Globalization of resettlement

One might look at the change in number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon during 2015 and incorrectly assume Syria’s civil war is on the wane. Since the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) first began recognizing Syrian asylum seekers in Lebanon in 2012, their numbers have grown year-on-year until 2014. In 2015, however, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon began going down. The slight decrease (approximately 77,000 refugees or 6.7 percent as of November 30, 2015 — according to the most recent data available) is no indication that stability is returning to Syria. Rather, it is the direct result of a Lebanese policy decision to push the number down. The decline is in part attributed to stringent visa restrictions put in place in January 2015 for Syrians attempting entrance into Lebanon. The country still grants Syrians humanitarian visas, but UNHCR says “very few” cases