Preface
The right to participate in political
decision-making processes is recognized by the international community
as a fundamental human right: "everyone has the right to take part
in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives...
the will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government."
This paper considers the importance of refugee participation in country
of origin political processes, and the extent to which UNHCR should seek
to facilitate or promote refugee engagement in such activities.
The framing of contemporary international
political order rests upon the notion that the liberal-democratic nation-state,
personified by a government chosen by and accountable to its citizens,
is a just and inclusive order that can protect fundamental rights. Yet
refugee flight, by definition, indicates the failure of this model.
Refugees, whether persecuted as a result
of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group
or political opinion, are excluded (sometimes in a very deliberate manner)
from the structures of political power in their country of origin. The
search for solutions to refugee situations is thus in part a struggle of
the politically excluded for political inclusion.
Researchers have frequently focused
on the political identity of the refugee. However, previous studies have
often tended to focus on the activities of so-called "refugee warriors",
the "spoilers" of regional peace-building initiatives who turn
to violence in order to assert their demands for political inclusion.
This paper does not look at that much
discussed issue, but focuses instead on the development of UNHCR's role
in facilitating or promoting the engagement of refugees in non-violent
and civic country of origin political processes, including out-of-country
voting.
This paper consists of five parts. In
the first section, the nature and dynamics of political participation are
considered. The importance of political activity in general to democratic
ideals of government is examined, as is the specific importance of political
participation - both symbolic and substantive - to displaced populations.
The second part of the paper looks briefly
at UNHCR's past and present engagement with refugee politics. In the following
section, the political and logistical challenges of refugee participation
in country of origin elections are considered. The fourth section looks
at other forms of peaceful political engagement, including emerging transnational
political activities. These analyzes draw on material from a number of
case studies, including but not limited to Eritrea (1993), Bosnia (1996),
Liberia (1997 and 2002) Kosovo (1999), East Timor (1999), Afghanistan (2004,
2009), Iraqi (2005, 2010) and Southern Sudan (2010, 2011).
The fifth and final part of the paper
offers a number of conclusions and recommendations on how UNHCR might further
develop its role in relation to refugee participation in country of origin
politics.