The Factors Behind US Policy on Iraqi Refugees

Abstract

The Iraq War began on March 30, 2003, prompted by the US-led invasion of Iraq. This major, long-lasting conflict resulted in a drastic increase in the number of internally displaced Iraqis as well as Iraqi refugees. The resulting stream of Iraqi refugees is known as the Iraqi refugee crisis. This thesis first conducts a literature review the field of refugee studies, including a review of major theoretical works. From this review emerge theories and frameworks governing the root causes of refugee crises and the resulting consequences. Within the context of the Iraq War, this thesis then analyzes the policy response of the United States to the Iraqi refugee crisis. This analysis is comprised of various models of factors and variables that influence national and international refugee policy. The conclusion suggests that national security considerations, bureaucratic tension due to a principal-agent relationship between Congress and the president, as well as wider foreign policy and Iraqi-US relations, were the major factors that influenced the US policy response. Eventually, additional moral and ethical considerations provoked a change in policy, making the United States more receptive to Iraqi refugee admissions. In doing so, this thesis presents the US policy response against the backdrop of the United Nations Convention and Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees, the body governing the international refugee regime. It suggests that compliance with its mandate has become increasingly difficult, as the landscape of refugee flows has evolved over the twentieth century.