Justifying measures: Security and humanitarianism in migration policy. A critical discourse analysis of the 2016 EU-Turkey statement

Abstract: Ever since the end of the Cold war, there has been a change in what is considered a security threat. A discourse of security is traditionally linked to military threats; however, it has become more and more visible in migration policies. In the past ten years, a discourse of humanitarianism has also gained momentum and is often used in connection to a security discourse. In this thesis, I have examined how the EU uses these discourses in the 2016 EU-Turkey statement, which was implemented as a response to the occurring refugee crisis. I have, through Norman Fairclough’s critical discourse analysis, analysed five policy documents surrounding the statement. This thesis goes on to show that the EU uses a discourse of security and a discourse of humanitarianism strategically to justify the measures taken against irregular migrants; and concludes by discussing what consequences this might have on irregular migration and migrants over all.