Forced Migration in the Asia Pacific Region: A History of Predictable Crises

The focus of this article is on how forced migration is regulated in the Asia Pacific region. While each new case of mass migration is widely characterised as an unprecedented crisis, history shows that much about these ‘crises’ was perfectly predictable. Resort to what Charlesworth identifies as ‘crisis mode’ short-circuits historical perspectives and obscures structural injustice. If we step back from the language of crisis, we can turn our focus to what the legal and institutional contexts in which forced migration occurs and that make it such a devastating experience.