Why giving Syrian refugees safe zones is easier said than done

Turkey, afraid of being overwhelmed by the exodus from Syria, wants help setting up havens within the war-ravaged country... but it doesn't have many takers

A Syrian refugee and her children at the entrance to their tent in the Zaatari Syrian refugee camp, in Mafraq, Jordan: Jordan is host to the largest number of Syrian refugees at 142,000, incl
(Image credit: AP Photo/Mohammad Hannon)

With escalating violence triggering a sharp rise in the flow of refugees out of Syria, Turkey this week called on other nations to help establish safe zones to allow displaced civilians to stay within their own country. Turkey and Jordan are shouldering most of the burden of sheltering the 170,000 men, women, and children the United Nations estimates have flooded out of Syria during its 18-month uprising. "We expect the U.N. to step in," says Ahmet Davutoglu, Turkey's foreign minister. "No one has the right to expect Turkey to take on this international responsibility on its own." The idea of establishing protected havens for Syrian civilians has been floating for months, but so far nothing has been done. It seems like a humanitarian no-brainer — why is it so complicated to get it done? Here, a brief guide:

How bad is the refugee crisis?

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