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THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH

Year 2025, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 105 - 124, 07.07.2025

İsmail Şahin , Muhsin Baran

https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1642600

Abstract

The Arab Spring had significant consequences, one of which was the sharp increase in asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants to various European countries. The large influx of migrants from the Middle East, coupled with economic recession in Europe, intensified public reactions. Some European elites attempted to securitize this issue and were successful to a certain extent. This study explores the securitization of Middle Eastern migrants through the discourses of elites in major European countries. It argues that these securitization efforts have influenced mainstream ruling political parties across Europe, leading to practices such as erecting fences, otherizing, and criminalizing migrants, ultimately resulting in stricter migration policies. The study concludes that such securitizations had several consequences, including rising percentage of unfavorable views toward the Muslim population, a rise in Islamophobia and xenophobia, violations of refugee and migrant rights, and declining trust in the EU and its institutions among Europeans during this period.

Keywords

Arab Spring Securitization Discourse Middle East Migrants Energy Equation National Security.

References

  • Banai, A., and Kreide, R. (2017) “Securitization of Migration in Germany: The Ambivalences of Citizenship and Human Rights”, Citizenship Studies, 21(8), 903-917.
  • Bastié, E. (2015) “Une Majorité de Français Hostile À L'accueil Des Migrants”, Le Figaro, https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2015/09/03/01016-20150903ARTFIG00042-une-majorite-de-francais-hostile-a-l-accueil-des-migrants.php, (18.12.2024).
  • Beyer, S. and Fleishhaur, J. (2016) “The Immigration of Muslim Will Change Our Culture”, Der Speigel International, https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-with-frauke-petry-of-the-alternative-for-germany-a-1084493.html, (01.11.2024).
  • Bromley, R. (2018) “The Politics of Displacement: The Far-Right Narrative of Europe and Its ‘Others’”, From the European South, 3, 13-26.
  • Bruno, M. (2016) “Media Representations of Immigrants in Italy: Framing Real and Symbolic Borders”, REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, 24(46), 45-58.
  • Buzan, B. and Wæver, O. (2003) “Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security”, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
  • Buzan, B., Wæver, O., and De Wilde, J. (1998) “Security: A New Framework for Analysis”, Lynne Rienner Publishers.
  • Castelli Gattinara, P. (2017) “The ‘Refugee Crisis’ in Italy as a Crisis of Legitimacy”, Contemporary Italian Politics, 9(3), 318-331.
  • Conolly, K. (2015) “’Like a Poison’: How Anti-Immigrant Pegida Is Dividing Dresden”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/pegida-germany-anti-immigrant-group-polarising-dresden, (10.10.2024).
  • Davis, L., and Deole, S. S. (2017) “Immigration and the rise of far-right parties in Europe”, ifo DICE Report, 15(4), 10-15.
  • d'Eça, A. C. A. S. (2021) “The European Union and the Migrant Crisis: The securitisation of the Schengen Area”, Master's Thesis, University of Coimbra, Faculty of Economics.
  • Desai, S. (2022) “ Immigration and Identity Key Themes for French Presidential Candidates”, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/immigration-and-identity-key-themes-for-french-presidential-candidates/2558508, (01.10.2024).
  • Di Napoli, E. and Russo, D. (2018) “Solidarity in the European Union in Times of Crisis: Towards ‘European Solidarity?’”, Federico, V and Lahusen, C. (eds.) Solidarity as a Public Virtue, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co, Baden.
  • Dražanová, L. (2019) “Austria’s Snap Election: Is the Freedom Party (FPÖ) Going to Fade Away?”, EUIdeas, https://euideas.eui.eu/2019/10/04/austrias-snap-election-is-the-freedom-party-fpo-going-to-fade-away-2/, (20.11.2024).
  • Dustmann, C. and Frattini, T. (2011) “Immigration: The European Experience”, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano Development Studies Working Paper, 326.
  • Emanuela, P. (2014) “The Arab Spring and the Italian Response to Migration in 2011”, Comparative Migration Studies, 2(2), 127-150.
  • Edo, A., and Giesing, Y. (2020) “Has Immigration Contributed to the Rise of Rightwing Extremist Parties in Europe?”, EconPol Policy Report, 23.
  • European Data News Hub (2024) “France’s Far-Right Vote in Figures”, https://ednh.news/en/france-s-far-right-vote-in-figures/, (25.01.2025).
  • Fernandez, B. (2018) “Elections, Migrants, and A Fascist Renaissance in Italy”, Middle East Eye, https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/elections-migrants-and-fascist-renaissance-italy, (05.10.2024).
  • Fullerton, M. (2017) “Refugees and the Primacy of European Human Rights Law”, UCLA J. Int'l L. Foreign Aff., 21, 45-69.
  • Georgiou, M. and Zaborowski, R. (2017) “Media Coverage of The ‘Refugee Crisis’: A Cross-European Perspective”, Council of Europe Report, Council of Europe.
  • Goodwin, M., Raines T. and Cutts, D. (2023) “What do Europeans think about Muslim immigration”, Chatham House, https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration#sthash.O6J7kQrj.dpuf, (22.12.2024).
  • Grabow, K. (2016) “PEGIDA and the Alternative für Deutschland: Two Sides of the Same Coin?”, European View, 15(2), 173-181.
  • Haferlach, L. and Kurban, D. (2017) “Lessons Learnt from the EU‐Turkey Refugee Agreement in Guiding EU Migration Partnerships with Origin and Transit Countries”, Global Policy, 8, 85-93.
  • Hanzelka, J. and Schmidt, I. (2017) “Dynamics of Cyber Hate in Social Media: A Comparative Analysis of Anti-Muslim Movements in the Czech Republic and Germany”, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 11(1), 143-160.
  • Holzberg, B., Kolbe, K. and Zaborowski, R. (2018) “Figures of Crisis: The Delineation of (Un) Deserving Refugees in the German Media”, Sociology, 52(3), 534-550.
  • Hunyadi, B. and Molnár, C. (2016) “Central Europe’s Faceless Strangers: The Rise of Xenophobia”, Freedom House, Washington DC.
  • Huysmans, J. (2000) “The European Union and the Securitization of Migration”, Journal of Common Market Studies, 38(5), 751-777.
  • Ibrahim, M. (2005) “The Securitization of Migration: A Racial Discourse”, International Migration, 43(5), 163-187. Jamet, D. and Lafiandra, B. (2023) “Representations of Immigration in French Political Discourse”, A Comparative Study Speeches by Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron (2015-2019, France)”, Roitman et al. (eds.) The New Challenges of Populist Discourses in Romance Speaking Countries, Stockholm: Stockholm University Press.
  • Kaliber, A. (2005) “Türkiye’de Güvenlikleştirilmiş Bir Alan Olarak Dış Politikayı Yeniden Düşünmek: Kıbrıs Örneği”, Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 2(7), 31-60.
  • Karyotis, G. (2012) “Securitization of Migration in Greece: Process, Motives, and Implications”, International Political Sociology, 6(4), 390-408.
  • Kıyagan, A. (2017) “Attacks Against Muslims Increases in Austria: Report”, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/attacks-against-muslims-increase-in-austria-report/781300 (05.11.2024).
  • Miholjcic, N. (2017) “The Securitization of Migration Issue: Hungarian Case”, Jurnalul Practicilor Comunitare Pozitive, 17(3), 58-66.
  • Norden, G. (2016) “Securitization of Migration in the European Union: Mind Your Semantics”, Master Thesis, Leiden University.
  • Pietrandrea, P. and Battaglia, E. (2022) “’Migrants and the EU’. The Diachronic Construction of Ad Hoc Categories in French Far-Right Discourse”, Journal of Pragmatics, 192, 139-157.
  • Pandır, M. (2020) “Media Portrayals of Refugees and Their Effects on Social Conflict and Social Cohesion”, Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, 25(1), 99-120.
  • PolitPro (2024) https://politpro.eu/en/austria/elections#historical-elections, (01.12.2024).
  • STATISTA (2025) “Number of Total Asylum Applications in Germany from 2014 to 2024”, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107881/asylum-applications-total-germany/, (26.01.2025).
  • Tekin, C. (2021) “Anti-Immigration Propaganda in the Northern League and the Freedom Party of Austria: Discursive Changes with Reference to Gender, Muslim Migrants, Ethnicity and Class”, Moving the Social, 65, 81-100.
  • Wike, R., Stokes, B. and Simmons, K. (2016) “Negative Views of Minorities, Refugees Common in EU”, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/07/11/negative-views-of-minorities-refugees-common-in-eu/, (05.01.2025).
  • Zaragoza, C. J. (2017) “Containing the Refugee Crisis: How the EU Turned the Balkans and Turkey into an EU Borderland”, The International Spectator, 52(4), 59-75.

THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH

Year 2025, Volume: 23 Issue: 2, 105 - 124, 07.07.2025

İsmail Şahin , Muhsin Baran

https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1642600

Abstract

The Arab Spring had significant consequences, one of which was the sharp increase in asylum seekers, refugees, and migrants to various European countries. The large influx of migrants from the Middle East, coupled with economic recession in Europe, intensified public reactions. Some European elites attempted to securitize this issue and were successful to a certain extent. This study explores the securitization of Middle Eastern migrants through the discourses of elites in major European countries. It argues that these securitization efforts have influenced mainstream ruling political parties across Europe, leading to practices such as erecting fences, otherizing, and criminalizing migrants, ultimately resulting in stricter migration policies. The study concludes that such securitizations had several consequences, including rising percentage of unfavorable views toward the Muslim population, a rise in Islamophobia and xenophobia, violations of refugee and migrant rights, and declining trust in the EU and its institutions among Europeans during this period.

Keywords

Arab Spring Securitization Discourse Middle East Migrants Energy Equation National Security.

References

  • Banai, A., and Kreide, R. (2017) “Securitization of Migration in Germany: The Ambivalences of Citizenship and Human Rights”, Citizenship Studies, 21(8), 903-917.
  • Bastié, E. (2015) “Une Majorité de Français Hostile À L'accueil Des Migrants”, Le Figaro, https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/2015/09/03/01016-20150903ARTFIG00042-une-majorite-de-francais-hostile-a-l-accueil-des-migrants.php, (18.12.2024).
  • Beyer, S. and Fleishhaur, J. (2016) “The Immigration of Muslim Will Change Our Culture”, Der Speigel International, https://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/interview-with-frauke-petry-of-the-alternative-for-germany-a-1084493.html, (01.11.2024).
  • Bromley, R. (2018) “The Politics of Displacement: The Far-Right Narrative of Europe and Its ‘Others’”, From the European South, 3, 13-26.
  • Bruno, M. (2016) “Media Representations of Immigrants in Italy: Framing Real and Symbolic Borders”, REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana, 24(46), 45-58.
  • Buzan, B. and Wæver, O. (2003) “Regions and Powers: The Structure of International Security”, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press.
  • Buzan, B., Wæver, O., and De Wilde, J. (1998) “Security: A New Framework for Analysis”, Lynne Rienner Publishers.
  • Castelli Gattinara, P. (2017) “The ‘Refugee Crisis’ in Italy as a Crisis of Legitimacy”, Contemporary Italian Politics, 9(3), 318-331.
  • Conolly, K. (2015) “’Like a Poison’: How Anti-Immigrant Pegida Is Dividing Dresden”, The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/27/pegida-germany-anti-immigrant-group-polarising-dresden, (10.10.2024).
  • Davis, L., and Deole, S. S. (2017) “Immigration and the rise of far-right parties in Europe”, ifo DICE Report, 15(4), 10-15.
  • d'Eça, A. C. A. S. (2021) “The European Union and the Migrant Crisis: The securitisation of the Schengen Area”, Master's Thesis, University of Coimbra, Faculty of Economics.
  • Desai, S. (2022) “ Immigration and Identity Key Themes for French Presidential Candidates”, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/immigration-and-identity-key-themes-for-french-presidential-candidates/2558508, (01.10.2024).
  • Di Napoli, E. and Russo, D. (2018) “Solidarity in the European Union in Times of Crisis: Towards ‘European Solidarity?’”, Federico, V and Lahusen, C. (eds.) Solidarity as a Public Virtue, Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft mbH & Co, Baden.
  • Dražanová, L. (2019) “Austria’s Snap Election: Is the Freedom Party (FPÖ) Going to Fade Away?”, EUIdeas, https://euideas.eui.eu/2019/10/04/austrias-snap-election-is-the-freedom-party-fpo-going-to-fade-away-2/, (20.11.2024).
  • Dustmann, C. and Frattini, T. (2011) “Immigration: The European Experience”, Centro Studi Luca d'Agliano Development Studies Working Paper, 326.
  • Emanuela, P. (2014) “The Arab Spring and the Italian Response to Migration in 2011”, Comparative Migration Studies, 2(2), 127-150.
  • Edo, A., and Giesing, Y. (2020) “Has Immigration Contributed to the Rise of Rightwing Extremist Parties in Europe?”, EconPol Policy Report, 23.
  • European Data News Hub (2024) “France’s Far-Right Vote in Figures”, https://ednh.news/en/france-s-far-right-vote-in-figures/, (25.01.2025).
  • Fernandez, B. (2018) “Elections, Migrants, and A Fascist Renaissance in Italy”, Middle East Eye, https://www.middleeasteye.net/opinion/elections-migrants-and-fascist-renaissance-italy, (05.10.2024).
  • Fullerton, M. (2017) “Refugees and the Primacy of European Human Rights Law”, UCLA J. Int'l L. Foreign Aff., 21, 45-69.
  • Georgiou, M. and Zaborowski, R. (2017) “Media Coverage of The ‘Refugee Crisis’: A Cross-European Perspective”, Council of Europe Report, Council of Europe.
  • Goodwin, M., Raines T. and Cutts, D. (2023) “What do Europeans think about Muslim immigration”, Chatham House, https://www.chathamhouse.org/2017/02/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration#sthash.O6J7kQrj.dpuf, (22.12.2024).
  • Grabow, K. (2016) “PEGIDA and the Alternative für Deutschland: Two Sides of the Same Coin?”, European View, 15(2), 173-181.
  • Haferlach, L. and Kurban, D. (2017) “Lessons Learnt from the EU‐Turkey Refugee Agreement in Guiding EU Migration Partnerships with Origin and Transit Countries”, Global Policy, 8, 85-93.
  • Hanzelka, J. and Schmidt, I. (2017) “Dynamics of Cyber Hate in Social Media: A Comparative Analysis of Anti-Muslim Movements in the Czech Republic and Germany”, International Journal of Cyber Criminology, 11(1), 143-160.
  • Holzberg, B., Kolbe, K. and Zaborowski, R. (2018) “Figures of Crisis: The Delineation of (Un) Deserving Refugees in the German Media”, Sociology, 52(3), 534-550.
  • Hunyadi, B. and Molnár, C. (2016) “Central Europe’s Faceless Strangers: The Rise of Xenophobia”, Freedom House, Washington DC.
  • Huysmans, J. (2000) “The European Union and the Securitization of Migration”, Journal of Common Market Studies, 38(5), 751-777.
  • Ibrahim, M. (2005) “The Securitization of Migration: A Racial Discourse”, International Migration, 43(5), 163-187. Jamet, D. and Lafiandra, B. (2023) “Representations of Immigration in French Political Discourse”, A Comparative Study Speeches by Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron (2015-2019, France)”, Roitman et al. (eds.) The New Challenges of Populist Discourses in Romance Speaking Countries, Stockholm: Stockholm University Press.
  • Kaliber, A. (2005) “Türkiye’de Güvenlikleştirilmiş Bir Alan Olarak Dış Politikayı Yeniden Düşünmek: Kıbrıs Örneği”, Uluslararası İlişkiler Dergisi, 2(7), 31-60.
  • Karyotis, G. (2012) “Securitization of Migration in Greece: Process, Motives, and Implications”, International Political Sociology, 6(4), 390-408.
  • Kıyagan, A. (2017) “Attacks Against Muslims Increases in Austria: Report”, Anadolu Agency, https://www.aa.com.tr/en/europe/attacks-against-muslims-increase-in-austria-report/781300 (05.11.2024).
  • Miholjcic, N. (2017) “The Securitization of Migration Issue: Hungarian Case”, Jurnalul Practicilor Comunitare Pozitive, 17(3), 58-66.
  • Norden, G. (2016) “Securitization of Migration in the European Union: Mind Your Semantics”, Master Thesis, Leiden University.
  • Pietrandrea, P. and Battaglia, E. (2022) “’Migrants and the EU’. The Diachronic Construction of Ad Hoc Categories in French Far-Right Discourse”, Journal of Pragmatics, 192, 139-157.
  • Pandır, M. (2020) “Media Portrayals of Refugees and Their Effects on Social Conflict and Social Cohesion”, Perceptions: Journal of International Affairs, 25(1), 99-120.
  • PolitPro (2024) https://politpro.eu/en/austria/elections#historical-elections, (01.12.2024).
  • STATISTA (2025) “Number of Total Asylum Applications in Germany from 2014 to 2024”, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107881/asylum-applications-total-germany/, (26.01.2025).
  • Tekin, C. (2021) “Anti-Immigration Propaganda in the Northern League and the Freedom Party of Austria: Discursive Changes with Reference to Gender, Muslim Migrants, Ethnicity and Class”, Moving the Social, 65, 81-100.
  • Wike, R., Stokes, B. and Simmons, K. (2016) “Negative Views of Minorities, Refugees Common in EU”, Pew Research Center, https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2016/07/11/negative-views-of-minorities-refugees-common-in-eu/, (05.01.2025).
  • Zaragoza, C. J. (2017) “Containing the Refugee Crisis: How the EU Turned the Balkans and Turkey into an EU Borderland”, The International Spectator, 52(4), 59-75.
There are 41 citations in total.

Details

Primary Language English
Subjects Public Administration
Journal Section Research Article
Authors

İsmail Şahin 0000-0003-3144-7844

Muhsin Baran 0000-0002-1560-3010

Submission Date February 18, 2025
Acceptance Date May 15, 2025
Early Pub Date July 7, 2025
Publication Date July 7, 2025
Published in Issue Year 2025 Volume: 23 Issue: 2

Cite

APA Şahin, İ., & Baran, M. (2025). THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH. Yönetim Ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, 23(2), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1642600
AMA Şahin İ, Baran M. THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi. July 2025;23(2):105-124. doi:10.11611/yead.1642600
Chicago Şahin, İsmail, and Muhsin Baran. “THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH”. Yönetim Ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi 23, no. 2 (July 2025): 105-24. https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1642600.
EndNote Şahin İ, Baran M (July 1, 2025) THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi 23 2 105–124.
IEEE İ. Şahin and M. Baran, “THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH”, Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 105–124, 2025, doi: 10.11611/yead.1642600.
ISNAD Şahin, İsmail - Baran, Muhsin. “THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH”. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi 23/2 (July2025), 105-124. https://doi.org/10.11611/yead.1642600.
JAMA Şahin İ, Baran M. THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;23:105–124.
MLA Şahin, İsmail and Muhsin Baran. “THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH”. Yönetim Ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi, vol. 23, no. 2, 2025, pp. 105-24, doi:10.11611/yead.1642600.
Vancouver Şahin İ, Baran M. THE SECURITIZATION OF MIDDLE EASTERN MIGRANTS IN EUROPE: THE ARAB SPRING AND ITS AFTERMATH. Yönetim ve Ekonomi Araştırmaları Dergisi. 2025;23(2):105-24.