German Institute for Global and Area Studies | Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien

Christiane Fröhlich / Lea Müller-Funk

Mobility Control as State-Making in Civil War: Forcing Exit, Selective Return and Strategic Laissez-Faire

Migration Politics | 2023

Abstract

This paper addresses the question of how different actors attempt to control mobility during civil war, and how mobility control and processes of state-making interact in such settings. Mobility in civil wars is often considered a political act by the various actors involved: Leaving the country can be perceived as an act of opposition, as can moving between territories which are controlled by different, opposing factions. Drawing on literature on strategic displacement and migration politics and combining this with empirical insights from the ongoing wars in Libya and Syria, the paper identifies three mechanisms of mobility control in civil war settings: forcing exit, selective return as a form of expulsion, and strategic laissez-faire as the intentional absence of regulation regarding displacement and return. The analysis reveals that all three mechanisms are employed by state actor(s), rebels, and militias, and can be understood as elements of a new (post)war order that includes some citizens while excluding others depending on perceptions of political threats. We interpret the three mechanisms as ways in which actors in civil war settings attempt to manipulate a country’s demography in their own favour in a process of state-making. The paper is based on fieldwork conducted between 2018 and 2021 in Syria, Lebanon, Libya, and Tunisia.

Regionalinstitute

GIGA Institut für Nahost-Studien

Forschungsschwerpunkte

Frieden und Sicherheit

Journal

Migration Politics

Jahrgang/Band

Nummer

001

Seiten

1-28

DOI

https://doi.org/10.21468/MigPol.2.1.001

Link

https://scipost.org/MigPol.2.1.001 https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-86906-4

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

T. +49 40 42825-621 [email protected]

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate

[email protected]

GIGA Focus Nahost | 5/2024

Syria Is Not Safe: A Look to Its Regions

Die Gewalteskalation in weiten Teil Syriens seit dem Jahr 2023 und das Fortbestehen der Assad-Diktatur zeigen, dass das Land nicht sicher ist – nirgendwo. Jedwede Pläne, syrische Geflüchtete aus nahöstlichen und europäischen Ländern nach Syrien abzuschieben, sollten deshalb klar ablehnt werden.

Dr. André Bank

Senior Research Fellow

Ronja Herrschner

Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen

Auszeichnung | Routledge Publishing Ltd., Taylor and Francis Publishing Group | 2023

Auszeichnung für GIGA-Forscherinnen: Dr. Christiane Fröhlich und Dr. Lea Müller-Funk gewinnen Routledge Area Studies Interdisciplinarity Award

Für ihren herausragenden Artikel „Mobility Control as State-Making in Civil War: Forcing Exit, Selective Return, and Strategic Laissez-Faire“, erschienen in Migration Politics, wurden Dr. Christiane Fröhlich und Dr. Lea Müller-Funk mit dem diesjährigen Routledge Area Studies Interdisciplinarity Award ausgezeichnet.

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Dr. Lea Müller-Funk

Associate

GIGA Focus Global | 1/2023

Bedrohung und Integration: Einstellungen zu Flüchtlingen in Deutschland

Im Jahr 2023 rechnen Behörden mit weiter steigenden Flüchtlingszahlen. Inwieweit die bestehenden Einstellungen zu Flüchtlingen in Deutschland durch positive oder negative Stellungnahmen zur weiteren Flüchtlingsaufnahme beeinflussbar sind, wird in diesem Focus Global analysiert.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Richter

Janosch Kleinschnittger

Dr. Katrin Brettfeld

Prof. Dr. Peter Wetzels

Infografik | 2023

Migration Decision-Making

This infographic shows the factors influencing migration decision-making. At the global/national level, factors such as the economy, environment (including climate change), politics, and culture contribute to a person's decision to migrate. These factors affect the individual's adaptive capacity and vulnerability.

Dr. Christiane Fröhlich

Senior Research Fellow / Research Team Spokesperson

Infografik | 2023

(Im)Mobility Trajectories in Conflict Settings

This infographic illustrates the (im)mobility trajectories in conflict settings, specifically focusing on Syria. It highlights various regions and the displacement patterns within these conflict zones. Key areas depicted include Idlib, Aleppo, Damascus, and surrounding regions.