This article examines the transnational advocacy network (TAN) that emerged in response to the humanitarian crisis at the Poland-Belarus border in 2021. A group of asylum seekers attempted to cross the border to seek asylum on Polish territory, but were prevented from crossing by Polish border guards. At the same time, the Belarusian border guards blocked parts of the group from withdrawing from the border zone into Belarus. As a result, the group of 32 men, women, and children was blocked for days in the forest in a makeshift encampment without adequate access to food, water, and shelter.
The article explores why the classic “boomerang” pattern of advocacy failed to generate expected international pressure on the Polish government.
Although the network was able to mobilise different actors and target international institutions, its impact was limited. The authors identify two core reasons for that limitation: (1) the fragmented, grassroots nature of the domestic part of TAN, composed largely of non-professional actors, and (2) the limited responsiveness of the European Union, conceptualised here as a corporate actor with internal divisions that hinder coherent action.
Through empirical mapping of advocacy actions, this study advances International Relations scholarship on TANs by further reconceptualising these networks as arenas of struggle. The findings illustrate how limited capacity, asymmetrical power, and strategic disregard limit transnational advocacy.
