If you have connections to a hostile country - family, friends, business, spouse, etc. they can (will) become targets of intel ops.
So your wife is from Russia? GRU or FSB will start to pressure family and friends of your spouse.
Anything that is worth anything to the enemies of your country, they will find a way. Which is why agencies that require top secret security clearance will rather just set the threshold extra high, and lose out on potentially good talent. Better to be safe than sorry.
That's a fair assessment. I will just point out that it's a bit simplistic to believe that ally or friendly countries don't have ideological opponents which could potentially do the same and target people based on ideology. Ideological grievances exist in any society regardless of similarities in country, race or religion. So I agree, that it's a tricky situation.
If you have connections to a hostile country - family, friends, business, spouse, etc. they can (will) become targets of intel ops.
So your wife is from Russia? GRU or FSB will start to pressure family and friends of your spouse.
Anything that is worth anything to the enemies of your country, they will find a way. Which is why agencies that require top secret security clearance will rather just set the threshold extra high, and lose out on potentially good talent. Better to be safe than sorry.