http://dx.doi.org/10.17176/20170307-152528 https://staging.verfassungsblog.de/moving-beyond-the-asylum-muddle-2/ Moving Beyond the Asylum Muddle Hathaway, James C. ger 2015-09-14 electronic resource text/html ddc:342 Verfassungsblog Verfassungsblog--2366-7044 CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 The horrific images of refugees dying on European shores seem – finally – to have galvanized public opinion in favor of a shift to protection rather than deterrence. Some leaders seem still to be committed to harsh action. But the proverbial tide does seem to have turned. Pro-refugee marches in Vienna, Icelanders demanding that their government let them open their homes to refugees, and English and German football fans displaying banners welcoming refugees to join them at matches seem to have paved the way for the momentous announcement by Austria and Germany that those countries would open their doors to refugees trapped in Hungary. German Chancellor Merkel has emerged as the voice of reason, rightly insisting that the protection of refugees “is morally and legally required” of all state parties to the Refugee Convention. What now? First, it is important not to simply go back to “business as usual” when the immediate humanitarian emergency ebbs. The current pressures will abate as some states will inevitably follow the Austrian and German lead and open their doors to at least some refugees.