Public Policy and Its Impact on Global Migration and Refugee Crises

This essay examines the impact of public policy on global migration and refugee crises, using examples from Syria and Botswana. It explores how economic and political instability lead to displacement and the challenges faced by refugees. The essay analyzes the role of international organizations like the UNHCR and the impact of international migration laws. It highlights the disparities in aid distribution and the difficulties faced by those seeking political asylum, especially from third-world countries. The essay underscores the need for effective public policies to address the root causes of migration, provide adequate support to refugees, and ensure fair treatment under international law, while also pointing out the limitations of current policies and the need for reform.

Running head: PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMAPCT
Public Policy and its Impact
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

2PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity”1
The above quoted lines from the poem “The Second Coming” by William Butler
Yeats (1865-1939) clearly indicate the present state of the world. In the words of the poem
the world is literally falling apart and the various international organizations as well as the
first world nations which have so long held the world together are falling to keep it as a single
entity in the present times. Thus, authors like Du Bois have commented I their books like
“The Wisdom of W.E.B. Du Bois” about the danger which the world is facing at the moment
in words like “Eastward and westward storms are breaking,--great, ugly whirlwinds of hatred
and blood and cruelty. I will not believe them inevitable”. In light of these comments and
statements the present scenarios of Syria, Greece, Europe, Rohingya and others become very
significant. The ongoing crisis in the nation of Botswana is another case in instance.
Therefore, the majority of the people of these crisis hit areas tend to seek political asylums in
other developed nations of the world and thus become refugees2. However, it is often seen
1 Yeats, W.B., Hagstrom, F. and Gillespie, O.J., 2009. The second coming. Strong Silent Type Press.
2 BBC News. 2018. Why is EU struggling with migrants and asylum?. [online] Available at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

3PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
that the international migration are pitted against the poor and the suffering people of the
countries where the crisis is taking place. Therefore, the people had to resort to unfair as well
as illegal in order to safeguard their as well as their family member’s lives.
Commenting on the grim nature of crisis which his nation is facing at the moment,
Aberjhani says in his famous book “Illuminated Corners: Collected Essays and Articles
Volume I”, “Freedom rings bells to wake us from the comfort of beautiful dreams and
empower the efforts that turn them into reality”. It is to be noted that these lines have been
written by Aberjhani in the particular context of the Syrian crisis but these lines can be
extended to the other nations of the world as well which are facing crisis like Botswana,
Europe, Rohingaya and others. However, it is significant to note that one common point
among all these crises is the conflict between the common people and the national
government. A typical example of this is the Syrian War crisis, where a crisis has been going
on since the year 2011 between the national government of Syria, under the leadership of the
Prime Minister, Bashar al-Assad and the citizens of the nations who are in opposition to the
dictatorial rule of the Prime Minister3. Another example of this is the economic crisis which
the nation Botswana is facing at the moment. According to the Vice President, Dr Ponatshego
Kedikilwe of the nation Botswana, “Botswana should brace themselves for another economic
crisis during which the economy is likely to take a knock”4. He goes on to give the reason for
the economic crisis which the nation is facing at the moment in the words “The world
economic recession has hit hard on Botswana’s economy, and we have been relying on loans
for economic development since 2008/2009, resulting on a budget deficit”5. Therefore, in
3 Syria: The story of the conflict. 2018. BBC News. Retrieved 4 March 2018, from
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-26116868
4 Botswana faces another economic crisis.2018 [online] Available at: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-
details.php?nid=449 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
5 Botswana faces another economic crisis.2018 [online] Available at: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-
details.php?nid=449 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

4PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
order to counteract the effects of the economic crisis which the nation is facing at the moment
the various citizens of the nation are trying to flee the nation to other safer places. However,
it is to be noted that the various international immigration laws are often pitted against the
poor refugees when they try to leave their nation hit by the crisis and try to take refuge
elsewhere.
As per the guidelines of the UNHCR (2018), “The 1951 Refugee Convention and its
1967 Protocol as well as other legal texts, such as the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention,
remain the cornerstone of modern refugee protection”6. If the incident of the Syrian war crisis
is taken into consideration then it will be seen that the United States of America’s aid to the
Syrian Crisis since the year 2012 to till now is taken into consideration then it will go beyond
$7 billion7. In addition to this, the government of Canada has contributed more than $1 billion
towards the war crisis which the nation is facing at the moment8. In addition to this, both of
these nations are providing political asylums to the refugees from these nations in a bid to
ease out the crisis faced by the citizens of Syria. However, according to a statistics, there are
more than a million refugees belonging to the nation of Syria alone and of this only 25,000
have been rehabilitated by the nation of Canada and around 40,000 by the United States of
America9. However, according to a report, the neighbouring nations of Syria are not
6 Un.org. 2018. The International Migration Report 2017 (Highlights) | Multimedia Library - United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [online] Available at:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/international-migration-report-2017.html [Accessed 19 Mar.
2018].
7 Morello, C., & Morello, C. 2018. U.S. gives $419 million more to aid Syrian refugees. Washington Post.
Retrieved 4 March 2018, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-gives-419-million-
more-to-aid-syrian-refugees/2015/09/21/7f0157c6-607e-11e5-8e9e-dce8a2a2a679_story.html?
utm_term=.dbfe0759740c
8 Federal government announces more humanitarian aid for Syria refugees. 2018. The Globe and Mail.
Retrieved 14 March 2018, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-promises-more-
humanitarian-aid-for-syria-refugees/article26346443/
9 Federal government announces more humanitarian aid for Syria refugees. 2018. The Globe and Mail.
Retrieved 14 March 2018, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/canada-promises-more-
humanitarian-aid-for-syria-refugees/article26346443/

5PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
providing adequate support to these refugees, whether be it in terms of financial or asylum
support. These nations are of the view that the refugees of other nations will destabilize the
status quo of their nation. In the opinion of Samantha Power, “Half of Syria's refugees are
children, and we know what can happen to children who grow to adulthood without hope or
opportunity in refugee camps. The camps become fertile recruiting grounds for violent
extremists”. Therefore, there is an urgent need to help the refugees belonging to the various
diverse nations of the world.
The present crisis in Botswana if taken into consideration would also reveal the same
facts. Just the war crisis in the nation of Syria, the people in the nation of Botswana are` also
rising against the rule of the President, Joseph Kabila10. It is to be noted that the people of
Botswana blame him in his inefficiency to control the economics of the nation because of
which the nation is facing economic crisis at the moment. The situation reached such a grim
level that the government had to put on hold several of its developmental plans which it
started for the benefit of its citizens. According to an article in the newspaper Dailynews
(2018), “projects such as the Sefhope/Selebi Phikwe Road as well as Tshokwe/Tobane Road
construction project were still on hold due to financial constraints. In addition, construction
of an administration block at Mogapi Primary School as per the Village Development
Committee request would also be on hold until funds were available”11. The anger and the
vandalism of the people at this reached such a level that they started destroying the various
governmental properties. According to the same article, “people broke the water pipeline
linking Mogapi to Mogapinyana to water their livestock…..such vandalism would delay
10 Botswana faces another economic crisis.2018 [online] Available at: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-
details.php?nid=449 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
11 Botswana faces another economic crisis.2018 [online] Available at: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-
details.php?nid=449 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

6PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
government’s efforts to provide residents with portable water”12. Therefore, many people just
like the citizens of the nation of Syria are trying to migrate from the nation of Botswana to
escape from the economic strains which the nation is facing at the moment. It is to be noted
that Botswana is an African third world country with very few opportunities for economic
growth as well as development. Therefore, the primary concern of the people of Botswana at
the moment is that the economic crisis with which their nation has been hit with is likely to
last for a few years at the least on account of the poor economic condition of the nation.
According to a statistics released by the United Nations (2018), there are around 238
million migrants in the world at present which comprises of more than 3.4% of the entire
world population13. Another statistics provided by the UNHCR (2018) states that “An
unprecedented 65.6 million people around the world have been forced from home. Among
them are nearly 22.5 million refugees, over half of whom are under the age of 18”14.
Therefore, it would not be too far-fetched to say that migration and refugee crises are one of
the major issues which the world is facing at the present moment. The “International
Migration Law” is the legislative body which provides the precepts that guides the process
of international migration from various third world countries of the countries of the world15.
According to the “International Organization for Migration” (IOM), “The International
Migration Law Unit was established within IOM to strengthen and promote the
12 Botswana faces another economic crisis.2018 [online] Available at: http://www.dailynews.gov.bw/news-
details.php?nid=449 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
13 Un.org. 2018. The International Migration Report 2017 (Highlights) | Multimedia Library - United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs. [online] Available at:
https://www.un.org/development/desa/publications/international-migration-report-2017.html [Accessed 19 Mar.
2018].
14 Refugees, U. 2018. Figures at a Glance. UNHCR. Retrieved 14 March 2018, from
http://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html
15 International Migration Law.2018 [online] Available at: https://www.iom.int/international-migration-law
[Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

7PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
Organization’s involvement in International Migration Law (IML)”16. The “International
Organisation for Migration” also states that the primary objective of the “International
Migration Law” is “to encourage dissemination and understanding both within IOM and
amongst IOM counterparts of the international legal standards that govern migration and
provide protection of the rights of individuals involved in migration. The Unit thereby
promotes migration governance within the rule of law”17. However, in practice it is seen that
the conventions of the “International Migration Law” are seldom followed by the migrants or
the countries to which they are migrating. According to the opinion of George Orwell
articulated in the novel “Animal Farm”, “All animals are equal but some animals are more
equal than others”. This particular line of George Orwell speaks volume about the nature of
power distribution in the world at present. Therefore, it is most commonly seen that the
people from the first world countries get easy access to almost all the countries of the world
however the people are the third world countries seldom get access to the first world
countries even in times of crisis18. Thus, the people of the third world countries are often left
at the mercy of fate during the times of crisis.
It is often seen that “International migration is governed by rules that are also
stacked against the developing countries and in particular against the poor and
unskilled in those countries”19. It is often seen that the various nations of the world insist on
the process of formal documentation which the poorer sections of the society seldom have at
16 International Migration Law.2018 [online] Available at: https://www.iom.int/international-migration-law
[Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
17 Unicef.org. 2018. Home page | UNICEF. [online] Available at: https://www.unicef.org/ [Accessed 19 Mar.
2018].
18 Time. 2018. The 5 Big Questions About Europe's Migrant Crisis. [online] Available at:
http://time.com/4026380/europe-migrant-crisis-questions-refugees/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
19 Boehler, P. and Peçanha, S. 2018. The Global Refugee Crisis, Region by Region. [online] Nytimes.com.
Available at: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/06/09/world/migrants-global-refugee-crisis-
mediterranean-ukraine-syria-rohingya-malaysia-iraq.html [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

8PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
their disposal. It is often seen that the major impact of any crisis is taken by the people are
living below the line of poverty and most of the time it is seen that these people are not even
recorded in the official data of the nation20. Therefore, in times of crisis, these people do not
get adequate support from the other countries of the world and even from their own country
because of the absence of any record of their existence. Another major thing which is seen
that it is true that the various first world countries of the world like the United States of
America, Canada and others even international organizations like the United Nations have
made significant contributions towards the cause of the crisis with which the various third
world countries have been inflicted in the recent times. However, it is also seen that the
majority of this particular humanitarian aid does not get allocated to the poorer section of
those countries. On the contrary, they are spent for the purpose of buying the weapons which
are necessary to continue the war. This accounts for the rise of the various military industrial
complexes. Another important thing to consider is that in the year 2017 there were more than
a million refugees from the nation of Syria21. Of these only 23,000 were provided asylum by
the nation of Canada and around 40,000 were provided asylum by the nation of the United
States of America22. However, it is to be noted that the majority of the poorer section of the
society of Syria do not boast of the economic means to travel to Canada or the United States
of America in order to get safe political asylum. As a matter of fact, the poorer section of the
society of Syria does not even have the adequate means to travel to the adjoining nations in
search of safer environment. Therefore, just providing political asylum to the refugees is not
20 ABC News. 2018. 'I don't want to be in Europe anymore': Hopes of a better life fade for refugees . [online]
Available at: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-11-03/what-if-migrating-to-europe-didnt-work-out-how-you-
planned/9066482 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
21 The number of displaced people in the world just hit a record high. 2018. World Economic Forum. Retrieved
14 March 2018, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/there-are-now-more-refugees-than-the-entire-
population-of-the-uk/
22 The number of displaced people in the world just hit a record high. 2018. World Economic Forum. Retrieved
14 March 2018, from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2017/06/there-are-now-more-refugees-than-the-entire-
population-of-the-uk/

9PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
enough. The various first world nations of the world should also devise means by means of
which the various refugees of the crisis hit third world nations of the world can travel to the
safer first world countries and find a congenial atmosphere there23. In addition to these, the
various first world countries of the world have made the visa norms much more stringent.
Therefore the majority of the poorer sections of the society find it very difficult to take the
help of the services and humanitarian aids provided by the various first world countries of the
world.
Therefore, from the above discussion it becomes clear that the world is facing several
crises at the moment which are a result of the unequal division of power among the various
entities of the world. Therefore, the world is at present facing various issues, the chief among
them being the refugee crisis. It is true that the various first world countries of the world like
the United States of America, Canada, and others and even the international organizations
like the United Nations have taken several initiatives to solve the problems faced by them,
including monetary as well as asylum aids. However, it is to be noted that these aids as well
as assistances are directed at the upper sections of the society and the poorer sections of the
society rarely get the help of these aids and assistances. In addition to these, the various
precepts of the “International migration is governed by rules that are also stacked against the
developing countries and in particular against the poor and unskilled in those countries”.
23 Time. 2018. The 5 Big Questions About Europe's Migrant Crisis. [online] Available at:
http://time.com/4026380/europe-migrant-crisis-questions-refugees/ [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].

10PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
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to-europe-didnt-work-out-how-you-planned/9066482 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
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http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24583286 [Accessed 19 Mar. 2018].
Boehler, P. and Peçanha, S. 2018. The Global Refugee Crisis, Region by Region. [online]
Nytimes.com. Available at:
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and Mail. Retrieved 14 March 2018, from
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for-syria-refugees/article26346443/
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11PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
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12PUBLIC POLICY AND ITS IMPACT
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