International Migration: Globalization's Last Frontier

by Jonathon W. Moses

Jonathon Moses makes moral, political and economic arguments in favor of the free mobility of human beings across national borders. Pointing to the importance of immigration to the sucess of many nations, he shows that Europe itself now faces a falling population, and has over the past fifty years actively encouraged huge immigration from other countries. There is near consensus across the political spectrum that the free movement of goods and free movement of capital are good for economies, and therefore should apply to people as well.

276 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is at times interesting but largely deals with the topic in a relatively dry way that i struggled to imagine being useful for research or the lay reader. That being said I gave it 3* as I'm sure i may pick it up again to spark creative juices and I have little doubt that the research that runs throughout is of good quality.

An introductory book maybe for people hoping to become specialists it feels.

[Don · Rating 2 out of 5]

The arguments for open borders set out in this book are extremely patchy, and weakest in the areas where they need to be strongest. Only in the section dealing with moral arguments for ending controls on immigration did I feel Moses was really saying anything that might be persuasive to people not already convinced.His reference to Robert Goodin's arguments about the tendency within morla and political systems to favour the rights of foreigners initially souinds strange to anyone immersed in the commonsense belief that our first duties are towards 'kith-and-kin'. In fact political and legal systems in the ancient world considered that looking after kith-and-kin was beyond the pale of the interested of civilised people - the real test was how you treated people from outside your nation.

Moses shows bad judgment when he directs a large part of his arguments against 'realists', who he assumes take that standpoint because they believe the 'real' world consists of interests that are acted out by established powerholders. Not so: it is perfectly legitimate to object to the open borders as a political position, not because of overdeveloped sympathy for the world-as-it-is, but because politics is about relating to the convictions of millions, rather than the morally-pure few.

Interestinlgy, when he begins to consider the sort of practical political implications of his support for open borders, Moses begins to emerge as an advocate of cultural assimulation, when migrants being encourage to reduce ther commitment to the mores of their home regions in favour of what exists in the lands of settlement - all very New Labour!

So, the conviction remains with me that the open borders slogan is interesting only as a moral backstop - a voice of conscience reminding campaigners for the rights of migrants that there are bottom lines which should not be crossed. This is important and I am glad that the shrill voice does echo in the background of important polical debates. But for the business of politics iteself, we need other programmes and other slogans.