Wer Sind Wir Wieder? Laws of Asylum, Immigration, and Citizenship in the Struggle for the Soul of the New Germany

Old ghosts linger in the shadows of the new Germany. Nearly half a century after the fall of the Third Reich, amidst the celebration of German re-unification and a chorus of wir sind wieder wer, a resurgence of xenophobia has become a central German political dilemma. Asylum-seekers and, more generally, other "foreigners," have become the targets of a growing number of physical attacks. More than 2400 such assaults were reported in 1991, including dozens of cases of arson that resulted in severe injuries and deaths.

Some 2200 attacks were reported through the first nine months of 1992.