Greece and Turkey: From State-Building and Developmentalism to Immigration and Crisis Management
Abstract
Greece and Turkey have a shared history, a common border, and have faced similar dynamics with regard to cross-border migration movements. Yet, there are also some striking differences between the two states, including their internal political trajectories and their relationship to the European Union and other external actors. We examine the evolution of migration management regimes in these two countries, from bilateral cooperation over population exchanges in the 1920s, to their participation in European guest-worker programs in the 1960s-70s, to the management of regional refugee crises in the 2010s. Shifts in migration management regimes in the two states are linked to changes in the broader structural context, as well as larger state interests of nation-building, economic development, and the maintenance of national sovereignty. At the same time, we demonstrate the complexities of emigration, immigration, and transit and forced migration management in Greece and Turkey.