The Ethical Obligations of Humanity towards Refugees

• Název práce v češtině: Etické povinnosti humanity vůči uprchlíkům
• Název v anglickém jazyce: The Ethical Obligations of Humanity towards Refugees
• Klíčová slova: Refugees, immigration, benefits of refugees, ethics of accepting refugees, religious ideologies on refugees.
• Klíčová slova anglicky: Refugees, immigration, benefits of refugees, ethics of accepting refugees, religious ideologies on refugees.
• Akademický rok vypsání: 2017/2018
• Typ práce: diplomová práce
• Jazyk práce: angličtina
• Ústav: Katedra politologie (23-KP)
• Vedoucí / školitel: Janusz Salamon, Ph.D.
• Řešitel: skrytý - zadáno vedoucím/školitelem
• Datum přihlášení: 24.05.2018
• Datum zadání: 24.05.2018
• Datum a čas obhajoby: 16.09.2019 00:00
• Datum odevzdání elektronické podoby: 22.07.2019
• Datum proběhlé obhajoby: 16.09.2019
• Oponenti: Mgr. Jakub Franěk, Ph.D.

Zásady pro vypracování

According to the FSV and IEPS standards for the diploma theses.

Seznam odborné literatury

"A Biblical Response to the Syrian Refugee Crisis." 2017. RELEVANT Magazine,
December 27, https://relevantmagazine.com/reject-apathy/biblical-response-syrian-refugee-crisis.

Christman, John. 2002. Social and Political Philosophy: A Contemporary
Introduction. London: Routledge.

Connor, Phillip, and Jens Manuel Krogstad. 2016. "Key Facts about the World's
Refugees." Pew Research Center, October 05, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2016/10/05/key-facts-about-the-worlds-refugees/.

Edwards, Alice. 2005. "Human Rights, Refugees, and The Right ‘To Enjoy’ Asylum."
Oxford: Oxford University Press, 293-330. http://doc.rero.ch/record/301137/files/eei011.pdf.

Ganeri, Anita (trans). The Quran. London: Evans, 2002.

Jean‐Louis Fabiani. 2002. "Being Human: The Problem of Agency by Margaret S.
Archer," American Journal of Sociology 107, no. 5 (March): 1385-1387.

Kirk, Ashley. 2016. "Mapped: Which Country Has the Most Immigrants?" The
Telegraph, January 21, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/12111108/Mapped-Which-country-has-the-most-immigrants.html.

Parekh, Serena. 2013. “Beyond the Ethics of Admission: Stateless People, Refugee
Camps and Moral Obligations.” Sage Journals 40: 645-663. https://doi.org/10.1177/0191453713498254.

Phillips, David L. 2014. "Buddha's Teachings on Social Harmony." The Huffington
Post, March 05, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-l-phillips/buddhas-teachings-on-soci_b_4538833.html.


Power. Samantha. 2007. A Problem from Hell: America and the age of Genocide.
New York: Harper Perennial.

Power, Samantha. Allision, Graham. 2000. Realizing Human Rights: Moving from
Inspiration to Impact. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

"Protecting Refugees: Questions and Answers." 2002. UNHCR, February 01,
http://www.unhcr.org/afr/publications/brochures/3b779dfe2/protecting-refugees-questions-answers.html.

Roar Staff, and Lion's Roar. 2015. "How Are Buddhists Responding to the Refugee
Crisis?" Lion's Roar, December 17, https://www.lionsroar.com/how-are-buddhists-responding-to-the-refugee-crisis/.

Saritoprak, Zeki. 2011. "The Qur'anic Perspective on Immigrants: Prophet
Muhammad's Migration and Its Implications in Our Modern Society." The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning, http://jsr.shanti.virginia.edu/back-issues/vol-10-no-1-august-2011-people-and-places/the-quranic-perspective-on-immigrants/.

Sen, Amartya. 2006. Identity and Violence: the Illusion of Destiny. New York: W.W.
Norton & Co.

Shapcott, Richard. 2010. International Ethics: A Critical Introduction. Hobokin: John
Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Smith, Trudy. 2017. "Welcoming Jesus Home: A Christian Response to the Refugee
Crisis." The Huffington Post, December 07, https://www.huffingtonpost.com/trudy-smith/welcoming-jesus-home-a-ch_b_8136886.html.

The Holy Bible: Containing the Old and New Testaments. 2002. Oxford: Oxford
University Press.

UN: An Agenda for Peace (1992)

UN: Brahimi Report (2000)

UN: Declaration on the Right of Peoples to Peace (1984)

UN: Doctrine of the Responsibility to Protect (2005)

UN: Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948)

Předběžná náplň práce

My thesis will focus on the following research questions: What responsibility exists,
if any, to assist in the migration of refugees? In what ways can refugees, if
incorporated correctly into society, help the host country? What is the process by
which refugees can be incorporated effectively into a country? In today’s world, the
refugee crisis seems to be ever growing; however, people and governments do not
seem to be doing enough to help alleviate the crisis. The goal of this thesis is to
illustrate not just the necessity but also the ethical obligations of those who have the
ability to help, to act and assist in a meaningful way. Many authors have already
briefly discussed the ethical obligations, but the intent of this research is to find new,
previously unaddressed ethical obligations to help. This research will analyze
empirical data regarding refugees as well as various religious and political
ideologies in order to display a common them of mandating assistance towards
refugees. Moreover, there exists an underlying goal to display that refugees are not
only law-abiding citizens but also add value to society if integrated properly.

Working hypotheses:
1. Refugees are not only law-abiding citizens but also add value to society if
integrated properly.
2. In most cities that accept refugees, the fears of accepting them (economic,
political and social) are greatly exaggerated when compared with factual
evidence.
3. Security threats and loss of cultural identity due to acceptance of refugees
does not have empirical backing.
4. For most cities, there exist benefits of accepting refugees (economic, political
and social).
The Ethical Obligations of Humanity: Refugees.
5. Most, if not all political ideologies, when examined at their core, state the
necessity to help asylum seekers, refugees and the stateless persons.
6. There exists a legal obligation to help refugees due to treaties and
conventions signed by the international community. Through this legal
obligation, there also exists an ethical obligation to follow the international
treaties and help assimilate refugees.
7. All the major religions state that one should help refugees/foreigners/those
that need help.

Methodology:
My approach will be to review and analyze empirical data derived from a selection
of various developed refugee-receiving countries – both those that accept a higher
number of refugees such as Germany, Greece and France, as well as those accepting a
lower number such as Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and Belgium – to build the
case that refugees are a net gain (or loss) in terms of their impact on society. In
other words, it will be analyzed whether one can conclude refugees hurt or help
society. Furthermore, the countries will then be analyzed to determine whether the
refugees are placed in cities or in designated refugee sites. The empirical data will
come from sources such as Pew Research Center, Eurostat, The World Bank and
state departments. In order to accomplish this task I will analyze crime rates,
education attainment, employment, etc. In addition, I will consult various treaties,
theories and philosophies related to the proper management of refugees using a
form of discourse analysis. By refining the ethical and legal underpinnings, I will
argue that these frameworks suggest the world not just has a responsibility but also
a moral and legal obligation to accept and assimilate refugees into their respective
societies. These theories and philosophies will come from various political and
religious doctrines and will be based upon the interpretation of the texts. When
combined, the empirical data will falsify the arguments related to security and
cultural threats, and the philosophies will further reinforce the idea that humanity
has a responsibility to accept refugees.

Outline:
Chapter 1:
-Subchapter 1: Introduction
-Subchapter 2: Methodology
-Subchapter 3: Literature Review
Chapter 2: Empirical Data regarding benefits and costs
-Subchapter 1: Fears
A) Political/security
B) Economic
C) Social
-Subchapter 2: Benefits
A) Political
B) Economic
C) Social
Chapter 3: Ideologies
-Subchapter 1: Political
-Subchapter 2: Religious
Chapter 4: Moral/Legal debate
-Subchapter 1: Legal
-Subchapter 2: Moral
Chapter 5:
-Subchapter 1: Incorporation into Reality
-Subchapter 2: Conclusion

Předběžná náplň práce v anglickém jazyce

My thesis will focus on the following research questions: What responsibility exists,
if any, to assist in the migration of refugees? In what ways can refugees, if
incorporated correctly into society, help the host country? What is the process by
which refugees can be incorporated effectively into a country? In today’s world, the
refugee crisis seems to be ever growing; however, people and governments do not
seem to be doing enough to help alleviate the crisis. The goal of this thesis is to
illustrate not just the necessity but also the ethical obligations of those who have the
ability to help, to act and assist in a meaningful way. Many authors have already
briefly discussed the ethical obligations, but the intent of this research is to find new,
previously unaddressed ethical obligations to help. This research will analyze
empirical data regarding refugees as well as various religious and political
ideologies in order to display a common them of mandating assistance towards
refugees. Moreover, there exists an underlying goal to display that refugees are not
only law-abiding citizens but also add value to society if integrated properly.

Working hypotheses:
1. Refugees are not only law-abiding citizens but also add value to society if
integrated properly.
2. In most cities that accept refugees, the fears of accepting them (economic,
political and social) are greatly exaggerated when compared with factual
evidence.
3. Security threats and loss of cultural identity due to acceptance of refugees
does not have empirical backing.
4. For most cities, there exist benefits of accepting refugees (economic, political
and social).
The Ethical Obligations of Humanity: Refugees and the Stateless
5. Most, if not all political ideologies, when examined at their core, state the
necessity to help asylum seekers, refugees and the stateless persons.
6. There exists a legal obligation to help refugees due to treaties and
conventions signed by the international community. Through this legal
obligation, there also exists an ethical obligation to follow the international
treaties and help assimilate refugees.
7. All the major religions state that one should help refugees/foreigners/those
that need help.

Methodology:
My approach will be to review and analyze empirical data derived from a selection
of various developed refugee-receiving countries – both those that accept a higher
number of refugees such as Germany, Greece and France, as well as those accepting a
lower number such as Poland, Hungary, the Netherlands and Belgium – to build the
case that refugees are a net gain (or loss) in terms of their impact on society. In
other words, it will be analyzed whether one can conclude refugees hurt or help
society. Furthermore, the countries will then be analyzed to determine whether the
refugees are placed in cities or in designated refugee sites. The empirical data will
come from sources such as Pew Research Center, Eurostat, The World Bank and
state departments. In order to accomplish this task I will analyze crime rates,
education attainment, employment, etc. In addition, I will consult various treaties,
theories and philosophies related to the proper management of refugees using a
form of discourse analysis. By refining the ethical and legal underpinnings, I will
argue that these frameworks suggest the world not just has a responsibility but also
a moral and legal obligation to accept and assimilate refugees into their respective
societies. These theories and philosophies will come from various political and
religious doctrines and will be based upon the interpretation of the texts. When
combined, the empirical data will falsify the arguments related to security and
cultural threats, and the philosophies will further reinforce the idea that humanity
has a responsibility to accept refugees.

Outline:
Chapter 1:
-Subchapter 1: Introduction
-Subchapter 2: Methodology
-Subchapter 3: Literature Review
Chapter 2: Empirical Data regarding benefits and costs
-Subchapter 1: Fears
A) Political/security
B) Economic
C) Social
-Subchapter 2: Benefits
A) Political
B) Economic
C) Social
Chapter 3: Ideologies
-Subchapter 1: Political
-Subchapter 2: Religious
Chapter 4: Moral/Legal debate
-Subchapter 1: Legal
-Subchapter 2: Moral
Chapter 5:
-Subchapter 1: Incorporation into Reality
-Subchapter 2: Conclusion