Dealing with the Influx of Mideast Refugees

Posted: December 28th, 2016

By Robert L. McKenzie

Robert L. McKenzie is a visiting fellow in the Project on U.S. Relations with the Islamic World at the Brookings Institution. McKenzie is an expert on the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), with 15 years of applied research and work experience for the U.S. government, private sector, and academia. He has extensive experience working on issues related to forced migration, displaced persons, and refugee resettlement, as well as Muslim and Arab diaspora. McKenzie's latest book project, expected in May 2017, explores humanitarian assistance to protracted refugee situations in the MENA region.

Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since the second world war, with a large number of refugees coming from the Middle East, particularly Syria and Afghanistan. In September, the Cipher Brief spoke with Robert McKenzie – an expert on the Middle East and North Africa and refugee issues – about Europe’s approach to the influx of Middle Eastern refugees and how it may affect stability.

The Cipher Brief: Europe is facing the biggest refugee crisis since WWII. Which countries do most refugees come from when they flee to Europe?

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