I believe what was meant there, is that Indonesian citizenship requirements had no bearing upon a minor child’s presumptive U.S. citizenship, even if Indonesia did not recognize or permit dual citizenship.
Indonesia couldn’t revoke the U.S.citizenship of that minor child by law. Even the parents of that minor child couldn’t relinquish it on behalf of the child. That was a decision to be made by the citizen and only the citizen, upon reaching the age of majority under the law.
Any potential controversy pertaining to Indonesian citizenship would hinge upon actions taken or perhaps not taken, as an adult.
Our laws or theirs?
If their laws permit it. we are bound by treaties to recognize their laws as it pertains to their citizens.
The typical liberal argument is that North Korea can declare all American citizens to be North Korean citizens to prevent anyone from being elected president based upon the Natural born citizen clause. It is a lousy argument, first because it deals with a premise that North Korea has power over people that never entered that country or were ever schooled there.
Obama did enter Indonesia and was enrolled in the state run schools there, his step father was a citizen and his mother became a citizen and spent the rest of her life there.His sister is a citizen of Indonesia as well.
Obviously we look upon Indonesia as one of those safe countries where even though they don’t allow dual citizenship, there is no stigma to being a citizen of Indonesia unlike North Korea where had Obama been made a citizen of that country by his stepfather the situation would be wildly different.
The Question then is why do we accept one over the other, Indonesia at the time Obama was there was a brutal Muslim regime which ruled with an iron fist equal to North Korea at the time.
People tend to forget that.