PUB - Publikationen an der Universität Bielefeld

A ‘safe zone’ refers to an area established in armed conflict for the purposes of protecting civilians. Safe zones can take many forms, but often consist of camps in refugee-generating states that are protected by the military power of a foreign state or by an international organization. As the numbers of displaced persons generated by the Syrian conflict rises, and the political will to accept refugees falls, it is unsurprising that the US – as well as Iraq, France, Russia, and Turkey –have all considered the possibility of establishing a safe zone in Syria. However, safe zones can be extremely dangerous. Their establishment is often motivated by policies of containment and it is often difficult to ensure they will not be attacked. In this round table, experts coming from different backgrounds will examine the concept of “safe zone” focusing on the area proposed by Turkey in Northern Syria. Although the main discussion will cover this specific area, “safe zone” as a general concept and a way of accommodating refugees will be addressed. Therefore, round table discussion will look at the subject both from a theoretical and practical point of view using the framework of various disciplines.