Exiles as Representatives

Abstract

This chapter considers whether exiles can advance valid representative claims and under what conditions. The representative claim is implicit in exiles’ efforts to assist those left behind and to enable transnational solidarity with them. But it is often made explicitly, both by those who have formed themselves into governments-in-exile and those who act less formally. The representative claim is powerful. When valid, it grants exiles authority, placing their political claims and preferences on the same footing as those left behind; it empowers them to negotiate and make settlements; and it obligates third parties to defer to them. This chapter identifies three elements of representation—authorization, acting for, and accountability—and assesses the extent to which exiles can satisfy these elements. It identifies the importance of ‘connecting criteria’ between exiles and their putative constituents in the homeland and the role of third parties in ensuring accountability.