And Then Things Got Complicated: Addressing the Security-Climate-Migration Nexus in South Asia
Using Myanmar as a test case, this report examines nexus challenges in Southeast Asia and subsequent opportunities for multilateral policymaking.
The crisis in Myanmar and its impact on neighboring countries reveals the weakness and structural deficits of South Asia’s regional institutions and multilateral integration.
The region neither has an effective mechanism representing countries in global climate negotiations – unlike Africa which has a common position – nor a structure to address nexus issues. International efforts have also been insufficient and are dominated by geopolitical concerns.
In the 21st century, security needs to be defined more broadly – complex crisis scenarios revolve around the ability to compel collective action to address fundamental transnational problems.
Mobilizing this sort of action to address the nexus between climate change, human migration, and instability will be the political litmus test of our time.