Laetitia Eichinger, Dmytro Makukha, Jasmin Rothenfluh
The political philosophy of Liberalism prioritises individual rights and liberty above all else. But whose liberty does the liberal state have a responsibility to protect? That of citizens or that of all people, whether they are citizens or not?
Such questions have become increasingly pertinent in the current political climate, where we are seeing numerous liberal democracies enforcing stricter immigration policies in response to multiple and ongoing refugee crises. The UK, with its push to ‘stop the boats’ and its notorious Rwanda policy, is a prime example of a country where we can question whether the approaches used in immigration control are in line with liberal values.
In this podcast, we speak to Dr. Simona Capisani, a specialist in the Philosophy of Immigration at Durham University in the UK, about these issues. We discuss the obligations of the liberal state, democratic backsliding, and alternative ways of understanding the issue of immigration, which could help liberal states to uphold their commitment to liberal values when it comes to immigration.