1st Edition

Africa and Fortress Europe Threats and Opportunities

Edited By Belachew Gebrewold Copyright 2008

    The number of African migrants attempting to enter Europe has increased. Within Europe, North African migrants are being accused of increased involvement in Islamic fundamentalism and terrorist activities after attacks on Madrid and London. Such terrorist attacks have become an urgent security concern for the European Union, forcing the EU to make migration a security policy. This volume examines the extent to which the EU is threatened by patterns of African crisis, alongside Africa's peace, security and development initiatives. The contributors analyze current migration flows from Africa to Europe, and the challenges and prospects of a comprehensive EU strategy for Africa. Intended for undergraduates, graduates and lecturers, the volume is ideal for courses that discuss the impact of African political developments on international politics.

    Contents: Introduction: migration as a transcontinental challenge, Belachew Gebrewold; Part 1 Threats from Africa: Crisis region Eastern Africa: the intergovernmental authority on development in an environment of latent conflict, Dustin Dehéz; Crisis region Western Africa: the cradle of African migration to Europe, Dirk Kohnert; Crisis region Southern Africa: the Southern Africa development community and human security in the region, Cheryl Hendricks; Peace and security policy of the African Union and the regional security mechanisms, Stephan Klingebiel; Migration theories and African migration to Europe, Belachew Gebrewold; Migration from Africa to Europe in the age of globalization: historical and economic perspectives, Andreas Exenberger. Part 2 The Responses of the EU: Frontex and African illegal migration to Europe, Ilkka Laitinen; European migration policy, Heinrich Neisser; The EU's peace and security strategy in the DRC, Birgit Loeser; Conclusion - securitization of migration and the civilizing process, Belachew Gebrewold; Index.

    Biography

    Belachew Gebrewold is Assistant Professor of international relations at the School of Political Science and Sociology, University of Innsbruck, Austria.

    'A thoughtful, balanced, and fairly comprehensive overview of the threats and opportunities posed by increasing African migration to Europe. The informative essays in this volume are a refreshing departure from the alarmism and lack of historical perspective that characterize so much of the current scholarship on the subject.' Anthony M. Messina, University of Notre Dame, USA 'Africa and Fortress Europe is a timely and topical edited volume about contemporary EU-sub-Saharan Africa relations concerning migration...The eclectic group of contributors comprising both academics and EU officials lends a conceptual and a hands-on approach to the analysis, respectively, making it a refreshing and valuable contribution to the current EU-sub-Saharan Africa migration debate.' Journal of Common Market Studies