The Geopolitics of Conflict-Actuated Mass Displacement in the 21st Century

Abstract

Human migration and displacement are age-old phenomena that no society has ever been able to evade historically. They are experiences that help societies and peoples mature and grow and are developments that make the world demographically and culturally more fertile. On the downside, however, displacements and migrations—when triggered by conflicts—can lead to the spillover of traumatic memories, criminal behaviours, and radical inclinations from one part of the world to another. The 21st century has witnessed multiple internal and external migrations around the globe prompted by conflicts. Are these conflict-induced migrants prone to becoming unofficial emissaries of intractable conflicts and failed states? The study is interested in analysing the geopolitics of conflict-actuated mass displacement in the 21st century. In doing so, it will also excavate how international power struggles affect local populations, lead to both internal and external displacements, and result in almost perpetual conflict cycles.