Negotiating asylum and accommodation

Who do we welcome into our societies? Whom do we deny asylum and accommodation? Over the last years, we have witnessed rather emotional debates in the media and the public sphere pointing to the so-called “migrant crisis” – in France, Germany and in many other European countries. These debates reveal a much-forgotten reality: individuals and groups in need do not find ipso facto asylum and support in a given country, even if the latter claims to comply with human rights law and humanitarian principles. Asylum has to be negotiated. Asylum is asked for, solicited and argued for. The actors involved develop specific strategies, they negotiate, they sometimes make deals and they quite often have to plead or to contend for international aid