Is it unpatriotic to want to leave your country?

About four percent of the world’s population live in a country other than the one in which they were born. Some have fled in fear of their lives. Others sought opportunity elsewhere while some moved abroad to work for a short time, only to have that job extended or to find another one. Still others went abroad to study, to be with a partner, to retire or simply to explore more of the world. To be sure, there are those who have explicitly turned their backs on their country of birth, rejecting its government and its people, but these remain a minority.

And yet, love for a country – whether for its people, culture, culinary or cultural traditions, mountains or for certain politicians – can, and often does, coexist with fear or even anger toward a current government. This is equally true for citizens who live in the country or who have moved elsewhere.

The vast majority of those who leave a country do so with mixed feelings. Rarely does anyone, even someone fleeing a repressive political regime, leave without looking back wistfully at friends, family, a neighborhood or a favorite hike. Most naturalized immigrant Americans retain close ties to their country of origin, making regular video or audio calls, continuing to celebrate familiar holidays and visiting “home” when and if they can. Following post-election news reports, some of those naturalized immigrant voters cast their ballots for President Trump.

US citizens living abroad, as well as those thinking of moving abroad, are no different. As I wrote in my 2014 book (Migrants or Expatriates? Americans in Europe), overseas Americans file US tax returns, continue to vote in US elections and celebrate Thanksgiving, Independence Day and Halloween. They teach their children English and, when they can afford to, go “back home” every summer, so that their children play with cousins, get spoiled by grandparents and enjoy treats “at home”. Again, to be sure, there are exceptions, but, for the most part, overseas Americans love their country, even as some may protest acts of a particular administration.

Prior to the 2013 Windsor Supreme Court decision, which legalized same-sex marriage, Americans could not sponsor foreign same-sex partners for spousal Green Cards in the US. Some Americans with same-sex foreign partners felt they were forced into exile abroad, to countries where they were eligible for spousal residence visas, calling themselves the “Love Exiles”. Yet, even there, Love Exiles campaigned under the slogan “Let us come home.” Few seem to have done so after Windsor, having established lives abroad.

Patriotism is defined as a “love for or devotion to one’s country” (Merriam-Webster). Encyclopedia Britannica defines it as a “feeling of attachment and commitment to a country, nation, OR political community” (emphasis added). Neither definition requires that a citizen support a country blindly and without question.

Patriotism should not be confused with nationalism, which is defined as “an ideology that elevates one nation or nationality above all others and that places primary emphasis on promotion of its culture and interests as opposed to those of other nations” (Merriam-Webster) or an “ideology based on the premise that the individual’s loyalty and devotion to the nation-state surpass other individual or group interests” (Encyclopedia Britannica).

Neither patriotism nor even nationalism is linked to territory or place of residence. Following these definitions, a patriotic American can live anywhere and can choose to leave their country, even if they leave in protest at the United States government.

And, indeed, patriotic Americans do live elsewhere. Some 4 to 6 million US citizens live abroad, with Canada, Mexico, Great Britain, France, Germany and Israel some of the primary countries of residence. They have moved to be with a partner, to explore, to retire, to work and, yes, some in at least partial protest of a particular administration.

Protest of an administration is not, it has been widely argued, unpatriotic. Indeed, critique of a government is instead interpreted as being something akin to “tough love”. Pushing a government to do better is the ultimate in patriotism. James Baldwin famously said “I?love America more than any other country in the world, and, exactly for this reason, I insist on the right to criticize her perpetually.” He is not alone in this sentiment, either historically or today.

People living outside the country of their birth, migrants, often have a different perspective on their country. They see how things might be done differently. They vote, often return “home”, speak with friends and family, or lobby or protest their own government, with the message that yes, there might be another approach. It is no different for US citizens living abroad.

They remain engaged and involved, posting on social media, protesting, engaging in discussion, often seeking to persuade others of changes they feel would improve the US – whether against a conflict, encouraging support for health insurance, public transportation or gun control. They vote and participate in the political process. Bernie Sanders’ brother, Larry, resident in the UK, was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 2016, casting one of Democrats Abroad’s votes for his brother Bernie.

They lobby and advocate: Love Exiles lobbied for a federal law recognizing same-sex marriage; overseas American organizations advocate for laws simplifying the right to vote. And overseas advocacy won Americans living abroad the right to vote in 1975.

Political activism among overseas Americans is nothing new: while Josephine Baker is well-known for her life as a performer in Paris, she is less well known for speaking immediately before Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the March on Washington on August 28, 1963, the only woman to speak that day. In her speech, she reflected on racism and persecution driving her from the US, saying: “I ran far away. It was to a place called France.” She returned to speak at the March on Washington, saying “I took that rocky path, and I tried to smooth it out a little. I wanted to make it easier for you.” She had refused to perform for segregated audiences in the United States. She did not mention her activity for the Allies in World War II, carrying intelligence across enemy lines, while ostensibly only on a singing tour, and continuing to gather intelligence for the French Resistance.

For that activity, she was awarded the French croix de guerre (War Cross) and the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honor), the highest French order of merit, and she recently was honored, symbolically entering the Panthéon in Paris.

Even with such inspiring overseas Americans before them, US citizens living outside of the country still often feel they must prove they are patriotic to folks back home. In my 2014 book, I quoted one man who pointed out that he thinks the term “expatriate” is misunderstood: “I’m a patriot. I’m not an ex-patriot.” Others have argued, as this person did in 1993 Congressional testimony, “In many ways, we [overseas Americans] may be more ‘patriotic’ than Americans living at home because we constantly find ourselves in situations where we explain or defend American actions, policies, and events.” Overseas Americans are not necessarily any less patriotic than those at home; they have a broader context in which to place their critique, and often do so.

As one person I interviewed colorfully said, “America’s f**ked up, but it’s my f**ked up place.” Her statement may have been less eloquent than Baldwin’s, but it echoes the same sentiment of patriotism being a form of tough love.

So, no, seeking to leave a country, even in anger or fear, is not incompatible with patriotism. It may even, as has been demonstrated elsewhere, enable a person to be more involved in resistance or political protest, since they have a safe space – abroad – in which to do so.?