1 [ Journal of Legal Studies, vol. 47 (January 2018)] © 2018 by The University of Chicago. All rights reserved. 0047-2530/2018/4701-00xx$10.00 Reflections on the Role of Law in the Gulf Migration System Andrew Gardner ABSTRACT This paper, grounded in a series of ethnographic projects concerned with transnational labor migration to the Arabian Gulf states, commences with an overview of the Indian Ocean migra- tion system that shuttles tens of millions of temporary workers to and from the wealthy Gulf states. The remainder of the paper comprises two assertions and evidence to support them. First, the paper contends that the symbolic role of law in contemporary Arabia often eclipses its other functions in the region. Second, the paper contends that the demographic terrain of the contemporary Gulf states poses unprecedented challenges for the implementation of law and policies concerning foreign migrants and their presence in Arabia. While the ethnographic evidence presented in this paper is primarily drawn from Qatar, these points can be extrapo- lated to all six of the Gulf Cooperation Council states. 1. INTRODUCTION In the United States, the predominant focus of our attention has long been directed at the low of transnational migrants across the southern border of our nation. Through this geographical logic, migration from Mexico and Central America has occupied the center stage of our atten- tion, sometimes accompanied by information and news concerning other migrations and movements, particularly (and recently) those with an end point in western Europe. While these North American and European des- tinations remain the primary end points in the mobilities that characterize our contemporary world, the wealthy Arab Gulf states are the third most andrew gardner is a Professor of Anthropology at the University of Puget Sound. This paper was presented at the conference “Optimal Design of Guest Worker Programs,” hosted by the University of Chicago Law School, October 7–8, 2016. Support from the Qatar National Research Fund’s National Priorities Research Program, the Open Society Foundation, and the University of Washington’s Whiteley Center were key features of this paper’s production.