Rethinking the 'Refugee Warrior

The Karen National Union and Refugee Protection on the Thai-Burma Border

Datos Bibliográficos

ID8079207
AutoresKirsten Mcconnachie (0000-0003-2365-7796, Edinburgh College, autor de correspondencia)
Año2012
Volumen4
Número1
Páginas30-56
Fecha de publicación2012-03-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaJournal of Human Rights Practice (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1757-9619 • E-ISSN: 1757-9627
EditorialOxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1093/jhuman/hus005
OpenAlexW2150638199
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas19
Referencias citadas29

Well-founded fears that ‘refugee warriors’ will use refugee camps as a base for military operations, exploit a wider refugee population, or misuse international aid have led to the development of policies intended to ensure the separation of combatants and civilian refugee populations. However, a dogmatic approach to that policy goal may miss the true complexity of both refugee protection and the relationships between a refugee population and a military group. This article examines an alternative possibility, that a non-state armed group may be a potential partner in refugee protection and welfare promotion. It draws on the experiences of refugees from Burma living in camps in Thailand, where there has been a long-standing connection between camp governance structures and a political/military organization movement, the Karen National Union/Karen National Liberation Army. While camp governance activities have been flawed, they have also displayed a high level of integrity. It is argued that in such a situation, where there is a proven record of working to improve civilian welfare, international organizations might usefully explore possibilities of engagement with non-state armed groups as partners in refugee protection, with the specific goal of encouraging a more representative, accountable, and democratic approach to governance

Comprehensive Plan of Action · Corporate governance · Democracy · Development economics · Economic growth · Management · Political science · Politics · Population · Refugee · Sociology · State (computer science · Welfare · Asian Geopolitics and Ethnography · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Peacebuilding and International Security · Law · Public Administration