Most refugees are human rights violations made visible. Stepping on unchartered ground, with little theoretical work done on the subject, this study provides rather an empirical analysis than a theoretical framework for practical steps. The analysis tackles modern refugee problems and the challenge on how to prevent the rise of new refugee situations. It focuses on how to change situations in which refugees are exploited as a weapon in political strife. In order to forestall the violation of individual human rights, the thesis proposes collective measures that are directed exclusively to prevent refugee situations from arising, and not to prevent persecuted individuals from seeking protection elsewhere. Considering the developments in international relations inspired by Glasnost and Perestroika, and the growing importance of human rights caused by the codification of human right principles and the 1975 Final Act of Helsinki, the study challenges traditional models of international interaction and non-intervention with reference to refugee producing situations.
