Abstract
The extensive human smuggling networks that have emerged around North Africa and the Sahel have inaugurated a significant shift in the economic landscape of a region that has traditionally been characterized by the gray economy and precarious political arrangements. Ample and detailed research has been produced that highlights how militia groups and non-state actors have been tapping into these flows (via taxation of routes and racketeering against non-armed smuggling enterprises) in order to fund their various projects. The way in which this new economic landscape is affecting local political arrangements is a heretofore little considered, yet highly consequential, development of the recent ‘migrant crisis’. This paper argues that emergence of migrant smuggling as a central economic pillar of Northern Mali has produced a more diversified and decentralized economic landscape, which in turn has led to a more diffused political environment that goes some way towards accounting for the protracted and fractionalized nature of the conflict. By exploring the effect of migration flows on conflict, as opposed to the other way around, this paper hopes provide an updated account of the political economic landscapes of conflict zones where migrant smuggling serves as a central pillar, as well as anticipate how the emerging 'age of migration' will impact some of the world's most vulnerable and unstable regions.
Department
Political Science Department
Degree Name
MA in Political Science
Graduation Date
6-1-2018
Submission Date
May 2018
First Advisor
Pinfari, Marco
Committee Member 1
Elnur, Ibrahim
Committee Member 2
Oberle, Holly
Extent
99 p.
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Rights
The author retains all rights with regard to copyright. The author certifies that written permission from the owner(s) of third-party copyrighted matter included in the thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study has been obtained. The author further certifies that IRB approval has been obtained for this thesis, or that IRB approval is not necessary for this thesis. Insofar as this thesis, dissertation, paper, or record of study is an educational record as defined in the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 USC 1232g), the author has granted consent to disclosure of it to anyone who requests a copy.
Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval
Approval has been obtained for this item
Recommended Citation
APA Citation
Hinkel, T.
(2018).The political economy of migrant smuggling: The case of conflict in Mali [Master's Thesis, the American University in Cairo]. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/482
MLA Citation
Hinkel, Thomas. The political economy of migrant smuggling: The case of conflict in Mali. 2018. American University in Cairo, Master's Thesis. AUC Knowledge Fountain.
https://fount.aucegypt.edu/etds/482
Comments
This thesis research was greatly enhanced thanks to a research grant from the Mellon foundation, facilitated through HUSSLab, which allowed me to conduct field research in Mali in March of 2018. I am also enormously grateful to have been under the supervision of Dr. Marco Pinfari whose guidance not only greatly impacted this research, but also instilled in me a passion for the scholarly pursuit.