Sit up and listen..

Thank you, Roger Cohen, thank you. We here on this humble little blog have underlined time and time again, how the Iraqi refugee issue is getting out of hand, and how the United States as leading military force in the country is failing to live up to its commitments in sharing the burden to secure the saftey of refugees fleeing the war-torn country. In earlier entries, we highlighted how Sweden, a country that in many ways could serve as a role model for international refugee policy and immigrant integration, has accepted thousands of Iraqis into the country and has offered them generous protection, including the possiblity to become a Swedish citizen five years upon their arrival.

The comparative numbers have always startled and shocked me, and Cohen's use of them in his recent Op-Ed in the International Herald Tribune, makes the underperformance in this area all that more obvious:

Between January and August this year, Sweden took in 12,259 Iraqis fleeing their decomposing country. It expects 20,000 for all of 2007. By contrast, in the same January-August period, the United States admitted 685 refugees, according to State Department figures.

In January, Sweden admitted 1,500 Iraqis vs. 15 that entered the United States.

In April, the respective numbers were 1,421 and 1; in May, 1,367 and 1; and in August 1,469 and 529.

Cohen goes on to express his frustration with the US government:

“Of all the Iraq war scandals, America's failure to do more for refugees, including thousands who put their lives at risk for the U.S., stands out for its moral bankruptcy. Last time I checked, Sweden did not invade Iraq. Its generosity shames President Bush's fear-infused nation.

I know, the U.S. is showering aid (more than $122 million in 2007) on Iraq's neighbors to help more than two million fleeing Iraqis. It set up a refugee task force in February and, when that faltered, appointed two refugee czars this month.” (..)

“An aggressive American intake of refugees would suggest that their quick return to Iraq is improbable: that smacks too much of failure for Bush. Moreover, you have to scrutinize refugees from countries ”infiltrated by large numbers of terrorists,” Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff opined recently.”

Note that Sweden seems to be handling that threat just fine.

Slowly but surely, the US government is beginning to understand that it has a potential problem on its hands, as reported “bottlenecks” are preventing Iraqis from coming to the US.

‘'the numbers are totally embarrassing,” says Kirk Johnson, who worked for the United States Agency for International Development in Iraq. ”We can't recognize a moral imperative any more.”

No kidding.

Please, do yourself a favor – read Cohen's full article. Then pick up a pen, a phone or open that email account. Write to your Representative. Do something. Thousands of Iraqis – mothers, fathers, children – are fleeing a country ravaged by civil war and the invasion. Don't tolerate this – Speak up!