International Relations Paper on Refugee Crisis in Jordan
Jordan, in recent years has hosted a significant number of refugees from Syria. Additionally, it has not ratified the convention on the status of refugees (CSR) as required under the international law. International law defines the relationship of different states. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that Jordan’s economy is not stable and hence depends on foreign aid. Accordingly, the influx of refugees causes problems to the people of Jordan although the government still supports the hosted refugees due to the international relations. More so, it is bounded by the principles of international law that relates too state responsibility.
According to the Realist theory, a state should comply with international law because of cost-sharing benefit especially when there is pressure from stronger states. Since Jordan is not economically stable, it may need financial assistance from Western nations or even from the Middle East countries such as Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia may issue out threats to Jordan to host refugees even if Jordan has not subscribed to the international convention on refugees. Saudi Arabia may issue out financial sanctions to Jordan, threfore forming the decision to host Syrian refugees despite limited resources. As a result, Jordan will host refugees to get foreign assistance The liberal theory provides that States can comply with international law through cooperation and persuasion. Therefore, Jordan can be persuaded to comply with the international law to host refugees through persuasion from other states, unlike realism that uses threat.
In conclusion, even though a country may experience challenges in keeping its refugees, the international law dictates how such refugees should be treated. This implies that although Jordan may be faced with economic challenges, it is still bounded by international law to host refugees through the application of two basic principles that have been outlined above