Wall Around the West - by Peter Andreas & Timothy Snyder (Paperback)

About the Book

Even as economic and military walls have come down in the post-Cold War era, states have rapidly built new barriers to prevent a perceived invasion of 'undesirables.' Nowhere is this more dramatically evident than along the geographic fault lines dividing rich from poor countr...

Book Synopsis

Even as economic and military walls have come down in the post-Cold War era, states have rapidly built new barriers to prevent a perceived invasion of 'undesirables.' Nowhere is this more dramatically evident than along the geographic fault lines dividing rich from poor countries: especially the southern border of the United States, and the southern and eastern borders of the European Union. This volume examines the practice, politics, and consequences of building these new walls in North America and Europe. At the same time, it challenges dominant accounts of globalization, in which state borders will be irrelevant to the human experience.

Review Quotes

An important and probing scholarly investigation into one of the most important issues of our time.

As restrictions on trade, capital, and technology flows come down, border control agencies have often become the fastest growing branches of Western governments. The Wall Around the West tackles head-on the central issue of how to reconcile the conflicting demands of economic growth and social coherence in the context of declining birth rates and immigration pressures. This book provides a penetrating analysis of the basic dilemma confronting Western societies.

Highly recommended for courses focusing on immigration, globalisation, and international relations.

Peter Andreas and Timothy Snyder have put together an excellent book. The essays in this volume offer a critique of the growing literature on globalization, reminding us that, in spite of trendy arguments about the de-territorialization of the state, borders still matter.

The Berlin Wall may have fallen, but the European Union and the United States have built new walls at their borders to keep out migrants from without. This book admirably combines a comparative approach to both international migration processes and the attempts of states to control and prevent such migrations. With subtlety and historical depth, the authors analyze Latin American, Caribbean, and Eastern European migrations as well as U.S. and European Union migrant deterrence and control policies.

This is an intelligent and informed work on the subject and an essential reference book for anyone seeking information on trends in Europe and North America

This volume is highly recommendable. The volume makes inspiring reading by virtue of its deliberate challenge to radical postmodern theory about the future of the state and its meticulous documentation.

About the Author

Peter Andreas is assistant professor of political science at Reed College. He was formerly an academy scholar at Harvard University. Timothy Snyder is an academy scholar at Harvard University.