Problems of Protection: The UNHCR, Refugees, and Human Rights / Edition 1

by Niklaus Steiner, Mark Gibney, Gil Loescher

Overview

First Published in 2003. Of all the humanitarian impulses in world politics today, one of the most widely recognized is the need to protect refugees. However, as The Problems of Protection explores, what on the surface appears to be a simple proposition can quickly become complex and controversial. This complexity results in troubling variation in how we respond to our obligation to protect refugees—while NATO launches a major military intervention on behalf of Albanians in Kosovo amidst worldwide media attention, the international community's response to Sierra Leonean refugees is slow, inefficient and inadequate. Who qualifies as a refugee in need of protection? Should refugees be returned as soon as possible, or integrated into safer host countries? The contributors to this volume address the often lacking political will among powerful countries and donors, shifting attitudes among affected countries, and the difficulty of rebuilding societies in a world in which the number of refugees will almost certainly continue to increase.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415945745
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	04/30/2003
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	360
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Niklaus Steiner is Associate Director of the University Center for International Studies at University of North Carolina. Gil Loesher was professor of International Relations at Notre Dame and he is now at the Center for International Studies at Oxford University. He serves on the Editorial board of the Journal of Refugee Studies and the UNHCR's State of the World's Refugees. Mark Gibney is Belk Distinguished Professor of Humanities at University of North Carolina.

Table of Contents

PrefaceIntroduction: Refugee Protection and the UNHCR1. UNHCR at 50: Refugee Protection and World Politics, Gil Loescher2. What is Refugee Protection? A Question Revisited, Arthur HeltonThe Ethics of Refugee Protection3. The Legal and Ethical Obligations of UNHCR: The Case of Temporary Protection in Western Europe, Erik Roxström and Mark Gibney4. Defining Persecution and Protection: The Cultural Relativism Debate and the Rights of Refugees, Bonny IbhawohLegal and Institutional Protection of Refugees5. Refugee Protection in Troubled Times: Reflections on Institutional and Legal Developments at the Crossroads, Brian Gorlick6. A Rare Opening in the Wall: The Growing Recognition of Gender-Based Persecution, Emily Copeland7. The Role of Non-Governmental Organizations in the International Refugee Regime, Elizabeth G. FerrisPolicy Implications of Refugee Protection8. Changing Priorities in Refugee Protection: The Rwandan Repatriation from Tanzania, Beth Elise Whitaker9. The Marginalization of Palestinian Refugees, Randa Farah10. Arguing About Asylum: The Complexity of Refugee Debates in Europe, Niklaus Steiner11. Post-Conflict Reintegration and Reconstruction: Doing it Right Takes A While, Patricia Weiss FagenRefugee Protection Post-September 1112. Securing Refuge from Terror: Refugee Protection in East Africa After September 11, Monica Kathina Juma and Peter Mwangi Kagwanja13. Refugee Protection in Europe and the U.S. after 9/11, Joanne van Selm

Editorial Reviews

"A timely and comprehensive tour d'horizon of refugee policy and international organizations charged with refugee protection. The expert contributors combine theoretical perspicuity with detailed case studies on a wide range of important topics that will surely be of interest to scholars, policy-makers and NGOs." — T. Alexander Aleinikoff, Professor of Law, Georgetown University
"A decade or more of politics and 'pragmatism' has severely undermined the legal and ethical foundations of refugee protection. In this stimulating volume, contributors with broad-ranging knowledge, experience and expertise, show how to re-align the priorities, and how to rebuild a credible protection and solutions regime, face to face with the new challenges and even in the aftermath of terror." — Guy S. Goodwin-Gill, Senior Research Fellow, All Souls College, Oxford

From the Publisher