The Refugee in International Society: Between Sovereigns. Cambridge Studies in International Relations.

by Emma Haddad

With the unrelenting unrest in places such as Iraq, Afghanistan and the Sudan, the plight of refugees has become an increasingly discussed topic in international relations. Why do we have refugees? When did the refugee 'problem' emerge? How can the refugee ever be reconciled with an international system that rests on sovereignty? Looking at three key periods - the inter-war period, the Cold War and the present day - Emma Haddad demonstrates how a specific image has defined the refugee since the international states system arose in its modern form and that refugees have thus been qualitatively the same over the course of history. This historical and normative approach suggests new ways to understand refugees and to formulate responses to them. By examining the issue from an international society perspective, this book highlights how refugees are an inevitable, if unanticipated, result of erecting political borders.

Genres: Politics

235 pages, ebook

First published March 1, 2008

Reviews

[Akira Marusaki · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book scrutinises the refugee issue from the perspective of English School in International Relations. Focusing mainly on the three successive periods, i.e. the inter-war period, the Cold War, and the present day, the analyses since the embryo of international states system provide a clear vision of the refugee problems. The author underlines that the sovereign system with political borders is strongly linked with the refugees.

As this book builds on the author's Ph.D research, the style of writing is stiff. However, it is not difficult to read it, thanks to its well-organised presentation. I think the normative/historical approach of this book is pretty original, and it is an excellent example of the research of the refugee studies using a theory of International Relations.

[Steve Middendorf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent primer on the rights and plights of refugees and the obligations of countries that signed up to the UN treaty on treatment of same.