Washington, DC — International Migration has become a hot issue, especially among Africans in the wake of the problems West Africans have been having in the Canary Islands and Spain. A new book International Migration by Jonathon W. Moses takes an interesting position on the immigration debate. Jonathon W. Moses calls for open borders, for the freedom of people to migrate to where they wish.
Moses points to expenses associated with tight controls on immigration as well as the cost in lives lost by those willing to take risks in order to find a better life. Moses says that his aim is to show how “free migration can resolve many of the economic and political dilemmas that face individuals and states in an increasingly interconnected global context.”
Moses also examines the history of migration up until World War 1 when many countries began to restrict immigration to their country. He also poses a moral, political and economic argument in defense of free migration. In these chapters Moses invokes the universal right to movement and looks at the dangers of closed boarders, inciting the case of apartheid South Africa. The book also looks at the economic benefits of free migration, both to the host country and the sending country.
The book also tackles issues like brain drain and takes a different perspective on the real benefits and and disadvantages to the sending country.
Moses attempts to disprove the perception that free migration would put strains on public services and domestic job markets in host countries. One of the things he points out is that globalization and international market structures have meant a growth in poverty and people living in poverty. It has also meant that a small select group of countries have reaped the benefits of the international system while the vast majority of countries pay the price. The conditions in the poor countries are what push the majority of migrants out and in search of better opportunities.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Moses includes policy suggestions and implications for both sending and receiving states. According to Moses free migration is a viable and even desirable goal. It is doubtful Moses will change the minds of those who are against international migration, such as officials in the Canary Islands or border patrolling Minutemen in the southern United States. This book is, however, timely in both a post-9/11 era and a time when the debates around migration have heated up in both the United States and Europe.
International Migration: Globalization's Last Frontier
<!-- @page { size: 8.5in 11in; margin: 0.79in } P { margin-bottom: 0.08in } -->
By Jonathon W. Moses
ISBN: 1 84277 658 4 Hardback at £32.99
ISBN: 1 84277 659 2 Paperback at £9.99
Publication date: 21/03/2006
