Internationalisation and Multiculturalism in Maltese Society

Abstract

Migration is an ancient phenomenon; however, the extent, duration, and consequences of present-day international migration seem far more complex and challenging than in the past. In the 21st century, various factors generate migration, ranging from civil and international wars to political and economic crises (for example, Venezuela) and to simply the search for a better life (Arar, Orucu and Waite 2020). Over the last three decades, many wars have displaced enormous populations - including the first and second Gulf Wars, the Gaza War, the Somalian Civil War, the Bosnian War, the Arab Spring conflicts in the Middle East, the Colombian Civil War, the Iraq War, the Afghanistan War (Banks 2017; Waite 2016). Regime change and political conflict have also engendered vast population moves as seen in the Arab Spring followed by the Syrian and Yemenite civil wars, (Arar, Brooks and Bogotch 2019; Banks 2017; Dryden-Peterson 2016; Hatton 2017; UNHCR 2001-2020; Waite 2016). Moreover, developments in transportation and communication around the globe have facilitated a constant flow of people from one country to another through either conventional or illegal, sometimes fatal paths (Arar, Kondakci and Streitwieser 2020). The number of migrants constantly increased from 174 million in 1995 towards 272 million in 2019, meaning that approximately 3.5% of the total global population was on the move in 2019 (IOM 2020).