In this chapter, there is an in depth discussion of citizenship and how it affects those who emigrate from their land of birth to settle in a new country and how this affects their interactions with their homeland. Although I am an immigrant, I didn't experience many of the conflicts they touched on in this chapter as my homeland, Canada, is often viewed as an extension of the United States, the country to which I moved.
Citizenship laws can be a very confusing subject, in the United States, some countries are allowed to have dual citizenship, where the national can retain their original citizenship while also gaining one for the United States. Those that are not on the list are required to renounce legal claim to their citizenship to their native country. For any swearing into allegiance to the United States, even if the country is on the list of acceptable dual citizenship countries, technically the recitation includes renouncement of all other citizenships and sole allegiance to the United States. Oddly enough, although the United States do not view it as legal, that country may still see you as a citizen and will assist in legal issues. The book mentioned that in the past, countries were not very kind of ex-patriots, but with the more modern world, countries are more interested in keep allegiance, even if it may be long distance.
