SCOUTING AMERICA · EAGLE-REQUIRED MERIT BADGE
What it means, why it matters
How the U.S. does it — vs two other nations
+ how geography shapes a country
International law, trade & organizations — pick 2
Constitutional vs not + 5 forms on the map
Ambassadors, embassies, passports & visas
Pick 2 hands-on activities
The third of the citizenship trilogy
COUNSELOR NOTE — Matches current official requirements. Requirement numbering follows the official text; discussions happen out loud.
Phone parts from five continents. Breakfast from three. A hurricane's path, a war's refugees, a virus, a viral video — none of them stop at borders. Being a world citizen isn't a passport; it's understanding that the systems you live in are planetary.
Get it: born on U.S. soil (14th Amendment birthright), born to U.S. parents abroad, or naturalize: 5 yrs residency + civics test + oath.
Deal: rights (speech, vote, trial) · duties (law, taxes, juries) · obligations (vote, serve, stay informed).
Get it: mostly by BLOOD (jus sanguinis) — born to a Japanese parent. Born in Tokyo to foreign parents? Not automatically Japanese. Naturalization is possible but strict — and dual citizenship generally isn't allowed at adulthood.
Deal: voting from 18; no jury system like ours (lay judges instead); taxes, of course.
Get it: birth to a citizen/resident parent, or naturalize after 4 yrs + test + pledge.
Deal: almost identical rights — plus one twist: voting is mandatory. Skip an election, pay a fine. An obligation upgraded to a duty!
REQ 2 DISCUSS — Which model do you think is fairest? Would mandatory voting improve the U.S. — or violate the freedom NOT to speak? (There's no answer key. That's the point.)
3a: choose a current world event and trace how national interest and relationships drive it — security, economy, values, health. Nothing global has one cause.
3b: pick any foreign country and answer: how do its geography, natural resources, and climate decide what it sells, who it trades with, and who it needs as friends?
Pick your own country and build a row like these — that's 3b done.
Requirement 4c wants you to explain the role of TWO of these organizations in depth — you just met eight. Pick your two favorites and go deeper: who funds them, who runs them, what's their biggest win?
National law has police and prisons behind it. International law — treaties, conventions, the World Court — runs mostly on consent and reputation: nations follow it because being a rule-breaker is expensive (sanctions, isolation, lost trust).
Its job: settle disputes with lawyers instead of armies — borders, fishing rights, war crimes, airline routes, even who owns the Moon (nobody — that's a treaty!).
A tariff is a tax on imports — it protects home industries but raises prices and invites payback tariffs. Free trade lowers those walls so goods flow cheap — but exposes local jobs to global competition.
Every country constantly tunes this dial, and it's been front-page news for years — your phone, your sneakers, and your gaming console all crossed at least one border and one policy fight to reach you.
REQ 4 NOTE — You need TWO of: (a) international law, (b) trade, (c) two organizations. This deck armed you for all three — pick your favorites.
Power from the people, LIMITED by a constitution. Leaders elected, courts independent.
🇺🇸 USA · 🇩🇪 Germany · 🇮🇳 India · 🇧🇷 Brazil
A king or queen as symbol — real power with an elected parliament.
🇬🇧 UK · 🇯🇵 Japan · 🇸🇪 Sweden · 🇹🇭 Thailand
The royal family IS the government. No meaningful elections.
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia · 🇧🇳 Brunei · 🇴🇲 Oman
One political party controls government, media, and courts. Elections exist; choices don't.
🇨🇳 China · 🇻🇳 Vietnam · 🇨🇺 Cuba
Power seized or inherited by one ruler or clique — no constitution that counts.
🇰🇵 North Korea · 🇪🇷 Eritrea
Religious authorities hold ultimate power; law flows from religious doctrine.
🇮🇷 Iran · 🇻🇦 Vatican City
REQ 5 CHECK — Constitutional = power is LIMITED by rules bigger than any ruler. Non-constitutional = the ruler IS the rule. Name 5 forms + find each on a world map, and 5a–c is done.
The U.S. is accredited to foreign governments and international organizations — meaning our diplomats are officially recognized to speak for us there. The roster:
Passport = YOUR country vouching for you: "this person is one of ours — let them travel." Issued by the U.S. State Department.
Visa = the OTHER country's permission slip: "you may enter, for this purpose, this long." Stamped into your passport by their government.
Passport says who you are. Visa says where you may go. You need both for much of the map.
PERMISSION NOTE — Requirement 7 activities need a parent/guardian sign-off first — especially anything involving contacting people online. Scout smart.
Same left handshake, same three fingers, same promise to help other people — in a few hundred languages. You've been a world citizen since the day you joined. This badge just makes it official.