FACULTY OF CULTURE AND SOCIETY | Seminar
Felix Bender: The Refugee Leviathan: Democratising UNHCR

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Dr. Felix Bender (Northumbria University, Newcastle/MIM): “The Refugee Leviathan: Democratising UNHCR”

Speaker

Felix Bender is a Researcher in Practical Philosophy at Lund University. He has held positions at Northumbria University, the KU Leuven, and the Max Planck Institute for Political and Social Science. His work focuses mainly on the political theory on refugees, asylum, and migration, as well as on the debate between political realism and moralism.

Abstract

This paper argues for the democratization of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). While states are often assumed to be primary actors in protecting refugees, this article demonstrates that a shift has occurred in the international refugee regime. UNHCR has assumed the role of a surrogate state for refugees across the world, deciding over their status, what protection entails, when it begins and ends. Drawing on political realism, the article argues that refugee protection is always a function of power and interest in international politics. If power matters in determining refugee protection and the UNHCR has assumed the role of managing a world-wide system of refuge within which refugees have no say, then democratizing the UNHCR becomes a necessity for protecting refugees and their interests.

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