Leaving Syrian refugees behind in the vaccination drive is self-defeating
A member of the Kurdish Internal Security Forces of Asayesh urges children to return home, in Syria s northeastern city of Hasakeh on April 30, 2020, following measures taken by the Kurdish-led local authorities there, to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus. AFP
Children wear face masks sewed by displaced Syrian women at a camp for the internally displaced people near the town of Maaret Misrin in Syria s northwestern Idlib province on July 27, 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. AFP
Members of Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, transport the body of a man who died from the Covid-19 coronavirus for burial in Syria s rebel-held northwestern city of Idlib on November 19, 2020. AFP
Since the end of the Cold War, air forces have found it difficult to hit that sweet spot of having the optimum number of airmen and airwomen that they actually need. During the Cold War, many air forces were able to balance the optimum number due to the size and scale of the militaries they were required to maintain. But when the collapse of the Soviet Union led to a period of relative peace and stability, global priorities shifted from collective security to international co-operation. Many militaries faced budget cuts and restructuring, which caused an imbalance in pilot numbers that has ever since been difficult to rectify.