On the recordMarch 9, 2016
as I said, it is obvious that safe areas in Syria would require rigidly enforced no-fly zones authorized by the U.N. Security Council. I suggested that with its planning and leadership capabilities and massive resources, NATO should take on that job, as it did in the Balkans. In this role, too, NATO must work creatively to bring in the regional powers in a broad, coordinated effort under NATO leadership. Fourth, as in Bosnia, the U.N. must mobilize a massive relief effort within Syria led by the UNHCR and similar humanitarian organizations. The international community must be willing to pay for this important humanitarian effort. We should call for major contributions from the regional states, European countries, and other traditional donor countries long committed to the humanitarian crisis. Dealing with so many refugees in safe, humane conditions will be expensive, yes, but it cannot be more expensive than the costs already being borne by those destination countries burdened with uncontrolled migration. In the current discussions of Turkey, the EU has offered 6 billion euros to help them deal with refugees, and Turkey has reportedly demanded as much as 20 billion euros. With such sums being discussed-- and they almost certainly are underestimates--the costs for caring for these desperate people humanely, in conditions of safety, and in or near their homeland, are easily justified.…
