This article examines how the recent European response to Syrian refugees was shaped by and remains closely entwined with the Europe Union's reaction to asylum-seekers since the 1990s. The wars in Bosnia and Kosovo led to the expanded use of barriers to entry, temporary forms of protection and coerced refugee returns. These policies have undermined Europe's humanitarian obligations to vulnerable migrants. European policies have also failed to significantly improve conditions in the countries of origin, undermining political stability and economic development and driving new rounds of migrants to Europe. Successfully addressing migration from Syria and other countries well beyond Europe's more secure borders will require unprecedented commitments to deliver effective international assistance from EU countries already debating the future of the union.