With no end in sight to the Syrian civil war, the march of refugees out of that country towards other Arab or European countries has not abated. Every country that has taken refugees is expecting more.

In Europe, even in those countries that initially accepted refugees, the public and political mood is darkening. In Germany, the European country that has accepted the greatest number, senior politicians are now suggesting the “friendly face” the country has shown will have to come to an end.

In Sweden, which accepted 160,000 asylum seekers last year, the government has said it will deport 80,000 refugees. The most controversial policy has come from the centre-right Danish government, which has voted to seize valuables from refugees worth more than $1,500 (Dh5,500). Criticism of the policy has been severe, even invoking the worst parts of Europe’s Second World War history.

Europe and the Arab world are struggling to contain the effect of the Syrian civil war. There are more than four million Syrian refugees in Arab countries. Last year, a million Syrians made the trek to Europe. Both regions are paying the price for the war – and for the policies of Bashar Al Assad.

Make no mistake, the real culprit for the mass migration, for the millions on the move, for the hundreds of thousands dead, is sitting in the presidential palace in Damascus. It is because of deliberate choices made by the Assad regime that the war escalated and that ISIL was allowed to rise in Syria. It is because of decisions taken by Mr Al Assad – the widespread use of barrel bombs, the mass torture and rape committed by the shabiha armed gangs, the chemical weapons and starvation among civilians – that so many have fled their homes.

That is why the Syrian peace talks due to start today in Geneva matter so much. There is no way out of this conflict except negotiation. Five years of war have resolved nothing. Five more years are unimaginable. Until the war comes to a close, the victims of Mr Al Assad will continue to show up in Arab and European cities.