The United States should take its responsibility in the disheartening refugee crisis in Europe as its controversial Middle East policies resulted in wars and chaos that displaced large numbers of people.
A picture showing the tiny, lifeless body of a drowned Syrian refugee washed up on a Turkish beach has brought the European refugee crisis under the spotlight. However, the reality is way worse than what the public has seen from the picture.
Each week, hundreds of refugees who flee from Iraq, Syria and other war-torn Middle Eastern countries take on their dangerous journey across the Mediterranean, many of them not being able to reach the European shores alive.
Just more than a week ago, about 70 refugees were found dead in a truck abandoned on a motorway in Austria. Similar incidents happen frequently but have only drawn limited attention until the photo came up, grilling everyone's conscience.
Moreover, when people think that the refugees on their way to Europe or in Europe face tremendous difficulties, they should also keep in mind that the places the refugees have fled is exposed to even more danger and hardship.
And even though it has remained relatively "quiet" on this matter, the United States actually has an inescapable responsibility on what happens today in Europe and the Middle East.
The United States has made interventions, directly or indirectly, to overthrow Iraq's Saddam Hussein, Libya's Muammar Gaddafi and Egypt's Hosni Mubarak, among other ousted leaders in Middle East.
Savage wars have scourged Iraq, Syria, Yemen and other countries as terrorist attacks take place on a daily basis. Hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians have died in bloody conflicts, while millions have been forced to flee their hometown.
Wars and anarchy in the region have clearly pointed to the failure of the U.S. policies of the Middle East, a mistake that the only super power of the world is reluctant to correct.
Now leaders of the European Union are between a rock and a hard place as the public is urging for more aids for the refugees while the EU countries are having difficulties dealing the flooding of refugees. However, the United States has done nothing substantial to deal with the problem.
While Germany and Austria expect to receive 800,000 refugees and migrants this year, U.S. State Department spokesperson John Kirby said the United States plans to receive 1,500 refugees from Syria, which is far from enough considering the number of 4 million refugees in the Middle East country.
Moreover, the plight of Syria and other countries in the region can not be solved by just providing sanctuary to the homeless. Where there is war, innocent civilians will suffer.
As a solution, peace and stability should be established in the region. But it can not be done unless the United States shoulders its responsibility and corrects its mistakes.
