Migration: Causes and Consequences — Related Terms from the Books (8)

·       Date 9-12-2018

·       "People who cannot vote with their fingers…will vote with their feet"..the loss of homelands

-        Migration…a word that carries many impressions and connotations. Migration to seek knowledge and then return to the homeland seems positive, natural, and in the interest of the country. For example, Chinese students returning from study in Western countries, especially the United States, were able to drive their country China to enormous growth by virtue of Western technology they brought back from there. People may emigrate from their country because of poverty, and people may be forcibly displaced because of occupation and the defeats of wars, or as a result of civil wars. Some migrants settle in the host countries; some of them integrate with the native population and abandon their own culture when the native population shows no racist or social opposition to the presence of migrants. Others assimilate into the society there but continue to preserve their culture and language within groups. These form diasporas in foreign lands, and as the numbers of diasporas of new migrants increase, the rate of integration with the native society decreases. In turn, right-wing and racist voices appear to expel strangers from their countries for racial and religious reasons and for several other reasons, including these migrants sharing the country’s resources and social assistance and forming competition for jobs, especially since the composition of migrants often includes skilled and educated workers who demonstrate greater competence at work than native workers. There are migrants to a country that does not allow integration, so laws are enacted regarding housing these migrants in specific places or camps, and therefore they cannot influence the native population; at most they affect the labor market. This happened with Turkish workers who migrated to work in Germany. At first they were subjected to a "guest worker economics" system—i.e., their presence was temporary, as in Dubai. But it did not last long in Germany, where Turkish workers were integrated and assimilated into Germany after the Germans became convinced that these workers added a clear and visible value to the German economy. Some migrants return after a period to their original country, and some build new families and generations there but remain connected to relatives in their homeland and support their relatives with money transfers. For example, remittances from expatriates worldwide to their home countries in 2012 exceeded $400 billion.

-        There is forced migration, displacement and expulsion. Palestinians were expelled from their land, Palestine, since the beginning of Jewish settlement about a hundred years ago, completed in 1948…and what followed. Then what happened in Iraq, Syria, Libya, Yemen, and others—of destruction and occupation of their countries—whether militarily or by sending extremist terrorist groups trained by colonial states…with the help of Arab regimes…!!.

-        As for the migration we are concerned with in this post, it is migration due to tyrannical and authoritarian rule in the migrants’ country. They leave their country because of this political repression…because of the absence of a democratic climate. Refugees and migrants, despite the harshness of the decision to migrate, leave their homes reluctantly; in the diaspora sometimes forms of opposition to the regimes in their home countries grow, and the diaspora may harbor opposition groups. The United States, for example, has benefited in recruiting some of these opposition groups to help it occupy their country, as happened with Iraq.

-        In a book I read in recent days—"How Migration Is Changing Our World" by Paul Collier, with a group of migration studies such as Dr. Albert Hirschman, and related references in political sociology and social psychology—books and references rich in fundamentals, analyses and contexts. For example, under the title of migration and systems of governance in migrants’ countries of origin there were rich indications and implications in meaning, closely related to the essence of migration research as a whole. Migration from a country affects the quality of governance, and conversely the quality of governance certainly affects migration in return. It is very likely that a country governed badly will witness wide migration!! In one of the references in political sociology it was stated, "People who cannot vote with their fingers will vote with their feet"...

-        And certainly the characteristics of society affect the concept and nature of migration and the nature of governance. As we noted, people emigrate when the country is poor or when coexisting with the government becomes difficult!! 
Many governments (and I mean the governments of developing countries in general, and some Arab countries in particular) that have the superficial formalities of democracy such as elections and even political parties and organizational factions are in reality a disgrace to democracy.!!!. As a result, these countries continue to fail to apply the correct governance approaches and continue to suffer from poor administration, some indicators of which are high unemployment rates and the predominance of corruption in all its definitions and types...

-        A study conducted by Albert Hirschman classified the choices facing those who suffer from bad governance in their countries as "either protest or leave," so migration forms the latter choice!!
However, migration directly reduces the voices of protest when the expression is local and internal opposition to failed governance, but at the same time the diaspora preoccupied with the homeland’s concerns can make that diminished voice more influential. Yet it has been observed that regimes pay considerable attention to any opposition within the country, and at the same time such regimes do not feel the same danger when the opposition comes from their expatriates abroad.!! They feel that they do not constitute an imminent threat like opposition from inside the society. As for the diaspora, it remains less noisy and may cry out and kick, but corrupt regimes can ignore them..!!

-        Regardless of such a division, the large diaspora remains in the position of latent assets of the country of origin that can be invested once conditions are suitable: "they are the human alternative to sovereign wealth funds."

-        Injustice, oppression and political corruption in most of our Arab countries, and the absence of a genuine democratic climate, squeeze their citizens, especially when there are popular political and social oppositions, and they decide to leave their homelands under compulsion!! This outcome, in the final sense, contributes to emptying the societies of their countries of their competencies, minds, skills, and elites, and directing them toward the path of migration and leaving the homelands!! In the same direction as what the occupying state Israel planned and plans, and some colonial states of displacement and expulsion of landowners and inhabitants without return....!!

-        This is a bitter and factual reality in our Arab world, where citizens are being abused by the prevailing authoritarian rule. These migrants are also mistreated during their arduous journeys seeking security and a livelihood to reach Western countries…strangers there once again!!..as they were strangers in their homelands here.!