In The News

Battle for Aleppo Carries High Stakes for Syria

Yaroslav Trofimov August 12, 2016
The Syrian city of Aleppo is divided and in ruins. Russia and Iran support the regime of Bashar al-Assad while the United States targets the Islamic State and maintains that conflict will continue as long as the dictator remains in power. Protests against the regime in 2011 turned to rebellion, drawing both moderate Syrians and sectarian fighters. Rebel groups, like al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front...

The Failure of Free Migration

Robert Skidelsky July 20, 2016
One immigrant’s brutal crime – using a truck to kill 84 people and injure hundreds during Bastille Day festivities in Nice, France – heightens mistrust for all immigrants and boosts support for a swift crackdown. “Throughout the Western world, a toxic mix of physical, economic, and cultural insecurity has been fueling anti-immigration sentiment and politics precisely at the moment when the...

European Purgatory: Migrant Smugglers Helping Refugees Return to Turkey

Riham Alkousaa and Maximilian Popp July 7, 2016
A sizable number of Europeans have protested immigration in general and specifically the arrival of thousands of refugees from Syria, Iraq and other conflict zones. Concerns run high about security, competition for jobs and a changing culture, and some countries have erected barriers in response. Smugglers that once delivered refugees to Europe are guiding weary and frustrated refugees back to...

5 Refugee Crises You May Not Know About, But Should

Devon Haynie June 30, 2016
The Syrian refugee crisis, with 4 million leaving the country and 8 million internally displaced, captures the most attention from world leaders and the media. The world has nearly a total of 65 million forcibly displaced people, and Devon Haynie lists other crises for US News & World Report: Burundi in East Africa with more than 300,000 fleeing to nearby Tanzania, Rwanda and Democratic...

The Great Escape

Robert Winder June 22, 2016
In much of Europe, people are a short ride from another country, and the Schengen Agreement, formed in 1985, allows free travel for citizens of 26 nations with “significant effect not just on daily life but on tourism, trade and commerce,” explains Robert Winder for New Statesman. “Those who designed it to liberate movement in Europe did not imagine international migration on today’s scale....

Migrants Feared Dead in Mediterranean Sinkings

Patrick Kingsley June 2, 2016
More than 13,000 people crossed the Mediterranean, leaving Libya for Italy during the third week of May. At least 800 have died with the sinking of three vessels, reports the UN refugee agency. “The full details of the disasters emerged slowly because of the chaotic nature of the situation,” reports Patrick Kingsley for the Guardian. “The disasters show that despite attempts to crackdown on...

Global Migration? Actually, The World Is Staying Home

Guido Mingels May 24, 2016
Despite news about waves of refugees fleeing conflict and poverty, the number of people on the move has held fairly steady for the past five decades. Less than 1 percent of the world’s population of 7.3 billion has migrated for any reason during the last five years. The Wittgenstein Center for Demography in Vienna delves into United Nations statistics and offers surprising findings. For example,...