The ethics and the politics of asylum: liberal democracy and the response to refugees

Asylum has become a highly charged political issue across developed countries, raising a host of difficult ethical and political questions. What responsibilities do the world's richest countries have to refugees arriving at their borders? Are states justified in implementing measures to prevent the arrival of economic migrants if they also block entry for refugees? Is it legitimate to curtail the rights of asylum seekers to maximize the number of refugees receiving protection overall? This book draws upon political and ethical theory and an examination of the experiences of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia to consider how to respond to the challenges of asylum. In addition to explaining why asylum has emerged as such a key political issue in recent years, it provides a compelling account of how states could move towards implementing morally defensible responses to refugees. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Title......Page 5 Copyright......Page 6 Dedication......Page 7 Contents......Page 9 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction......Page 13 Refugees......Page 17 Asylum seekers......Page 21 Economic migrants......Page 23 Family reunion......Page 25 The requirements of a political theory......Page 27 Conclusion......Page 31 1 Partiality: community, citizenship and the defence of closure......Page 35 The political community and foreigners......Page 39 Partiality and refugees......Page 44 The state: territory, identity, agency......Page 47 What gives the state the right to exclusive use of the territory it occupies?......Page 48 What is shared by citizens that distinguishes them from outsiders?......Page 53 The political account of membership......Page 55 The modified partialist account of membership......Page 57 Are states responsible for the harm they cause?......Page 60 Assumption I: the West and the creation of refugees......Page 63 Assumption II: inflicting harm and failing to aid......Page 66 Conclusion......Page 69 2 Impartiality: freedom, equality and open borders......Page 71 Liberals and utilitarians......Page 72 The force of impartiality......Page 76 Liberal inconsistencies?......Page 77 Open borders and the welfare state......Page 81 Impartiality versus partiality......Page 89 Conclusion......Page 94 3 The Federal Republic of Germany: the rise and fall of a right to asylum......Page 97 Rechtsstaat......Page 99 Capitalist state......Page 101 Nation-state......Page 102 European state......Page 104 The emergence of a crisis: 1970–93......Page 106 Withdrawing the right of asylum......Page 112 The aftermath of reform......Page 115 Conclusion......Page 116 4 The United Kingdom: the value of asylum......Page 119 The state and entrance: 1945–75......Page 120 Capitalist state......Page 121 Commonwealth state......Page 122 Political community......Page 124 State of refuge......Page 125 European state......Page 126 Commonwealth versus political community: 1961–81......Page 127 Political community versus refuge: 1979–95......Page 133 The political rise of asylum: 1996–2002......Page 137 Conclusion......Page 141 5 The United States: the making and breaking of a refugee consensus......Page 144 The aftermath of war and the origins of US refugee policy......Page 145 The shape of immigration control......Page 147 Ethnic pressure groups......Page 148 National identity......Page 149 The responsibilities of leadership......Page 151 Ordered tension’: the institutional framework......Page 153 The 1948 Displaced Persons Act and beyond......Page 154 The Cold War and the politics of inclusion......Page 158 The reassertion of Congress......Page 162 The decreasing utility of the Cold War refugee......Page 164 The US as a country of first asylum......Page 166 Unequal protection and the rise of the courts......Page 168 The new era in responses to refugees......Page 170 Resettlement......Page 171 Asylum......Page 173 6 Australia: restricting asylum, resettling refugees......Page 178 The quest for legitimacy......Page 180 State of security......Page 182 Capitalist state......Page 184 Nation-state......Page 185 Responses to refugees between 1975 and 1996......Page 189 A European nation?......Page 191 National interests and refugee admissions......Page 193 Controlling entry......Page 196 Tampa and beyond......Page 199 The Tampa incident......Page 200 A sea change?......Page 202 The question of justifiability......Page 203 Conclusion......Page 204 7 From ideal to non-ideal theory: reckoning with the state, politics and consequences......Page 206 Challenges of agency: from ideal to non-ideal theory......Page 208 The institutional challenge: reckoning with the character of the modern state......Page 209 The idea of the state......Page 210 The practical limitations of the modern state......Page 213 The adapting agent......Page 215 National agent......Page 216 Democratic agent......Page 218 Economic agent......Page 221 Implications of the state as a particularistic agent......Page 223 The political challenge: avoiding a backlash......Page 224 The needs of the claimants......Page 225 Determining who is a refugee......Page 226 Unemployment and housing......Page 227 Ethnic affinity......Page 228 Integration history......Page 229 The actions of other states......Page 231 Control......Page 233 The ethical challenge: unintended consequences......Page 234 Conclusion......Page 240 8 Liberal democratic states and ethically defensible asylum practices......Page 241 Defining humanitarianism......Page 243 The advantages of humanitarianism......Page 245 Objections to the humanitarian principle......Page 246 The practical requirements of humanitarianism......Page 248 Humanitarianism and the claims of asylum seekers......Page 249 Humanitarianism and the issue of resettlement......Page 251 Practical implications......Page 252 Humanitarianism and the duty to challenge current constraints......Page 255 Reshaping public opinion......Page 256 Participating in resettlement sharing......Page 258 Tackling the causes of forced migration......Page 259 Rights versus asylum......Page 261 National security versus asylum......Page 266 Conclusion......Page 271 References......Page 273 Index......Page 291 Countries Throughout The World Are Grappling With The Practical And Moral Issues Raised By Increasing Numbers Of Refugees. Matthew Gibney's Book Asks How Western Countries Should Respond To The Claims Of Refugees Who Arrive On Their Territory, And Relates The Question To Wider Issues Surrounding Immigration, Citizenship And The Responsibilities Of Democracies. Examining Policy In The United States, Germany, The United Kingdom And Australia, This Book Offers An Important Contribution To A Highly Topical Subject. Partiality: Community, Citizenship And The Defence Of Closure -- Impartiality: Freedom, Equality And Open Borders -- The Federal Republic Of Germany : The Rise And Fall Of A Right To Asylum -- The United Kingdom: The Value Of Asylum -- The United States: The Making And Breaking Of A Refugee Consensus -- Australia: Restricting Asylum, Resettling Refugees -- From Ideal To Non-ideal Theory: Reckoning With The State, Politics And Consequences -- Liberal Democratic States And Ethically Defensible Asylum Practices. Matthew J. Gibney. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 261-278) And Index. Asylum has become a highly charged political issue across developed countries over the last two decades. This book draws upon political and ethical theory and an examination of the experiences of the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and Australia to consider how to respond to the challenges of asylum. In addition to explaining why it has emerged as such a key political issue, the study provides a compelling account of how states could implement morally defensible responses to refugees. Over the last two decades, asylum has become a highly charged political issue across developed countries. This book draws upon political and ethical theory and an examination of the experiences of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Australia to consider how to respond to the challenges of asylum Western states are grappling with the implications of the rising numbers of refugees for their immigration and asylum systems. This text examines the records of Germany, UK, Australia and the US, and relates them to the ethical debates surrounding asylum, and the responsibilities of liberal democracies