On Adenauer, Hegel, and... Migration (or, How to Interpret Europe's Migrant "Crisis")

Germany expects to receive more than 1 million refugees in 2015. While international commentators have admired Chancellor Merkel’s response to this “crisis,” the situation is complex and the German government’s actions and Merkel’s own statements reflect multiple perspectives. In this working paper, I draw on a philosophical tradition dating back to the German philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to interpret the political debate of immigration and Germany’s response to the recent migrant crisis.