AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

The creation and consequences of international refugees: politics, military and geography


Worldwide, the number and the occurrence of events that create international refugees have been increasing dramatically for at least the past 50 yr. Analysis of the distribution of the causes and location of refugees has revealed that refugees more often result from military actions than natural disasters. In many instances, the creation of international refugees is a conscious political and military policy, a practice that seems to be increasing. More importantly, some geographic areas seem to be continuing "core areas' of such practices. Finally, regardless of their cause, refugees present specific problems to national control of population and territory.