The Coming of a 'Blank Cheque'- Europe, the 1951 Convention, and the 1967 Protocol

As originally drafted, the 1951 Convention contained a temporal and potential geographical limitation - refugeehood had to arise due to events before 1 January 1951 and States could limit their obligations to events occurring in Europe. Within a few years of the Convention coming into force, questions were raised as to whether certain displacements had generated Convention refugees. In the end, the 1967 Protocol addressed the two limitations, but the question addressed here is whether, on the basis of the evidence of State practice, there was any real need. © Oxford University Press 2004; all rights reserved