Defector

:For political party defections, see Defection (politics).

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A defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one country in exchange for allegiance to another. This act is usually in a manner which violates the laws of the nation from which the person is seeking to depart (as opposed to changing citizenship). For example, during the Cold War, the many people escaping across the Berlin Wall to flee from communist East Germany to the West were called defectors or, indeed, traitors.

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The term has been widely used by the media in the United States to denote immigrants from Fidel Castro's Cuba; however, some conservatives object to this characterization, pointing out that the American press never referred to those who left Germany during the Third Reich era as "defectors."

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In some cases, defectors remain in the country they are against, as an agent, or in many cases, a double agent. This is a common device in many thriller and spy novels, including those of Tom Clancy, especially The Hunt for Red October, Red Rabbit and The Cardinal of the Kremlin.

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Cold War: :For the generic term for a high-tension rivalry between countries, see cold war (war)....

Berlin Wall: The Berlin Wall (German: Die Berliner Mauer) was a long barrier separating West Berlin from East Berlin and the surrounding territory of East Germany. The East German authorities called it the ?antifaschistischer Schutzwall? (Anti-Fascist Protection Wall). Its purpose was to restrict access between ...

East Germany: :For the historical eastern German provinces, see Historical Eastern Germany...

Defector related Images and Photos (experimental)

Defector, The (DVD)

Defector, The (On Demand)

The Defector 1966

The Defector 1966