Zahra Albarazi protection contexts across the displaced population. Syria highlights the established nexus between citizenship and politics, as well as statelessness and displacement. 3. The current citizenship regime This section will provide an analysis of Syrian nationality legislation. The aim is to identify provisions that are discriminatory or potentially problematic, that could lead to new cases of individuals not being able to obtain citizenship, as well as the provisions that could serve to prevent new or solve existing cases of statelessness. This section will also highlight the main flaws in the law – particularly gender discrimination – and comment on the discrepancies between legislation and practice. The current Syrian Arab nationality law is promulgated by legislative decree No. 276 of 24/11/1969. 3.1 Acquisition of nationality 3.1.1 At birth In Syria, the primary method of acquisition of nationality is through the principle of paternal jus sanguinis, where a child obtains Syrian nationality if their father is a national, regardless of their place of birth. There are some exceptions specified by the law whereby nationality can be acquired in the absence of a paternal link, such as for foundlings who are found on the territory and for children who are born to an unknown father and a Syrian national mother. These are written in Article 3 of the law which stipulates: The following shall be considered as Syrian Arabs ipso facto: (a) Anyone born inside or outside the country to a Syrian Arab father. (b) Anyone born in the country to a Syrian Arab mother and whose legal family relationship to his father has not been established. (c) Anyone born in the country to unknown parents or to parents of unknown nationality or without one. A foundling from the country shall be considered born in it, at the place in which he was found, unless proved otherwise. (d) Anyone born in the country and who was not entitled, at birth, to a foreign nationality by the right of affiliation. It is clear that acquisition of nationality at birth in Syria is the primary method of acquisition of nationality and is almost exclusively done through the principle of paternal jus sanguinis. Therefore, anyone born to a Syrian father is Syrian, regardless of whether the child was born inside or outside Syria; and whether the mother was Syrian, foreign or stateless. The exception to this is stipulated in paragraph (b), where it is stated that original nationality may be proven based on maternal filiation. However, here the child has to be born inside the territory of Syria – so it is backed by jus soli principles – and only to children born outside wedlock. Therefore, a child born to a Syrian mother and non-Syrian father is not considered Syrian if he/she was born outside Syria or in wedlock. Ultimately, being born to a Syrian 8 RSCAS/GLOBALCIT-CR 2021/15 © 2021 Author(s)