International Unaccountability: The Normalisation of the Syrian Regime and its Impact on Refugee Protection

The failures of our international legal edifices to end atrocity crimes in Syria have paved the way for normalisation. This article considers the legal and political implications of normalisation with regimes like Bashar al-Assad’s on refugee protection. It does so by demonstrating how states are exploiting the trend of normalisation and the implicit suggestion that Syria is safe to erect illegal refugee return practices. It closely examines the security situation in Syria that precludes refugee returns in accordance with International Refugee Law and concludes that normalisation is placing Syrian refugees in an increasingly vulnerable position. Centring the priorities of the Syrian community is the principal component to achieving meaningful accountability in Syria. Insofar as most Syrians are unwilling to return to a Syria ruled by Assad and continue to demand a political transition, opposing normalisation should be one of these priorities. Failing to do so poses a serious challenge to ongoing accountability efforts. This article argues that normalisation will affect the strength of the international refugee protection regime by encouraging short-sighted return policies and beyond the Syrian context, is likely to contribute to broader disrespect for international laws and global norms. Ultimately, although normalisation with Assad has a myriad of concerning implications, particularly on the force and leverage of international law, this article identifies that its most imminent threat is to the safety of Syrian refugees.