The nightmarish Syrian Civil War has claimed many victims. 310,000 have been killed in the maelstrom, and even more have been driven from their homes. 6.5 million people have been displaced in the country, and 4.1 million have been forced to abandon Syria entirely. Taken together, approximately half of all Syrians have been forced to flee because of the violence, and one in five displaced persons in the world today are Syrian. Most of the externally displaced refugees have fled to neighboring countries, but increasing numbers are making the perilous trek to Europe. In fact, the number of refugees fleeing to Europe has doubled in the past year. HPR writers weigh in on one of the greatest humanitarian crises of our generation.

Image Credits: Wikimedia Commons/Mstyslav Chernov