Aljazeera:"UN urges countries to save boat refugees amid record number of drownings"
URL: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/12/10/unhcr-asylum-europe.html
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees placed estimates for asylum seekers at nearly 400,000 so far this year with more than half of these crossing the Mediterranean into Europe. This recent phenomenon is especially noteworthy given that estimates for this year have exceeded the previous historic peak of 70,000 by a factor of three.
With reported deaths for refugees in the Mediterranean posted at over 4,000 and with deaths continuing to rise, the Euro-zone is facing a unique challenge in controlling inflows of immigrants. States on the Mediterranean, seeking to mitigate inflows of asylum seekers are being forced to weigh the tradeoffs of providing to relief to desperate refugees: the possibility of encouraging greater immigration and the moral costs of allowing vulnerable populations to perish in the Mediterranean.
States within the Euro-zone need to arrive at a consensus on how to address the underlying causes of current immigration flows. By placing a heightened foreign policy emphasis at stabilizing surrounding regions, these states may be able to stem the outflows of these refugees. Additionally, if states within Europe can create a unified system under which refugees can receive asylum that can distribute the allocation of immigrants across states, it may mitigate negative effects incurred by the states as a whole.
Thursday, December 11, 2014
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Republicans Temper Outrage over Obama's Immigration Initiative - Seek Pragmatic Response while Biding Time
Washington Post: "GOP readies Obama immigration response: No shutdown, but a nod to conservatives"
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-readies-obama-immigration-response-no-shutdown-but-a-nod-to-conservatives/2014/12/02/46e7c2ee-7a5b-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html
President Obama's recent immigration initiative has stoked significant Republican outrage. Introduced as an executive order, the initiative includes measures that provide a potential route to citizenship for individuals who have been living within the United States illegally for an extended period. In his speech, Obama asserted that his use of an executive order to introduce immigration reform was legitimate given the extensive historical precedent. He noted in particular how past presidents have introduced policies relating to immigration reform in a similar manner. Republican Congressional Leaders were extremely vocal about their disapproval of the policy and the manner in which it was introduced. Shortly after Obama's unveiling of the initiative, Senate Minority Leader John Boehner (R) openly condemned the policy as damaging to the state and condemned Obama for 'blatantly circumventing the democratic process'.
While the GOP is notably heated over the policy, many Republican leaders have noted that they do not intend to force another shutdown of the government. Despite the positions of Republican leaders on the proposed policy, it appears as though Congressional leaders broadly agree that an unnecessary shutdown would be extremely damaging to the state and largely counterproductive. Instead of taking a hard line position against Obama's policy on immigration reform, Republicans seem to be adopting a more pragmatic approach, seeking to publicly scold President Obama and undercut the initiative through budgetary discretion. Congressman Ted Yoho (R) is sponsoring legislation that would effectively bar the President from making changes to immigration policy. While the measure is not expected to pass, Republican leaders believe it is important step in demonstrating their open disapproval and condemnation of the President's actions.
The Republican Party appears to be tempering down its response to Obama's immigration reform policy quite a bit. Perhaps they are afraid of being stuck with the blame for another shutdown, choosing instead to conserve their goodwill with the public. This appears to be the case as Republicans seek to shorten the funding renewal periods for immigration related agencies, gathering leverage for renegotiation at a later point. As Republicans are due to assume power in the Senate and with the President advancing further into his second term, the GOP is biding its time until it has sufficient political clout to take a strong position against Obama's policy on immigration reform.
URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/gop-readies-obama-immigration-response-no-shutdown-but-a-nod-to-conservatives/2014/12/02/46e7c2ee-7a5b-11e4-b821-503cc7efed9e_story.html
President Obama's recent immigration initiative has stoked significant Republican outrage. Introduced as an executive order, the initiative includes measures that provide a potential route to citizenship for individuals who have been living within the United States illegally for an extended period. In his speech, Obama asserted that his use of an executive order to introduce immigration reform was legitimate given the extensive historical precedent. He noted in particular how past presidents have introduced policies relating to immigration reform in a similar manner. Republican Congressional Leaders were extremely vocal about their disapproval of the policy and the manner in which it was introduced. Shortly after Obama's unveiling of the initiative, Senate Minority Leader John Boehner (R) openly condemned the policy as damaging to the state and condemned Obama for 'blatantly circumventing the democratic process'.
While the GOP is notably heated over the policy, many Republican leaders have noted that they do not intend to force another shutdown of the government. Despite the positions of Republican leaders on the proposed policy, it appears as though Congressional leaders broadly agree that an unnecessary shutdown would be extremely damaging to the state and largely counterproductive. Instead of taking a hard line position against Obama's policy on immigration reform, Republicans seem to be adopting a more pragmatic approach, seeking to publicly scold President Obama and undercut the initiative through budgetary discretion. Congressman Ted Yoho (R) is sponsoring legislation that would effectively bar the President from making changes to immigration policy. While the measure is not expected to pass, Republican leaders believe it is important step in demonstrating their open disapproval and condemnation of the President's actions.
The Republican Party appears to be tempering down its response to Obama's immigration reform policy quite a bit. Perhaps they are afraid of being stuck with the blame for another shutdown, choosing instead to conserve their goodwill with the public. This appears to be the case as Republicans seek to shorten the funding renewal periods for immigration related agencies, gathering leverage for renegotiation at a later point. As Republicans are due to assume power in the Senate and with the President advancing further into his second term, the GOP is biding its time until it has sufficient political clout to take a strong position against Obama's policy on immigration reform.
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