Thursday, April 4, 2013

Escape from Violence by Aristide Zolberg, Astri Suhrke and Sergio Aguayo


The purpose of Escape from Violence is to provide a structured, coherent framework to the ever-existing refugee regime. Zolberg (et al.) ultimately argues that the creation of refugees is a product of political phenomena—within their country of origin, and the international community. At the point where this is being denied, or unacknowledged, these displaced individuals will continue to be victims. He argues that there is inherency between refugees and political activity because “a revolution, for instance, should not be judged merely by the tragic but historically necessary fact that it produces refugees” (Zolberg 1989, 262). The production of these refugees is political, and the creation of the policies by the ‘North’ countries is a byproduct as well. In order to facilitate a proper regime, the international community must have consciousness to construct a comprehensive definition of a refugee and, thereby, create structures and policies based on the root causes that create refugees.

The first section of Escape from Violence offers the comprehensive definition, as well as historical analysis that tell the evolution of such a fluid and rigid term. The United Nations High Commissioner of Refugees (UNHCR) definition, he argues, is too restrictive and technical to imply the political origins of their displacement. Whereas the popular conception of refugees as individuals who are within a “large and varied universe of oppressed, suppressed, malcontent and poor persons…commonly considered as ‘push’ factors that produce migration” (Zolberg 1989, 4). Both conceptions of a refugee suffer from disconnect between the identity of a refugee and root causes of the migration problem. To mend this, Zolberg provides three sociological types of refugees: (1) activist, who is someone that engages in some politically significant activity that the state is again
st, (2) target, someone belongs to a social/cultural group that has been singled out, and (3) victim, an individual displaced by societal/international violence that is not necessarily directed at them (1989, 30). He states that the first two are acknowledged in the current structure of the refugee regime, and room needs to be made for the third.

My paper uses these sociological types from section one to argue that there is currently a lack of recognition of Iraqi SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) refugees. These individuals worked for the US military for at least a year during the US occupation, and now their lives are threatened. They have lost their identity as an Iraqi, and lack necessary assistance from the US to flee. The identity that creates their refugee status is completely different than the three types that Zolberg illustrates. For the second and third type, there is a collective identity that subjugates these individuals, through no choice of their own. The first type is closest to the SIV, though not equivalent; the difference is present through the motives of the individual. An activist has a deliberate intention to rebel against the regime, whereas the motives for an SIV cannot be assumed. The Iraqi is targeted because of a job they had which tainted their perception amongst other Iraqis as a ‘traitor.’ This identity as a SIV refugee was a product of political conflict. The US invaded Iraq and employed citizens to carry out its operations with full efficiency. “Unilateral intervention tends to become competitive no-win situations for the intervening powers…[and] place a heavy burden on the local parties” (Zolberg 1989, 265). The creation of the refugees was through political strife, and therefore, recognizing the refugees is, inherently, a political move for the US. I argue that it is their obligation since the Iraqis provided the military a service, and solely through this service, their Iraqi identity has been extracted from these individuals.

The third section of Escape from Violence argues that refugees are a critical element within political phenomena; reforms must occur in the refugee regime in order to give the victims the adequate attention and resources that they deserve. The definitions prove to be an extremely useful tool in order to urge the international community to take the displacement of these individuals quite seriously. Currently, the UNHCR sees the refugee phenomena as a humanitarian concern. Zolberg takes issue with this because the political motives of the international community in recognizing, or not recognizing, various groups and individuals are not considered. This choice that every country makes is entirely based on its own interests and what relationship the refugee identity has with the receiving country’s politics. Zolberg urges the country “to observe that the sociological existence of a refugee (whether an activist, a target or a victim) is independent of the legal recognition that may be extended, or withheld, for a variety of political reasons in addition to the claimant’s sufferings” (1989, 274). There is a need to look at the refugees as non-political individuals who require assistance.

Escape from Violence is a necessary and comprehensive study of this complicated international issue of migration due to victimization. Zolberg specified and expanded the conception of what it means to be a refugee, and urges the international community to apply the definition in their policies. Insofar as this book was written before the Iraqi SIV case was present, I don’t criticize his types. Rather, they are necessary to prove the legitimacy of these individuals’ strife and I argue that the types need to be reformulated. The identity of these individuals is both collective and individual, and based on inherent identity (what they are born into) along with identity based on choice (the activist and SIV). The international community must take this into account when the specific policies are made, and are required to acknowledge the inevitability of refugees with any political conflict or strife.

1 comment:

  1. I did not know that there were varied types of politcal refugees prior to reading your review of Escape From Violence. The title at first glance seems to coincide with the idea that a refugee is one fleeing a seemingly tyrantical regime. By drawing disntinctions between the many varying brands of refugees. I would be interested to see in your paper how you identify situations in which refugees seek help and there corresponing reasons for being in political turmoil.

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