Principles of morals, natural law, and politics in dealing with refugees

Abstract

The essay discusses first the general moral principles concerning the help for people in need and their specific application to refugees (with a particular focus on Peter Singer’s and Michael Walzer’s contributions). Second, it exposes the fundamental principles of international law regarding refugees in their historical development and critiques the actual regime on the basis of a theory of natural law. Third, it debates the merits and errors of the politics of the German government during the refugee crisis of 2015, including its effects on the European Union. While committed to a universalist ethics and strongly supporting migration, the essays justifies a position that rejects a generic opening of the borders.