Spy Citizens: Dual Citizenship
https://www.rozen-bakher.com/timeline-risks/05/06/2023/1306
Published Date: 05 June 2023
Risks Timeline by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher
Comments on Contemporary Risks by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher
Risks Timeline by Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher: https://www.rozen-bakher.com/timeline-risks-all
Dr. Ziva Rozen-Bakher
Researcher in International Relations with a Focus on Security, Political and Economic Risks for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and International Trade
05 June 2023 at 13:06. Can a person be Loyal to more than one Country? From the viewpoint of Risk for ‘Spy Citizens’ - NO. Dual Citizenship and Triple Citizenship or even more increased the Risk for ‘Spy Citizens’, because clearly, for example, Israeli citizens that hold dual citizenship of Israel & Portugal will be loyal to Israel and NOT to Portugal. Therefore, many other countries don’t allow Dual Citizenship (see below) based on the loyalty argument, such as the Netherlands, Austria, Japan, Saudi Arabia, India and China. Still, many other countries don’t allow that holder of public positions will hold Dual citizenship, yet it leads to a farce of ‘in-out-in’ from holding citizenship, as in the case of Stanley Fischer, who renounced his American citizenship to become the governor of the Bank of Israel, while after that, he renounced his Israeli citizenship to become the Vice-Chairman of the US Federal Reserve Board of Governors, still, now (update 06/2023), he holds Dual Citizenship of Israel & USA. Perhaps the famous Spy case between Friendly countries like Israel and the USA was the case of Jonathan Pollard (see below). Nevertheless, many countries granted citizenship based on a ‘Gold Visa’ to promote investment (FDI Inward), yet these countries take the risk for ‘Spy Citizens’.
Importantly, the Military Obligations of holders of Dual Nationality are more strict and de-facto prohibited it, based on international law, namely the Protocol that was established at The Hague, 12 April 1930, which is related to Military Obligations in the case of Dual Nationality amid the concern of the Disloyalty Risk. The protocol states: "A person possessing two or more nationalities who habitually resides in one of the countries whose nationality he possesses, and who is in fact most closely connected with that country, shall be exempt from all military obligations in the other country or countries. This exemption may involve the loss of the nationality of the other country or countries." That means that a holder of Dual Nationality can not serve in a ‘Distance Citizenship Country’ unless the citizen renounced the Dual Citizenship and holds only the citizenship of the country where the person serves in the Military Army. The Protocol regarding Military Obligations of holders of Dual Nationality gives us a clear direction for the loyalty problem of Dual Citizenship, or obviously in the case of Triple Citizenship or Multiple Citizenship.
Hence, in general, I oppose Dual Citizenship from the viewpoint of the Spying Risk, namely Dual Citizenship serves as a Back Door to the entry of ‘Spy Citizens’. However, if a country cares less about Spying and more needs FDI Inward, then Dual Citizenship can be implemented under the Risk of Spying.
