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LMC 2022

A Flood Is Threatening: Weaponised Migration

The Rolling Stones, Gimme Shelter [1969]

In the past few years, migration has been weaponised in various ways and in different regions. The flight of Ukrainians from Russian atrocities is primarily driven by humanitarian imperatives. But the picture is ambiguous as Russia is also forcing Ukrainians to flee in vast numbers to blackmail and destabilise Western societies. Europe’s southern flank, meanwhile, must deal with weaponised migration from northern and north-western Africa, and China’s mobilisation of its émigrés in support of PCR’s political objectives has become a concern in many countries.

Speakers

Jörg Lau

International Correspondent, German weekly DIE ZEIT

Chilamkuri Raja Mohan

Senior Fellow at the Asia Society Policy Institute

Anton Shekhovtsov

Director of the Centre for Democratic Integrity

Arseny Sivitsky

Director, Center for Strategic and Foreign Policy Studies

Ana Isabel Xavier

Secretary of State at the Ministry of National Defence of Portugal

Moderator

Rob Bertholee
Rob Bertholee

Strategic Advisor, Kantoor 07

  • How should we interpret Belarus’ attempts to force imported refugees to Lithuania and Poland?
  • Are Chinese and Russian émigrés and students a soft power opportunity or a hybrid threat?
  • Are societies and economies ready to cope with large-scale forced migrations?
  • Can we expect a common European approach when migration to the southern and eastern flanks have different rationales and origins?
  • Are there one size fits all solutions, or do we need more nuanced approaches?

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