Supplemental essay for Boston College

With the conflict between the many factions in Syria, Syrians have left their homes in historic numbers, migrating to the adjacent countries in hopes of escaping their war-torn homeland. Last year, Germany’s Chancellor, Angela Merkel, made the revolutionary decision to accept one million refugees, mostly Syrians, rather than the ten thousand that the US did. Although the European Union, of which Germany is a part, requires its countries to accept people displaced by war, Merkel still had to consider the consequences — namely the the cost in resources, as well as the criticism and risk of her political career  — when providing a safe haven for such an influx in Syrians and other refugees.

With the increase in refugees comes the costs of basic necessities and of the refugee’s integration into Germany. According to Spiegel, Germany’s finance minister, about ten billion euros will be needed for 2016. This is clearly more than Germany can put out. Even with Germany’s surplus of 12 billion euros at the end of 2015, Germany will only have to spend more in the coming years. This consequence could easily cause Germany to fall into debt or have civil and military spending lowered in the coming years.

While accepting so many refugees has put Merkel in a good light to all who have been displaced from their homes by war, Merkel has put her political career on the line. Many in her party have been unhappy with her decision to accept so many asylum seekers. She is also under fire from her supporters, who are also discontented by the string of crimes that refugees have committed, as shown by her party’s loss in poll numbers reported by an article from Bloomberg. With a decrease in support, Merkel will have a much lower chance at reelection.

If I were Chancellor of Germany, faced with the same difficult decision, I would have admitted fewer refugees than Merkel, but I would still have admitted quite a few. Although a life should be saved because it is more valuable than a few thousand dollars, the cost and substantial drain on resources would have made me limit the refugees admitted to a more acceptable number. The number would not have been as low as half a million, but not as high and as pioneering as one million. Germany would pay less to care for fewer refugees and my party, along with many supporters, would not disapprove of my actions quite as much. This would allow me a possible reelection, enabling me to continue accepting refugees and keeping an open door policy for Germany.