International Theory Tests on Global Refugee Policies

International Theory Tests on Global Refugee Policies Throughout the world there are millions of people displaced from their homes, awaiting a host country to let them in so they may start a new life. Unfortunately, states have let politics stand in the way of helping these refugees. Displaced persons are stuck in desolate areas, with little hope or idea of what will happen to them. Those that are seeking asylum have fled for their life, with little to no time to prepare for their displacement. There are many important international relations theories; however, classical and structural realism are two of the more popular theories. In this paper, I test the theories of classical and structural realism to examine why states adopt certain refugee policies. The theory of classical realism states that people are more likely to do something if it benefits them, especially their power, instead of prioritizing its morality. For classical realism, I will test to see if states are more prone to accept refugees or asylum seekers if it enhances or at least maintains their power in some way. This test was done by analyzing the correlation of states birth rates and their acceptance of asylum seekers. Structural realism argues that weaker states often follow a great power’s lead when adopting policies. For this test, I will be examining if states followed the United States’ lead in dramatically decreasing the number of accepted refugees and asylum seekers in and after 2016. I conclude that there is more support for classical realism due to my finding of a correlation between lower birth rates and a higher acceptance of asylum seekers. My test for structural realism proved that the United States does not have strong influence upon other states. However, I did find that there was a significant change in the opposite direction, that states changed their policies to accept higher numbers in an effort to make up for the United States’ lack of assistance regarding the refugee crisis. This research is crucial for understanding the reasoning and causation of states refugee policies. It is pertinent to understand differing states policies regarding refugees, and their plans to find solutions for the millions of people displaced from their homes. In the next ten years it is predicted that we will see unprecedented migrations due to global warming, we must work to understand state’s policies and how they can be adjusted to prepare for larger displaced populations. By understanding states reasoning for their policies, we may begin to understand their motivations, therefore obtaining the ability to know how to persuade them to be more supportive towards displaced people