The Group Project: Iraqi Profile

The Conflict

The nation of Iraq has experienced decades of continual violence and anarchy. After the carnage and wreckage of the 1980-88 Iraq-Iran War, the 1991 Gulf War, and uprisings following the wars, 2.7 million Iraqis have been internally displaced and more than 2 million have sought refuge in neighboring countries, making Iraqis the third largest refugee population in the world. The rise of Sadaam Hussein lead to a massive cultural purge against the Kurdish population to the north and the Shi’ite population to the south. Through the horrors of civil war, sexual violence, and abandonment of vital social programs, Hussein’s dictatorship created unbearable living conditions, forcing millions to flee from their homes in the name of survival.

Resettlement Process

The resettlement process of Iraqis begins when the refugee registers with the UNHCR; the UNHCR then refers the case, if criteria are met, to U.S embassy for resettlement.  There is then a long process of paperwork, interviews, and waiting.  If approved, they are then flown to the United States, thrown into debt, and are resettled with financial assistance below that of the U.S. poverty line.  The refugees are given an apartment, household items, food, and a one-time payment of cash.  They are provided eighty days of health insurance and given three months to find a job, enroll in school, and schedule medical appointments as necessary.  Finding a job is the hardest part for the Iraqi refugees no matter the background, and their success is usually based on their English proficiency and their early employment.  The types of refugees that are relocated to a third country (defined as a country not bordering or sharing cultural tendencies to the home country) are usually:  “victims of severe trauma or violence, members of oppressed religious or ethnic minorities, unaccompanied children, special medical cases, stateless persons, refugees associated with governmental or international organizations, and refugees at immediate risk of refoulement” (Masterson 1).

Limitations of the Resettlement Process

As of 2012 about 64,000 Iraqi refugees have been resettled in the United States. While a refugee's long journey of awaiting resettlement in refugee camps or elsewhere has ended once they arrive in the United States, another journey has just begun.  The language barrier is by far the most difficult aspect in securing employment, but at the same time searching for a job and working a job cuts into time that can be spent on language instruction, especially when family constraints are considered. The recent economic downturn is not helping either to secure Iraqi refugees jobs. Above all empowerment of refugees is key to introducing refugees to American culture and finding them employment.

Cultural Transition in America

Iraqi refugees face unique challenges both before and after resettling in America.  Iraq has been ravaged by war since 1980 and many of the refugees coming to America have to deal with the psychological repercussions of the conflict in Iraq while at the same time facing cultural, ethnic, and religious persecution in America.  Some Iraqi refugees also face a particular discrimination by the United States government for previous militaristic affiliations.  Many people in the United States are insensitive to the differences of the Iraqi refugees and usually harbor a bias against them due to their affiliation with the United States’ conflict with Iraq.

Gender Roles

The Iraqi people adhere to rich traditional values. Arranged marriage is still widely popular, and it is expected that a woman marry into the husband’s family. In Iraqi culture, all actions of a woman are interpreted as a direct reflection of the man of the household. The Iraqi people adhere to a strict commitment to formality when communicating with members of the opposite sex. Therefore, in the United States, friendly, informal gestures such as a touch on the shoulder may be perceived as an expression of sexual interest. It is important that formal boundaries are maintained during communication with Iraqi refugees.

Education

In Iraq, 6 years of compulsory education has been in place since 1978. However, only around 9 percent of the country's total population has completed secondary school and overall, 74.1 percent of their population is literate. 20 years ago, Iraq used to have one of the best education systems in the region, but after multiple wars and now very little funding it has been very hard for the education system to recover. Refugees that are being resettled in the United States come from all different educational backgrounds, with some having completed university level education and others having never attended school.

Works Cited

Ghareeb, Edmund, Donald Ranard, and Jenab Tutunji. "The Refugees from Iraq: Their Histories, Culture, and Background Information." COR Center - Cultural Orientation Resource (COR) Center. N.p., 1 Oct. 2008. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.culturalorientation.net/library/publications/refugees-from- iraq-refugee-backgrounder>.

The Cultural Orientation Resource Center's backgrounder on Iraqi refugees is an informative yet brief account of the conflict in Iraq and the cultural distinctions of the nation. This source is particularly useful because it provides direct information about many aspects of the Iraqi culture, giving readers a clear insight into the intricacies of Iraqi refugees lives.

Gore, Paul A., Jr., Jonathan D. Codell, Robert D. Hill, and Dan J. Woltz. "Predicting Meaningful Employment for Refugees: The Influence of Personal Characteristics and Developmental Factors on Employment Status and Hourly Wages." Springer Science, 1 July 2011. Web. 01 May 2013.

This article is a study done on refugees from different areas, Iraq included, in a medium sized city in the western US.  They conclude that the possibility of acquiring a meaningful job decreases for each year being a refugee.  I can use this source to discuss the hardships faced when being labeled a refugee in the United States.

Harper, Andrew. "iraqi's Refugees: Ignored and Unwanted." International review of the Red Cross 90.869 (2008): 169-190. International Review of the Red Cross. Web. 5 May 2013.

"Iraqi's Refugees: Ignored and Displaced" begins with a general overview of demographics of the Iraqi refugee population, including estimates of the total population and the different ethnic groups that attribute to this population. The article continues to assess the impact of the mass exile of Iraqi refugees on neighboring nations while evaluating the future sustainability of the Iraqi refugee crisis in the Middle East. This source will be particularly useful because it provides concrete data and places a special emphasis on the context of the crisis in the Middle East.

Husarska, Anna. “Exile Off Main Street: Refugees and America’s Ingratitude.” World Affairs 171.1 (2008): 89-97. Proquest. Web. 1 May 2013.

People who helped the United States in the war in Iraq are being targeted for their disloyalty to their country.  They are given special visas to enter the United States for their service.  They come to America as refugees and are harassed because of they are refugees from Iraq.  I will use this article to show how refugees from Iraq are seen in America.

Jabar, Faleh A., and Hosham Dawod. The Kurds: Nationalism and Politics. San Francisco: Saqi, 2006. Print.

This book is about the culture, language, and history of the people of Kurdistan from early history to the modern day conflict in Iraq. I can use this source to provide initial informative information on Kurdistan and place refugees in the context of the history of their own culture.

Mamgain, V. "Off the Boat, Now Off to Work: Refugees in the Labour Market in Portland, Maine." Journal of Refugee Studies 16.2 (2003): 113-46. Web. 1 May 2013.

This article deals with the differences in employment of men and women refugees.  The pay based on ethnic group, language proficiency, age, and gender are analyzed.  I think I can use this article to discuss the benefits of having a refugee work a job based on the merits discussed in the article.  If I can find out why certain refugees are paid more than others or get jobs faster, I can use that information to inform employers of the benefits of hiring refugees.

Masterson, Daniel. "An American Dream: The Broken Iraqi Refugee Resettlement Program and How to Fix It." Kennedy School Review 10 (2009): 4-7. Proquest. Web. 1 May 2013.

In this article, the resettlement program for refugees from Iraq is analyzed.  The refugees who come to America are thrown into the culture without orientation and fall into trouble that way.  I can use this article to show the ill preparation that refugees from Iraq receive and how they can be assisted when applying for a job.

Sassoon, Joseph. "Internal Displacement, Iraqi refugees in the rest of the world, The        role of humanitarian organizations ." The Iraqi Refugees. London: I.D. Tauris & Co Ltd, 2009. 9-27, 87-114, 115-140. Print. 

The Iraqi Refugee provides immense context about the evolution of the Iraq from a nation filled with vast populations of internally displaced people to the nation of origin for millions of international refugees. It also provides a case study for the neighboring nations that witnessed massive influxes of Iraqi refugees following the invasion in 2003, including reports on Jordan and Syria. This source is especially relevant because it introduces the failed role of the United States and the UNHCR during the refugee crisis, linking both failures to intimate political reasons.