Defection

In politics, a defector is a person who gives up allegiance to one state in exchange for allegiance to another, changing sides in a way which is considered illegitimate by the first state.^[1] More broadly, defection involves abandoning a person, cause, or doctrine to which one is bound by some tie, as of allegiance or duty.^[2]^[3]

This term is also applied, often pejoratively, to anyone who switches loyalty to another religion, sports team, political party, or other rival faction. In that sense, the defector is often considered a traitor by their original side.^[4]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).^[5] The decision to defect can be driven by the desire to prevent insubordination: if a military leader judges that lower officers will disobey orders to fire upon protesters, they could be more likely to defect.^[6]

Notable defectors

Artists

Paquito D'Rivera, Cuban saxophonist and clarinetist, who defected to the United States in 1980.
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Soviet (Russian) dancer, who defected to Canada in 1974, while in Toronto, touring with the Kirov Ballet.^[7] He later moved to the United States.
Natalia Makarova, Soviet (Russian) dancer, who defected while in London in 1970.
Georgi Markov, Bulgarian author, who defected in 1968, eventually settling in London, England, later assassinated.
Rudolf Nureyev, Soviet (Russian) dancer, who defected while in Paris touring with the Kirov Ballet in 1961.^[8]
George Balanchine, Georgian choreographer, who defected to the Weimar Republic in 1924.
Arturo Sandoval, Cuban trumpeter, pianist, and composer, who defected to the United States in 1990.
Jan Sobota, Czech fine bookbinder, who defected to Switzerland in 1982, and settled in the United States in 1984.

Athletes

Guillermo Rigondeaux, Cuban professional boxer, who defected to the United States in 2009.
Aroldis Chapman, Cuban baseball pitcher, who defected to Andorra in 2009 before signing a Major League Baseball contract in 2010.
José Fernández, Cuban baseball player, who defected to the United States in 2008.
Lutz Eigendorf, an East German football player for BFC Dynamo who defected to West Germany in 1979.
Orlando Hernandez, Cuban baseball pitcher, who defected to the United States in 1997.
Nadia Comăneci, Romanian Olympic gymnast, who defected to the United States in 1989.
Martina Navratilova, Czechoslovak tennis player, who defected to the United States in 1975.^[9]
Alexander Mogilny, Soviet (Russian) ice hockey forward, who defected to the United States in 1988. He was the first Soviet player to defect to play in the NHL.
Béla Károlyi and his wife Márta Károlyi, Romanian gymnastics coaches (of Nadia Comăneci and Mary Lou Retton among others), who defected to the United States in 1981.
Osvaldo Alonso, Cuban soccer player, who defected to the United States in 2007.
José Abreu, Cuban baseball player, who defected to the United States in 2013.
Kimia Alizadeh, Iranian taekwondo martial artist, who defected to the Netherlands in 2020.
César Prieto, Cuban baseball player, who defected to the United States in 2021.
Krystsina Tsimanouskaya, Belarus sprinter, who defected to Poland in 2021.^[10]

Military

Larry Allen Abshier, the first of six American soldiers to defect to North Korea between the years 1962–1982. He died in 1983 from a heart attack while residing in Pyongyang.
Benedict Arnold‚ a colonial general who during the American Revolutionary War defected to the British Army.
Riad al-Asaad, founder of the Free Syrian Army and the entire Tlass Family during the Syrian civil war.
Viktor Belenko, a Soviet Air Force lieutenant who flew a MiG-25 fighter to Japan in 1976 and gained political asylum in the United States.^[11]
James Joseph Dresnok, a US Army private who defected to North Korea by sneaking across the Demilitarized Zone in 1962. He would live the remainder of his life in the DPRK until his death in 2016.
Igor Gouzenko, a Soviet cipher clerk who defected to Canada and released information regarding Soviet espionage activities in western society. Credited as one of the triggering factors for the beginning of the Cold War.
No Kum-Sok (later Kenneth Rowe) is known for having been a lieutenant in the North Korean Air Force during the Korean War who defected to South Korea. On September 21, 1953, he flew his MiG-15 to the Kimpo Air Base in South Korea, claiming that he wanted to get away from the "red deceit" and is often associated with Operation Moolah.^[12]
Maxim Kuzminov [ru], former Russian military pilot-navigator of the Mi-8AMTSh military transport helicopter. During the Russian-Ukrainian War, on August 9, 2023, he flew across the front line to the Ukrainian side as part of the special Operation Synytsia, prepared by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.^[13]
Genrikh Lyushkov, the NKVD chief in the Russian Far East, defected to Manchukuo in 1938 under the Great Purge and then cooperated with the Imperial Japanese Army.
Ivan Mazepa, Ukrainian Hetman of Zaporizhian Host from 1687–1708 who defected from the Russian Empire to the Swedish Empire during the Battle of Poltava of the Great Northern War.
Lee Harvey Oswald, the later assassin of President John F. Kennedy had claimed defection to the Soviet Union in October 1959 but was ultimately refused citizenship and returned to the United States in 1962.
Ion Mihai Pacepa, a Romanian Securitate general who defected to the United States from the Socialist Republic of Romania in 1978.
Matiur Rahman, a Pakistani/Bangladeshi pilot who in 1971 attempted to defect with a T-33 along with confidential Pakistani war plans to India to join the Bangladesh Liberation War. However his plan was foiled by Flt.Lt Rashid Minhas who crashed the plane after a brief struggle for control over the aircraft. The plane crashed some 50 Kilometres from the border.^[14]
Leamsy Salazar, former lieutenant colonel of Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela and head of security detail for Hugo Chávez, defected to United States in December 2014.
Heng Samrin, a top-brass military figure in Democratic Kampuchea defected to Vietnam during the Khmer Rouge purges of the Eastern Zone after considering the fate of So Phim, his superior in command.^[15]
Travis King, a US Army private who defected to North Korea, possibly to avoid facing a dishonorable discharge and legal charges, in 2023. North Korea would later return him to American custody.

Politics

Guy Burgess, British diplomat and member of the Cambridge Five, defected to the Soviet Union in 1951.
Donald Maclean, British diplomat and member of the Cambridge Five, defected to the Soviet Union in 1951.
Kim Philby, British intelligence officer and member of the Cambridge Five, defected to the Soviet Union in 1963.
Viktor Suvorov (born 1947), Russian writer and former Soviet military intelligence officer who defected to the United Kingdom in 1978.
Thae Yong-ho, a former North Korean diplomat for Britain. At an unknown date Thae defected from North Korea for his family, because he "didn't want his children, who were used to life of freedom, to suffer life of oppression". Being one of North Korea's elite, for the nation he was the highest profile defection since No Kum-sok (above) in 1953. He was elected to the South Korean National Assembly in 2020 for the United Future Party, representing the Gangnam A district of Seoul.^{[citation needed]}
Vladimir Petrov - Soviet diplomat who defected to Australia in 1954.^[16]^[17]^[18]

Others

Viktor Korchnoi, Russian chess Grandmaster, defected in Amsterdam in 1976.
Walter Polovchak, minor, defected to the United States in 1980 at 12. He and his parents moved to the United States from Soviet Ukraine in 1980 but later that year his parents decided to move back to Ukraine. He did not wish to return with them and was the subject of a five-year struggle to stay permanently. He won the right to permanent sanctuary in 1985 upon turning 18.
The crew of oil tanker Tuapse, held hostage in 1954 by the government of Taiwan during the White Terror. An unusual case of forced defection, where the crew were forced to defect to the United States to secure their release. Those who refused were subjected to various forms of torture, while those who subsequently retracted their defection and returned to the Soviet Union were sentenced for treason but later pardoned. All surviving crew were released in 1988.
Vaas Feniks Nokard [ja], in order to defect from Russia in 2021, swam from Kunashir Island to Hokkaido, a distance of about 20 kilometers, in 23 hours.^[19]
Yeonmi Park is a North Korean defector and activist whose family fled from North Korea to China in 2007

References

^ "Definition of DEFECTOR". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26.
^ "Defection | Define Defection at Dictionary.com". Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-03-22. "de·fec·tion [dih-fek-shuhn] noun (1.) desertion from allegiance, loyalty, duty, or the like; apostasy: His defection to East Germany was regarded as treasonable. (2.) failure; lack; loss: He was overcome by a sudden defection of courage." Retrieved 22MARCH2011.
^ "Defector | Define Defector at Dictionary.com". Archived from the original on 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-03-22. "de·fec·tor [dih-fek-ter] –noun a person who defects from a cause, country, alliance, etc. Origin: 1655–65; < Latin dēfector renegade, rebel, equivalent to dēfec- (variant stem of dēficere to become disaffected, revolt, literally, to fail; see defect) + -tor -tor" Retrieved 22MARCH2011.
^ "defector", The Free Dictionary, archived from the original on 2019-08-27, retrieved 2023-01-18
^ Grewal, Sharan (2019-06-01). "Military Defection During Localized Protests: The Case of Tataouine". International Studies Quarterly. 63 (2): 259–269. doi:10.1093/isq/sqz003. ISSN 0020-8833.
^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "1974: Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union - CBC Archives". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23.
^ Bridcut, John (16 September 2007). "The KGB's long war against Rudolf Nureyev". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-03.
^ Tignor, Steve (May 7, 2015). "1975: Martina Navratilova defects to U.S. while playing the U.S. Open". Tennis.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
^ "The plight of Krystsina Tsimanouskaya shows what a pariah Belarus now is | Mary Dejevsky". Independent.co.uk. 2 August 2021.
^ Dowling, Stephen The Pilot Who Stole A Secret Soviet Fighter Jet September 5, 2016 Archived February 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine BBC Retrieved August 24, 2017
^ "Factsheets: Story of the MiG-15 Archived 2013-09-22 at the Wayback Machine." National Museum of the United States Air Force.
^ "'Let's give it a try,' recalls Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine in his military helicopter". 4 September 2023.
^ "Pakistan Army". Archived from the original on September 12, 2020.
^ Professor Ben Kiernan (2008). The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14434-5.
^ "Mrs Petrov's death brings bizarre affair to end". 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
^ "Obituary: Evdokia Petrov". TheGuardian.com. 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
^ "Spies who loved us". 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.
^ 【テレビ初告白】なぜ彼は国後島から泳いできたのか脱出のきっかけ「不愉快な出来事」とは… すべてを語る, retrieved 2022-11-03

External links

Famous Defectors Archived 2010-07-18 at the Wayback Machine - slideshow by Life magazine

[1] "Definition of DEFECTOR". www.merriam-webster.com. Archived from the original on 2015-02-26.

[2] "Defection | Define Defection at Dictionary.com". Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2011-03-22. "de·fec·tion [dih-fek-shuhn] noun (1.) desertion from allegiance, loyalty, duty, or the like; apostasy: His defection to East Germany was regarded as treasonable. (2.) failure; lack; loss: He was overcome by a sudden defection of courage." Retrieved 22MARCH2011.

[3] "Defector | Define Defector at Dictionary.com". Archived from the original on 2011-04-05. Retrieved 2011-03-22. "de·fec·tor [dih-fek-ter] –noun a person who defects from a cause, country, alliance, etc. Origin: 1655–65; < Latin dēfector renegade, rebel, equivalent to dēfec- (variant stem of dēficere to become disaffected, revolt, literally, to fail; see defect) + -tor -tor" Retrieved 22MARCH2011.

[4] "defector", The Free Dictionary, archived from the original on 2019-08-27, retrieved 2023-01-18

[5] Grewal, Sharan (2019-06-01). "Military Defection During Localized Protests: The Case of Tataouine". International Studies Quarterly. 63 (2): 259–269. doi:10.1093/isq/sqz003. ISSN 0020-8833.

[:0-6] Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[7] "1974: Mikhail Baryshnikov defects from the Soviet Union - CBC Archives". cbc.ca. Archived from the original on 2015-09-23.

[8] Bridcut, John (16 September 2007). "The KGB's long war against Rudolf Nureyev". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 2016-03-22. Retrieved 2016-03-03.

[9] Tignor, Steve (May 7, 2015). "1975: Martina Navratilova defects to U.S. while playing the U.S. Open". Tennis.com. Retrieved June 10, 2024.

[10] "The plight of Krystsina Tsimanouskaya shows what a pariah Belarus now is | Mary Dejevsky". Independent.co.uk. 2 August 2021.

[11] Dowling, Stephen The Pilot Who Stole A Secret Soviet Fighter Jet September 5, 2016 Archived February 18, 2017, at the Wayback Machine BBC Retrieved August 24, 2017

[nmusaf-12] "Factsheets: Story of the MiG-15 Archived 2013-09-22 at the Wayback Machine." National Museum of the United States Air Force.

[13] "'Let's give it a try,' recalls Russian pilot who defected to Ukraine in his military helicopter". 4 September 2023.

[14] "Pakistan Army". Archived from the original on September 12, 2020.

[15] Professor Ben Kiernan (2008). The Pol Pot Regime: Race, Power, and Genocide in Cambodia Under the Khmer Rouge, 1975-79. Yale University Press. ISBN 978-0-300-14434-5.

[16] "Mrs Petrov's death brings bizarre affair to end". 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.

[17] "Obituary: Evdokia Petrov". TheGuardian.com. 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 29 November 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.

[18] "Spies who loved us". 27 July 2002. Archived from the original on 24 August 2018. Retrieved 20 March 2022.

[19] 【テレビ初告白】なぜ彼は国後島から泳いできたのか脱出のきっかけ「不愉快な出来事」とは… すべてを語る, retrieved 2022-11-03

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