Iraq’s vice-president has vetoed part of the country’s new election law, placing the planned elections for January in jeopardy because he objected to the lack of parliamentary representation of refugees.  This bold step should remind the international community that, as most attention and resources have shifted east to Pakistan and Afghanistan, Iraq’s refugees have not disappeared.  As the delay of this critical law shows, it is clear that Iraq’s domestic politics are intricately tied to the refugee question.

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi refugees remain scattered throughout Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt.  Tens of thousands more continue to seek asylum in Europe, Asia, and Latin America.  For the third consecutive year, Iraq was the leading country of origin for asylum seekers in industrialized countries, almost twice as high as the next largest group.  In a recent survey, 83% of Iraqi refugees interviewed in Jordan and Syria said that they had no plans to return to Iraq due to ongoing insecurity, lack of jobs, and no ability to access or petition for their original homes and property.

In the absence of large-scale returns, ever the more uncertain with the planned U.S. withdrawal in 2010, the Iraqi refugee problem will likely become a protracted one.  To its credit the U.S. alone has already resettled 35,000 Iraqis and given large amounts in humanitarian aid over the last two years. However, there is no plan in place to engage in large-scale resettlement—thus leaving the majority of Iraqi refugees behind.  Moreover, most host governments in the region are not actively considering any form of permanent residence for Iraqis.

The lack of immediate solutions for Iraqi refugees makes it imperative that the international humanitarian community and the U.S. in particular not forget these people—not least because their future is so clearly tied to the future stability of Iraq and the region.