[smaudet]

How so? A government must have those it governs, those must be then members of the set of people whom it governs.

You can call it something besides "citizenship", but maybe we're talking about different terms, or you have a more technical definition implying more than simply membership under a governing party?

Either way, this is the basic definition of a citizen, so trying to divorce the two seems futile to me:

"A citizen is a member of a political community who enjoys the rights and assumes the duties of membership."

https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/citizenship/

[jsnell]

They govern over non-citizens as well, e.g. over residents and visitors to the geography where the government has/claims sovereignty, but the non-citizens tend to get fewer rights than the citizens.

[smaudet]

I understand your distinction I think...however the parent comment (about abolishing citizenship) is still (on the face of it) advocating anarchy. Degrees of citizenship must exist always, even when the "official" line is that none do - as you state even in the case of "equal citizenship" there is still the degree of citizen, and non-citizen, so really you can never remove that (without also removing government).

Being in the position of abolishing _birthright_ citizenship is a very different stance than abolishing the practice of citizenship outright. I think you are speaking of "second class citizenship" e.g. immigrants or temporary who do in fact benefit from and are expected to follow the laws of the land, but who do not get e.g. voting rights.

I.e. perhaps the view is the equalize all practical citizens under the law (which is possible but difficult to do wrt to land ownership and community security, especially).

[shepherdjerred]

My interpretation of the parent comment was that citizenship should not be restricted by the circumstances of birth.

Countries would still be governed by those who live within their borders, but you wouldn't be discriminated against based on your place of birth, e.g., you could move around freely.

Or, maybe more practically, greatly ease the requirements of immigrating and becoming a citizen of countries.