Nationality in International Law

#nationality establishes a legal bond between an individual and a state, giving rise to reciprocal rights and duties. While this concept originated in domestic law, it's also a key element of international law. The bond isn't based on ethnicity but on a formal, legal relationship. In modern international law, however, the focus on human rights means individuals are protected as human beings, regardless of their nationality. Nationality in Domestic and International Law A core principle is that states have the primary right to determine who their nationals are. This is a matter of state sovereignty, but it's not absolute. International law limits this discretion, particularly through conventions that prohibit discrimination based on factors like race, sex, or religion in nationality laws. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights even establishes a fundamental human right to a nationality. A key goal of #international_law is to prevent statelessness, which occurs when a person is not considered a national by any state.