Typically I am envious of anyone who has dual citizenship. It provides more options in life, and perhaps allegiance to multiple countries.
Extrapolate that for effect – the more people who have allegiance to multiple countries would surely create a more peaceful, less divisive planet.
When I was in my twenties, I has a two year working holiday in the UK, and when I didn’t want it to end, but sadly I had to return to Australia/NZ. It crossed my mind that someone from the UK was in the same boat, not wanting to leave. On a one-to-one basis it would make sense to allow both parties to stay, as they would be more productive and happier being somewhere they want to be. And eventually awarding each a dual citizenship would strengthen the ties between the two countries.
Obviously Australia and the UK have pretty strong ties anyway, so how about countries that could do with stronger ties, could they have a similar scheme?
Take for example Fiji and Australia. Some Fijians come here to work in horticulture (because of pay differentials between the two countries). While few Aussies would want to work in Fiji, they might want to retire there. So formalise it, one-for-one swaps.
Maybe even three-ways? I’m thinking of how to introduce refugees into the mix… this is a stretch but indicative of direction of thinking required:
Venezuelan refugees come to Australia. Australians go to Germany to live, and work for a particular company. That company gets funding from the German government to invest in a factory in Venezuela that employs locals.
Two lots of people get to live in their new country of choice, Australia gets to fulfil their refugee obligations and Germany helps monetarily. And all three countries get to bond with each other more than they do now.
Consider it a more earthy and tangible version of the twin cities phenomenon, which exists for similar reasons but is mostly ceremonial.
As a side note, Australia was just as big, and just as empty of people (relative to capacity) as the US when each were invaded by the British. One grew to be a superpower because it had substantially more of productive land and could support more people. One day – bold prediction here – Australia will manage to make its deserts fertile, and be capable of taking in all of the world’s refugees, where they can live a subsistence life in peace, and not in tent cities.
