Damascus, Syria. Displacement has been an unfailing feature of recent Iraqi history. During the last thirty to forty years, substantial numbers of Iraqi civilians fled their homes compelled by war, uprisings, and government - directed policies of ethnic cleansing and systematic forced resettlement. From conversations and interviews with Iraqi refugees in Europe and throughout the Middle East and those internally displaced within Iraq, it is clear that many dream to return to their homeland, former cities, towns and villages. Those who express hesitation fear they no longer belong in Iraqi society or risk targeting if they return. In either case, it is equally clear that the vast majority of Iraqis living outside of their homeland or internally displaced within do not think that it will be safe enough to return to their former homes in the near future. For many Iraqis it is not that they do not want to return home, it is that they cannot.