Headline January 17, 2018/ '' 'RECKONING -SYRIAN- REFUGEES' ''

'' 'RECKONING -SYRIAN- REFUGEES' ''

WITH DESPAIR, TRUE, the optimism begins..............

The optimism of the man who expects nothing, who knows he has no rights and nothing is coming to him, who rejoices in counting on himself alone and in acting on alone for the good of all.

That's philosopher, and master thinker Jean Paul Sarte for you all. The World Students Society stops to pay respects to his great memory.

THE HOVERING SHADOWS OF MISERY AND DEATH and Lebanon's Syrian  refugees reckon up to the misery of winter storms, lashing winds and plummeting temperatures, drenching standing water, without a hope, without a prayer, without as much of any glimmer..............

And all the world can ever do, is lull into a lullaby. All that ever leads to is the Silence of Death.
 
ROZAN QARQO lives with her husband and four children in a tiny room in an unfinished building,  where they share a bathroom with other Syrian refugees.

Her husband sells paper cups of cardamom-flavored Arabic coffee on the streets of the Lebanese port city of Sidon to earn a few dollars to buy bread and vegetables.

But despite their dismal life in Lebanon, the family which fled Syria's central province of Hama six years ago, has no plans to return home. Nor do the 160 other families who live in the Ouzai compound - or most of the other 1.2 million Syrian refugees who live in Lebanon.

''I will not take my children back to death and hunger,'' said Qarqour, 32, as she sat with other women on the floor cutting  fresh fava beans that would later be cooked with rice on a small gas burner.

A much touted Russian initiative to facilitate the return of refugees of Syria's 7 year-old war from around the region appears to have fizzled out, with only a tiny fraction of the nearly 6 million who fled their country since the start of the conflict in March 2011 returning home.

The Russian military says 114,000 Syrians have returned home since the beginning of 2018. The U.N. refugee says it has verified only 37,000 refugees who have voluntarily returned last year.

Syria's war has displaced half the pre-war population of 23 million people, of which 5.6 million have fled the country.

In Lebanon, where Syrians make up nearly a quarter of the population, most of the refugees say they intend to stay put, citing economic concerns, ongoing fighting and destroyed homes.

The Qarqour family's region of Sahel al-Ghaeb is still in rebel hands and often gets bombed by the government, and their home has been destroyed. There are no jobs there, Qarqour says, and she hopes they can resettle in a third country, although the family has not yet applied.

The fighting has wound down after seven years of brutal war. Using overwhelming military force, and with help of Russian airpower and Iranian backed militias on the ground, President Bashar Assad has retaken key cities and major populations centers in Syria.

But most refugees say they do not feel safe returning while they government they fled is still in place.

Fighting continues in some areas, while others are in ruins. Many are worried that their sons could be picked up for conscription or detained, harassed or imprisoned if they go back. Others worry they won't find jobs.

Meanwhile, many have put down roots across the region and in Europe, and do not want to risk losing what they built by returning to Syria.

Russia, a key ally of Asad is eager to show a return to normalcy in Syria and has pushed to repatriate Syrians who fled.

However, the  U.N. has expressed concern about a premature return before the situation stabilizes  and without guarantees for returning refugees.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in August that ''all conditions are in place'' for the return of 1 million refugees, quoting progress in restoring infrastructure and the fact that hostilities have largely subsided.

At the height of the conflict, the number of  registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon reached 1.2  million, making the tiny Mediterranean country the biggest host of refugees per capita in the world.

Today there are about  940,000, after some returned to Syria or were resettled in other countries, according to Lebanon's Minister of State for refugee affairs Mouin Merhebi.

Merhebi said about 12,000 Syrian refugees have returned home from Lebanon since June. His numbers are much lower than those released by Lebanon's General Security Directorate, which says more than 87,000 have returned.

Merhebi, a harsh critic of the Syrian government and its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, said some of those who have been registered as returnees go back and forth between the neighboring countries.

With respectful dedication to the Refugees all,  Leaders, Students, Professors and Teachers of the world.

See Ya all prepare for Great Global Elections and ''register'' on : wssciw.blogspot.com - The World Students Society and Twitter-E-!WOW! - the Ecosystem 2011:

''' Hardships Hardening '''

Good Night and God Bless

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless