What Brexit and Other Political Changes Mean for Global Citizens

After a draw-out spanning nearly six years, Brexit finally took place in February 2020, forever changing the landscape of the EU and the European economic environment. The UK's economic strength and political sway meant that it stood as a counterweight to Germany and France, the dominant countries of the union. Its departure has altered the global geopolitical scene, albeit unfelt in the day-to-day lives of people who live outside the EU.

However, there is one group that will have considered the overall effects of this massive political maneuver and brace for any future ones. That group is none other than the world's global citizens.

Global citizens, who boast more than one citizenship, are borderless, individually sovereign, and have unhindered freedom to roam the globe. But even those who are not bound to a single country are not immune to the effects of political proceedings, especially when they are on such a gargantuan scale.

How do geopolitics affect global citizens?

Global citizens who hold a passport from an EU country or the UK have had to deal with the immediate fallout of Brexit. Whether they conduct international trade within the EU bloc, if they have homes in the UK and EU, or even if their children attend school within the other party's borders, it is a messy situation for many.

Brexit's effects extend beyond those in the first line, but it has been one cog in the machine that is modern global geopolitics. Global citizens must be aware of how minor or major changes can affect them. The rapid growth of BRICS, which may yet add Saudi Arabia, UAE, Iran, Argentina, and Egypt as members in 2024, has added to the global political schism.

In the past few years, there has been a sense of growing global bi-polarization, exasperated further by the conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the subsequent tensions between NATO members and Russia's government. Right now, political tensions are high, the divide is wide, and we live in an age of unprecedented sanctions. Global citizens, while ultimately above all this mayhem, are undoubtedly affected by it.

Global mobility

One way global citizens may feel the effects of geopolitical maneuvering is by how it affects their overall global mobility score. The ability to travel visa-free and hassle-free between countries is part of what makes the global citizen lifestyle so appealing. When a fracture occurs within a highly popular destination bloc, such as Brexit, that may have negative effects. St Lucia passport holders, for example, did not feel any travel effect, as they maintained visa-free entry to both the UK and the EU, so their status remained unchanged. However, EU citizens, while still able to enter the UK for 90 days without a visa, suddenly couldn't stay any longer. The same applied in the other direction to British citizens, two generations of whom grew up accustomed to free movement within Europe. This dented their global mobility freedom.

Geopolitical schism

The widening political schism between West and East, or we could call it Global North and Global South, has grown at an exponential rate - stirred by the conflict in Ukraine, tensions between China and Taiwan and in the Middle East, and the recent expansion of BRICS.

"Global citizens now find themselves looking at a fragmented world," Nick Stevens, CEO of NTL Trust, says. "They need to consider that when creating their immigration portfolio." Stevens highlights how important it is to consider macro-political affiliations when creating a suite of citizenships and residencies to hedge against global instability. "To really be free, a person cannot plant all their flags at one end of the global political spectrum," he explains. "The best way to mitigate the risk of instability is to obtain citizenship and residence status in both camps; that way, if things get worse in one geopolitical group, a global citizen can rely on the other."

As the polarization of the world continues, global citizens have to ensure they play their cards right to maintain their level of individual sovereignty.

Pressure on Citizenship by Investment Programs (CIPs)

Another side-effect of recent developments is what might happen to CIPs in the future. The EU has placed pressure on CIPs run by its members in Malta and Cyprus; the latter even shut down its programs a few years back. The union has also mildly interfered with Caribbean CIPs, albeit only in the form of meetings and words up until now. But after Brexit, the UK now finds itself a solo superpower that yields its own influence within its sphere. "What we've seen after Brexit is the UK leaning more towards the Commonwealth realm, and Caribbean states such as St Kitts & Nevis, Antigua & Barbuda, Grenada, and St Lucia are all part of the Commonwealth," Stevens explained. "This can be both positive and negative. Commonwealth countries have taken on a new importance for the UK and this certainly opens up new opportunities for holders of Commonwealth passports. On the other hand, it could encourage meddling in the other direction." Explaining this further, Stevens explains: "The UK might be tempted to interfere a bit more in these countries' inner workings, and the CIPs, which make up a solid chunk of these nations' economies, are a tender spot. Immigration is a very sensitive topic in the UK, and indeed can be viewed as the main trigger behind Brexit."

The UK has yet to put pressure on Caribbean CIPs, but that isn't outside the realm of possibility in the near future. The US, on the other hand, has publicly intervened, but the results have been overwhelmingly positive. Stevens shed some light on the matter, highlighting that "The US had a roundtable discussion with Caribbean governments earlier this year regarding their programs, and while most of the results were fine, this highlights the US' political sway in the region. The West Indies are definitely exposed to the whims of the US, perhaps more so than the UK." On the matter of accepting Russian, Belarussian, and indeed Ukrainian applicants, during 2022 the "Caribbean Five" CIPs found themselves in a tough situation between the West and East. With more superpowers adopting a populist approach and others joining regional blocs with growing influence, small countries with CIPs can expect to have to contend with the pressure of major economic and political heavyweights from different directions.

What this means for prospective global citizens is that timing is the key. The situation is sensitive but still solid enough, but no one can tell how long it will or can remain stable, so swift action is crucial.

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