Beyond the Migration and Asylum Crisis (Aspen Italia Views, Aspen Institute Italia)

Migration and asylum policies have long been a peripheral  and low-priority field in the wider domain of European  politics. Since 2015, this has fundamentally changed. The  dramatic shortcomings in the management of  cross-Mediterranean “mixed migration” flows have  triggered a politically devastating governance crisis. The  reduction in arrivals brought about by the signature of a  controversial deal between the EU and Turkey has temporarily assuaged the sense of emergency. But the structural  weaknesses and political contradictions that caused the crisis remain unresolved. Europe’s Achilles’ heel is more exposed than ever: after the Brexit vote and Trump’s victory, migration issues are far from having exhausted  their potential to generate political shocks. Future rounds  of political elections in France, Germany and elsewhere  might bring further evidence.

This ebook approaches this decisive set of issues in a timely way, though not in the spirit of an “instant  book”. In Part I, it provides a broad reconstruction of  the deep historical roots of the current situation, followed  by a critical appraisal of the key drivers in European  policy responses, and by some thoughtful recommendations on  possible strategic adjustments. Part II brings together the  authoritative and forward-looking voices of eleven renowned  scholars and experts from different geographical areas  (several EU countries, but also the South and East  Mediterranean and North America) and disciplinary  backgrounds (from political science to sociology and  international relations). Each of them adds to our  understanding of the complexity of such a multi-faceted  crisis. All together, they provide the reader with a rich  and original orientation toolkit in a tormented landscape that is changing fast but will not disappear soon.