Professor Gerasimos Tsourapas Delivers Insightful Lecture on Migration Crises in the Mediterranean at AUC
On November 18, 2024, the Center for Migration and Refugee Studies (CMRS) at the American University in Cairo (AUC) hosted professor Gerasimos Tsourapas, distinguished visiting professor for Fall 2024, for an engaging lecture titled "Understanding the Logic of Migration Crises in the Mediterranean." The event, part of the CMRS lecture series, took place at the School of Global Affairs and Public Policy (GAPP) and attracted a diverse audience of students, academics and policymakers.
Introduced by Ibrahim Awad, CMRS director, professor Tsourapas explored how migration interacts with diplomatic strategies across the Mediterranean. He emphasized the evolving concept of "migration diplomacy" and its application in understanding the instrumentalization of migration in statecraft. Drawing from his research, Tsourapas highlighted the 2020 Greek-Turkish border crisis as a case study, dissecting how domestic, bilateral and international politics converge in migration crises. His analysis challenged normative binaries, such as the simplistic "liberal West versus illiberal East" narrative and offered a nuanced perspective on the strategic use of migration power by states.
The lecture concluded with a thought-provoking discussion on the commodification of asylum seekers and the broader implications for global migration governance, including Egyptian migration politics and parallels with crises at the Belarus-EU and Morocco-Spain borders. Attendees left with a deeper understanding of migration diplomacy and its critical role in shaping international relations.
