SU Abroad continues to closely monitor the situation in Syria, but SU students in neighboring Turkey and Jordan have not been withdrawn from their respective programs.

SU Abroad consulted State Department notices, the decisions of other study abroad programs and expert opinions when considering whether to suspend an abroad program, Margaret Himley, associate provost for international education and engagement, said in an email.  

She added SU Abroad is staying in close contact with two students in Jordan, and the director of the Turkey program has warned students about “avoiding any demonstrations in Istanbul as a matter of caution.”

This semester, there are no SU students at partner schools in Egypt or Lebanon. The U.S. Department of State has issued a travel warning for Egypt. There was a travel advisory for Turkey, which expired on July 5, according to the department’s website.

The reason no students are studying in these areas this semester is that students aren’t interested in traveling to unstable areas, said Mehrzad Boroujerdi, an associate professor of political science in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and founding director of the Middle Eastern Studies Program at SU.

“Basically the trend you are seeing is that when a place is having political problems people gravitate toward other places that are less problematic,” Boroujerdi said.

Jordan and Morocco, he said, are examples of places people may go instead.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East can be attributed to the modernization process, said Hossein Bashiriyeh, a lecturer in Maxwell who specializes in the region.

“Generally speaking, there is a sort of confrontation between traditional forces on the one hand and the modern society and the forces which are rising,” he said.

The situation in Syria is unlikely to resolve any time soon because the opposition is made up of many different factions, Bashiriyeh said.

Even if the current regime is overthrown, the multiple rebel factions may struggle to reach a consensus on how the country will be governed, he said.

A military intervention by the United States could have repercussions for the rest of the region, Boroujerdi said.

A possible concern for abroad students is anti-Western sentiment stirred up by U.S. involvement in the conflict.

“Even though they are based on good intentions, the intervention on the part of the West may be interpreted in a different way.  So definitely it is not a safe place,” Bashiriyeh said.

Though SU Abroad hasn’t had to cut any programs early this semester, it has in the past.

In spring 2013, students were pulled from the program in Istanbul, Turkey, a week early due to mass demonstrations.

But the summer program in Istanbul, Boroujerdi said was able to come to a full term without problems.

“We told the students not to go around the protests and read them the riot act about how they will be expelled from the program if they do so,” Boroujerdi said. “We didn’t encounter any problems.”

Published on September 5, 2013 at 1:05 am

Contact Linda: lggorman@syr.edu