Australians Fighting in Syria

[Rorschach]

Well the real problem is I don't think there is a law that prevents nationals from participating in Wars we have not chosen a side on. That is, they are not fighting for the enemy. Australia is not at war.

How have we treated Australian mercenaries in previous conflicts that we arn't involved in?

We can thank John Howard for legislating that dual citizenship be given to any man and his dog. This wouldn't be happening if most of these migrants were only allowed Australian citizenship. Of course they're going to take off every time there's a conflict in their home country. The same happened in the invasion of Lebanon by Israel. We had the Jews going home to Israel to join up with the IDF - and the Lebanese returning to Lebanon to fight the IDF.

There was no punishment to my recollection.

Howard, Howard Howard..... Abbott, Abbott, Abbott.... hate, hate, hate...
well there was bipartisan support for it and I don't remember the Greens voting against it... only One Nation did.

[Neferti]

I don't think the US generally recognises dual citizenship even today, with the exception of the American/Israelis. The US would be highly unlikely to allow others for example - Iranians, Iraqi's etc. to fight wars overseas and then return at their leisure the way we do, unless they had special dispensation because they were Jewish.

Carr did have the right idea about blocking these people on their return. Why isn't it legal? Perhaps because in Australia you can't punish one group of people and not another. Few nations would be as generous as us.

IF you marry an American you become an American, but at least Howard allowed Aussies to retain their Australian Passport. Check it out. I think there was some sort of Agreement about it.

If you marry an Australian, as far as I know you do NOT automatically become an Aussie.

I presume that, since the Civil War in Syria hasn't (thus far) involved the Yanks or Australia, those that have taken off to fight over there are not "traitors". I haven't looked that far into the situation. Is the "war" still going over there? Who knows?

Syrians are Arabs, not Jews.

[boxy]

Well the real problem is I don't think there is a law that prevents nationals from participating in Wars we have not chosen a side on. That is, they are not fighting for the enemy. Australia is not at war.

How have we treated Australian mercenaries in previous conflicts that we arn't involved in?

We can thank John Howard for legislating that dual citizenship be given to any man and his dog. This wouldn't be happening if most of these migrants were only allowed Australian citizenship.

Wishful thinking. What's to stop Australians (whether they have dual citizenship or not) going wherever they please, and fighting whoever they ideologically oppose, as long as they don't work against Australia's interests in the process?