Kazakhstan — The polar opposite of Vietnam on dual citizenship, and a country that voluntarily renounced the world's fourth-largest nuclear arsenal
Kazakhstan strictly prohibits dual citizenship — acquiring another country's citizenship means losing Kazakhstan citizenship, and concealing it…
Uzbekistan — A country that once required its own citizens to obtain permission to leave, and abolished that rule
Until the end of 2018, Uzbekistan citizens wanting to travel abroad had to obtain an exit visa issued by their own country. That rule…
Turkmenistan — When the state annulled dual citizenship agreements and forced thousands to choose
In 2003 Turkmenistan terminated its dual citizenship treaty with Russia, forcing those holding both to pick one. This is …
Myanmar — Country with three CITIZENSHIP CLASSES under law, and warning that Vietnamese should read first
Myanmar's 1982 citizenship law divides citizens into three classes with different rights, based on a list of ethnic groups…
DRC — The country with minerals in every phone, and an absolute ban on dual citizenship
The Democratic Republic of the Congo supplies most of the world's cobalt — the metal in nearly every lithium battery. The country also …
Ethiopia — The only African country never colonized, and has its own calendar seven years behind the world
Ethiopia maintained independence throughout the period when European powers divided Africa, and still uses its own calendar, script…
Cameroon — One nation, two legal systems, and the cost of merging them
Cameroon merged from a British region and a French region, so it has two parallel legal systems within the same country.…
Bhutan — The world's only carbon-negative country, charges tourists per day, and has a little-known chapter in citizenship history
Bhutan is the only country in the world that absorbs more carbon than it emits, has a constitution requiring at least 60% forest coverage…
Tanzania — The world's second nation formed from two countries, and the nation that naturalized the most refugees
In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united into one nation — the second case in this library after Yemen, and the first…
Laos — Vietnam's easiest neighboring country to travel to, and the land most heavily bombed in history
Vietnamese citizens traveling to Laos are visa-free under a bilateral agreement — one of the very few countries where a Vietnamese passport v…
India — OCI is not citizenship, and why misunderstanding that is the costliest misconception
India does not allow dual citizenship. Instead, the country created OCI — a status granting lifetime residence and work rights but NOT…
Tajikistan — Russia's only surviving dual citizenship treaty, and a Persian-speaking country in Central Asia
Turkmenistan terminated its dual citizenship treaty with Russia in 2003. Tajikistan signed a similar treaty in 1995, and it still…
Nepal — The world's most open border, and millions born here cannot prove their citizenship
Nepal and India citizens cross the border between the two countries without passport, without visa, and can work in the other country. Yet…
Mongolia — Only two neighboring countries, and how one small nation created a third neighbor
Mongolia borders only Russia and China, has no sea access, and the world's lowest population density. The "neighborhood" policy…
Azerbaijan — Where the world's oil industry began, and a neighboring country with citizenship laws opposite to Armenia
Baku is where the world's first industrial oil well was born, and at one point supplied about half of the world's oil…