President Obama has directed his administration to accept at least 10,000 Syrian refugees in the next fiscal year, according to White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest. That's a significant increase for the United States, which since the beginning of the Syrian civil war in 2011 has only accepted about 1,500 refugees.
Compared to other nations, 10,000 is still only a fraction of help; Germany is set to take 800,000 refugees in 2015 alone, Britain is taking 20,000 refugees, and France has said it will accept a potential European Union-wide quota of 24,000. Turkey, one of the first stops for Syrians fleeing the war, has taken in over 1.9 million refugees, many of whom live in government-run camps. There have been nearly 4.1 million registered refugees since the Syrian conflict began.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Today's political cartoons - December 20, 2024Cartoons Friday's cartoons - founding fathers, old news, and more
-
Parker Palm Springs review: decadence in the California desertThe Week Recommends This over-the-top hotel is a mid-century modern gem
-
The real story behind the Stanford Prison ExperimentThe Explainer 'Everything you think you know is wrong' about Philip Zimbardo's infamous prison simulation
-
British warship repels 'largest Houthi attack to date' in the Red SeaSpeed read Western allies warn of military response to Iranian-backed Yemeni rebels if attacks on ships continue
-
Houthi rebels claim Red Sea ship attacksspeed read Iran-backed Yemeni group vows to escalate aggression towards Israel-linked vessels in revenge for Gaza war
-
Israel plans next phase of Gaza war as first hostages releasedSpeed read After four-day ceasefire 'we will not stop' until destruction of Hamas, says Israel
-
Mob storms Russian airport 'looking for Jews'Speed Read Plane from Israel surrounded by rioters chanting antisemitic slogans after landing in Russia's Dagestan region
-
Tuberville's military promotions block is upending lives, combat readiness, 3 military branch chiefs saySpeed Read
-
Ukraine's counteroffensive is making incremental gains. Does it matter in the broader war?Speed Read
-
US commissions first-ever Navy ship in a foreign portSpeed Read
-
British spy chief, Wagner video suggest Prigozhin is alive and freely 'floating around'Speed Read
