Asylum is a polysemous term which describes a place and a protection. It is both the most fundamental right of refugees and a prerogative of the state inherent to its territorial sovereignty. As a result of this duality, international law recognizes the right of individuals to seek and enjoy asylum in a foreign country and the right of the state to grant asylum, but not necessarily an obligation to do so. This dialectic has been considerably informed and shaped by the refugee status and the subsequent development of international human rights law.