Kelsey Kaufmann 12 November 2009 Global Security 371: Final Paper Abstract As the UN trumpets their commitment to international peace and security, refugees around the world are restricted by barriers that progressive, industrialized states erect. Strict immigration quotas and minimal assistance to “displaced peoples’ camps” are artifacts of racist and nationalist convictions. I challenge the positive connotation given to nationalism and ascertain that principle actors in the UN repeatedly violate their own creed. In this paper, I will examine how the US and UN have handled the overwhelming Iraqi refugee crisis. Beyond abusing many laws of war in Iraq, the operation facilitated millions of people being denied basic human rights. It is estimated that over 2.25 million Iraqis are seeking refuge in Syria and Jordan, overburdening each countries social service system. The US and UN have done little to compensate for their failure to consider human security as well as the hosts’ state security. This essay will not focus on the failures of the war, but specifically examine how people have migrated and how they have been received. Who is administering food, water, medicine, education? In addition, Australia, a country recognized for neutrality and high human rights standards, will be assessed for their treatment of immigrants, specifically Afghani and Timorese. Attempting to preserve this illusion of national identity, Australia has held thousands of immigrants on Christmas Island, neglecting to process their papers. The mobility of commodities is more prized than the mobility, a signature element of liberty and freedom, of people. Globalization does not provide universal citizenship. This “phenomenon” that the UN wears as a saving grace for social, political, economic and cultural cooperation is sported more for marketing than obligation.
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