Humanitarian Protection for Prisoners of War and Refugees in the Long Aftermath of the First World War

At the end of WWI, millions of military and civilians were displaced across Europe, the South Caucasus, and the Eastern Mediterranean. While many made their way home, genocide, revolution, and post-war instabilities complicated the repatriation of prisoners of war from Russia and the Central Powers and pushed Russian and Armenian refugees into exile. In response, an array of international organizations intervene: three of them, the International Committee of the Red Cross, the League of Nations, and the International Labor Organization, implemented humanitarian, political, and legal measures to protect prisoners of war and refugees. This book tells a story of failures and innovations, where humanitarians interacted with the persons assisted in refugee camps, villages, and agricultural colonies, which were often situated “at the doors of Europe” in order to preserve peace at its heart. Negotiations and mundane practices of care concurred into the emergence a plural, discordant, and partial governance of refugee protection.