Bangladesh, Nov. 2 -- The outbreak of civil war in Syria in 2012 and brutal response of the Assad regime resulted in large-scale displacement of populations. About 3.6 million people crossed the border and took refuge in Turkey. Another 1.5 million moved into Jordan and Lebanon. Thousands took life-threatening voyages across the Mediterranean and reached Europe. Despite opposition from many countries, Germany granted temporary asylum to over100,000 Syrian refugees.
Ankara confronted an unprecedented dilemma. It could not shut the border and prevent the refugees from entering Turkey even though the influx of displaced population was putting huge economic burden on the host population. President Erdogan was aware that there would be no quick...