REFUGEES

Analysis & Reflections on “Prisoners of Paradox” & the Social Dilemma of International Refugees

Analysis & Reflections on “Prisoners of Paradox” & the Social Dilemma of International Refugees

Introduction

The definition of the term refugee as put forward by Betts & Loescher (2010, pp.117) is "any person which is outside the country of his nationality because, they fear rightly, of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality or political opinion, or who cannot or who, owing to such fear, is unwilling, not avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality,". This definition was developed in the context of the Cold War and then restricted the concept to political refugees.Discussion & AnalysisSummary of the Publication

Refugees are people forced to abandon their homes due to persecution that the departure is individual and it appears in the context of a mass exodus due to political, military, religious or otherwise. Although the refugee definition has varied depending on the time and place, the concern for the international plight of refugees has led to a general consensus on the definition of refugees (Gibney, 2010, pp.168).

In international law, a person is considered a refugee as soon as they meet the criteria for the definition. If these criteria are applied, a person does not acquire refugee status because it is recognized as such, but benefits from this recognition because she is a refugee. Any statement relating to the Status of Refugees states that the person is a refugee (Loescher, 1996, pp. 127).According to the author, in the case of mass movements of refugees, camp construction is the best way to protect these people. Indeed, it is one of the best ways to ensure the safety of refugees in host countries where they are numerous. Violence, which may be exercised against them, may come from various sources, whether organized crime, police forces or military, activists of all kinds, from the local population, refugees and other self- the same (Nash et. al, 1988, pp.330).

The Convention on the Status of Refugees is the foundation of contemporary international law in this area. It defines the term "refugee" and sets minimum standards for the treatment of persons entitled to such status. Developed shortly after World War II, this agreement is the definition of a refugee focuses on persons who are outside the country of their nationality and are refugees as a result of events occurring in Europe or elsewhere before 1 January 1951 (Haddad, 2008, pp. 182).

In the late 50s and early 60s, recent crises have arisen and had to expand the temporal and geographical scope of the Refugee Convention. A protocol to the Convention has been drafted and adopted in 1967. The comparison of these instruments draws a new definition of the refugee which can be given as "a refugee is, a person founded fear of persecution because of race/nationality/membership of a particular social group or political opinion which is outside the country of his nationality is unable or unwilling to avail himself of the protection of the country of his nationality or which is habitually resident and is unwilling to return for ...