ABSTRACT
The globalization of migration has been accelerating since the end of World War II, the result of three major factors. The first is the growth of a more integrated global economy. The second is the rapid increase in the number of states, some weak and divided, some autocratic and rapacious, but in either event sufficiently nasty so that many of their citizens prefer to move to another country. The third is the global communication and transportation systems, which enable individuals to learn of opportunities elsewhere and to move at low cost. This chapter attempts to disaggregate the various dimensions of the crisis to ascertain what aspects of the flows have created anxieties among political leaders and their citizens. It examines five dimensions of the global migration crisis: control over entry, the absorption of migrants and refugees, international relations, international regimes and institutions, and moral considerations. Migration can create opportunities for individuals, and provide significant economic and social benefits to many countries.
