Analysing the Relationship Between Security and Migration

Categories

Durdona I. Madaminova

Tashkent State University of Oriental Studies, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Keywords: Migrant, Securitization, Human Security, Identity, and Societal Security.

Abstract: The article analyses the theoretical and practical aspects of migration processes and their regulation. Even

though migration is formed under the influence of various factors and becomes an objective reality, it is

justified that it is becoming one of the main risks and problems within the national security system of the

states. While studies related to migration and its impact on the economic security of states, it is appropriate to

recognize that several studies have been carried out regarding the assessment of migration through the prism

of security. Therefore, studying the theoretical and practical aspects of migration processes and their

regulation today is important. From the point of view of the interrelationship of migration and security, the

concept of ‘human security’ and the issue related to the personal security of migrants within it are studied

separately. In this research, priority is given to a more civilized approach in studying migration as a security

threat. The analyses show that to improve the efficiency of the migration management system and ensure the

national security of states, an integrated approach to solving the migration problem is necessary. As part of

the issue of migration securitization, it was determined that there is a threat to a certain object by a political

actor, and it was explained that emergency political measures should be taken to eliminate it.

1 INTRODUCTION

In the context of globalization, the increase in

differences observed in the indicators of socio-

economic development between countries creates the

basis for the intensification of international migration

processes. As a result, in recent years there has been

a sharp increase in the flow of migrants, and the

factors influencing it acquired a structurally new

meaning. While studies related to migration and its

impact on the economic security of states, carried out

to date, have received relative priority, it is

appropriate to recognize that a number of studies have

been carried out regarding the assessment of

migration (especially illegal migration) through the

prism of security (national, regional and

international). Therefore, it is important to study the

theoretical and practical aspects of migration

processes and their regulation today.

In recent years, within the framework of domestic

and international studies, special attention has been

paid to the study and analysis of migration processes,

in particular, illegal migration from the point of view

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7029-2107

of national security and international stability. In the

conditions of modern international relations, in

connection with various risks arising from the

acceleration of the processes of technological

modernization and globalization, there is an

increasing need for the formation of effective

methods and means of protecting the national

interests of states, ensuring national security and

achieving competitiveness and their practical use.

One of the existing risks is associated with migration

processes, which play one of the main roles in the

socio-political changes observed in society today, and

their importance is expected to increase shortly. In

addition to the fact that the social, economic,

demographic, and political consequences of

migration are significant, it is natural that there are

many uncertainties in this regard.

Princeton scholar D. A. Baldwin links the various

definitions of security to two important aspects. First,

it promotes rational policy analysis by making it

relatively easy to compare one security policy with

another. Secondly, by creating points of contact

Madaminova, D.

Analysing the Relationship Between Security and Migration Categories.

DOI: 10.5220/0012672300003882

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd Pamir Transboundary Conference for Sustainable Societies (PAMIR-2 2023), pages 80-86

ISBN: 978-989-758-723-8

between people with different views, the activation of

scientific communication is achieved.

Egyptian researcher Nazli Shukri, while not

denying the connection between migration and

security, casts doubt on it. Recognizing that

migration, security and interaction are inherently

subjective concepts, the scholar concludes that the

relationship between migration and security is

problematic and complex. According to a group of

researchers, the relationship between migration and

security is two-way: on the one hand, if we consider

the problem through the prism of the security of

society and countries affected by migration flows, on

the other hand, it is appropriate to consider migrants

from the point of view of their security.

It is known that the main reason for emigration

observed in some countries is related to political

motives. Today, the situation associated with the

formation of the flow of refugees in the world occurs

precisely at the heart of the political situation. Most

of them are trying to obtain the status of political

emigrants in the territory of the host country. In our

opinion, this is where the implications of migration

for security (at the national and individual level)

begin.

The events of September 11, 2001, in the United

States, the non-democratic regime, and the activities

of immigrants in Western countries with non-

democratic ideas have led to a broader understanding,

assessment, and analysis of the problem of security in

Western studies. The fact that existing threats involve

non-state actors and networks has raised the issue of

security to a new level. In particular, the well-known

researcher of the Copenhagen Security School B.

Buzan in his monograph “People, States and Fear:

The Problem of National Security in International

Relations” also expands the scope of security research

and can be caused by non-state actors, which include

individuals and social groups, as well as also states,

the importance of studying possible threats is

determined.

English researchers J. Huysmans and V. Squires

put forward the idea that it is necessary to analyse the

relationship between migration and security in two

directions, that is, from the standpoint of security

studies and migration studies. Indeed, security and

migration research is inherently complex and

multifaceted. Within security studies, security can be

approached as a strategic imperative. Within

migration studies, migration can be approached from

a relatively narrow economic perspective, including

forced migration. At the same time, refugees and

labour migration make academic research a broader

object of study. In the current situation, it is

noticeable that the concepts of migration and security

are very contradictory in their meaning. As a result,

they can be used to identify multiple practices

representing different foundations.

Many analysts argue that illegal migration

threatens national security. According to researcher

Khalid Kozer, the notion that migration is one of the

main threats to national security is due to the increase

in the number of "illegal" migrants. However,

existing views are not supported by reliable research

on how immigrants pose a threat to national security.

Since the events of 9/11, which had a major

impact on US national security and immigration, the

emphasis on securing the existing process has become

even more important. American scientist Patrick J.

According to Buchanan, uncontrolled migration will

doom the state to extinction. The scientist also puts

forward the idea that the chaotic association of

peoples who have almost nothing in common with

each other in terms of history, folklore, language,

culture, and faith poses a significant threat to

America. In his opinion, this is a kind of new

Balkanization policy. P. Buchanan believes that in

order to prevent existing mistakes, it is necessary to

introduce a complete moratorium on immigration for

a long time, to abandon any amnesty for illegal

immigrants in the United States, and to strengthen

laws.

The American scientist Myron Weiner raised the

issue of how international migration poses a threat to

the security of the state and citizens, paying special

attention to how interconnected the security problems

of the sending and receiving countries are from a

transnational point of view. In practice, migrants face

many challenges due to the prevailing security

situation in sending and receiving countries. M.

Weiner believes that the growth of uncontrolled mass

migration, causing violence in host countries, will

lead to its transformation into a security threat.

Researcher Anna Kissinger advocates tougher

immigration policy, based on the assumption that

immigrants pose a threat to social security,

demographic stability, cultural identity, and the social

security system. However, the available evidence

from the scientists is groundless.

According to the Russian scientist A.

Kucherenko, migrants pose several threats to the

national security of host countries. The scientist

considers it appropriate to divide the existing threats

into three groups, which are general and complex in

their significance. It is worth noting here that the

author, as a representative of the host country,

expresses an anxious attitude towards migrants,

Analysing the Relationship Between Security and Migration Categories

which can be observed by the example of his

following comments:

Firstly, there are changes in the ethno-cultural

composition of the recipient countries. In addition,

the number of people among immigrants who respect

the existing values of this society is decreasing. The

worst thing is that their children and grandchildren

become citizens of this country and in most cases feel

like strangers in her life. As a result, they tend to

protest and act violently. In developed countries, such

an environment contributes to the growth of such

evils as international terrorism and crime.

Secondly, illegal migration is becoming one of the

most important security threats. Today, due to the fact

that corruption has become a global problem, the

process of combating it is becoming increasingly

complex. Human trafficking, which is carried out

with the aim of using countries with a relatively low

level of development as cheap labour and for sexual

purposes, is not only immoral but also causes the

spread of various diseases.

Thirdly, from time to time, legal and illegal

migrants commit mass terrorist attacks based on

nationalist sentiments and ethnic conflicts in certain

countries. The current situation has been observed in

recent years in many EU countries (France, Austria,

and the Netherlands) and to some extent in Russia.

Today, international migration remains one of the

most discussed but highly controversial areas of the

security agenda. Aspects of migration security have

been widely studied since the Cold War. According

to Islam Ahmed, a researcher at the Nohud Center for

Research and Studies in Doha, migration studies is

still a relatively new and small area of international

relations as a research field. This can be explained

primarily by the fact that in the period from 1945 to

1980, migration policy and issues related to

immigrants were considered an internal problem of a

particular host/host country, and their impact on

international security was underestimated. It is known

that during the Cold War, migration policy did not

have a significant impact on the balance of power,

especially on the socio-political situation in the

United States. Therefore, in these years, the security

of migration aspects has been studied as an internal

problem based on a state-centric approach, which

occupies an important place in this regard. In the

years after the end of the Cold War, security studies

began to draw attention to the existence of other

security-related issues in addition to military issues.

The analysis of migration in the context of

security in the context of modern international

relations was studied from a scientific point of view

by representatives of the Copenhagen Institute for

Peace Research Barry Busan and Ole Wever. In

particular, B. Buzen states that the security problem

is not limited to military threats between states, like

traditional security studies, and that there is a need for

more comprehensive security studies from the point

of view of multiple threats that have arisen in the

context of globalization and the changing

international situation.

This approach was further developed in the book

"Security: A New Structure of Analysis" by Barry

Buzen, Ole Wever, and Yap de Wilde. According to

him, researchers have identified the concept of "soft"

security, which is much broader than the scope of

military threats to the national interests of the state,

and on this basis a new "security theory"

("securitization theory") has been created. it was

formed in the 1990s. The purpose of the "security

theory" is to embody the views of proponents of an

expanded security concept covering all areas of

security, and representatives of the traditional

approach that reveals the level of security against

security threats. In a word, it is an intermediate theory

based on the measurement of large-scale

determinants of security, equally suitable for

representatives of traditional and modern schools of

security.

Securitization is a complex political process

wherein a political actor identifies a threat to a

specific object and advocates for urgent political

measures to address it. In securitizing a problem or

threat, the actor elevates it from the realm of regular

political discourse to a security concern of the highest

priority. Consequently, actions to address the issue

occur outside the established political procedures,

often involving emergency measures that deviate

from the actor's usual activities. The key distinction

lies in the use of exceptional political measures,

implying that securitizing (or desecuritizing) a

problem has significant political implications.

The core of securitization theory doesn't mandate

the imposition of emergency measures but rather

assesses the threat as a platform that can justify the

legitimization of such measures. This process can be

dissected into three integral components: 1) the

identification of a threat; 2) the delineation of the

threat as the object of danger; and 3) the

implementation of emergency measures against the

threat, often involving the general population.

Visualizing the securitization process reveals a

dynamic interplay between these components.

Understanding securitization provides insights into

how political entities navigate and manipulate

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perceived threats, emphasizing the political nature of

emergencies and the consequential impact on

governance and societal responses.

Figure 1: Successful securitization.

It should be noted that scientists such as Barry

Buzen, Ole Wever, and Yap de Wilde believe that

new threats, such as illegal and uncontrolled

migration, should be highlighted among the problems

associated with social, economic, and climate change.

For this reason, scientists have introduced the concept

of "migration securitization" into scientific

circulation. As mentioned above, according to the

theory of securitization, an event can become a type

of security as a result of certain actions and can be

perceived by society as a threat. Securitization of

migration restricts the rights of migrants, linking this

phenomenon with insecurity.

The Center for Conflict Studies, Paris, researchers

A. Ceyhan and A. Tsukalalar, who studied the issue

of securitization of migration, analyzed the evidence

and views of a group of politicians, law enforcement

agencies, and the media who assessed migration as a

security threat, analyzing them, they divided them

into four axes (parts):

1. socio-economic axis, in which migration is

associated with unemployment, the rise of the

informal economy, the crisis of public welfare, and

the deterioration of the urban environment;

2. securitarian axis, migration is associated

with the erosion of control over sovereignty, borders,

internal and external security issues;

3. an identitarian axis in which migrants are

seen as a threat to national identity and the

demographic balance of the host society;

4. a political axis, in most cases, in the fight

against migration, racism, and xenophobia are used as

a tool to achieve political goals.

The analyses show that within the framework of

the relationship between migration and the security

system, its negative impact on the existing social

relations in society acquires a relative priority. As an

example, we can cite cultural, that is, civilizational

differences between migrants and the host country.

Here it is important to pay special attention to the

views of the American scientist S. Huntington, who

scientifically substantiated the future order of

international relations on the basis of a civilizational

approach. It is well known that the article published

in 1993 by S. S. was of worldwide importance in this

regard. Huntington's "Clash of Civilizations", made a

significant contribution to the development of the

neo-Atlantic concept. According to him, conflicts

between civilizations are at the heart of the unstable

situation and contradictions taking place in the world.

The scientist expressed the following thoughts about

the flow of Muslim migrants arriving in Europe from

the Middle East and North Africa, and their impact on

the social life of society: "... rapid population growth

in Arab countries, especially in North Africa, and the

migration flow to Western European countries is

increasing even more. The current situation requires

increased political vigilance in Western Europe when

implementing actions aimed at minimizing internal

borders. In recent years, racism in Italy, France, and

Germany has become more visible. This can also be

seen in the growing political opposition and violence

against Arab and Turkish immigrants since 1990.

Chapter 8 of S. Huntington's monograph "The

Clash of Civilizations and the Restructuring of the

World Order", published in 1996, is devoted to many

aspects of migration processes, in particular, the

socio-economic situation in Western countries and

their civilizational identification of settled migrants.

it reveals the role of many immigrants who do not

belong to Western civilization in the life of these

countries, and the growing hatred of Muslims and

Africans among representatives of the host society.

For information, it should be noted that in recent

years, right-wing parties against immigrants have

become more active in European countries. In

addition, the issue of the connection of Muslim

immigrants with terrorist organizations has become

the center of broad academic and public discussions.

It is important to note that the main risk associated

with migration does not come from external migrants

but from internal social relations. For example,

despite the fact that the descendants of Muslim

immigrants who have lived in France for many years

have grown up on the territory of this country, they

are unable to negotiate with the local population.

According to the data, the unemployment rate among

the second-third generation of immigrants without

immigrant status is 80% higher than among the

French. The current situation allows us to imagine

how complex the crisis is associated with people

currently working as migrants. In the case of France,

the focus is on domestic issues, as terrorism is

associated with people coming from countries such as

the Middle East and Africa. Although the terrorist

attacks in Paris seem to have established a link

between the migration crisis and terrorism,

historically this connection has proved difficult to

maintain. A 2015 article in Charlie Hebdo claimed

that European citizens descended from Muslim

immigrants were behind every attack, including the

November terrorist attacks. Illegal migrants are also

Analysing the Relationship Between Security and Migration Categories

seen as a security threat in the United States.

According to the report of the US Department of

Homeland Security on the assessment of internal

threats for October 2020, "illegal migration" is one of

the seven main threats to the country.

At the moment, the attention of Russian

researchers is focused on the category of "migration

security". By its nature, this category assesses

migration as a threat to national security and serves to

reduce the risk of threats arising from migration and

to combat them within the framework of an effective

migration policy. Accordingly, we can say that the

categories "migration security" and "migration

securitization" are mutually compatible.

Since migration flows threaten the social relations

of the host State and its ethnic homogeneity, the

concept of "public security" has been developed in

Western studies (mainly by the Copenhagen School

of Security). This term cannot be used as a synonym

for the Uzbek term "social security". Social security,

at its core, means that members of society are

protected from the point of view of social security.

"Social security" means the state of preservation of

the identity of society. According to Ole Weber,

"social security" is the ability of a society to preserve

its identity (character) in changing conditions and

possible and real threats. In the context of integration

processes, when threats to the identity of society are

threatened, but it is known that the state cannot

protect it, a dilemma arises between the state and

society regarding security. In this case, the state

protects its sovereignty, and social security protects

the identity of society. Therefore, conflicts in many

societies were assessed using the civilizational factor.

Indeed, the social security concept of the

Copenhagen School has certain drawbacks. In

particular, Tobias Tyler, a professor at the University

of Dublin, pointed out three main shortcomings of the

concept: 1) shortcomings related to the definition of

the status of society as an independent social

institution; 2) the presence of significant uncertainties

in the definition of "uniqueness" (identity); 3) the

significance of the issue of social security for the

individual is not sufficiently disclosed.

Later, the French academic scientist Dede Bigot

and his Scandinavian followers created a new

alternative to the concept of social security to avoid

existing shortcomings. According to him, the main

problem faced by developed countries is the massive

and unregulated influx of migrants from different

civilizations and the threat of social integration of

society. In a word, the main essence of the concept of

social security is to protect important functions of

society and prevent the spread of a crisis that has

arisen in a certain area to the whole society through a

chain reaction.

In addition to the above, from the point of view of

the relationship between migration and security,

special attention should be paid to the concept of

"human security" and the personal security of

migrants within its framework. Later, the French

academic scientist Dede Bigot and his Scandinavian

followers created a new alternative to the concept of

social security to avoid existing shortcomings.

According to him, the main problem faced by

developed countries is the massive and unregulated

influx of migrants from different civilizations and the

threat of social integration of society. In a word, the

main essence of the concept of social security is to

protect important functions of society and prevent the

spread of a crisis that has arisen in a certain area to

the whole society through a chain reaction.

In addition to the above, from the point of view of

the relationship between migration and security,

special attention should be paid to the concept of

"human security" and the personal security of

migrants within its framework.

Today, the formation of a specific national-

cultural, religious, and ethnic attitude towards

immigrants in host countries does not fully guarantee

their safety. In recent years, the activity of ultra-right

movements and parties has been observed in the

example of various countries. At the same time,

criminal activity related to human trafficking is

becoming more global, and the activity of groups

engaged in the transportation of migrants by illegal

and unsafe routes is increasing. As a result, many

migrants become victims of forced labor and sexual

slavery, are subjected to violence, and many of them

are killed and missing. According to the Missing

Migrants Project of the International Organization for

Migration, 43,258 migrants died or went missing

worldwide between 2014 and 2022 (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Missing Migrants Project Data(2014 to2022).

Based on the data presented above, it can be seen

that North Africa and the Middle East region are

leading in the number of missing/dead migrants.

According to Human Rights Watch, more than 1,200

migrants died in the Mediterranean Sea from January

to September 2022. Their total number in the period

from 2014 to 2022 will exceed 25,000 people. The

available figures show how important it is to

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investigate the safety of migrants from the point of

view of human security.

The conceptual formation of the problem of

human security can be associated with the Human

Development Report 1994 (Human Development

Report 1994) of the United Nations Development

Programme (UNDP). This document defines new

dimensions of human security and reveals its

connection with 7 important security components:

1) economic security (economic security); 2) food

security (Food security); 3) health security (Health

security); 4) environmental security (Environmental

security); 5) personal security (Personal security); 6)

public security (Community security); 7) political

security (Political security).

Based on the concept of "human security", it is

planned to organize effective public administration in

the social, economic, and political spheres and

actively use preventive diplomacy in preventing

crises in the life of society. Therefore, support for the

concept of human security is considered an important

factor in preventing and regulating illegal and illegal

mass migration. We can see this in the example of

unstable and crisis countries.

The concept of "human security" is based on the

criteria of social justice to national security. This

imposes additional responsibility on States. The State

should pay attention not only to the borders of

territorial integrity but also to the issue of ensuring

the security of its citizens. Researcher at the

Portuguese Institute of International Relations Zh.

Estevens emphasizes the need to develop a new

approach to ensuring the safety of migrants (a

migrant-centered approach) from the point of view of

the relationship between migration and security

within the framework of the concept of human

security. For example, the migrant factor is not taken

into account in the policy of states to ensure the

security of their citizens and citizens, that is, this issue

is not reflected in the national security system. In his

opinion, donor countries, transit, and recipient

countries should coordinate the fight against crime

and human trafficking to organize safe and legal

routes for migrants.

In short, in the XXI century, in the context of

globalization, the strengthening of interdependence

between States has opened a wide path for the

development of active cooperation between States

and peoples. This once again confirms the massive

influx of migration flows to developed countries.

Today, despite the fact that migration is formed under

the influence of various factors and has become an

objective reality, it has become one of the main risks

and problems in the national security system of

countries. As a result, the issue of the relationship

between migration and security has become the

subject of many studies, and much attention is paid to

the study of the nature of migration as a security

threat.

2 CONCLUSIONS

Based on this, the following conclusions can be

drawn:

First, although the Copenhagen School of

Security has achieved relative success in researching

the relationship between migration and security, a

clear, consistent, and comprehensive theoretical

framework for the migration/security relationship has

not yet been fully developed.

Secondly, priority is given to a more civilized

approach in studying migration as a security threat.

Today, the problems between developed societies and

immigrants, arising precisely against the background

of the civilizational gap, attract the attention of the

general public.

Thirdly, instability in the world, various kinds of

separatism, the intensification of terrorist activities

form migrant phobia in various societies. Today,

there is a growing tendency on the part of society to

involve governments more widely in the issue of

migration securitization.

Fourth, there is an urgent need to pay attention to

the issue of ensuring the individual safety of migrants

within the framework of scientific and applied

research in the context of human security. Therefore,

research in this direction (migrant-centric approach)

is actively developing. When determining the

interdependence of migration and security and

assessing the scale of its threats, it is advisable to

conduct a study within the format: sending country -

migrant - receiving country.

Fifth, migration cannot be fully assessed as a

security threat. Because the existing approach is one-

sided and it cannot be called the right approach.

Security threats are mainly related to illegal and mass

migration. The analyses show that in order to improve

the efficiency of the migration management system

and ensure the national security of states, an

integrated approach to solving the migration problem

is necessary. Therefore, it is important to develop a

perfect system and legal framework for state

regulation of migration.

Analysing the Relationship Between Security and Migration Categories

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