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Migration and Contentious Politics in Southeast Asia



Author(s)

Amy Freedman

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2134/2020.06.003

Migration is contentious. Regardless if the migrants are Rohingya refugees fleeing horrific persecution, or if the migrants are household and construction workers filling labor gaps, we are at a moment in time when countries view migration as undesirable and in need of regulation and limits. Southeast Asia has seen significant flows of migrants before. In some instances, it has been a peaceful process, but currently, it is a source of considerable tension and conflict. During colonial rule, workers from China and India were embedded into the political economy of subjected territories. During the Vietnam War, refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia were (reluctantly) accepted by neighboring countries and later immigrated to the US. Why do we see variation in responses to migration? This paper looks at two possible answers: First, the politicization of race, ethnicity, religion, and identity has made immigration more problematic for both receiving and sending countries. Second, we see dramatic shifts in attitudes and interests about immigration from great powers. In the 1970s, Southeast Asian countries accepted refugees from Vietnam and Cambodia because the US promised that these refugees would be resettled outside Southeast Asia in the US and her allies. As Rohingya flee ethnic cleansing in Myanmar, no such promise of resettlement has been forthcoming from wealthy countries. So, neighboring countries have little willingness to help the Rohingya on their own. Hegemonic stability theory posits that a hegemon can foster and promote cooperation on a wide variety of international problems, when a hegemon refuses to behave in this way; we are less likely to see cooperation on problems like migration. This paper will explore both the domestic politicization of immigration and at global demonization of migration, which affects conditions in Southeast Asia.

migration, Rohingya, Malaysia, Singapore, hegemonic stability theory