Tangled connections between migration and security in the wake of the Arab uprisings

Abstract

In the wake of the Arab uprisings, the EU has been confronted with governance and humanitarian dilemmas stemming from the need to control migration flows from its southern neighbours. Focusing on the EU approach to migration governance, this paper explores some of the policies and discursive practices that have recently reinforced the complex interdependence between security and migration. It also discusses some of the triggers that have recently prompted an increased securitisation of the migration question in European policy-making. The last section explores whether migration governance strategies inspired by the human security paradigm could contribute to more resilient and rights-based approaches to migrant crises.