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EducationstillonholdinPakistan

ByRubenAndersson
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Understandingtheglobalrefugeecrisis
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Twomigrantjourneys.Onedream.

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Thechangingfaceofdisasterfunding
StatelessintheSahel

ThestoryofYemen'sfighters
Theethicsofinnovation

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Photo:Frontex

FrontexofficersinspectdiscardedclothingattheHungarianSerbianborder

LONDON,17June2015(IRIN)AheadofWorldRefugeeDay,anthropologist
andauthorofIllegality,Inc.,RubenAnderssonoftheLondonSchoolof
Economicslooksathowlocalisedmigrationcontroleffortshaveignoredthe
globalisationofirregularmigrationroutes.
Thewarningwasrestrained,aswastobeexpectedfromaEuropeanborder
policechief,yetitwasawarningnonetheless.AmidEuropeanleadersscramble
tolaunchamilitaryoperationtargetingmigrantsmugglersboatsinthe
Mediterranean,thedirectorofEUborderagency,Frontex,voicedsomecaution:
IfthereisamilitaryoperationinthevicinityofLibya,hesaidinearlyJune,
thismaychangethemigrationroutesandmakethemmovetotheeastern
route.Onerouteclosesanotheropensup.Simple,reallyyetrarelyareany
migrationcontrollessonsdrawnfromthiselementalfact.
Inthewarondrugs,itisoftencalledtheballooneffect:squeezetheballoon
inoneplace,anditexpandssomewhereelse.Somethingsimilarishappening
witheffortstocrackdownonirregularmigration,withanimportantdifference:
whentheballoonconsistsofpeople,theygetmoredesperatetheharderyou
squeeze.Sotoodoborderofficialsandpoliticians,asdemonstratedbyItalys
growingfrustrationwithotherEUleadersreluctanttohelpthecountrydeal
withtheinfluxatitssouthernshores.

MOREREPORTS
MERSsbestfriendisignorance,soitstimetowiseup
Refugeeversusmigrant:timeforanewlabel?
Photofeature:TheGreekdramaunfoldingformigrants
NGOs:bridgingtheNorthSouthdivide
FivefalseassumptionsdrivingEUmigrationpolicy
MOREONREFUGEES/IDPS
IRIN'sTopPicks:Briefings,standardsandcatfights
Eritrearightsreportpromptsprotectionrethink
HowUSisfailingSyrianrefugees
ThestruggleforsurvivalacrossUkraine'sfrontline
WhatnextforEUmigrationplans?
Like

Theballooneffectputsthesupposedsuccessofsomemigrationcontrol
operationsinaratherdifferentlight.Forinstance,desperateEUpoliticianshave
lookedtoSpainandAustraliaasmodelsofmigrationcontrolthathaveworked
yettheseexperimentshavebeensuccessfulonlyinthenarrowestsense.
SpainsmuchcelebratedclosureofthemaritimeroutebetweentheCanary
IslandsandWestAfricaaround2007simplyshuffledpeoplearound.Theroute
itselfhadonlyemergedaftertoughcrackdownsinnorthernMoroccopushed
routessouthandasSpainandAfricanstatesstartedcollaboratingon
deportationsandpatrolsintheAtlantic,routesshiftedagain,nowtowardsthe
Sahara.AndvoilSpainsproblembecameItalys,thenGreeces,andonit
went.AsEuropeanleaderscelebrate30yearsoftheSchengenagreementon
freemovementacrosstheUnionthisweek,theywouldratherhaveusforget
aboutthisselfinterestedscrambletomakeirregularmigrationsomeoneelses
problem.

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ButtheborderballoonstretcheswellbeyondEuropesfrontiers.Australias
OperationSovereignBordershasbeenmuchpraisedbyhardlinersandPrime
MinisterTonyAbbotthascalledonEuropetoadoptsimilarlyharshmeasures
andsimplystoptheboats.NomatterthatAustralia,likeSpain,hasdepended
onpoorandpowerlessneighboursforthesuccessofitsdraconianoffshore
policyasolutionsimplynotavailableinEuropesrelationswithstatesinNorth
Africa,wheretheresnoNauruinsight.Andnevermindthecrueltyandhuman
rightsabusesindetention,thepushbacksandeventhereportedpaymentsto
smugglers.Eveniftakenasasuccessonitsownnarrownumericalterms,we
shouldrecallthatthenationalitiesthatwerearrivinginAustralianowoverlap
withthosearrivinginEurope.Some3,500AfghansarrivedinAustraliain2012
13afterthelaunchofOperationSovereignBordersinSeptember2013,overall
arrivalfiguresdroppeddramatically.Meanwhile,thenumberofAfghansarriving
atEuropesbordersshotupfromabout9,500in2013tomorethan22,000in
2014.

MERS'sbestfriendisignorance
Theethicsofinnovation
Refugeeormigrant?Whylabelsmatter
WaterkeytoEbolafight
AmnestydilemmahauntsUganda

MOSTREAD

EducationstillonholdafteryearofwarinPakistan
Thechangingfaceofdisasterfunding
Whybordercontrolsarenowaglobalgame
Whatyouneedtoknowabouttheglobalrefugeecrisis
WouldyouadviseafriendtofollowyouacrosstheMediterranean?

INDEPTH

Photo:AustralianCustoms&BorderProtectionService

ThisposterissuedaspartofAustraliasOperationSovereignBorderscampaignhas
beenpublishedin18languages.

NepalEarthquake
InsidetheEbolahotzone

AstheCEOoftheRefugeeCouncilofAustraliatoldTheGuardianinApril,
WhatAustraliahasdoneisjustdisplacetheissueawayfromtheshoresof
Australia,bypromotinganattitudeofdeterrenceandharshresponses.They
have,almostwithoutdoubt,madethesituationworseforpeoplewhohave
triedtofindsafetyinEurope.
Differentdestinations,similarstory.Israelalsokeentoextolitsbordercontrol
modelcompletedafencealongitsborderwithEgyptinearly2013,and
aroundthesametime,draconiannewdetentionprovisionswereputinplace.
AsIRINreportedatthetime,untilthenabout1,000asylumseekers,mainly
fromEritreaandSudan,werereachingIsraeleverymonth.Soonafter,that
figurewasalmostzero.Meanwhile,borderreinforcementsinSaudiArabiaand

http://www.irinnews.org/report/101644/whybordercontrolsarenowaglobalgame

LGBTIrightsstillnotthereyet
WaronDrugs:CollateralDamage
Sexualviolence:Dowereallycare?
SouthSudan:ShatteredDreams

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growinghostilitytowardsforeignersinSouthAfricahavemaderefugeesand
migrantsfromtheHornofAfricarecoilfromthosedestinationstoo.Duringthis
period,detectionsofEritreansattheEUsexternalbordersshotup,from2,604
in2012to34,586in2014,whilethenumberofSomalisarrivingatEuropes
bordersmorethandoubledbetween2011and2014.
Inshort,irregularmigrationroutesareglobalising,asmostrecentlyseenwith
theRohingyaboatspushedbackandforthinsoutheastAsiasseas.Asthe
callousresponsetotheRohingyasplightshowed,routeshaveglobalisedin
parallelwithapunitivebordersecuritymodelthatgenerateseverlargerrisks
forbordercrosserswithoutreducingoverallnumbers.Asthissecuritymodel
hasbeenexportedfromitswesternheartland,ithassimplyempoweredandfed
thesecurityforces,corruptregimes,defencecontractorsandhumansmugglers
variouslyinvolvedinthetrade,fromMexicotoTurkeytoThailand.Anotinmy
backyardapproachhasoccasionallyreapedshorttermrewardsfornational
governments,yetinternationally,thisoneeyedapproachspellsdisaster.
Wearestillonlybeginningtounderstandtheglobalisationofirregular
migration,tobesureandwealsoneedmuchmoreevidenceofglobal
displacementeffects.Ifourleaderswereseriousaboutaddressingthemigratory
crisis,theywouldpushforpreciselysuchevidencegathering,andthenapply
thelessons.Theycouldeventrytocomeupwithaglobalarchitecturefor
humanmovement,nowthatmigrationandrefugeeroutesareeverybitas
globalisedasourtradeandcapitalflows.Yetourleadersaredoingnoneofthis.
Insteadofanevidencebasedpolicy,wegetpoliticalpointscoring.Withmore
andmorefundspouredintomigrationcontrolsinEuropeandelsewhere,and
recordfatalitiesatborders,itistimeforarethinkandforatrulyglobal
approachtomobility.AheadofWorldRefugeeDayon20June,notaskcould
bemoreurgent.
ra/ks/am

Theme(s):Migration,Refugees/IDPs,
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