1,491,100), Germany (1,255,700), Sudan (1,103,900), Bangladesh (918,900), Lebanon (845,900), Ethiopia (821,300), and Iran (798,300). The report notes that there were “72 percent hosted by neighboring countries” but the exceptions were likewise notable. For example: “Figure 13” “Major countries for individual registration of new asylum seekers | 2021” showed that #1 on that list (and these numbers indicate ONLY the refugees that were officially recorded in these nations as being refugees who came there during that year, NOT the total who had somehow become “displaced” and who now were there) as being U.S., 188,900. #2 was Germany, 148,200. #3 was Mexico, 131,400. Some others among the top 10 were: France, Spain, UK, and Italy.
“Figure 14” “Major source countries of new asylum applications | 2021” shows, as being the top 10: Afghanistan (125,600), Nicaragua (111,600), Syria (110,000), Venezuela (92,400), Haiti (67,000), Honduras (59,800), Central African Republic (47,800), Iraq (37,700), Democratic Republic of Congo (34,500), and Somalia (32,100).
“Figure 16” “Key flows of new individual asylum applications registered and group refugee recognitions | 2021” shows that most of America’s new refugees that year were from Venezuela and Honduras; Germany’s from Syria; Mexico’s from Haiti and Honduras; France’s from Afghanistan; Spain’s from Venezuela; and UK’s from “Other” (countries that weren’t shedding many refugees).
To contrast that with, say, the 2019 report, its “Figure 4” “Key flows of newly registered refugees and new asylum seekers in 2018” listed, in order, the top “Countries of origin” as being Syria, Venezuela, South Sudan, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Iraq, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. Most Syrian refugees were in Turkiye; most Venezuelans in Peru; most South Sudanese in Sudan; most DR Congans in Uganda; most Afghans in Turkiye; most Iraqis in Turkiye; and most of the refugees from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico were in the U.S.
The next annual report from UNHCR is expected to be published in June 2023, covering the year 2022.
To get an idea of what the situation was before this, at this Century’s start, one might look at the 2004 edition, “2003 Global Refugee Trends”, which shows that the top 10 “Main origin of refugees, 2003” were (indicating the total number by the end of that year who were refugees from the given country): Afghanistan (2,136,000), Sudan (606,200), Burundi (531,600), DR Congo (453,400), Palestinians (427,800), Somalia (402,200), Iraq (368,400), Vietnam (363,200), Liberia (353,300), and Angola (323,600).
Back on 6 July 2019, I headlined “Hypocrisies About Refugees”, and documented that America’s Government had sub-contracted, mainly to Al Qaeda in Syria (but also to separatist Kurds in Syria’s northeast), its overthrow-Assad operation there, and worked with Turkiye to bring in jihadists from all over the world to Syria in order to be directed by Al Qada for this purpose. Furthermore, even U.S.-sponsored polls in Syria showed that the vast majority of Syrians knew that this was the case and were intensely opposed to Al Qaeda and to the U.S. Government which they knew to be sponsoring it.
Of course, one may reasonably expect that the upcoming June 2023 annual report by UNHCR will show that Ukraine this time tops the list of having produced the most refugees in 2022, due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which was (after prior efforts by Russia to get a negotiation going with the U.S. Government about this matter so as to achieve peacefully a settlement that would consider Russia’s national-security interests regarding Ukraine on Russia’s border had all failed) due to America’s having grabbed Ukraine in a February 2014 coup which the Obama Administration had started to plan no later than June 2011.
A question arises, in light of this, as to whether the news-media have been sufficiently reporting on what has been the main cause of the world’s refugee problem, and how to fix it. Within nations, there is much public resistance to accepting new refugees. Would the public’s attitude be different if were well known, from news-reports such as this one, what had actually caused most of these refugees? Would national policies in the EU and in the U.S. be affected if the cause were publicized? Should it be publicized? [To the Editor: Will you publish this? If not: why not? Please email me about this.]
By Eric Zuesse