Week 4 Discussion: world refugee regime 1st Reply
Paper details:
Don’t just praise your colleagues’ posts, but critically weigh what they have written. Assess strengths/weaknesses, effective/ineffective arguments, or supported/unsupported assertions. Make this a REAL discussion.
Respond to the two below Posts. Post #1 is a reply from my professor asking questions about my initial discussion post. Attached is my initial discussion. write approx. 550 words per response or enough to answer Post #1’s questions, and the rest for Post #2.
Post #1 (My Professor’s comments to my initial post) (My Initial Post is attached, See attached file):
“Good start on a discussion of refugee regime issues, Charles. Why do refugees leave home and made perilous journeys to other countries? What is the Assembly of Nations? Do you mean League of Nations? What actually constitutes the international refugee regime, and how does it work in practice? What are the “clear” guidelines provided by the refugee regime?
What do you mean that COVID-19 has provided governments with a “misdirection”? How is the response of the international community flexible and pragmatic? Most importantly, what do the two main textbook readings for this week (Aleinikoff-Zamora and Hurd) have to say about these issues? ”
Post #2: “The word Refugee brings with it, a lot of emotions and frustrations, not just for Refugees, but governments and rescue organizations alike. Refugee issues are not new to the international community or the nations of the world. They have been a significant occurrence since the second world war, and to this day, bring about organizational change. According to Loescher, a Refugees is a person that has been forced to leave their country or state in order to escape persecution, war, or natural disaster (1994). With this definition, thousands are displaced every year due to violence and conflict across the globe. Refugee issues are in a continuous state of flex, depending on political agendas, resources available, international support, and many more factors. Multiple international Refugee regimes have been created to help alleviate or lessen the extent of some of these factors.
The current international refugee regimes in place, are not able to fully support the continuous growing number of displaced individuals. This broken system originally stemmed from the need to respond to conflicts taking place, and the need for an organization to take charge of the disagreement. This role was never supposed to solidify the foundation for an international organization of this magnitude (Loescher, 1994). International laws were created to protect specific human rights victims who required protection and benefits. These laws were ratified and support for many decades but have since been pushed down the totem pole. With no stable foundation or lasting support, the international refugee regimes never seemed to have a chance. As we saw in Joseph’s horrifying, but realistic video documentation, some of the countries supporting the “Open Arms” rescue organization, are not the closest by far. Not only do countries refuse refugees from entering their borders, they also deny basic help and support to other countries trying to transport individuals to safety. A stark fact of refugee life, is that fifty percent of displaced individuals are children (Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, 2021). And these international refugee regimes need the basic support of surrounding nations to help care for these individuals. But there are always two sides to every coin. On one hand, states do wish to support international refugee regimes and their cause because this solves their regional and international stability issues. The other side being, national security, spread of sickness, and resource utilization.
Images speak a thousand words. Viral images of bodies washing ashore to capsized boats in freezing temperatures, social media shows it all, and yet it doesn’t bring with it the force needed to make a dent in basic refugee problems. States continuously adopted policies that deny and detain any asylum seekers, and fences are being put up to keep the unwanted out. Basic necessities for the average refuge are hard to come by. Security of ones’ self, their belongings, and their next meal are almost always unknown. Long standing refugee camps are being shut down with their occupants being told to return to where they came from without any resources or way-forward. COVID-19 did no favors for refugees and only hindered the already arduous process of trying to help provide basic care for refugees (Aleinkoff and Zamore, 2019).
International refugee organizations such as United Nations, High Commissioner for Refugees, Refugees International, Alight, the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society, and Catholic Charities, are using their resources and influence to establish resettlement homes, education, and new jobs for refugees once there are safe. These valuable resources allow individuals to be adopted into different societies and are given the opportunity to be integrated into new environments. But realistic and effective, are they? Given the spoke of responsibilities and the climbing numbers of displaced individuals, their ability to make a significant difference is dwindling. More support and a steady supply of resources is essential to these organizations making a difference. I think it is key that these organizations focus is from a 360 point of view. Rescuing an individual is one endeavor, but integrating them into a brand-new society with hurdles anywhere from language barriers to physical disablements, forward-projection is a must. But without the proper regional and international support, these regimes and organizations will continue to struggle.
A conflicts and crisis continue to take place, there will always be refugees. Putting a band aid on a cut will only hold for so long. You must treat the issue if you want it to heal. Refugees, like all other people will continue to evacuate and seek safety for as long as they are able. To feel safe is not a luxury we all have. Refugees rely on nonprofits, sparse governmental organizations, and volunteers to help get them to safety. Until the international community and global laws can create fundamental laws to help protect and secure the safety of these individuals, the numbers will climb.
References
Catholic Agency for Overseas Development. (2021, September 23). Refugee crisis explained. Catholic international development charity | CAFOD. https://cafod.org.uk/News/International-news/Refugee-crisis-Q-A (Links to an external site.)
Alexander Aleinkoff and Leah Zamore. 2019. The Arc of Protection: Reforming the International Refugee Regime. Stanford, CA: Stanford Briefs.
Joseph, J. M. (2021, January 29). Inside The World’s Deadliest Migrant Route [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l5kIbQRjJHk
Loescher, G. (1994). The International Refugee Regime: Stretched to the Limit? Journal of International Affairs, 47(2), 351–377. http://www.jstor.org/stable/24357286
USA for UNHCR. 2021. “Syria Refugee Crisis Explained”:cgo 1-7. https://www.unrefugees.org/news/syria-refugee-crisis-explained/”