Today. the reasons leading populations to flee are more diverse. While in 1951 the two main causes of departure were poverty and conflict. today the causes have expanded to bad governance. climate change. and competition for scarce resources. As barriers to human mobility have fallen in recent decades. protecting refugees has become even more difficult. These new challenges make it even more crucial to find adequate and efficient ways to address these issues. Moreover. with the increased number of refugees worldwide. many countries have started to reverse their policies on granting asylum and have begun closing their doors to vulnerable populations. As a result. refugees are forced to return to the terrible situations which they were originally trying to escape. I believe that we can alleviate suffering and save lives if the problem is addressed globally. and in cooperation with foreign countries and international organizations. such as the United Nations. The protection of refugees is an international duty. It is the United States duty to lead these efforts. One of the most pressing examples of a burgeoning crisis is the Iraqi refugee crisis. Today. there are millions of displaced Iraqis both inside and outside of Iraq. Since the beginning of the Iraq war. the United States has only welcomed in 8.000 Iraqi refugees while Sweden alone has taken in 40.000. The United States has a tremendous responsibility to aid these populations. Even more. we have a specific obligation to protect our allies in Iraq who risked their lives to help our government and our Armed Forces.
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refugee refugees