Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Jacob Rinck, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

ABSTRACT

In recent years, states’ engagement with migration has moved well beyond domestic policy and border control to become a critical instrument of foreign policy. This talk examines the concept of migration power: the strategic use of cross-border mobility as a tool for pursuing broader political and economic objectives. Drawing on my research in the Middle East and extending to wider Global South contexts, I trace how states have historically leveraged emigration, immigration, and transit migration to gain power, legitimacy, and international influence. From Cold War-era population exchanges and labour export to contemporary practices of refugee rentierism and cross-border repression, migration power offers a lens through which to understand the diverse ways in which mobility intersects with foreign policy.

The talk situates these practices within themes that resonate strongly in Southeast Asia, including broader debates on globalisation, transnationalism, and the organisation of (im)mobility. I will reflect on how migration brokerage and infrastructural arrangements shape these strategies, and how they link to questions of development impact and social costs in sending and transit states. By outlining emerging trends, including climate-linked displacement and increasing migration interdependence, I suggest ways in which the study of migration power can enrich our understanding of international politics, global governance, and North–South relations. The discussion will conclude with reflections on methodological opportunities for researchers interested in unpacking these complex linkages within and beyond Asia.

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Gerasimos Tsourapas is 125th Anniversary Chair and Professor of International Relations at the School of Government, University of Birmingham, and Editor-in-Chief of Migration Studies (Oxford University Press). His research explores how states in the Global South use cross-border mobility as a tool of foreign policy, with a particular focus on the Middle East and North Africa. He has published extensively on migration diplomacy, symbolic politics, and authoritarian governance, and his work has appeared in leading journals such as International Studies Quarterly, Third World Quarterly, and International Migration Review. He is the author of The Politics of Migration in Modern Egypt (Cambridge University Press, 2019), which received the 2020 ENMISA Distinguished Book Award from the International Studies Association, and he is currently completing his next book, The Symbolic Rentier State. Beyond his academic work, Gerasimos regularly contributes to public debates on migration and Middle Eastern politics, and he has held fellowships at Harvard University, Tufts University, and the American University in Cairo.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this hybrid talk has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to ziqi@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the event.