Fiona Adamson
Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2001-2002
Summer 2006
"Crossing Borders: International Migration and National Security"
Journal Article, International Security, issue 1, volume 31
By Fiona Adamson, Former Research Fellow, International Security Program, 2001-2002
Migration flows are less of a threat to states' security than they are a tool for enhancing it; indeed, a state’s population has the potential to be its most important resource. States with a high capacity to harness the power of migration flows are in a position both to strengthen their national security and to play a leading role in establishing greater international security. Thus, although international migration can provide a conduit for terrorism, it more importantly provides innumerable benefits—such as greater economic, military, and diplomatic power, as well as increased international cooperation—to those states that can adapt to the realities of increased cross-border migration.
