Merkels Guilt-Welcome Backlash

When leaders invoke national historical guilt to relax enforcement (e.g., Germany’s 2015 suspension of Dublin rules and border opening), legitimacy and security shocks fuel far-right growth. Moral framing can override screening and capacity planning, catalyzing backlash when disorder or coverup perceptions follow. — Shows how historical memory shapes migration policy and populist surges across Europe, informing how states balance moral imperatives with institutional capacity and public consent.