Book reviews -- Forced Migration: Policy Issues in the Post-cold War World by Rosemarie Rogers and Emily Copeland

Abstract

Review.

Forced Migration: Policy Issues in the Post-cold War World. By Rosemarie Rogers and Emily Copeland. Medford, MA: The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University, 1993. Pp. 151. $10.

As all those interested in international migration know, the end of the Cold War era has brought about significant changes in migration flows worldwide and, perhaps more importantly, on how those flows are perceived by the international community in terms of international cooperation, East-West relations and international security. As the title of this book indicates, Rogers and Copeland focus on how policy responses to forced migration have changed in recent years and discuss the prospects for developing a more comprehensive and consistent international response to forced population movements, especially to those involving internal displacement. In a lucid and comprehensive fashion, the authors discuss how recent changes in the world order have affected the action taken with respect to forced migration in a number of situations. They document the process by which state sovereignty is being eroded as the international community is confronted with cases where gross human rights violations lead to population displacement and pose serious threats to international security. The reaction of Western bloc countries to the increasing flows of asylum seekers, many of whom do not qualify for refugee status, is considered in some detail; the book contains an insightful assessment of the three durable solutions to the problems of refugees, namely, local integration, resettlement in third countries and repatriations. The book concludes by considering different instances of intergovernmental cooperation and assessing their performances in relation to the protection and assistance of forced migrants. Suggestions about how to use or expand the existing legal and institutional framework to ensure that forced migrants are protected and have access to needed assistance follow.

Rogers and Copeland manage to provide, with clarity and conciseness, a most comprehensive overview of the issues that are currently confronting the international community in regard to the treatment of forced migrants. Their ability to identify the key points of contention and to present objective assessments of the many gray areas where principles are ignored in favor of political expedience is particularly useful. The recommendations that the authors make are among the most likely to be feasible because they generally involve an expansion of the mandates or responsibilities of existing institutions rather than the creation of new ones. However, as the authors themselves point out, the history of expanded mandates and their effectiveness is checkered at best. In fact, one of the issues that the authors fail to discuss with enough depth is the extent to which the protection and assistance of internally displaced populations is possible when governments are the persecuting agents and international organizations are not allowed to reach those being persecuted. This is, however, a minor failing considering the major contribution that Rogers and Copeland make in treating with sobriety and clarity a topic that is politically charged and often subject to ideological manipulation. All those wishing to understand better the extent to which forced migration should be a concern of the international community and the possible avenues for ensuring the protection of forced migrants will surely find this book useful.