Project 6b
Forced Migration and Policy in the Middle East

Summary
Researchers at FMRS have come to problematic the local policy regime created by the state in which refugees and forced migrants ‘cannot’ prosper or even attempt an acceptable existence. Both domestic and international policy makers assume local integration is not possible for refugees in Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries, although resettlement opportunities have dwindled and Middle Eastern countries are economically more prosperous than many other regions of the ‘developing’ world. At the same time, refugees do survive largely without any institutional assistance, which suggests that they may in fact be more self-sufficient and less of a ‘burden’ than often assumed.

This project will document and analyse the assumptions upon which refugee policy has been based, the impact that policies themselves have in either relieving hardship or continuing dependency, and assess whether refugee policy may be based on incorrect assumptions about the role that refugees play in the social and economic fabric of Egypt and other Middle Eastern countries. The research will go beyond the simple documentation of refugee-related policy and the position of Egypt and other host governments in this region, to examine the intersection of policies that directly and indirectly affect the lives, conditions, and opportunities available for forced migrants and refugees.

Key Research Questions

	How do international, national, and local policies interact to shape the world of refugees and forced migrants as well as that of host societies and institutions? How are they affected by different strands of thought (e.g. rights-based vs. needs-based approaches), and the interests and lobbies which they embody?
	What are the assumptions of international institutions concerning the needs of refugees and forced migrants?
	How efficient are international policies, and to what extent are they limited by not taking into account the national settings in which they are enforced?
	How do refugees interact with the policy environment in the Middle East?
	How can policies be developed that enhance refugees’ survival strategies and their contributions to the host society, whilst addressing the concerns of host nationals?