igration is especially contentious right now, and that’s not just because of how much it is now tied to political ideologies. It’s a global phenomenon that is already creating new economic, security, and social pressures on both origin and destination countries. The volume and impact of migration will only grow in the coming years, because the drivers of migration—voluntary and involuntary—are going to grow. Our World in 2050 Brain Trust—comprised of experts, innovators, and other leaders from all over the world—has chosen to call this the “Great Migration.”
The name is fitting, and not just because it captures the scope and impact of what’s happening today. It is also fitting because this isn’t the first “Great Migration” and the one which came before—African Americans moving from the U.S. South northward and westward during the 20th century—has interesting parallels when we look at causes. Jim Crow laws continued to systematize discrimination in the U.S. South, and African Americans were subjected to both violence and disenfranchisement. There were economic pressures too, with agriculture in the South suffering from pest infestations even as it industrialized, decreasing the need for manual labor.
This echoes what we understand to be the drivers of migration today—from marginal land losing productivity due to changing climate or overuse to fleeing abusive regimes or communal violence. That’s something to think on as we debate how to think about migration today and what to do about it. While the global, polycrisis–fueled nature of our current migration crisis makes it extraordinarily complex to solve for, there are underlying drivers that seem to remain the same. That means to an extent, we’ve been here before, and we can learn from that.
Given the overlapping drivers of migration, the complexity of our current geopolitical climate, and concerns among host countries over the impacts of migration, there’s a lot to get right as leaders around the world contemplate action. That’s why Diplomatic Courier asked its Brain Trust to think about this Great Migration—what makes it different and how we can most effectively and humanely mitigate the negative drivers and impacts of migration—for an expert commentary series and special edition.
We hope you enjoy, and that this helps when you’re thinking about migration in the future!
You can find the special edition anthology with every commentary from the series here.
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The next “Great Migration”
Image via Adobe Stock.
February 28, 2025
Migration is reshaping economies, security, and societies worldwide. As global challenges intensify, so do the drivers of migration—both voluntary and involuntary. The Diplomatic Courier Brain Trust examines this "Great Migration," writes Shane C. Szarkowski.
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igration is especially contentious right now, and that’s not just because of how much it is now tied to political ideologies. It’s a global phenomenon that is already creating new economic, security, and social pressures on both origin and destination countries. The volume and impact of migration will only grow in the coming years, because the drivers of migration—voluntary and involuntary—are going to grow. Our World in 2050 Brain Trust—comprised of experts, innovators, and other leaders from all over the world—has chosen to call this the “Great Migration.”
The name is fitting, and not just because it captures the scope and impact of what’s happening today. It is also fitting because this isn’t the first “Great Migration” and the one which came before—African Americans moving from the U.S. South northward and westward during the 20th century—has interesting parallels when we look at causes. Jim Crow laws continued to systematize discrimination in the U.S. South, and African Americans were subjected to both violence and disenfranchisement. There were economic pressures too, with agriculture in the South suffering from pest infestations even as it industrialized, decreasing the need for manual labor.
This echoes what we understand to be the drivers of migration today—from marginal land losing productivity due to changing climate or overuse to fleeing abusive regimes or communal violence. That’s something to think on as we debate how to think about migration today and what to do about it. While the global, polycrisis–fueled nature of our current migration crisis makes it extraordinarily complex to solve for, there are underlying drivers that seem to remain the same. That means to an extent, we’ve been here before, and we can learn from that.
Given the overlapping drivers of migration, the complexity of our current geopolitical climate, and concerns among host countries over the impacts of migration, there’s a lot to get right as leaders around the world contemplate action. That’s why Diplomatic Courier asked its Brain Trust to think about this Great Migration—what makes it different and how we can most effectively and humanely mitigate the negative drivers and impacts of migration—for an expert commentary series and special edition.
We hope you enjoy, and that this helps when you’re thinking about migration in the future!
You can find the special edition anthology with every commentary from the series here.
