Irregularity of status, or „illegal‟ migration, has become a significant issue of public interest over the last 10 years. It is argued that the numbers game and moral panic shifted from black communities in the early 1980s to „bogus‟ asylum seekers in the early 1990s, and to irregular migrants in the late 1990s (Clandestino 2008: 18). We argue that public concern over irregular migration results from the tension between the needs of the UK economy for labour migration and the attempts of successive governments to convince voters that they are in control of immigration, and that they only allow inflows beneficial to the country. This situation generates loud and tough discourses on asylum and irregular migration, which remain closely related issues in Britain today.

This article was published in Politique étrangère in 1979, the year the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri) was founded. In it, Raymond Aron reviews important events of the previous decade, such as the Vietnam War. He particularly reflects on the place of law, morality, force and national interest in international relations. Related topics, like the right to intervene and the responsibility to protect, are implicitly included in this article.