REFUGEE MIGRATION SOLUTIONS: THE EUROPEAN UNION'S ATTEMPT TO CREATE A WIN-WIN

Protracted refugee situations are present across the globe and are extremely challenging to solve. The international refugee regime, led by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), has proposed new innovative solutions in an effort to create a mutually beneficial outcome for host nations, local communities, and refugees as outlined in the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) and the Global Compact on Migration (GCM). The European Union (EU) has sought to implement these ideas to control migration into the Eurozone after 2015. This thesis examines whether the implementation of the new solutions was successful in producing mutual gains for host nations, local communities, and refugees. It accomplishes this by examining the EU-Jordan Compact and the EU-Afghanistan Joint Way Forward agreement, and by comparing the condition of the refugees and the states and communities where they reside, both before and after the implementation of the two agreements. This research concludes that states benefit the most from these deals, while refugees and local communities see minimal or no gains. Both countries' efforts to restructure and take ownership of their migration situations were pivotal to their success. However, this research also shows that the ideals found within the GCM and GCR can slowly incentivize states to change and provide greater benefits for refugees.Captain, United States ArmyApproved for public release. distribution is unlimite