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Dual Citizenship in De Facto States: Comparative Case Study of Abkhazia and Transnistria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 October 2019

Ramesh Ganohariti
Ramesh Ganohariti*
Affiliation:
Institute of Security and Global Affairs, Leiden University, Leiden, The Netherlands
*
*Corresponding author. Email: ramganohariti@gmail.com
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Abstract

The contested nature of de facto states and their acceptance of dual citizenship results in the overlap of multiple citizenship regimes, leading to individuals living in de facto states possessing multiple citizenship statuses. Using the Most Similar Systems Design, this article explores the factors that influence the (divergent) citizenship regimes of Abkhazia and Transnistria; the former allows dual citizenship only with Russia, while the latter places no restrictions. The primary reason for the adoption of dual citizenship is for pragmatic reasons, as the secondary citizenship can compensate for the lack of benefits (such as international travel, diplomatic protection) afforded by the de facto state’s citizenship. This said, having an ethnicized national identity, in contrast to a civic (state-centered) national identity, can produce (dual) citizenship laws that give preferential treatment to the titular group and its diaspora. Additionally, the influence exerted by the patron state (Russia) and the severity of the conflict with the parent state (Georgia/Moldova) influences dual citizenship in becoming conditional and thus more exclusive.

Keywords

dual citizenshipde facto statesidentityAbkhaziaTransnistria
Type
Article
Information
Nationalities Papers , Volume 48 , Special Issue 1: Special Issue on the Emergence and Resilience of Parastates , January 2020 , pp. 175 - 192
Copyright
© Association for the Study of Nationalities 2020

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