NewSecurityBeat

VIDEO: From Report 13 – Christian Leuprecht on Migration as the Demographic Wild Card in Civil Conflict

March 3, 2009 By Wilson Center Staff

Contrary to what many people might think, most migration is within the developing world—“among countries that already face enormous challenges in terms of provisions for their populations, but also ethnic conflict,” says Christian Leuprecht in this short video preview of his article, “Migration as the Demographic Wild Card in Civil Conflict: Mauritius and Fiji,” now appearing in the 13th issue of Environmental Change and Security Program Report.

“So if you have particular ethnic groups, religious groups, or linguistic groups then spilling over borders, there’s a good chance they might destabilize the neighboring country; not just because of carrying capacity and provision of services within that country, but also because it changes the population dynamics and group dynamics within that particular country,” says Leuprecht.

Leuprecht, an assistant professor at the Royal Military College of Canada, and six other demographic experts analyze the links connecting population and environmental dynamics to conflict in a set of commentaries on “New Directions in Demographic Security.”

Topics: conflict, demography, environmental security, migration, population, security, video