A Balancing Act: Confronting Trauma and Conflict Through Circus

According to Turkish journalist Ismail Saymaz, Syrian refugees have turned Turkey into a “three-ring circus.” He may have meant it ironically. They have–literally. 

The Syrian civil war is a conflict that has killed hundreds of thousands of civilians and displaced millionsmore. Of those affected, over half are children. The majority of Syrian refugees have fled to neighboring countries, such as Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon. Increasing a nation’s population by millions, seemingly overnight, places a tremendous strain on national resources. Turkey has bills in the billions for the expenditures necessary to support such a large refugee community. In The New Middle East, James Gelvin emphasizes that host countries do not just face the problem of finding a place for refugees to live; they also shoulder the costly burden of providing food, shelter, education, healthcare, protection, and municipal services. As a result of these social, economic, and infrastructural challenges, Saymaz’s stance is not an uncommon one. However, the argument that Syrian refugees have made Turkey a figurative “circus” is an opinion; that they have made it a literal circus is a fact.