A Long Winter for Syrian Refugees

Heavy Snow Hammers Refugee Camps in Lebanon

     Syrian refugees in Lebanon are now having to weather not only a brutal civil war, but an unforgiving winter storm. As we here in the states start to thaw from our own winter storm, frigid weather and snow has hit many areas of Syria and Lebanon, bringing with it tough conditions for thousands. A large number of the approximately 800,000 Syrians who have fled to their smaller neighbor are living in makeshift camps and homes, many of these no more than plastic tarps made to keep out the rain and sun. Temperatures in the Bekaa Valley though, where around a third of the refugees have settled, have plunged to freezing and there’s little the people there can do to weather the storm.
The Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon has escalated in recent months, as more and more people cross the border to escape the fighting. The Syrian government has made important gains in recent weeks and months, but you can expect the inevitable increased funding and resistance from Saudi-funded forces to push back, drawing out this civil war even longer. This isn’t to say that refugees will easily be able to return to their homes after the war is done, either. Whether the Assad government remains standing or not, it’s likely that life will be dangerous as whoever ends up on top works to consolidate power and squash any opposition. This is a common occurrence in countries post-regime change, as the new (or newly affirmed) leadership works to ensure that its hold on power is absolute (after the Iranian Revolution of 1979,  a Khomeini-appointee named Sadeq Khalkhali carried hundreds of political executions, most of them without the benefit of a trial or jury, including a former prime minister).
In the meantime, Lebanon is already strained under the 450,000 Palestinian refugees already living within its borders. Although the refugees have largely carved out communities and camps for themselves throughout the country, the delicate sectarian balance in Lebanon makes it ripe for conflict. So far, thankfully, a tragic event like the Sabra and Shatila massacres hasn’t befallen the vulnerable Syrian refugee communities.
As the conflict stretches on, however, more and more Syrians escape into neighboring countries and there are more and more chances that spill over conflicts will rise. It also becomes increasingly apparent that the true losers in these unforgiving proxy wars aren’t countries or governments, but the people themselves.