Skip to page content

Displaced Persons

commentary

Displaced in Gaza: The Least-Bad Option
There is currently no good option for protecting civilians amid the Israel-Hamas war. But the least-bad option is to keep civilians in southern Gaza—and provide protection and humanitarian assistance where they are.
Dec 4, 2023

commentary

Normalizing Assad Won't Solve the Syrian Refugee Crisis
As much as Syrian refugees would like to return home eventually and as much as neighboring countries would welcome an end to the challenges of hosting large refugee communities, now is not the right time for mass Syrian refugee repatriation. Regional governments could instead focus on supporting refugees where they are, especially by allowing them to be legal, productive members of local economies.
Aug 23, 2023
commentary

Escaping Afghanistan
As of April 2023, about 152,000 Special Immigrant Visa applicants remain trapped in Afghanistan. Despite many recommendations and bipartisan support for reforming the program, only minor tweaks have been made. Meanwhile, the dangerously slow process has become practically a death sentence.
Aug 14, 2023
commentary

Reopening Old Wounds: Two Stories, One Lesson
The shocking events unfolding in Ukraine have reopened old wounds for two RAND researchers. Their personal stories stand as testaments that the traumas inflicted by Russia's war on Ukraine will echo for decades to come.
Apr 16, 2022
commentary

With the Ukrainians, Avoid the Mistakes of Other Refugee Crises
Because of Russia's invasion, millions of Ukrainians have fled their country or are internally displaced. At this critical moment, European Union countries have an opportunity to avoid some of the worst pitfalls of how the world has handled other refugee crises.
Mar 25, 2022
commentary

For Ukrainian Refugees in Poland, Livelihood Needs Will Follow Humanitarian Ones
Host countries such as Poland that accept refugees are to be lauded for their humanitarian response. To increase the likelihood that these countries find effective policy solutions, they should view the influx of refugees not merely as a challenge, but as a significant opportunity to be seized for aiding their post-COVID recovery.
Mar 18, 2022
commentary

Ukraine Invasion Could Spark a Massive Refugee Crisis
One fallout of a Russian invasion of Ukraine could be a massive refugee or migration crisis. If that happened, there would be significant humanitarian, political, and economic implications for both the Ukrainians who flee and for the European nations they go to.
Feb 16, 2022
commentary

To Help Climate Migrants, We Must First Recognize Them
Despite the large and growing population displaced by extreme weather, there is no common definition of a “climate migrant.” Once we get a clearer sense of just who is a climate migrant, policy efforts should begin focusing on the full fabric of life in our communities, creating systems that will help migrants become a part of that fabric in safe and dignified ways.
Jan 28, 2022
commentary

Afghan Refugees Are Being Recruited to Join an Iranian Paramilitary
As Western policymakers consider how to deal with Afghan evacuees, including former members of the Afghan security forces, they might consider how to prevent adversaries such as Iran from recruiting Afghan refugees for dangerous and destabilizing operations. Greater attention to these risks may become increasingly important as refugee flows from Afghanistan continue.
Nov 23, 2021
commentary

With the Evacuation Over, Afghanistan Is Left to Contend with a Worsening Refugee Crisis
The more than 100,000 civilians recently evacuated from Afghanistan are a small fraction of those who have lost their homes and livelihoods due to war. To avoid worsening the existing humanitarian crisis, the global community should take swift action, including close coordination with regional and national players.
Sep 7, 2021
q&a

Collapse in Afghanistan: Early Insights from RAND Researchers
The sudden end to America's longest war came as the Taliban rolled into Kabul and the government collapsed. RAND researchers share their thoughts on how to help displaced Afghans, whether the country could again become a safe haven for terrorists, and the geopolitical implications of the collapse.
Aug 17, 2021
essay

China's Disappeared Uyghurs: What Satellite Images Reveal
At least one million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities have vanished into a sprawling network of camps and prisons in China's far west. Satellite images show brightly lit compounds, wall after wall of barbed wire, and a sudden rush to build what appear to be fortified preschools.
Apr 29, 2021
commentary

Upcoming Summit an Opportunity for Japan to Reconsider Whether to Join Rest of G-7 in Sanctioning China Over Genocide
Japan has been lukewarm in its response to global condemnation of China's crimes against humanity against the Uyghurs and other Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang. What options might President Biden have to encourage Japan to reconsider its position as he hosts his first in-person summit meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga?
Apr 15, 2021
commentary

Colombia's Trailblazing Model for Refugees
Colombia recently announced it will give temporary protection status to a million undocumented Venezuelan refugees, with permission to live and work in the country for 10 years. In doing so, it created a new model for managing its own refugee situation and perhaps others elsewhere.
Mar 26, 2021
commentary

For Americans Uprooted by Climate Change, Mental Health Is the Next Crisis
The challenges climate migrants face are not limited to basic needs, such as housing and employment; displacement may also create trauma. It's imperative that policymakers take mental health into account when devising climate change policies.
Mar 15, 2021
commentary

Climate Change Migration: Developing a Security Strategy for All
Over the past decade, an average of 21.5 million people annually have been forced to move due to the impacts of extreme weather. Building an understanding of the intersection between climate change, migration, and security is crucial and should take into account that many who face the most direct impacts of climate change are already among the most vulnerable.
Mar 15, 2021
commentary

A New Way to Manage the Growing Global Refugee Situation
As of 2020, a full 1 percent of humanity is living in displacement—as refugees, internally displaced persons, or asylum-seekers—because of conflict or persecution. The world's existing strategies for managing the displaced are no longer sufficient, but the next U.S. administration has an opportunity to lead the world in creating a new way forward.
Dec 17, 2020
commentary

The Syrian Forever War Has Created Forever Refugees
Without a formal peace agreement that commits to safety for returnees and creates a foundation for investment in Syria's demolished infrastructure, Syrians will not go home. They fear returning because of reports of returnees being arrested, imprisoned, and tortured.
Nov 24, 2020
commentary

With Rollout of Caesar Sanctions on Syria, U.S. Is Just Getting Started in New Bid to End War
In June, the U.S. government announced the implementation of the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act with a flurry of sanctions against 39 people and entities connected with the Assad regime. There is much more to come. Syria, and Russia and Iran, have not yet felt the Caesar Act in full force.
Jul 22, 2020
commentary

How to Help Refugees and Host Countries Combat COVID-19
Having escaped conflict and persecution, refugees now risk illness and death from COVID-19. That risk is heightened by a policy regime that focuses largely on refugees in camps, not the almost two-thirds who live in urban areas. But the crisis could provide an opportunity to reform a broken system for the benefit of refugees and host countries alike.
May 18, 2020
essay

The Right Technology Can Help Refugees Stay Connected
Nearly 71 million people globally are displaced by conflict and persecution. There have been some real advances in technology to help them, but innovations have often been fragmented, without a larger vision. A more strategic approach to technology could better serve their needs.
Mar 11, 2020
commentary

Syrian Refugees Won't Be Going Home Any Time Soon
Active fighting in Syria is dwindling. But Syria remains divided in a frozen conflict and empty peace, unstable and unlikely to attract the investment in reconstruction, public institutions, job creation, and local reconciliation efforts needed to motivate Syrians in large numbers to return home.
Apr 19, 2019
commentary

For One Syrian Refugee, the Research Strikes Close to Home
Fadia Afashe came to the United States to study public policy in 2011, with every intention of eventually going home to Syria. But when her fellowship ended a year later, the possibility of returning home had vanished. She became a refugee success story, but a path for others is needed.
Dec 22, 2018
commentary

Europe's Five Strategies for Coping with Migration Pressure
Migration will likely continue to be a long-term challenge for European politics, institutions, governments, and values. Even with a drop in numbers and the development of institutional capabilities to manage migration, the European Union still has important tasks ahead of it.
Dec 3, 2018
commentary

Europe's Great Challenge: Integrating Syrian Refugees
Since March, 2011, close to 1 million Syrian refugees have requested asylum in European countries, with Germany being the primary destination. Social and economic policies to deal with the refugee crisis will require collaborative planning, monitoring, and assessment efforts to be successful.
Apr 20, 2018
commentary

We Are Almost Dead: The Politics of Migrants and Refugees in an Unequal World
People move, and always have moved, in search of better lives for themselves and their children. Why else would someone leave everything behind and brave the seas? What else is worth the risk? Jonathan Blake discusses books that examine people's need for refuge.
Feb 23, 2018
commentary

Moving Countries, Seeking Refuge from Climate Change
By the middle of this century, experts estimate that climate change is likely to displace between 150 and 300 million people. It is daunting to envision such large flows of people, but that is why the global community should start doing so now.
Dec 19, 2017
commentary

Moving Beyond Mosul
The Islamic State group has been defeated in Mosul. But this military routing isn't enough to ensure lasting stability, either in Mosul or in Iraq more broadly. What comes next will require careful planning, diplomacy, implementation, and coordination.
Jul 18, 2017
commentary

How Innovation Can Assist the Refugee 'Pathway'
New ways to collaborate and coordinate humanitarian actions are needed so that refugees, host communities, and other stakeholders are empowered to create and spread innovative solutions. These efforts should consider the entire refugee pathway, not only emergency and arrival assistance.
Jun 27, 2017
commentary

Stabilizing Mosul After the Battle Against ISIS
U.S.-backed Iraqi forces have retaken the east bank of Mosul and are planning to take the west soon. The military operations that oust ISIS are crucial to the city's liberation but failing to get the civilian response right risks a widening civil war.
Feb 9, 2017
commentary

A Different Kind of Refugee Crisis
In Jordan and Lebanon, middle-income countries with robust public sectors where a significant Syrian population may be present for years to come, solutions should be more about supporting the expansion of existing national public services, rather than creating new, internationally run parallel services.
May 16, 2016
commentary

Matching and Migration: Lessons from a Resettlement Programme in Indonesia
With careful planning, resettlement remains a feasible and politically attractive option for coping with environmentally-induced migration in many settings. The lessons from Indonesia's Transmigration program can help inform ongoing resettlement planning.
Apr 5, 2016
commentary

After Decades of Conflict, Learning to Reap the Benefits of Taxes in Northern Uganda
A women's community organization is trying to get Ugandans to pay taxes while teaching them how to get the local government to spend tax money on improving public services. The post-conflict regions of northern Uganda need more health care, legal services, psychological support, and counseling.
Mar 17, 2016
commentary

Will Today's Refugees Become the 'New Palestinians'?
The conflicts in Syria and Iraq have generated the greatest volume of refugees since World War II. If the international community is to avoid seeing the emergence of a population of new Palestinians lasting decades into the future, it will have to craft a more coherent approach.
Oct 9, 2015
commentary

Family Planning Must Be Part of the Humanitarian Response in Africa's Conflict Zones
Worldwide, nearly 800 women die every day due to mostly preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. More than half of these deaths occur in fragile states torn by armed conflict and generalized violence.
Jul 1, 2015