Assad's fall: Why Syrians want to stay in Germany!

Assad's fall: Why Syrians want to stay in Germany!

After the extremely explosive fall by ruler Bashar al-Assad in Syria, a heated discussion about the possible return of Syrian refugees to her home country. But the renowned migration researcher Jochen Oltmer dampens the expectations. In an interview with the "Augsburger Allgemeine", the Osnabrück professor emphasizes that an extensive wave of returns from the Syrian refugees living in Germany can hardly be expected. "A larger wave of returns from Syrian people from Germany to their homeland is unlikely," explains Oltmer, whereby he refers to the experience from the time after the Yugoslavia. According to the experts' observations, refugees usually do not return in large numbers, especially if they have already taken root in their new homeland.

The situation is reminiscent of the scenario after the Bosnian War, when only a small fraction of those seeking protection returned. Oltmer emphasizes: “By 1999, of the 350,000 people seeking protection, only 17,000 returned to their original places of residence.” He warns against underestimating the existing ties between Syrian refugees and Germany. There are around 250,000 students with a Syrian background in German schools, and these young people and their parents, who are striving for a stable life in Germany, have deep roots. [Welt] reports that Syrians will make up almost 40 percent of naturalizations in 2023 - an indicator that Germany has become a new home for many of them.

Integration instead of return

Oltmer suggests postponing the discussion about return programs in favor of greater integration of refugees in Germany, as demands for return could unnecessarily increase the concerns of people who are already integrated. Schools, companies and communities have invested a lot in integration, and he believes that endangering these successes by demanding people to return is counterproductive. Instead, he emphasizes the need to utilize the potential of these people and further strengthen bonds.

Political and social developments

In this context, the political development in other host countries, which also think about the return of Syrian refugees, is interesting in this context. [MSN] describes that several European states have put their asylum offspring on hold for Syrians while waiting for the further stability of the situation in Syria. This cautious consideration shows how important a careful analysis of the political and social dynamics is in order to enable refugees a safe and human life.