This important December 2017 report has been professionally converted for accurate flowing-text e-book format reproduction.

In today's interconnected world, international migration continues to grow as migrants come from all around the globe in search of better lives for themselves and their families. While many migrants seek to improve social and economic status, others come in search of asylum due to conflict, political repression, or fear of persecution in their country of origin. As globalization steadily diffuses international power and blurs the line between war and peace, human migration is becoming a viable weapon in the arsenal of many state and non-state actors pursuing unconventional means to increase regional influence and to achieve objectives. This thesis examines different means in which state and non-state actors make use of human migration to achieve political, economic, or military objectives while also analyzing the conditions necessary to achieve these desired objectives. The ability to map these trends and identify underlying conditions that are the precursors to weaponizing migration will enable military and other interagency elements to better develop strategies and to mitigate potential vulnerabilities at the strategic, operational, and tactical levels.

I. ON WEAPONIZED MIGRATION * A. INTRODUCTIO * B. CURRENT OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENT * C. BACKGROUND LITERATURE AND THEORY * II. RESEARCH DESIGN * A. METHODOLOGY * B. UNDERSTANDING WEAPONIZED MIGRATION * C. TYPOLOGY * III. TYPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS * A. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 1—COERCIVE * 1. Background * 2. Force Policy Concession/Extortion (EU vs. Turkey) * 3. A Game Theory Approach to Migration * B. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 2—DISPOSSESSIVE * 1. Appropriate Territory and/or Resources (Israel vs. Palestine) * 2. Ethnic Cleansing (Islamic State vs. Non-Sunni Population) * C. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 3—EXPORTIVE * 1. Expel Dissidents (Tutsi vs. Hutu) * 2. Destabilize Adversary (Iran vs. Afghanistan) * D. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 4—ECONOMIC * 1. Exploit Migration for Inexpensive Labor (United Arab Emirates) * 2. Exporting Forced Labor to Generate Revenue (North Korea) * 3. Exaggeration of Refugee Numbers (Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan) * 4. Remittances / Diaspora Tax (Eritrea vs. Emigrants) * E. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 5—FIFTH COLUMN * 1. Background * 2. Political / Ideological Advantage (China vs. Taiwan) * F. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 6—MILITARIZED * 1. Migrants Used as Additional Manpower (Drug Trafficking Organizations) * 2. Infiltration * 3. Disrupt Enemy / Deprive Enemy of Support * G. WEAPONIZED MIGRATION VARIANT 7—PROPAGANDA/POLITICAL * 1. Passportization (Russia vs. Georgia/Crimea) * 2. International Propaganda (Russia vs. Ukraine) * IV. CONCLUSION * A. IMPLICATIONS * 1. Migration and Biological Threats * 2. Widespread Sterilization Via Migration * B. RECOMMENDATIONS * 1. Devalue the Effect of Weaponized Migration * 2. Exploit Domestic Fears in Areas Where International Issues Exist * 3. Improve International Cooperation