Yearender: 2015 sees worst refugee crisis in Europe mainly resulted from U.S.-led military intervention (1)

The year 2015 has seen the worst refugee crisis in Europe since World World II, as exodus of migrants from war-torn Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria have been flocking to the continent.

The affected European countries have adopted various steps, such as closing their borders by building fences, in an attempt to block the huge influx of refugees.

Experts noted, however, that only fundamentally eliminating the root cause of the crisis -- U.S.-led Western military intervention into other countries' domestic affairs -- would the current crisis be stopped from expanding and future turmoils of the same nature be prevented.

ALARMING FIGURES OF REFUGEES

In the passing year, floods of migrants have been risking their lives to reach Europe to flee their conflict-ridden countries, mainly Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria and Libya, which have all experiencing Western military intervention.

The latest report from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said refugee arrivals in Europe by sea alone was 924,147 from Jan. 1 to Dec. 9, with recorded deaths in the Mediterranean reaching 3,671. Their destinations include Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, to name a few.

Greece saw 771,508 arrivals, about 21 times more than the total in 2014, with the greatest numbers from Syria (388,130), Afghanistan (142,301) and Iraq (44,349).

During the same period, nearly 965,000 refugees arrived in Germany. More than half of them are Syrians.

But, the crisis is far from over and the tally of refugees in Europe keeps swelling.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in September that at least 850,000 more refugees are expected to cross the Mediterranean into Europe in the next two years, including 400,000 in 2015 and 450,000 or more in 2016.

PROFOUND INFLUENCE ON COUNTRIES CONCERNED

The influx of refugees has not only posed challenges to their final destinations, but also brought a heavy burden on transit countries such as Turkey and Lebanon.

European public opinion said the refugee crisis has posed a threat to the unity of the European Union (EU), with its member states bickering over issues like the relocation of the refugees.

Analysts feared that the EU would fall back into the era of barriers, fences and walls if its members cannot reach a consensus on major issues such as asylum procedures, refugee distribution and the establishment of common asylum centers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned that the Schengen area -- one of the most important achievements in European integration -- would be endangered if the refugee issue cannot be solved properly.

Ahead of an EU meeting on the controversial redistribution of 160,000 refugees within member states at the beginning of November, Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn warned of a "very, very critical situation" in Europe, saying the EU could break apart in view of the current refugee crisis.

On the other hand, however, some experts were optimistic,saying the issue, if handled properly, could bring opportunities to Europe in the future.

"The refugee crisis is both a challenge and an opportunity," Kai-Olaf Lang, an expert at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs, told Xinhua.

"It is a challenge because large numbers of immigrants have to be cared for in the short term and integrated in the long term -- into the societies, the economy and the social systems, which requires public acceptance, the willingness of immigrant groups to integrate as well as political leadership," he said.

"The chance is that the crisis will lead to more common ground in Europe's domestic, foreign and security policy," the expert added.

Transit countries have been also witnessed the refugee tribulation.

Turkey has faced a series of challenges ranging from security problems to financial difficulties due to a growing arrivals of refugees.

The bulk of the refugees are mingled with local population across the country, fermenting resentment among locals, who complained about rising crimes, soaring cost of living such as rentals, and mounting burdens on health and social safety network in local institutions.

Lebanon's Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil warned in October that the vast number of Syrian refugees could lead to an "existential crisis" in Lebanon, which is already struggling with internal political problems.

"The massive influx of refugees will have a negative impact on the region as a whole, as it is rapidly changing the countries' demographics," Bassil said.

Lebanon has been witnessing a new wave of migrants heading from its coast to the West as hundreds of thousands of them, mostly Syrians and Palestinians, have attempted to illegally migrate to Europe through the country's northern port of Tripoli.

Security situation in refugee camps inside Lebanon has also deteriorated. In October, four Syrian refugees were killed and 10 others injured in a blast that ripped through a refugee camp in the eastern border region of Arsal. M