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Article 1 of the 1951 Geneva Convention furnishes a common and universal deŽfinition applicable to all refugees irrespective of their state of origin. However, I will argue that international refugee law—or at least its key principle, the principle of non-refoulement—introduces a morally arbitrary criterion for determining the responsibilities of states: a refugee’s proximity to an international boundary. The role of this criterion, moreover, is one factor in explaining why the current refugee regime is in crisis. Acknowledging the desirability of moving towards a less partial international system, I will outline some of the difficulties associated with creating an international system where all refugees matter to us and matter equally.

More information

Type

Journal article

Publisher

Routledge

Publication Date

2000

Volume

3 (3)

Pages

313 - 317

Total pages

5