political conFlictS and Migration in the Mena StateS 181
part into camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria). Although the last great
conf lict now lies almost 40 years in the past (the October War of 1973),
the subsequent smaller skirmishes with Lebanon (2006) and in the Gaza
Strip (2008/2009) were military conf licts that precipitated considerable
migratory movements.- Lebanon, which has been a hotspot in two ways: f irst, because of the con-
nection between constitutional organs and ethnic-religious aff iliation,
which became outdated by demographic developments in the country
and eventually caused distribution problems among Christians and
Muslims and between Sunnis and Shiites that remain unsolved even
today. Second, through the contiguity to Israel and the increasingly
radicalised Palestinians (especially the Islamist faction) (Rougier 2007)^
as well as the Hezbollah in Lebanon, the already precarious internal
balance was upset. - Iraq, which, under the authoritarian command of Saddam Hussein (in-
ternal suppression of the Kurds and Shiites, elimination of all democratic
opposition, war against Iran and attempted takeover of Kuwait), was
and – even after his downfall in May 2003 – has remained a hotbed of
destabilisation and war (outbreak of civil war, f ight between Sunnis and
Shiites, bombings of Jihadists against occupational troops, and dissention
with Turkey concerning Kurds). The situation calmed down in 2009 and
2010, but terrorist activities have increased since the US troops left Iraqi
territory in December 2011. This development not only keeps refugees
from returning to their home country, but escalating anti-Christian
agitation has also caused many Christian Iraqis to leave Iraq. - Afghanistan, where, after the fall of the Taliban in 2001, the war between
the Taliban and other rebel groups against the international occupational
troops, as well as the Afghan Army of President Karzai, continues to the
present day. - Pakistan, where the quarrel between Islamists and the government, on
the one hand, and between the (secular) opposition and the government,
on the other, led to such an explosive mixture that US analysts in 2007
considered Pakistan to be ‘the most dangerous country in the world’
(Rüb 2007). Even if such an assessment is exaggerated, the situation in
Pakistan is one of the most complicated in the region, especially as part
of the territory is not under state control and the economic and social
problems are huge (Hussain 2007).