Harvard International Review - 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.

ReliefWeb - Laughter rings out and there is an atmosphere of excitement and joyful chaos. Children are perched on stilts, others spin plates or happily perform aerial dances.

This is not a big top circus in a major city but a house in southeastern Turkey, where Syrian refugee children learn circus tricks in an innovative programme to help integrate into their foreign host country.

The Her Yerde Sanat association (Turkish for "Art Anywhere") works with 120 young people aged three to 20.

Just north of the Syrian border, at the house in Mardin province, there is a beautiful view over the Mesopotamian plain to Syria, which 80 of the youngsters once called home. The other children are Turkish.