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US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

theguardian.com

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Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#31

Post by [deleted] »

Forgeties79 wrote: post #24
jghn wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Same. It's shifted from an escapist fantasy about getting away from it all to a more literal definition of "escapist fantasy". if it weren't for family & friend ties binding us to our geographical area it'd already be a lot more serious. We're not *that* far from a low end FIRE situation, so a move to a more LCOL country could make a ton of sense and escape ... all of this.

I get a lot of grief for it from a few people but the simple fact is it’s gone from an unthinkable possibility to something I would consider a single-digit- percentage possibility. At that point it feels like something I need to at least be moderately prepared for. Especially as someone in the gulf south. It just doesn’t feel very safe down here anymore. Watching ICE roll through in full equipment on armored vehicles…

[deleted]

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#32

Post by futureshock »

BirAdam wrote: post #6

I agree that Dual Citizenship is a dream among a large plurality of Americans, but I don’t think it’s for Visa-free tourism. I think it’s because a growing number of Americans feel that the country is unstable and likely headed toward a failed-state status.

I’ll borrow ideas from investing: financial independence, diversification and optionality. If you have enough money you can free yourself from the labor market, but you are still deeply tied to your home country. A second citizenship gives you geopolitical independence. And just like diverse investments protect you from the failure of a specific asset, diverse countries can protect you from, for example, a collapse in heath care, a housing crisis or a currency crisis. And most importantly, its like an options contract on life. You have the option, not the commitment to take a high value move to a new country. If the fortunes of your current country sink and your second country rise, you can exercise your option.

There’s a reason people are willing to spend so much on golden visas with the pathway to citizenship.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#33

Post by steveBK123 »

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #20
BirAdam wrote: post #6

I agree that Dual Citizenship is a dream among a large plurality of Americans, but I don’t think it’s for Visa-free tourism. I think it’s because a growing number of Americans feel that the country is unstable and likely headed toward a failed-state status.

There aren’t that many places out of America’s orbit where you would want to live. If by failure you mean fascist and authoritarian, America could still reach you.

Agreed, the problem is that in many scenarios where the US becomes a failed state.. you probably want to be IN the US rather than living under our security umbrella (Canada/Europe/Japan/Korea/Taiwan/Australia). Or worse, in a nation we might end up in a shooting war with (Russia/China).

Either enemies are going to make moves in our absence, or we are going to pray upon former allies (next orange man takes his trade wars kinetic).

So I'd rather still be in the exponentially larger (population & land) isolated continental power surrounded mostly by water and smaller states.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#34

Post by aaronrobinson »

zoklet-enjoyer wrote: post #26
BirAdam wrote: post #6

I agree that Dual Citizenship is a dream among a large plurality of Americans, but I don’t think it’s for Visa-free tourism. I think it’s because a growing number of Americans feel that the country is unstable and likely headed toward a failed-state status.

It looks like a huge hassle, but I should be able to get citizenship in an EU county based on ancestry. I should do that sooner than later.

If it’s Italy you may be disappointed as they’ve recently changed the rules

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#35

Post by sippeangelo »

jghn wrote: post #18
Forgeties79 wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Been exploring it in my household for sure.

Same. It's shifted from an escapist fantasy about getting away from it all to a more literal definition of "escapist fantasy". if it weren't for family & friend ties binding us to our geographical area it'd already be a lot more serious. We're not *that* far from a low end FIRE situation, so a move to a more LCOL country could make a ton of sense and escape ... all of this.

From an EU perspective I would have been out of there in February. But what is it they say, again? "Grass is always browner on the other side"? It also helps being part of a minority that the sitting regime wants to exterminate to the very definition of the word.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#36

Post by khuey »

More applicable to the average American traveler's life than whether they can visit 180 or 181 countries without a visa is the rise of electronic travel authorization requirements from other countries. The UK imposed one earlier this year and the EU is set to do the same next year (though ETIAS seems perpetually delayed). While everyone involved (except Australia) insists that electronic travel authorizations are not visas they are for all practical purposes.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#37

Post by khuey »

newswangerd wrote: post #28
zahlman wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the others? Canada, I'm sure, who else?

Canada, Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. A very weird assortment of countries, aside from Canada. https://www.passportindex.org/comparebyDestination.php?p1=us...

> A very weird assortment of countries, aside from Canada.

It's less weird if you know that the three Pacific island countries were formerly part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands which was administered by the US for decades following the Second World War and today have Compacts of Free Association with the US.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#39

Post by krapp »

victor106 wrote: post #5

Does this really matter? US is the most powerful country in the world economically and militarily and maybe even culturally.

> US is the most powerful country in the world economically and militarily and maybe even culturally

Wait.

Re: US falls out of 10 most powerful passports list for first time in 20 yrs

#40

Post by rayiner »

zoklet-enjoyer wrote: post #26
BirAdam wrote: post #6

I agree that Dual Citizenship is a dream among a large plurality of Americans, but I don’t think it’s for Visa-free tourism. I think it’s because a growing number of Americans feel that the country is unstable and likely headed toward a failed-state status.

It looks like a huge hassle, but I should be able to get citizenship in an EU county based on ancestry. I should do that sooner than later.

> I should be able to get citizenship in an EU county based on ancestry

Imagine complaining about America and then fleeing to an ethnostate.

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