# If there were no nationalities

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-no-nationalities/244134>\
**Category:** Great Debates\
**Created:** [May 8, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-no-nationalities/244134 "2004-05-08T04:07:09Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![EvilGhandi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@EvilGhandi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilGhandi)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-no-nationalities/244134/1 "2004-05-08T04:07:09Z")

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This thread

> **[What happens if you're born in no man's land?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255004)**
>
> If say for example, your mother gave birth to you on a trans-atlantic flight whilst you were over unclaimed ocean territory, to which country would you owe your allegiance? Where you took off? Where you land? Atlantis? Or do your parents decide based...

Got me thinking.

What if, by wave of magic wand, any adult anywhere in the world could declare citizenship anywhere they liked. Much like US states citizenships are considered, you know paying taxes, declaring residency and whatnot.

What would happen? Would it be bad? Would all the dems move to Canada and insure that another one of them would never be elected? (only kidding)

Of course all citizens would be subject to the laws of their host nations and would only be allowed to vote in their declared nations elections. (providing their declared nation had elections)

I tried to wrap my brain around this but couldn’t get a handle on it. (hows that for mixing em?)  
Mods if this is more suited to another forum I appologise I just stuck it here because of its inherently political nature.

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**Author:** ![RandomLetters](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8edcca/32.png) [@RandomLetters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RandomLetters)\
**Post date:** [May 8, 2004, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-there-were-no-nationalities/244134/2 "2004-05-08T05:13:48Z")

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I suspect you would see mass immigration from the poorer regions of the world to the richer first world nations - a lot more middle easterners & Africans would head to Europe, a lot of Latin Americans to the US & Canada, and a lot of people from the less well off parts of Asia heading to the first world Asian countries - Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, ect, as well as to Australia, New Zealand, the US, and Canada.