Jobs can stem flow of refugees at the root

Bill Clinton won his presidential campaign on the slogan "it's the economy, stupid!" in 1992. Those who are engaged in resettling refugees and returning migrants may have to adopt the same approach, substituting "job" for "economy".

Recent United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees data show there are more than 65.3 million refugees worldwide, more than that in the immediate aftermath of World War II. In 2015 alone, more than 1 million refugees fled to Europe. Refugee-related violence has put many countries' public security apparatus on serious test. And the asylum seekers have left the host countries trapped in a moral dilemma. Stopping the refugees at the border and forcibly repatriating them is not a durable solution, nor is it in line with the basic norms of international humanitarian law.

Very soon, world leaders will gather in New York for the UN General Assembly and try to find ways to resolve the refugee crisis. Among the first few things that may come to their minds is peace and stability. By silencing the guns and restoring peace in the Middle East and much of the troubled regions in Africa, they could stem the flow of refugees at the root. But jobs have to be created, in large numbers, in the Middle East and African countries to hold back the tidal waves of refugees flowing into Europe and other parts of the developed world.