Attempting return: Iraqis' re-migration from Iraq

The voluntary repatriation of refugees and internally displaced persons is interpreted as evidence of restored security and political stability, improved civil-state relations and public confidence in reconstruction efforts in war-torn countries. Iraqi refugees' decision to return is less driven by improvements in Iraq than by their desire to rebuild their lives back home and to overcome the difficult legal and socio-economic conditions in neighbouring countries. The article explores Iraqi returnees' experiences based on accounts of their repatriation and subsequent re-migration to Syria and Jordan. The micro and macro transformations occurring in post-Saddam Iraq have a strong bearing on refugees' return and reintegration in their home communities. In the absence of permanent solutions to protracted displacement, the Iraqis resort to transnational mobility and networks as alternative livelihood strategies and participate in the socio-economic developments in home and host countries through the constant multi-directional flow of economic, social and human capital