Citizenship, Nationalism and Statelessness - Essay Example

An individual can become a citizen in different ways. One can gain citizenship by birth. The first way of gaining citizenship, being born into citizenship, can occur in two ways (Steiner 2009, p. 109). That of being born in a certain nation and thus becoming a citizen of that particular nation. Second, from the fact that one is born from the womb of a mother who has citizenship in a certain nation, he/she qualifies to be a citizen of his/her mother’s nation. A second way is through naturalization (Steiner 2009, p. 109). This is the alternative way for an individual who needs citizenship in a country in which he is not a citizen by birth. For one to gain this citizenship, though, he/she must meet certain criteria set by different countries.

However, there is a possibility that an individual can fail to have citizenship. That individual who is of this status is considered stateless. Statelessness is a profound threat to an individual’s general well-being. According to Steiner (2009, p. 104), this follows the reason that benefits such as protection and assistance which are provided by governments are beyond their reach.

In conclusion, citizenship is essential to every individual. Statelessness is an issue that should be dealt with adequately to ensure that every individual’s right to nationality is fulfilled (Steiner 2009, p. 104). The issue of statelessness thus stands as a subject for deliberation and should trigger critical thinking to resolve it. Read More