The sense of crisis is not confined to advanced industrial societies. The bulk of the world’s refugees and immigrants is moving from one developing country to another. In portions of Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Mauritania, Senegal, Congo, Nigeria, and Libya, local citizens or their governments have turned against foreigners. In many countries the burden of feeding and housing large numbers of refugees has placed acute strains upon society. The flow of illegal migrants in search of land or employment has often led to violence with local people fearful that they will lose their land and their jobs to people who are prepared to accept work at lower wages. International institutions, particularly the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Red Cross, are overwhelmed with the costs of handling refugees and internally displaced people fleeing violence and repression.
