IntelBrief: The Global Increase in Cross-Border Migration and the Challenges Ahead

Bottom Line Up Front

• A perfect storm of events has led to increased border skirmishes and instances of spillover violence as the cross-border movement of people continues to further destabilize domestic politics in countries across the world.
• From Venezuela to Myanmar, the movement of large groups of people has put some of society’s most vulnerable populations at risk.
• Throughout North Africa, which has become emblematic of the horrors of human smuggling and trafficking, large numbers of migrants have been brutalized.
• The issue is one of both human security and human rights, with most trends suggesting that the challenge is going to become more complicated, with climate change, food insecurity, and resource competition figuring prominently into conflicts between and within states.