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David
Lesperance, Barrister & Solicitor is
Chief Legal Counsel to Global Relocation Consultants
S.A. (GRC), a consultancy that specializes in the
integration of immigration and citizenship, offshore
trusts and tax planning. GRC specializes in assisting
individuals acquire residency and citizenship to
fulfill tax or estate planning objectives and works
closely with banking, accounting and related professionals
on behalf of its clients.
On
the morning of September 11th, 2001 the veil of complacency
was ripped violently from the face of America. Until
that time, war and terrorism were events happening
in far away lands. The American public could not conceive
of such major acts of war on their home territory.
Until this time Americans had only to contend with
minor irritants - increasing loss of privacy, lawsuits,
and excessive taxation. Living in the comfort and abundance
of their birth land afforded them the luxury of dealing
with these problems another day.
By
comparison, most European countries had already experienced
the brutal realities of war and terrorism. Present
day Europeans need look back no further than a generation
to remember the Holocaust, the Dresden firestorm, the
Blitz, or the Iron Curtain. Similar to September 11th,
these historic events were incomprehensible, but in
retrospect, the underlying causes were recognizable.
In
the last century change has accelerated exponentially,
especially in the practice of war. It took several
years of escalation before World War I erupted. By
World War II, "blitzkrieg" meant that the
enemy could score decisive victories within a matter
of weeks. In 2001, within one hour, an army of only
a dozen people had struck the vital blow. The lesson
to be learned is that to survive and prosper in this
New World Order, safeguards and strategies must be
in place long before the attacks begin. Do not try
to buy fire insurance after the fire has started -
your house will surely be burned to the ground before
you can even get an insurance broker on the phone.
With
this in mind, let us examine some of the key emerging
trends of the post September 11th world. We will then
review some practical residence and citizenship strategies
to cope with this rapidly changing world.
... continue
Trends
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Americans in a post-September 11th world
