Betts, A. and Loescher, G. (Eds.), (2011). Refugees in international relations. Global Economic Governance Program. Oxford University Press.
The main question posed in the article is how critical institutional and strategic thinking is instrumental in understanding the fundamental cause of forced migration. Issues influencing and affecting refugees are inherently political and require domestic and international remedies. Refugees remain an integral part of consolidating and expanding the modern system of governance. The core statement of this article is that International Relation have a better relationship and understanding between world politics and forced immigration.
The article provides a mainstream position of refugees in International Relations. Refugees remain a cornerstone in understanding world politics; thus, the text has provided the leading causes and consequences of an increasing number of refugees globally. There is a need to bridge the existing between International Relations and forced immigration to ensure there is a wider and enormous relevance in human rights and international cooperation. These consequences are intertwined with the core concerns of International Relations. Consequently, the text has provided the required understanding of the theoretical spectrum in understanding contemporary forced migration and its broader relevance to International Relations.
During the seminar, detailed findings should foster to address the following question:
What are the effective responses that domestic and international institutions should take to address issues of refugees in modern society?
The examples during the discussion should expound on current issues like the allocation of resources by the state for the refugees. The financial contributions can be made through governmental and ono-governmental agencies. The financial assistance should be non-selective. International organizations like the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) must elaborate on abolishing clear working repatriation for the refugees instead of acting passively in addressing predictable associated with refugees.
Betts, A. (2011). ‘International cooperation in the refugee regime’, in Betts, A. and Loescher, G. (eds.) Refugees in international relations. Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 53-84.
International cooperation in the Refugee Regime by Alexander Betts has posed a better question on how best international cooperation has taken center stage in addressing the issue of refugees during the refugee regime. There is a need to understand the relationship between international collaboration and immigration, especially in the south, where there are more immigrants. The latter is essential because the UNHCR influenced Northern states’ support for the refugees. Therefore, the core statement from that text is that a substantive link in International Relations provides explicit and implicit conditions to cater to refugees’ rights.
The text provides a basic understanding of the issues, norms, and principles that affects the global refugee regime. The establishment of various regimes helped promote cooperation to ensure that refugees could access protection and durable solutions to their problems. The UNHCR and the Convention on the Status of Refugees spelled out various rights and privileges that refugees have and should be respected globally. Therefore, the article is relevant in the institutionalization of agencies to support asylums and burden-sharing asylums.
The discussion question in the seminar will be: What role did the Norther States play in the establishment of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the support it played in having substantive relations on the refugee protection process?
The analysis should include the role of International Conferences in Assistance to Refugees in Africa, especially in controlling immigration in Africa and supporting various countries with many refugees. In the future, there will be a need to express how other non-governmental organizations like ICARA, CIREFCA, RAD, and EEC have helped mitigate refugee crises across the globe. The success of Castro during this crisis is attributed to his ability to address Cuba’s domestic turmoil and interfere with American domestic, political, and foreign policy.
Greenhill, K.M. (2002). ‘Engineered migration and the use of refugees as political weapons: a case study of the 1994 Cuban Balseros Crisis’, International Migration, 40(4), pp.39-74.
In the article, Kelly Greenhill’s central question is how the August 1994 Cuban balseros crises created engineered immigration in Cuba and the United States. President Fidel Castro laid massive domestic unrest in Cuba on the United States since the riots in Cuba resulted from a US-sponsored boatlift from Camarioca Port to Miami. The Cuban domestic unrest had an influence on the American domestic and foreign policies on engineered refugees.
From the reading, an individual can develop a better understanding of how the Cuban domestic crisis revamped American domestic policies on immigrants. Fidel Castro used immigrants as a political weapon against the United States, leading to deteriorated international relations between Cuba and America. President Fidel Castro’s destabilizing American domestic policy was to normalize American-Cuban immigration, some underlying political reasons should be addressed in the seminar to understand better-engineered immigration. The alarming threat posed in the United States by the disturbing number of immigrants in Florida and America. The United States Policy has tried to balance arising interests and concerns to protect asylums.
Discussion question: Why President Fidel Castro preferred addressing Cuba’s internal crisis by interfering with American internal and foreign affairs?
Some of the examples include the threats that Fidel Castro used to succeed in creating a domestic and foreign crisis in America. The act of boat hijacking by Cuba created a severe economic crisis in America. Some violence culminated in severe street riots, especially in Havana, leading to increased engineered immigrants. Moreover, the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) helped reverse foreign policies that welcome new refugees in Cuba after 35 years.
Barnett, M. and Finnemore, M. (2012). ‘Defining refugees and voluntary repatriation at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’, In Rules for the World: International Organizations in Global Politics. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, pp. 73-120.
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) plays a pivotal role in creating autonomy and protecting the rights of refugees. Michael Barnet and Martha Finnemore have posed a question concerning the origin of this refugee organization and its relevance. UNHCR has categorized refugees and expanded the geographical scope and understanding of various organizations’ roles in addressing refugee issues. Consequently, the repatriation mechanisms have an influence on the principles of protecting refugees globally.
From the analysis of the article, I have noticed that understanding the history and importance of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees is essential. This organization has had various pressure to offer exemplary services for refugees and limiting some repatriation viewed as limiting refugees’ rights. The text notes that no other non-governmental organizations and nations have played a crucial role in helping the High Commissioner for Refugees to provide essential assistance and help refugees overcome some challenges. Thus, coordinated support has helped UNHCR to achieve its objectives.
Question to discuss: What are the levels of legal and logical assistance protection for refugees and the challenges faced by relevant authorities like the United Nations General Assembly, World Health Organization, and World Food Programs in protecting refugees’ rights?
The agreement between the UNHCR and other international organizations will be the backbone of the discussion. The aspect effectively addresses various humanitarian and refugee crises in Africa and South America. The systemic pressure and changes in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees have created a detailed structure to help achieve the mission of having an elaborate protection system working for all refugees.
Gammeltoft-Hansen, T. (2018). ‘The normative impact of the global compact on refugees, International Journal of Refugee Law, 30(4), pp. 605-610.
The main question posed by Thomas Gammeltoft Hansen is how the refugees compact has a clear relation to the current international refugee law and the normative impacts involved. There are various commitments by Refugee Compact which have helped in creating an ambitious and predictable understanding between individuals and relevant parties. The normative implications have outlined the technical principles essential to building international relations. From the article, the core statement denotes that the Refugee Compact has regulations and stipulated international laws and relations rules for global refugee protection.
From the article, I have noted that having a clear knowledge of the instruments of a compact like cooperation, accountability, legal commitments, and operational principles. These principles are essential in representing the steps taken by the UNHCR on international laws and reflecting on the level of preparedness by the state to have commitments to protecting refugees. These laws should include political rights like norm-filing, food security, and socioeconomic issues. The latter forms the basis of discussion because the United Nations Member States have not created a normative and predetermined responsibility for refugees.
Questions: How do the international laws help the United Nations High Commissioner for Rights to undertake its role effectively? Does the Refugee Compact have a norm-preserving role in the modern world?
Some of the critical issues to be looked at are the right-based formulations and the existing standards of international law. International refugee laws must present problems such as detention, legal and illegal entry, and the current international framework for addressing global challenges refugees face. The laws should be used as the status quo in addressing progressive roles and solidifying the norm cascade from the soft law constitutes.
Thielemann, E.R. (2003). Between interests and norms: Explaining burden‐sharing in the European Union, Journal of Refugee Studies, 16(3), pp. 253-273.
The main question posed in this article is how all the cost costs involved in joint initiatives and the provision of public goods should be shared equally and equitably between various states and other organizations. The question is based on motivation and explanation of calls for burden-sharing beyond one state or organization. The article’s core statement states that the unequal distribution of burdens and observers across the world and beyond have influenced the efforts of the European Union in addressing issues related to refugees.
The article is influential for understanding important issues on refugees because it adequately addresses the question of motivation and the burden posed in sharing, especially in the European Union. The report has presented some of the approaches to burden-sharing, like the cost-benefit logic approach and the norm-based logic approach. There are multiple pieces of evidence and findings on the efforts of inter-state solidarity and its importance in modern society. These approaches have provided compelling competing and complementary aspects of change from the text. Unequal sharing of burden has resulted in forced migration, providing an empirically distinctive approach to address the burden facing immigrants globally.
Discussion question: What are the burdens that the European Union has been able to share to create an effective environment for immigrants?
The examples should include the implementation of policies from EFR organizations on the decisions and procedures that are based on solidary between the European Union and the member states. Fair allocation of resources and a balanced effort have made the member states experience some challenges and bear the consequences of receiving refugees. For instance, there has been increased displacement of persons, which is against community solidarity.