Weapons of Mass Migration: Forced Displacement, Coercion, and Foreign Policy

Kelly M. Greenhill

Published by Cornell University Press 2016

Weapons of Mass Migration

Forced Displacement, Coercion, and Foreign Policy

Kelly M. Greenhill

In the series Cornell Studies in Security Affairs

https://doi.org/10.7591/9780801458668

Overview
Contents

About this book

Greenhill offers the first systematic examination of forced migration as an important but largely unrecognized instrument of state influence. She shows both how often this unorthodox brand of coercion has been attempted and how successful it has been.

Author / Editor information

Kelly M. Greenhill is Associate Professor of Political Science and International Relations at Tufts University and Visiting Associate Profssor and Senior REsearch Scholar at MIT. She is coeditor of Sex, Drugs, and Body Counts, and of The Use of Force, 8th edition.

Reviews

Jack Snyder, Robert and Renée Belfer Professor of International Relations, Columbia University:

Kelly M. Greenhill’s fine analysis gives a double meaning to the notion of weapons of the weak: tin-pot dictators try to get bargaining leverage over neighboring democracies by threatening to swamp them with refugees. This has happened on average once a year over the past half century. Those interested in refugees or in creative bargaining tactics will be fascinated by this tale.

Michael Barnett, Harold Stassen Chair at the Hubert H. Humphrey School, University of Minnesota:

Kelly M. Greenhill's Weapons of Mass Migration shines a bright light on strategically engineered migration. And this is, unfortunately, no minor issue. The reader is astounded by how many times states have engaged in such violent action. Greenhill gives the subject the attention it deserves, skillfully unpacks why some states engage in forced migration while others do not, discovers interesting theoretical twists, and derives tractable policy recommendations.

IR theorists, foreign policy analysts and migration, security studies, and human rights scholars will all find this book a valuable addition to their scholarship.

Greenhill explains the use of state-engineered migration as a tool of coercive statecraft in the post–World War II era. She rightly points out that this rather insidious means of political suasion has been used numerous times over the relatively short period examined, and with a striking degree of success. Weapons of Mass Migration is innovative, well written, rigorously researched, and timely. It is both theoretically innovative and policy relevant, and will likely spur several new paths for IR research and migration studies.

An innovative and beautifully written analysis of how, and to what extent, refugee flows are exploited by states in order to affect policy options taken and decisions made by their counterparts.

A new, authoritative look at forced displacement, skillfully linking politics to migrations. This combination moves beyond migration as a single focused topic and connects it to choices within foreign policy. Any student of demography, conflict, and politics will be well served by this exploration of the interaction between government control, migration, and the willingness of populations to move.

Stephen M. Saideman:

Weapons of Mass Migration simply altered the way I viewed the flow of peoples. Countries with lower standards of behavior can use the threat of forcing their people to leave, which would send a flow of unwanted migrants/refugees to democracies that would then have to deal with them. It is very much an asymmetric approach for weaker authoritarian regimes to mess with advanced democracies. Is this policy relevant? You betcha, as democracies such as the United States have to figure out how to react to these kinds of threats. It certainly pressured France and Italy in different ways when Qaddafi was threatening to send refugees to Europe.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
Acknowledgments Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	ix
Introduction Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. Understanding the Coercive Power of Mass Migrations Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	12
2. The 1994 Cuban Balseros Crisis and Its Historical Antecedents Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	75
3. “Now the Refugees Are the War”: NATO and the Kosovo Conflict Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	131
4. An Invasion to Stop the Invasion: The United States and the Haitian Boatpeople Crises Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	180
5. North Korean Migrants, Nongovernmental Organizations, and Nuclear Weapons Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	227
6. Conclusions and Policy Implications Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	262
Appendix: Coding Cases of Coercive Engineered Migration Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	285
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	333

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 360
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 8
- Tables: 8
- Other: 8 charts/graphs, 8 tables
Keywords: foreign policy; mass population movements; coercion; state-engineered migration; state influence; international relations; migration studies; Activism; arms control; Assimilation; Asylum seekers; Borders

eBook

Published: December 15, 2010
ISBN: 9780801458668