Money can buy you a nationality
The nationality stamped on a passport means different things to different people- to an extent it defines who you are, where you come from and where your loyalties lie. Why else do governments make it so difficult to apply for one?
Where then do your loyalties lie when you buy a passport for a large sum of money? There were two separate articles in The Economist covering the two sides of this coin. One feature was on Austria offering citizenship at a price. The other was on Tibet and how the people were struggling to remain Tibetan even under the Chinese rule.
Despite the carrot of development being dangled in front of the Tibetans, they are striving to maintain their religious traditions and the language. One mother says that she insists that her daughter learn Tibetan and many others do the same. Surely they are paying a price dearer than money for a citizenship that was theirs in the first place?
On the other hand, in Austria citizenship is awarded to foreigners with no knowledge of German and no prior residence. All the Austrian government asks is that they make an exceptional contribution to the country either in the scientific, cultural, artistic or economic field.
Why is it that one country is clutching so desperately to its roots- whilst the other is willing to sell it to the highest bidder?
The Economist describes the profile of the typical applicant for an Austrian citizenship as a rich person from a poor country, whose primary aim is to avoid visa hassles. Certainly there must be another way to manage travel woes than change one’s nationality?
Where then do your loyalties lie when you buy a passport for a large sum of money? There were two separate articles in The Economist covering the two sides of this coin. One feature was on Austria offering citizenship at a price. The other was on Tibet and how the people were struggling to remain Tibetan even under the Chinese rule.
Despite the carrot of development being dangled in front of the Tibetans, they are striving to maintain their religious traditions and the language. One mother says that she insists that her daughter learn Tibetan and many others do the same. Surely they are paying a price dearer than money for a citizenship that was theirs in the first place?
On the other hand, in Austria citizenship is awarded to foreigners with no knowledge of German and no prior residence. All the Austrian government asks is that they make an exceptional contribution to the country either in the scientific, cultural, artistic or economic field.
Why is it that one country is clutching so desperately to its roots- whilst the other is willing to sell it to the highest bidder?
The Economist describes the profile of the typical applicant for an Austrian citizenship as a rich person from a poor country, whose primary aim is to avoid visa hassles. Certainly there must be another way to manage travel woes than change one’s nationality?
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