Negotiating Dissolution a Study on Resettlement, Power and Place Among the Iraqi Refugee Community in Jordan
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Negotiating Dissolution A Study on Resettlement, Power and Place among the Iraqi Refugee Community in Jordan Mirjam A. Twigt March 2013 II Wageningen University - Department of Social Sciences Chair Group Disaster Studies Negotiating Dissolution A Study on Resettlement, Power and Place among the Iraqi Refugee Community in Jordan March 2013 Mirjam A. Twigt St. nr: 850207846020 Thesis supervision: Bram J. Jansen, PhD Chair group Disaster Studies Wageningen University Course code: RDS-80733 Cover photo was taken by the author in 2012: Iraqi Chaldean Church in Amman, Jordan III IV Abstract This thesis presents how urban refugee management establishes Jordan as a formal transit place. It is a qualitative study on the effects of third country resettlement on ideas of place and belonging, among Iraqi refugees who are not accepted for this particular durable solution. The dissertation is based upon three months of fieldwork in Amman, Jordan, during which data was collected by in-depth interviews and participant observation. The practices of the international community are set against the perspectives and activities of the Iraqi refugees. In reaction to the role the UNHCR has taken upon itself and in relation to the legal and social marginalization associated with life in Amman, Iraq’s displaced population has put all its trust upon the international community as it continues to hold on to the idea that life in Jordan is only transitory. It seems that resettlement for parts of a refugee population, reinforces the uprootedness of the refugees who stay behind. The option for resettlement has created a disruption in social order, as it divides families and selection criteria are gendered. It disconnects the refugees from a life in Jordan, as the focus is continuously on somewhere else and later. The emergence of an Iraqi diaspora further reinforces the idea of a life in limbo and a distinct Iraqi identity in exile. An extensive resettlement policy has established a sense of entitlement and longing for this particular solution. These social realities of the refugees influence the outcome of humanitarian interventions that are focused upon self-sufficiency, as these programs do not correspond with what the refugees themselves see as their interest. UNHCR’s policy is build upon a narrow and static understanding of protection and solutions, whereas the refugees themselves hold on to transnational connections and find hope in the idea that life in Jordan is only temporary. With this idea in mind they continue to look for strategies for a future elsewhere. Key words: third country resettlement, durable solutions, urban refugee management, belonging, transnationalism, Iraqi refugees, Jordan. V VI To love. To be loved. To never forget your own insignificance. To never get used to the unspeakable violence and the vulgar disparity of life around you. To seek joy in the saddest places. To pursue beauty to its lair. To never simplify what is complicated or complicate what is simple. To respect strength, never power. Above all, to watch. To try and understand. To never look away. And never, never, to forget. (Arundhati Roy, 1999) Liberty is a practice… The liberty of men is never assured by the institutions and laws that are intended to guarantee them. That is why almost all of these laws and institutions are quite capable of being turned around. (Foucault, 1984: 245) VII VIII Table of contents Acknowledgements XII Glossary and Abbreviations XIII Map 1 – Map of Amman XV Chapter One: The Origins of Jordan as a Temporary Refuge 1 A Short Introduction to Iraq’s Modern History 3 Aim of the Study – Problem Statement 4 International Protection of Iraqi Refugees in Jordan 7 Protection, Protraction and Durable Solution 9 The Iraqi Refugee Population in Jordan: Urban Displacement and Demographics 11 Methodology: An Urban Ethnography 13 Negotiating Access in Amman 15 Mahmoud’s Case: Research in a Humanitarian Economy 17 Reflexivity and situated knowledge 18 Structure of the Thesis 20 Chapter Two: Theoretical framework 23 The Actor-oriented Approach 23 The Role of Structure in an Actor-oriented Approach 24 Governance, Governmentality and Power 25 Pseudo-governance and Global Governance 26 Bureaucratic Labeling 27 Displacement and the Production of Place 29 Transnationalism 31 The Creation of Limbo 33 Conclusion 34 Chapter Three: The Politics of Resettlement 35 The Formalities behind the Resettlement Program 35 Resettlement as a Durable Solution for the Iraqi Refugee Situation 36 The US Refugee Admission Program Part 1: The Interview 38 The Results of the Resettlement Interview - The Day That Everyone Got Accepted 39 The US Refugee Admission Program Part 2: Further Steps Including Waiting 40 IX Concluding Remarks on the Procedures of the Resettlement Process 41 Resettlement, Selection and Rejection 41 Not Selected for Resettlement – the ‘Excluded Category’ 41 Rejection for Resettlement 42 Dealing with Disappointment – The First Negotiations 43 Pseudo-Governance: The Logic of Exclusion and a Growing Sense of Entitlement 45 The Politics of a Surrogate State 46 Political Considerations behind Resettlement 47 Negotiating Protection Space 50 Concluding Remarks 51 Chapter Four: Resources within the Resettlement Context 54 Humanitarian Resources 54 Resources within the Urban Economy 57 Gendered Resources 59 Blurring Boundaries between the Humanitarian Economy and the Urban Economy 60 ‘Volunteering’ 61 Vocational Trainings 62 A Debate on Dependency, Self-sufficiency and Agency 64 Tapping into Vulnerability 65 Local Integration: Curing Dependency or Ruining your Chances? 66 Strategies and Alternatives to Counter Local Integration 68 Wasta and Reconsideration for Resettlement 69 Conclusion 71 Chapter five: Is a Near Neighbor Better than a Distant Cousin? 72 Transnational Relations and the Creation of Limbo A Longing for Resettlement 72 Resettlement as Disruption 74 Friendships in Exile 74 Effects on Familial Relations: Negotiating Gender and Generational Roles 76 Loss and Belonging – The Creation of a Diasporic People 77 The Invention of Iraqiness 78 Transnational Networks 80 X The Transnational Process of Resisting Marginalization: a Notes on Displacement 82 Conclusion 83 Conclusion: Resettlement and the Persistence of Temporariness 85 Bibliography 90 Appendices Appendix 1: List of Informants 98 Appendix 2: Iraqi Refugees Use Social Media to Cry out for Help 101 Appendix 3: Letter of Deferral 102 Appendix 4: Notice of Ineligibility for Resettlement 103 List of Figures Figure 1: Overview of Amman. 22 Figure 2: UNHCR’s Selection criteria for eligibility for resettlement for Iraqi refugees 37 Figure 3: Breakdown of Submitted Cases and Departures Worldwide 38 Figure 4: Swimming at the Mahatta Church 53 XI Acknowledgements I would like to thank all of you who have made this research rewarding, enjoyable and fun. First of all, I want to thank the entire staff of the Disaster Studies Group for its flexibility and inspiration to find a place and position in which I could challenge myself. A special thanks goes out to Prof. dr. Georg Frerks, as my second reader, and dr. Bram J. Jansen, for being such a committed supervisor. I appreciate your unceasing support, your expertise and your encouraging reactions on my endless ambitions. You taught me how to kill my darlings and to write paragraphs instead of stories. I really enjoyed working with you. My warm regards go out to the IOM Jordan staff, and in particular to Mohaned Warq. I am grateful for the time spent at IOM’s office and for the lessons I learned there. My deep thanks goes out the entire Iraqi community in Amman, Jordan, as I felt at home in your temporary houses. I would like to thank Fusayo and Schwan, Sasha and Ghazwan, Jody Miller and Lorna Rodd, as their commitment for the Iraqi refugees was an inspiration to me. Without your cooperation I would not have been able to conduct this research. Thank you so much! With this thesis and my time in Jordan, I have expanded my own transnational network. I met a lot of great people in Amman, and some of my informants became true friends. Um Omar, Savannah, Mohammed al Kurdi. Ramez, Mimi, Abu Thaer and Besma, Russel, Thaer and Ibrahim: thank you so much for all your love, support and fun! Lindsay, Sarah, Rivdah, Murad and Sabrina: Amman was a rollercoaster, and it was a thrill to ride it with you. Meghan, you are the best roommate ever! I hope you will send me chocolate, sooner rather than later. Thanks to the friends I found back in Holland, and in particular to Elze and Stef, who have kept me sane in difficult times. For Ernst-Jan, for encouraging me to continue my studies. And to my beloved fellow students as writing my thesis would not have been so much fun without you. A special thanks to Vera, Claudette, Afke and Evi, for proofreading sections of my thesis. Many thanks to my family for their unceasing support. You have proven – now, more than ever – to be a steady base. Most of all, I would like to thank and dedicate this thesis to my beloved translator. Upon his request, he will remain anonymous in this study and will be referred to as Moe. Three months ago Moe was resettled to the US. Being a refugee does not simply start with crossing a border, nor does it come to an ending when you reach the safe haven you have longed for so long. His journey continues on, as he is getting to know the country he now calls home. I call you my brother, as your real family is far away – mentally as well as physically. Do not ever believe anyone who says that you should be different, as it is your difference that makes you special. Thank you for who you are! XII Glossary and List of Abbreviations Glossary Abu Father Al-hamdulilah Praise God, Thank God. Duyuf Guest Haram Morally wrong Insh’allah If God wants it to, if God will provide it Iqama Residence permit Nargilleh Waterpipe Um Mother Wasta Clientelistic ties or the right connections Ya3teek il 3afyeh A common Jordanian-Arabic expression meaning may God give you health.