The Frontier of Loyalty: Political Exiles in the Age of the Nation-State

The Political Exile as a Political Activist

Introduction 13 returning, as for example if a change in the political situation at home has made return dangerous or even impossible. The key to UNHCR's success is its ability to guarantee that no refugee will be forced to return to the country of origin, as long as there is danger of persecution. But according to international law, no country is obliged to grant asylumj the only obligation is that it not return refugees as long as there is a threat of persecution. This freedom not to grant asylum, on one hand, and the prohibition against forcing refugees to return, on the other, may place the refugees themselves in a "political non-status."52 Refugees may be granted only temporary shelter ("country of first asylum") by a host who regards their stay as illegal. Others may refuse asylum altogether or violate asylum (refoulement), compelling refugees to return to their former country. Jaegar points out that refoulement has occurred even among liberal democracies.53 In all cases, "the determination of eligibility for refugee status remains entirely in the hands of the country in which asylum is being sought."54 Ambivalence about granting asylum is reflected in terminologies of distaste. Countries that seek to avoid refugees usually refrain from using the term at all, classifying refugees instead, as Goodwin-Gill says, as "displaced persons," "illegal immigrants," "quasi-refugees," "aliens," "departees," ''boat people," or "stowaways."55 Those who accept refugees, on the other hand, call them "freedom fighters." The Political Exile as a Political Activist The criteria that shape the definition of exiles as sociological deviants, psychological variants, or a special category in international law, make no reference to what exiles actually do abroad politically in an attempt to return to their home country. To a political scientist this may be the primary question, but the classification of exiles in accordance with their day-to-day activities and state of mind has caused social scientists great difficulties. The distinction between the exile as deviant and as variant has been unclear and imprecise. What is the exile's state of mind? It is hard to say without examining the exile's emotional ties, commitment, and level of attachment to the country of origin. Such an analysis includes so many additional variables and requires so many answers to subquestions that any attempt to perform it is difficult. For example, to distinguish among levels of inclination to assimilate or not assimilate, one must draw a prior distinction between what Herbert C. Kelman calls the "sentimental Introduction 13 returning, as for example if a change in the political situation at home has made return dangerous or even impossible. The key to UNHCR's success is its ability to guarantee that no refugee will be forced to return to the country of origin, as long as there is danger of persecution. But according to international law; no country is obliged to grant asylum; the only obligation is that it not return refugees as long as there is a threat of persecution. This freedom not to grant asylum, on one hand, and the prohibition against forcing refugees to return, on the other, may place the refugees themselves in a "political non-status."52 Refugees may be granted only temporary shelter ("country of first asylum"l by a host who regards their stay as illegal. Others may refuse asylum altogether or violate asylum (refoulementl, compelling refugees to return to their former country. Jaegar points out that refoulement has occurred even among liberal democracies.53 In all cases, "the determination of eligibility for refugee status remains entirely in the hands of the country in which asylum is being sought."54 Ambivalence about granting asylum is reflected in terminologies of distaste. Countries that seek to avoid refugees usually refrain from using the term at all, classifying refugees instead, as Goodwin-Gill says, as "displaced persons," "illegal immigrants," "quasi-refugees," "aliens," "departees," "boat people," or "stowaways."55 Those who accept refugees, on the other hand, call them "freedom fighters." The Political Exile as a Political Activist The criteria that shape the definition of exiles as sociological deviants, psychological variants, or a special category in international law; make no reference to what exiles actually do abroad politically in an attempt to return to their home country. To a political scientist this may be the primary question, but the classification of exiles in accordance with their day-to-day activities and state of mind has caused social scientists great difficulties. The distinction between the...