The Regional Politics of Labour Import in the Gulf Monarchies

The world’s highest ratio of migrants to national population is to be found in the Middle East, and the region is one of the most fascinating arenas in which to observe international migration flows, both regionally and internationally. The growth of migrant labour in the Middle East was both rapid and massive and was directly linked to the development of the oil economy in the Arabian peninsula and the Gulf and also marginally to forced migration that triggered displacement at the regional level. Interestingly, mobility in the case of the Middle East generally intertwines labour migration and refugee flows: from Palestine, Sudan and Iraq and, since 2011, Syrian refugees have found refuge in neighbouring countries..