Boštjan Videmšek writes:  Thousands of refugees, who reach Izmir by bus, minivan and taxi, spend most of the night in anxious anticipation. Many have escaped the ravages of war; this is the beginning of another arduous journey to Europe via “the Balkan route.”

They come mostly from Syria, though many of them are Afghans, Pakistanis, Iraqis or Kurds. The smugglers walk freely among them — grinning in the spirit of ancient Oriental traders. They’re looking for new arrivals.

Most of the refugees I talked to had first contacted smugglers back in Syria. In the last few months the smugglers’ networks have rapidly expanded: Some 30,000 people are now involved, according to Europol. The networks’ tentacles reach into every major Syrian city.