German Security Measures and the Refugee Crisis 2012 - October 2016
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German security measures and the refugee crisis 2012 - October 2016 Author: Katharina Koch Tutor: Dr. Ludwig Gelot Examiner: Dr. Heiko Fritz Semester: Fall 2016 Course code: 2FU32E Table of contents Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... 3 List of figures ............................................................................................................................. 4 List of abbreviations ................................................................................................................... 5 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 6 1.1 Introduction and research problem ................................................................................... 6 1.2. Topic relevance ................................................................................................................ 7 1.3 Objective and research questions ..................................................................................... 7 1.4 Literature review ............................................................................................................... 8 1.5 Theoretical framework ..................................................................................................... 9 1.6 Methodological framework ............................................................................................ 10 1.7 Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................ 11 1.8 Thesis structure ............................................................................................................... 12 2. Theoretical framework ......................................................................................................... 12 3. Methodological framework .................................................................................................. 15 4. Background .......................................................................................................................... 16 5. Findings ................................................................................................................................ 18 5.1 2012-2015: ...................................................................................................................... 18 5.2 2015 ................................................................................................................................ 21 5.3 2016 ................................................................................................................................ 30 6. Analysis ................................................................................................................................ 35 6.1 First period ...................................................................................................................... 36 6.2 Second period ................................................................................................................. 37 6.3 Third period .................................................................................................................... 42 6.3.1 Social sector ............................................................................................................. 42 6.3.2 Political sector .......................................................................................................... 43 6.3.3 Economic sector ....................................................................................................... 45 6.3.4 Refugee-terrorism nexus .......................................................................................... 47 7. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................ 48 8. Bibliography ......................................................................................................................... 50 9. Annex ................................................................................................................................... 84 Abstract At present, Europe faces an unprecedented inflow of refugees which confronts it with great challenges. Germany is particularly affected by the high number of refugees and its accompanying consequences. The aim of the thesis is to show how the refugee crisis was securitized and why the high number of refugees and its accompanying effects on social life led to a modification of internal and external security measures in Germany. The thesis presents the developments during the refugee crisis in Germany and their effects on German security as well as the measures introduced to address the problems. Thereby, the securitization theory is used to analyze the events and measures taken accordingly. The analysis concludes that the security measures were modified to react to a changing perception of the refugees by the German population whose opinion changed from a ‘welcome- culture’ to a demand for a restricted refugee intake due to the events described in the findings part. Keywords: refugee crisis, Germany, security measures, changing attitude, securitization List of figures Figure 1 Asylum applications in 2012 (Asylanträge im Jahr 2012) Figure 2 Germany, Hungary and Sweden together received over half of asylum seeker applications in 2015 Figure 3 The most important routes for migrants who aim for Europe (Die wich- tigsten Routen für Migranten mit dem Ziel Europa) Figure 4 Development of the number of initial asylum applications over three years (2013-15) Figure 5 Flucht über die Balkanroute Figure 6 Deutschlandtrend: It scares me that so many refugees come to us. Figure 7 Number of accepted asylum applications (in %) Figure 8 Mediterranean Maritime Transit Routes Figure 9 Balkan Route: The cumbersome way of the refugees (Balkanroute: Der beschwerliche Weg der Flüchtlinge.) Figure 10 Many Europeans concerned refugees will increase domestic terrorism Figure 11 Graphic shows the long, risky and tortured roots some desperate Syrians are taking through the Sahel and north Africa to get to Europe. Figure 12 Sea Change Figure 13 ´We manage it´ - really? List of abbreviations AfD Alternative for Germany (party) BAMF Ministry for Refugees and Migration BMI Ministry of Interior BMVg Ministry of Defense CSU Christian Social Union (party) CDU Christian Democratic Union (party) EU European Union EUKIP UK Independence Party EUTM European Union Training Mission Mali FPÖ Austrian Freedom Party (party) GDP Gross Domestic Product GDR German Democratic Republic IR International Relations IS Islamic State ISIL Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant MINUSMA United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali MoD Minister of Defense MoI Minister of Interior NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization OSCE Organization for security and cooperation in Europe PEGIDA Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamization of the Occident SPD Social Democratic Party of Germany (party) UNHCR United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon WW II World War II 1. Introduction 1.1 Introduction and research problem Even though German governments denied it for a long time, Germany can be considered a country of immigration (Özoğuz, 2016, p.6). The immigrants consist of people looking for a job as well as people seeking refuge for different reasons1. The first wave of refugees in the newer history occurred during and after the Second World War with 14 million Germans resettling from the Eastern territories to the German heartland (Kleikamp, 2015). During the second wave three million people left the GDR between 1946 and 1961 (ARD, n.d.). The third wave started with the war in Yugoslavia (1991) in which Germany accepted 48% of all refugees (European forum for migration studies, 1997), only in 1992 the number of refugees reached 440.000 (Bade and Oltmer, 2005). Even though Germany is an immigration country, it has never experienced a situation like today before. From 2012 to 10/2016, 1.542.640 asylum applications were requested, the highest number in German history. Only in 2016, 657.855 applications were handed in, until 10/2016 (Statista, 2016a). According to the Minister of Interior, 890.000 asylum seekers entered Germany in 2015 (Spiegel, 2016). Despite the rising refugee number, a welcoming attitude predominated among the ruling parties and the majority of the population until summer 2015. In 10/2016, however, the high influx was seen skeptical by the Government and a large part of the population. That is why this thesis investigates how and why the refugee issue was securitized and which effects a big event, such as the refugee crisis, has on a state´s, in this case Germany´s, need for security and security measures. Therefore, the changes in German security measures that occurred because of the refugee crisis shall be determined and the reasons for them identified. Besides, internal effects, on the German population (Neuerer, n.d. and Zeit Online, 2016h), and external effects, on international partners (especially European) are explored. To analyze the events shaping security measures, the securitization-theory by Ole Waever and Barry Buzan is applied. 1 One must differentiate between immigrants and refugees even though the terms are often used interchangeably in Germany nowadays as most refugees want