ABSTRACT

CONTENTS Introduction.............................................................................................. 60 Competing Issues of Immigration and Identity in the Liberal State .......... 60 Immigration: Reform without Consensus.................................................. 62 Salient Boundaries of Homeland Security ................................................. 65 Cultural Enclaves as a Coping Mechanism................................................ 66 Unfettered Immigration: Restructuring the State of the Union?................ 67 Power Politics, Control and Territorial Conquest ..................................... 70 Conclusion................................................................................................ 72 References ................................................................................................. 74

Introduction In a fast changing global environment, the modern state is seriously challenged by the complexity of issues it has to face and the absence of a historical precedent associated with them. None of these poses as much a challenge to the nation-state and its traditional identity than the issue of transnational immigration. Although it can be acknowledged that transnational immigration has been encouraged by an increasingly and cheaper modes of transportation, communications, and commerce; it offers enormous prospects but at the same time portends serious consequences. But the most critical issue facing liberal democracies today ‘‘concerns the integration of immigrant minorities as citizens of pluralistic democracies’’ (Fukuyama 2006, 6), particularly those from traditionally illiberal societies. This problem seems more stacked-up for many European countries. ‘‘Even with no new net immigrationwhich most European countries by now have cut off-higher birth rates among minority immigrant communities will increase their overall proportion in the population in the next generation’’ (Fukuyama 2006, 6).