A Europe without Walls, without Fences, without Borders

A Desecuritisation of Migration Doomed to Fail

Bibliographic Data

ID7972863
AuthorsDimitris Skleparis (0000-0002-6302-1277, University of Glasgow, corresponding author)
Year2018
Volume66
Issue4
Pages985-1001
Publication date2018-11-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolitical Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0032-3217 • E-ISSN: 1467-9248
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0032321717729631
OpenAlexW2766727341
LanguageEN
Citations received18
References cited30

It has been commonly argued that amid the so-called ‘migration crisis’ in 2015, Greece ignored its Dublin Regulation obligations due to unprecedentedly high migration flows, structural weaknesses, fears and uncertainty. However, this narrative deprives the Greek government of agency. In contrast, this article puts forward an alternative analysis of Greece’s attitude. It argues that the Greek government’s policy choices in the realms of border controls, migration and asylum in 2015, prior to the ‘EU–Turkey deal’, manifested a well-calculated desecuritisation strategy with a twofold aim. In this respect, this article provides an analysis of why and how the newly elected SYRIZA-led coalition government embarked on a desecuritising move and assesses the success/effectiveness of this move and the desecuritisation strategy. It argues that although the government’s desecuritising move was successful, overall, its desecuritisation strategy failed to produce the anticipated results vis-à-vis the government’s twofold aim and intended outcomes

Agency (philosophy · Economic geography · Economics · Government (linguistics · Irregular migration · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Social science · Sociology · Global Security and Public Health · Migration, Health and Trauma · Migration, Refugees, and Integration · Public Administration

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