In a historic turnabout, the new German government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is poised to offer citizenship to four million of its foreign (mostly Turkish) residents. Germany, of all European countries, by basing its citizenship laws on blood, has been Europe's most difficult place for foreigners to acquire citizenship. So does this move, taken with similar actions in France, bespeak a new European attitude towards immigrants? Should immigrants embrace the offer? History and present practices suggest they should think twice before doing so.
In a historic turnabout, the new German government of Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder is poised to offer citizenship to four million of its foreign (mostly Turkish) residents. Germany, of all European countries, by basing its citizenship laws on blood, has been Europe's most difficult place for foreigners to acquire citizenship. So does this move, taken with similar actions in France, bespeak a new European attitude towards immigrants? Should immigrants embrace the offer? History and present practices suggest they should think twice before doing so.