Refugee externalisation policies: What we have learnt and where are we going?

This final chapter provides an overview of the refugee externalisation techniques and trends used by the European Union and its member states, and Australia. We examine the trend towards the erosion of protection whereby physical, legal and bureaucratic barriers undermine the spirit of the Refugee Convention, and large corporations make substantial profit. We explore how externalisation unsettles the notion of borders and creates a politics of distance. We examine the different governance techniques that create the conditions for secrecy and allow governments and organisations to avoid accountability for their action or inaction regarding refugees. Finally, we examine the potential power of communication strategies to resist the trend towards ever-expansive externalisation policies. The chapter closes by considering the future of refugee externalisation. While the trend is towards ever-greater global bifurcation, there are small signs of resistance and optimism.