2021/06/08 by Gerasimos Tsourapas, Sotirios Zartaloudis · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Migration, Refugees, and Integration #European Union Policy and Governance #European Politics and Security
paper · pdf · doi:10.1111/jcms.13211
openalex publication_date 2021/06/08 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract How does forced migration feature in EU member states' foreign policy and how does it affect their bargaining strategies? While the literature highlights EU‐level policies aiming to manage forced migration flows, we examine how Greece sought to leverage its response to the 2015–16 European migrant crisis. We propose a theoretical framework that explains why the SYRIZA–ANEL government sought to leverage Greece's position as a refugee‐host state via an issue‐linkage strategy tying the management of forced migration to economic aid over the Third Economic Adjustment Programme. Initially employing a ‘blackmailing’ strategy focused on threats, Greece shifted to a ‘backscratching’ strategy of co‐operation after March 2016, once its geopolitical importance and numbers of asylum seekers within its territory were reduced. We provide the first detailed analysis of Greece's foreign policy response to the European migrant crisis, demonstrating the importance of forced displacement in the international politics of EU member states.