Trading Civil War for Small-Town Sweden

Almost 4 million Iraqis have left their homes, fleeing sectarian violence in Iraq. Millions of refugees have fled to neighboring countries of Jordan and Syria, but growing numbers look to the stability of the West. Iraqi security, language and computer workers who assisted US troops shortly after the invasion in 2003 quickly became targets for assassination. Asylum policies vary widely throughout Europe, reports Charles Hawley for Spiegel Online, while Sweden has one of the most generous programs in the world, accepting about 90 percent of all applications and providing housing, a small allowance and opportunity for residency. As one Swedish official put it, anyone with a television set or computer is witness to the growing violence and has an obligation to help people in distress. – YaleGlobal