NSC : Refugees Are Not Always Security Threats; They Can Be Strategic Assets to the Host State” | Episode 124 National Security Conversations with Happymon Jacob

In this episode, Dr. Happymon Jacob speaks with Dr. Avinash Paliwal (Senior Lecturer in International Relations and Deputy Director of the SOAS South Asia Institute) to discuss the Indian state’s response to conflict-generated migrations since independence. Dr. Paliwal argues that the relationship between the home and the host state and the reputational benefits are the most important factors influencing a state’s response to the conflict generated migrant crisis. The interview explains the nature of India’s relation with the international refugee regime – including its refusal to sign the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol – and highlights the absence of a domestic legislative framework to distinguish between illegal migrants and refugees. In response to the recent movement of Rohingyas from India to Bangladesh, Dr. Paliwal argues that domestic politics appears to have gained the upper hand in India. He suggests that India’s approach to conflict-generated migrations has witnessed a fundamental shift since it dealt with the Rohingyas. Dr. Paliwal appreciates India’s overall approach to dealing with conflict-generated migrant crises compared to many western states, given the state of India’s economy and issues of caste, class, and diversity within the country. Focusing on Myanmar since the coup and Afghanistan since the Taliban takeover, the interview also interrogates the novel development in India’s foreign policy to deal with whoever happens to be in power, regardless of the regime type. For Afghanistan, Dr. Paliwal makes a strong case that India should have a presence and outreach in Kabul to avoid any strategic catastrophe.