The Militarization of Refugee Camps

Abstract

This paper outlines how the migration of refugees impacts different regions. Often the issue is not that they are migrating, but what is imported along with them. The flow of refugees from one country to another, particularly in Central Africa, had detrimental consequences which led to a series of wars and destabilization of the region. Other refugees fleeing simultaneously for reasons of persecution can trigger broader issues. This paper asserts that both refugee-sending states and refugee-receiving states are more likely to initiate in militarized disputes against each other. The broader goal of this paper is to contribute toward research that examines the mutually reinforcing relationship between the state and the refugee, and how they influence each other’s paths toward eventual policy. Often, the issues and actors in civil wars span national boundaries and become part of a regional security dynamic, blurring the line between what is an internal war and a larger regional conflict.