What is the main message of Frontier Justice?

The main message of Frontier Justice explores ethical dilemmas and the complex nature of justice.

Who is the author of Frontier Justice?

The author of Frontier Justice is Andy Lamey.

Society & Culture

Frontier Justice Book Summary - Frontier Justice Book explained in key points

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Frontier Justice summary

Name: Frontier Justice
Rating: 3.9 (87 reviews)
Author: Andy Lamey

Andy Lamey

The Global Refugee Crisis and What to Do About It

3.9 (87 ratings)

15 mins

Brief summary

'Frontier Justice' by Andy Lamey is a thought-provoking analysis of the world's response to the refugee crisis. It examines the moral and ethical implications of border control and challenges readers to rethink their perceptions of migration.

Topics

Democracy

Table of Contents

Frontier Justice
Summary of 6 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 6

What’s in it for me? Get a deeper understanding of the laws that regulate and affect refugees.

Over the last century, refugees and refugee crises have become global phenomena and challenges, from people fleeing Nazi Germany before and during World War II, to major crises in Haiti and the Balkans, to the current conflicts raging in the Middle East and Syria. So what has affected the way we think about refugees and the way they are treated?

The answer, simply, is laws. With the emergence of modern nation-states and borders as we know them today, the laws governing who can cross them – and how – have been instrumental in determining how refugees are assigned their legal status and how they are accepted, or not, into a new country.

These blinks will look into the origins of these laws and regulations, the consequences they have had up until today and what a possible future for these regulations could be.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

why there were 9.5 million refugees in Europe in 1926;
how the Haitian refugee crisis in the 1980s set a new precedent for refusing asylum; and
why Canadian refugee policy could be a model for the rest of the world.

Hannah Arendt’s struggle in war-torn early twentieth-century Europe still typifies the modern refugee experience.

Though the story of German-Jewish philosopher Hannah Arendt’s time as a refugee dates back to the 1930s, her story nonetheless continues to resonate today. But which parallels can we draw between her story and that of the modern refugee?

The rise of nationalism following World War I caused millions of people to become displaced. International borders were being redrawn, a revolution was taking place in Russia and Turks were slaughtering Armenians. As a result, there were 9.5 million refugees stranded across Europe by 1926.

Moreover, the nationalization of welfare provisions and national responsibility for economic well-being led to a sharp distinction between what constituted a “national” and a “foreigner.”

The rise of nationalism in Europe that followed led the fascist Nazi party to seize power in Germany. Their anti-Semitic laws and rhetoric caused 25,000 people, including Arendt, to flee the country and become refugees.

Arendt first fled to Czechoslovakia, then France and eventually the United States. During her travels, she experienced firsthand the way many nations see refugees fleeing persecution as “undesirables” and potential threats to their way of life. In this way, Arendt was a quintessentially modern refugee.

Inspired by these experiences, her writings pose questions about the conflict between the rights of citizens versus human rights, something refugees struggle with to this day.

Citizens are granted rights through their belonging to nations. Refugees, however, lose these rights once they cross the border into another country. Arendt proposes that without the benefit of citizenship, refugees can’t expect to receive any rights, which of course inspires the question: does a set of fundamental human rights exist beyond borders?

When people show up at the border of a new country, the most they can hope for is a moral response to their humanity.

These questions were compiled in her landmark book, The Origins of Totalitarianism, which, since its publishing in 1951, still holds up as the definitive account of the injustices that refugees face.

The American response to Haitian refugees serves as an example of modern refugee policy.

So how did the view of human rights versus citizens’ rights evolve over the course of the twentieth century?

A prime illustration was the response to the 1980s Haitian refugee crisis, during which 25,000 Haitian refugees arrived by boat in Florida in an attempt to flee the violent dictatorship of presidents Doc Duvalier and his son Baby Doc Duvalier, both of whom would leave the corpses of their critics hanging in public areas.

All too often, refugees like Mohammad Al Ghazzi are treated as criminals once they arrive in a new country.

In the 1990s, Mohammad Al Ghazzi and his family faced persecution under Saddam Hussein’s regime due to Al Ghazzi’s brother’s involvement with the Islamic Dawa Party, which opposed Hussein.

After two years of imprisonment following his arrest, Al Ghazzi decided to flee Iraq in hopes of finding asylum in Australia. His story demonstrates the reliance that many refugees have on smugglers, and the dangers it poses.

Europe has become a web of boundaries, restrictions and complicated transit zones.

Post-World War II Europe saw one of the greatest refugee crises of our time. But have things changed for the better in terms of refugee rights? When looking at so-called “Fortress Europe,” it seems that not much has changed at all.

European immigration laws have become increasingly restrictive in recent years. For example, from 1992 to 2005, the British government passed six asylum laws, each making it more difficult to meet the requirements necessary to prove the persecution that refugees face.

Canada’s refugee system could be taken as a future model for refugee policy reform.

In 1989, Canada altered its refugee policy after refugees from Rwanda and India filed appeals against the government’s decisions on their cases. The case, Singh v. Minister of Employment and Immigration, eventually made it to the Supreme Court, which sided with the appellants. The court’s decision was monumental: it gave refugees a constitutional right to a face-to-face hearing.

Canada’s policy still isn’t perfect, but it nonetheless represents a breakthrough in refugee rights. For example, the policy doesn’t state which country the hearing will take place in, nor does it guarantee rights to appeal or legal aid, but the fact that it gives refugees any rights at all is indeed extraordinary.

History and a modified version of the Canadian policy give us hope for the future.

Canada’s approach to asylum is one borne out of both liberal and democratic conceptions of human rights. A modified version of their approach, which we can call the portable-procedural approach, is highly compatible for worldwide use.

The portable-procedural policy essentially honors the concerns of Hannah Arendt, while adhering to a commitment to honoring human rights.

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What is Frontier Justice about?

Frontier Justice (2011) offers a detailed historical account of the plight of refugees. It also presents viable solutions that could improve the lives of refugees while ensuring a higher degree of safety for their host countries.

Frontier Justice Review

Frontier Justice (2021) by Andy Lamey is a captivating exploration of the dark side of justice and its implications for society. Here's why this book is definitely worth reading:

Through thought-provoking case studies and in-depth research, it sheds light on the complexities of delivering justice in the face of social and cultural challenges.
The book challenges common assumptions about justice and highlights the power dynamics at play, prompting readers to question their own beliefs and values.
With its compelling storytelling and nuanced analysis, it keeps readers engaged, ensuring that the exploration of justice never becomes dull or one-sided.

Best quote from Frontier Justice

The ultimate explanation of the interwar crisis of asylum, Arendt concluded, was the simple fact that the word is divided into states.

—Andy Lamey

Who should read Frontier Justice?

Anyone with an interest in global politics
People interested in the origins and impacts of international refugee crises
Anyone concerned about human rights violations and humanitarian efforts

About the Author

Andy Lamey is a professor of philosophy at University of California, San Diego and a journalist whose work has appeared in the Canadian publications National Post and Maclean’s. In addition, Lamey has produced numerous radio documentaries for the CBC series Ideas.

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