Why statelessness is bad for countries and people
Millions lack citizenship around the world, putting them in a precarious position
SOME PEOPLE covet passports and try to acquire new ones through naturalisation. Most are content with the citizenship they acquire at birth—at least that is guaranteed. Or so they think. In mid-February Nicaragua revoked the citizenship of more than 300 opposition politicians and activists. A few days later Israeli lawmakers empowered the government to strip citizenship from Israeli Arabs who have been convicted of terrorism, served prison time and received money from the Palestinian Authority. Shortly afterwards Shamima Begum, who in 2015 joined Islamic State (IS) in Syria as a 15-year-old, lost her appeal in a British court against the British government’s removal of her citizenship. All three revoking countries were criticised by human-rights advocates for adding to the ranks of stateless people, who are estimated to number 15m worldwide. Why is statelessness so harmful?
From the March 4th 2023 edition
Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents
Explore the editionMore from The Economist explains
Where does Santa come from?
How a miracle-working Greek bishop, Dutch folk figure and early New York icon became the ubiquitous symbol of Christmas
Who are the main rebel groups in Syria?
They were united against the country’s dictator. Now they have little in common
Is RFK junior right to say America allows more toxins than the EU?
He is, but things are slowly beginning to change
What would it cost to kill coal?
The price of shutting down coal power, and what would be gained
Should America ban fluoride in its drinking water?
The idea by Robert F. Kennedy junior—nominated by Donald Trump as health secretary—may have teeth
Why is Donald Trump keen to use “recess appointments”?
The president-elect is testing the loyalty of the Senate’s next majority leader