Neoliberalism and the Global Migrant Crisis: A World-Ecology Perspective

Abstract

What is the nexus between capitalism, agroecological change, and geopolitical conflicts, and how has it historically affected global migratory movements? In answering this question, the present article employs the method of incorporated comparison and world-ecology theory based on the cases of Latin America, specifically Mexico, Venezuela, and Central American countries, and the Broader Middle East, with a particular emphasis on Syria and Afghanistan. A comparative study of these geopolitical hotspots reveals how the US-led cycles of capitalist world-ecology resulted in a global migrant crisis driven by a combination of factors, including neoliberal economic policies, imperialist interventions, narco-colonialism, and extractive capitalism.