the Ethics and Politics of Asylum: Liberal Democracy Response to Refugees

How should Western countries respond to the claims of refugees who arrive on their territory? This book examines the records of Germany, UK, Australia and the United States, and relates them to the ethical debates surrounding asylum, and the responsibilities of liberal democracies. 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.