Mitigating Misery An Inquiry into the Political and Humanitarian Aspects of U.S. and Global Refugee Policy

With over seventeen million refugees inhabiting the globe today, this book addresses this dramatic 20th century phenomenon and several of the issues it raises. Gorman examines how refugee situations arise and the way in which they are addressed by the various global actors: governments, U.N. agencies, and private voluntary organizations. He argues that the entire refugee situationóthe provisions of aid, the search for durable solutions, and the resolution of conflictsóinvolves complex interactions between political and humanitarian causes. Drawing upon his own personal experience in the refugee assistance field, the author explores the various actors, their interactions, refugee emergencies, refugee protection, issues surrounding refugee repatriation, local settlement, and third country resettlement. Gorman pays special attention to refugee policies of the U.S. government, which have dominated the refugee assistance network since World War II. The book, however, is much more than a systematic analysis of contemporary refugee affairs; by referring to great literature, history, and political philosophy, it illustrates how the problem of exile has been a timeless element of the human condition. Combining classical scholarship, international policy analysis, and compelling human interest stories, it offers one of the most comprehensive and unique treatments of the politics of refugee affairs and humanitarian assistance to war-torn regions of the world.