Description
This paper theorizes the link between the European Union’s (EU) border externalization policies and the autocratic migration practices of refugee-hosting states in the Middle East. It draws on the extensive literature and rich empirics of the EU-Turkey (2016) and EU-Lebanon (2024) migration deals, examining how the EU, a democratic entity, interacts with increasingly illiberal states. The paper highlights how the EU, through externalization policies and the provision of political and economic rents, effectively outsources and condones autocratic migration practices (such as ad-hoc policies, non-policies, and refoulement) in transit states like Lebanon and Turkey. Rather than focusing on refugee-hosting states blackmailing the EU, as much of the literature does, this paper argues that the EU itself facilitates autocratic migration policies in the Global South. It examines how democratic countries enable such practices, revealing contradictions in the EU's role. Methodologically, the study uses a most similar case study approach, comparing autocratic migration policies in both countries. It employs critical discourse analysis to assess how the EU responds to these policies and examines a range of primary sources (e.g., press releases, policy reports, human rights reports) to trace the EU’s stance before and after concluding the migration deals. Empirical studies and primary data in English and French will also be utilized to offer comprehensive insights into the EU’s engagement with Lebanon and Turkey.
