Limen - Papers

Book recommendation by Omar Sayfo

The term “climate migration” seeks to elucidate the reasons behind individuals relocating from one place to another. It ascribes a primary motivation to movements that can be undertaken either willingly or unwillingly, temporarily, or permanently. Nevertheless, even when the primary reason for migration is clear, numerous additional elements affect the timing, destination, and manner in which an individual responds to a disaster by moving. Such complexity is mirrored in the concept of “displacement”: the migratory changes brought about by climate change are as turbulent and unpredictable as the weather events that instigate them.

“Beefing-Up” the border: Considering the ANC’s new vigour

Th e announcement of a new Border Management Authority (BMA) for the Republic of South Africa has cast a spotlight on the South African Government’s approach to border control once again. A prime target for sub-Saharan illegal immigration, South Africa is also increasingly affected by the traffi cking of drugs, weapons, and other contraband. This article casts an eye over how the ANC has run the South African borders since coming to power in 1994, and critically considers the success of the newly minted BMA.

Europe’s Bastion: The Role of Morocco in the Migration System of the Western Mediterranean region

The staff of the Migration Research Institute, Tárik Meszár and Klaudia Tóth, conducted field research in the Kingdom of Morocco in the spring of 2023, during which they examined the role of the North African country in the migration system of the Western Mediterranean region. Their findings indicate that Morocco plays a key role in the migration system of the Western Mediterranean region, since, in addition to being an issuing country, it is also a destination country for many sub-Saharan African migrants.

Further Externalization of EU Migration Policy: The Reinforced Gatekeeping Role of North African States

Th e externalization of the migration policy of the European Union has been practiced for several decades. Moving the EU’s migration border control outside the EU appears as a guiding principle in the draft of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum presented by the European Commission in the fall of 2020. One of the central elements of the pact is the promotion of migration partnerships with third countries bordering the EU. North African states are the primary focus of cooperation efforts.

Gatekeeper countries

Cooperation with “gatekeeper countries” – transit countries that can help mitigate the flow of irregular migrants – is a key instrument used by Europe to protect its borders and should be used more consistently by the United States. Such collaboration could prevent millions of people from illegally entering destination countries. Without the assistance of those gatekeepers, Europe would have faced a much higher number of illegal immigrants.

Mandatory or Discretionary Admission?

The irregular migration crisis that peaked in 2015 spurred the member states of the European Union to take joint action. Today, it can be stated that the cornerstones of collective action, in addition to the protection of external borders and cooperation with third countries, are the various relocation agreements.

The Oversized Role of Title 42 in U.S. Southwest Border Security

Even before the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued its first order under Title 42 of the U.S. Code directing the expulsion of illegal migrants at the Southwest border in response to the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020, Trump administration policies had allowed the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to gain a significant level of operational control at the U.S. Southwest border. The Biden administration quickly reversed nearly all those Trump policies and instituted a de facto “non-detention” regime for illegal entrants, violating congressional mandates and encouraging a surge in illegal migration. That migrant surge had left Border Patrol agents increasingly helpless to stop drug and migrant smuggling into the United States.

Aid activities of Hungary Helps in the Middle East

The Hungary Helps Agency is a governmental, non-profit organization under the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Trade and Foreign Affairs. Through this initiative, the Hungarian government is able to provide effective assistance to Christian and other communities in difficult situations. This paper examines the organization’s programs in the Middle East, as it is known that Hungary Helps carries out projects in countries and territories such as Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Israel and Palestine. Thanks to the organization’s activities, the perception of Hungary in these countries is positive, and one can often find appreciative articles and posts on Arabic-language websites.

“Islamophobia”, or is it Permissible to Criticise Islam?

Due to terrorist attacks and failures of integration in Western societies, the tension between majority social groups and Muslim immigrants is increasing, which often leads to verbal and physical violence. Many organisations have been established to monitor perceived and real attacks against Muslims, and often accuse not only those who hurl the insults, but also politicians and public figures who speak critically about Islam, of “Islamophobia”. In the absence of a universally accepted definition, the accusation of “Islamophobia”, as well as its dismissal, have now become political weapons, and the discourse is now dominated by the extremes on both sides

From Besieger to Gatekeeper? – An Insight into the Relationship between Hungary and Turkey

Turkey is an important partner for Hungary, primarily due to its geostrategic location, while for Ankara Hungary is primarily an important partner due to its EU membership. Turkey lies at the intersection of geopolitical fault lines, continents, and civilisations. From the point of view of Europe, for example, its role as an “insulator state” is particularly important in terms of stopping illegal migration from different regions (from the Middle East, Africa, Asia), while for energy transit, Turkey forms a key connecting link. In recent years, Turkey has become one of the key countries for Hungary’s interest-oriented and global-economy-focused foreign policy. Military-industrial cooperation has also increased. The two states and their citizens are likewise connected by many cultural and historical threads.