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The Arab Spring : International Organization For Migration

Decent Essays

The Arab Spring, starting in 2011, brought about a passion for change and democracy in the Arab world. However, there were grave consequences to the Arab Spring, including but not limited to bloody civil wars and as a result, a dramatic increase of refugees. In 2015 alone, “the IOM [International Organization for Migration] estimates that more than 464,000 migrants have crossed into Europe by sea” (Park 1). Many states that have been affected by the refugee crisis have reacted with security theatre while others have acted with positive measures. International relations theorists have numerous ways to explain state responses to this great migration of refugees into Europe, including but not limited to realism, liberalism, and constructivism. According to realism, everything is based on power, everyone is either trying to get power or hold on to power. Realists would argue that the reason that many states are responding to the refugee crisis because, “when people are scared, they need something done that will make them feel safe, even if it doesn’t truly make them safer. Politicians naturally want to do something in response to crisis, even if that something doesn’t make any sense” (Schneier 2). A prime example of this is in Hungry, where the government is building a barbed wire fence around the border. A fence does nothing to stem the flow of refugees, but it is a public spectacle that makes people feel safer. Also, there is a recent trend in Europe of nationalist,

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