ABSTRACT
This chapter overviews the roots and patterns of migration raise several points of importance with regard to understanding the role of migration in political integration within the region. The political integration in the Arab world is considered in the context of the dual nature of Arab states: most subscribe to the principle that Arabs constitute a single people, a conviction that finds expression in the constitutions of Syria, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, and the United Arab Emirates. Territorial integration differs from statehood integration that not concerns on identity of the citizen within the state, but rather the process of strengthening both the geographical or territorial boundaries of the state and the legitimacy of central government's jurisdiction over and within the designated area. The chapter explores the consequences of migration for political integration in the Arab world and particularly for the integration of migrants into the political fabric of their host countries.
