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by Jeff Thomas
December 26, 2016
from
InternationalMan Website
"The bottom line is that anyone can be ISIS. We therefore need
an approach to securing civilized societies that doesn't allow
individuals to hide behind the cloak of Western passports…
The time has come for a 'global
passport,' a parallel digital certification of a person's
identity, background, criminal record, travel history, and other
details.
The digital record would be
regularly updated based on databases from airlines, customs
agencies, banks and other sources, and could be managed by an
independent international authority."
The above quote comers from CNN, an
American news network that has done such an exemplary job in recent
years in serving as a mouthpiece for the US Government.
The argument for global passports is a familiar one:
"You are in danger of being killed
by terrorists. We will save you by removing yet another of your
freedoms."
Or, as Hermann Goering said,
"The people can always be brought to
the bidding of the leaders. That is easy.
All you have to do is tell them they
are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of
patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same
way in any country."
Over one billion people presently cross
borders each year...
In addition, there are over 250 million
people who are expatriates - living outside their home country.
These numbers are higher than ever before in history and growing.
As The Great Unravelling
progresses, we will witness a dramatic increase in both statistics.
Along the way, we can expect the more
restrictive governments, particularly those of the EU and US, to
institute limitations on travel for their citizens, in order to keep
them captive at home.
So, we can therefore anticipate changes in the issuance of
passports.
There are two concepts afoot with regard
to the future of passports, and they're direct opposites of each
other:
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The first is for a Global
Passport, that all countries would issue and all would share
computer information on all passport holders.
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The other is a proliferation of
passports created by an easing of citizenship requirements
in small countries, resulting in each individual having the
ability to possess several passports, thus diminishing his
"ownership" by his home country.
These two concepts are both almost
certain to develop considerably in the coming years and for the same
reason.
As stated, the more restrictive
countries are likely to push for a global passport - an Orwellian
document that says,
"No matter where you are, you travel
on our document. We have all your information and we own you."
The more this trend increases in
prominence, the more the second trend will increase, in direct
reaction.
More and more countries will offer
citizenship to non-nationals, as the demand for freedom increases
amongst oppressed people.
Most of the countries that presently offer "Citizenship by
Investment" are small countries:
A visit to any of the small Caribbean
countries will reveal that since the decline of the sugar industry,
they have had few choices with regard to future prosperity.
Quaint small towns and villages and nice
beaches attract a certain amount of tourism, but something greater
is needed to support an entire population.
Decades ago, St. Kitts & Nevis decided
to try Citizenship by Investment. At first, the takers were few,
but, in recent years, with much of the world imploding, the program
has attracted greater interest.
The way it works is that an applicant can either buy citizenship
(approval takes only a month or two) for $250,000, or he can buy
into a real estate project for $400,000 or more. Due to recent
success, other island nations have jumped on board, offering their
own programs… and here's where it gets interesting.
As soon as eight or 10 island nations are offering similar programs,
it will become a citizenship norm for the Caribbean. And, of course,
that will mean competition will develop.
With many countries to choose from,
prices will need to drop. At some point, national leaders will seek
to increase gross sales by lowering the sale price.
Although $400,000 is out of reach to
most who dream of buying an alternate passport, there will be far
more takers at $200,000 or even $100,000, but I believe the magic
price point to be $50,000. At that price, hundreds of thousands of
second-passport seekers will jump on board. Indeed, many will
purchase passports from several islands. (If one backup passport is
good, multiple backup passports are better.)
But, why are "bargain" passports not already available?
From my own experience, as a West
Indian, this is due to the fact that our political leaders often
fear a dramatic influx of new voters. They feel safer appealing to
natives than outsiders and worry that the electorate balance may be
upset and cost them their seats in future elections.
Yet, many West Indian countries already have laws that limit the
rights of new citizens (with particular regard to the right to run
for public office).
To date, none of these countries has
figured out that citizenship without the right to vote is an easy
solution. Once they twig onto this new category of citizenship, we
may see a major drop in citizenship costs and a dramatic increase in
the number of applicants.
At present, the passport schemes have attracted Russians, Canadians,
Middle Easterners, Chinese and, increasingly, Americans.
At present, the US is the foremost
objector to Citizenship by Investment, describing its purpose
to be,
"to provide cover for financial
crimes."
However, over one hundred other
countries, including most of Europe, accept the passports and the US
is very much in the minority here.
This is an issue to be watched closely. Historically, whenever
governments have put the squeeze on their citizens' freedoms,
citizens have reacted by trying to wriggle out.
The squeeze in many countries is
presently at its zenith and many, many people are voting with their
feet.
There will always be takers in the world
when this occurs and, in the Caribbean, opportunities for increased
freedom are very much on the increase.
Editor's Note:
A second passport is the ultimate
insurance policy against an out-of-control government.
Think of it as your "freedom insurance."
The rules on second passports can change quickly. This is why it's
so important to have the most up-to-date, accurate, and actionable
information out there.
Be sure to get the guide we just released on the
The Easiest Way to a Second Passport.
How to Avoid...
Second Passport Scams and Traps
by Nick Giambruno
November 13, 2013
from
CaseyResearch Website
It's a predictable reaction that a government in need of cash will
turn to destructive measures, such as currency creation and
increasing taxes and regulations.
Unfortunately, these are just hors d'oeuvres before a 10-course
meal.
As they become increasingly desperate, governments around the world
and throughout history always turn to more destructive policies,
such as capital controls, price controls, people controls, official
currency devaluations, wealth confiscations, retirement account
nationalizations, and more.
The more a government's fiscal health declines, the more destructive
its policies become. This is what political risk is all about. And
it's no secret political risk is increasing in many parts of the
world, particularly in the US, where welfare and warfare spending
continues unabated.
This trend is triggering more interest in second passports as people
look for ways to become less dependent on their home government.
Naturally, this is also causing a surge in second passport scams and
traps, which are not always easy to spot.
If and when you pursue a second passport, you absolutely want to
make sure you're taking a legitimate route.
Unfortunately, obtaining a legitimate second passport is never
simultaneously fast, easy, and inexpensive. But this does not make
it any less necessary.
Some passport scams, such as the selling of alleged "diplomatic
passports," are obvious. Others, involving grey market passports,
are less obvious but similarly dangerous.
If you end up falling for a second passport scam or trap, it will
likely cause significant problems and limit your options down the
line. You want the opposite: minimal problems and more options.
My advice is to treat grey and black market passports (and the
hucksters who peddle them) the same way you'd treat a random
solicitation to wire money to some Nigerian you don't know:
run - don't walk.
What Are Grey
and Black Market Passports?
Black market passports are unofficial, illegitimate documents.
They include passports,
-
stolen
-
cloned
-
counterfeit
Black market passports mainly show up in
the world of organized crime and spy agencies. It's not impossible
you'll run across a black market passport, but it isn't very likely.
Grey market passports, on the other hand, are far more common. They
appear legitimate, which makes them even more dangerous to someone
like you.
Grey market passports are official passports obtained in some way
that skirts the normal legal requirements (usually bribing a local
official). Usually, this involves someone's "special friend" in a
foreign government who can help you get a passport faster and easier
than you could otherwise.
Grey market passports often come from Bulgaria, Mexico, Paraguay,
and Cambodia. There are legitimate ways to obtain second passports
from these countries. But, if you do business with someone promoting
these passports, be absolutely certain you meet the legal
naturalization requirements.
No matter the country, you or those advising you should be able to
point to specific naturalization laws with explicitly defined
requirements that clearly spell out everything. This information is
usually located on the local government's website or one of their
consulate's or embassy's websites.
It's a major red flag if you can't verify this information with the
local government. If someone makes claims that don't correspond with
the explicit legal requirements, they're probably trying to sell you
an illegitimate passport.
This is especially true when someone hypes a little-known economic
citizenship program. While there are legitimate economic citizenship
programs, they all have easily identifiable laws with specific costs
that you can point to.
It's the ones without clear laws, where
you can't find official information outlining the program and its
costs, that you want to avoid.
Decades ago, you might have gotten by with a grey market passport.
But now, with terrorism hysteria at a sustained fever pitch and
governments linking up their passport databases, using a grey market
passport is both foolish and dangerous.
The Costs Far
Outweigh the Benefits
The potential troubles of a grey market passport far outweigh any
potential benefits.
In the electronic age, when governments
around the world have linked databases, it's extremely foolish to
imagine you could get away with using an illegitimate passport
indefinitely. And the consequences for trying are severe almost
everywhere in the world.
Sure, a grey market passport might work for a while. But what
happens when the issuing government discovers what happened, or when
the "special friend" is busted?
Americans have another reason to avoid grey market passports: the
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), which makes bribing foreign
government officials a criminal offense. This includes giving or
offering "anything of value" to gain an "improper advantage."
Obtaining a passport by bribing a corrupt foreign official to help
you skirt the normal naturalization requirements most likely
violates the FCPA. That's not something I would want hanging over my
head.
How to Detect
Illegitimate Passport Offers
As with most things, when something about a second passport sounds
too good to be true, it usually is.
Here are a few tips for fine-tuning your
second passport BS detector:
The best way to detect a grey market
passport offer is to independently verify the offer against the
local government's specific and explicit naturalization
requirements. If you can't do that, then it's almost always a
grey market offer.
Today, the cheapest legitimate economic
citizenship program costs about $100,000 per person plus tens of
thousands of dollars in fees.
Even under the best circumstances, it
takes at least a couple of months to process. Be wary of any
economic citizenship program that's cheaper or faster. If it's
significantly cheaper or faster, dismiss it out of hand.
Make sure you have up-to-date information. Naturalization
requirements and options change frequently.
Besides the economic citizenship options, marrying a local, having
ancestry in a country, or other shortcuts, it generally takes at
least five years to become naturalized in most countries. There are
countries that will naturalize you in less time, but not many.
In order to become naturalized, practically every country in the
world requires a thorough application process, which usually
involves a background check and spending some time in the country.
If the application process seems too
easy, it should raise a red flag.
Giving
Yourself More Options
The goal of international diversification is to increase your
options in an uncertain world.
Falling for a grey or black market
passport scheme is a sure path to fewer options… or worse.
You should avoid them and the people who
promote them like the plague.
Although there are schemes and a lot of bad advice out there, your
need for a legitimate second passport and the political
diversification that comes with it is only growing.
Most people have health, life, fire, and car insurance.
You hope you
never have to use these insurance policies, but you have them
anyway. They give you peace of mind and protect you if and when the
worst does happen.
A second passport is the ultimate insurance policy against an
out-of-control government. Think of it as your "freedom insurance."
The rules on second passports can change quickly.
This is why it's
so important to have the most up-to-date, accurate, and actionable
information out there.
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