Securitization of refugees in South Asia: Through the prism of Kautilya’s Arthashastra

Abstract

The acceptance of refugees and internally displaced persons represents the altruism of the countries of South Asia, which has witnessed the phenomenon of displaced persons since the early 19th century. The refugee phenomenon has a causal nature and will remain for a long time to come. The refugee situation in South Asia since 1947 has also resulted in protracted internal security conditions in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. The dual paradigm of refugees for a host country – societal concerns and security issues – can be resolved by adopting the Kautilyan Arthashastra (a treatise written around the turn of 4 BC) model of empowerment and integration for outsiders and his philosophy on securing society both from external and internal threats. Modern thinkers such as Plessner on anthropological behaviour, and critical security theories by Welsh and Booth, corroborate the ideas of Arthashastra. Given the prevailing global perception of refugees, the UNHCR articulation of durable solutions with a multilateral framework of understanding (MFU) among nations is a viable long-term solution. Given the peculiarities of South Asian economies, the article recommends that the long-term answer to the refugee crisis lies in an empowerment model and within the framework of collective decision-making of regional institutions such as BIMSTEC/SAARC for a coordinated and cooperative platform.