Externalisation versus Coercive Engineered Migration in Irregular Migration Governance: The Case of EU-Turkey Relations

This paper analyses the external dimension of the European Union’s (EU) irregular migration governance and its implications on Turkey as responding to what extent both sides’ demands and responses have been changed regarding the Syrian mass migration. The paper displays there have been continues and shifts in irregular migration governance emerged in EU-Turkey relations through externalization; however, the Syrian mass migration has also a significant impact in terms of irregular migration. Till the so-called “European Refugee Crisis”, Turkey appears as a passive policy receiver of EU’s irregular migration control policies; however, by mid-2015, Turkey started to use irregular migration as a policy tool as Greenhill (2010) argues through “coercive engineered migration”. The study displays the interconnectedness of irregular and mass migration, while challenging the politics of migration categories. It also provides an analysis of Turkey’s irregular migration governance points out that target countries of externalization are not only passive policy receivers but relatively powerful not only in controlling entries and exits, but also directing international bargaining. This study provides important insights for the future EU migration collaborations with third countries like Turkey and reflects the driving forces behind both sides’ policy responses and their implications in terms of irregular migration. This study is a longitudinal study that based on one completed (conducted in 2011-2013 at two major transit cities in Turkey) and one ongoing (in same cities) multi-sited ethnographic field researches that examine how the relevant actors and institutions receive, interpret, implement, and are affected by the irregular migration governance of both EU and Turkey. The analysis also supported documentary and discourse analysis by looking both at official documents as well as empirical data and the normative arguments contained in key official statements.