A cash cow of suffering

"There are so many foreigners here — the whole world loves us,” said Um Ali, as she and her son shuffled through the endless sands of Zaatari Camp, the tent city in northern Jordan, which by mid-September was home to some 31,000 Syrian refugees and, indeed, an impressive contingent of, mainly foreign, aid workers. Past the entrance of the gated camp, guarded by the Jordanian Army, there is first of all a separate, smaller tent city for some 15 humanitarian organizations. Foreign media regularly pass by, especially so when Angelina Jolie visited the camp on September 11. Dozens of news organizations were present to catch a glimpse of the American movie star and special envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). Um Ali had never heard of Jolie. The 45-year-old mother of five had fled Deraa a few days earlier, following heavy air raids. Free Syrian Army