The global asylum system is facing a moment of reckoning. With over 123 million people displaced by war, persecution, or disaster, the scale of human suffering is immense. Yet much of the political and media focus in wealthy nations fixates on the relatively small number ~ 2.7 million in 2023 ~ who manage to reach the borders of the West. This disproportionate attention distorts public understanding, fuels backlash, and ultimately undermines the very ideals the asylum system is meant to uphold. The problem lies not in offering sanctuary, but in how sanctuary is structured. The current model rewards only those who can make perilous journeys to rich countries. It does little for the vast majority who remain in limbo in camps, informal settlements, or the shadows of host societies in poorer regions.

This results in a system that is both morally uneven and politically unsustainable. Inaction has a cost. When........

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