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July 21, 2004
Micronesia, We Hardly Know You
One more General Assembly resolution where the United States is joined by Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau against practically the whole rest of the world (this time around Australia, and Israel, also voted with the U.S.).
Well, I finally got curious. Who are these countries and why are they voting with the United States so consistently? Turns out that they are former colonies of the United States, formerly known collectively as the "Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands" and they continue to be heavily dependent on U.S. aid and house U.S. military bases.
Micronesia was under Japanese control until World War II when it became a U.S. colony, formally achieving semi-independence only in 1986. The islands were colonized by Germany before World War I and by Spain before 1889. Currently it has a "Compact of Free Association" with the United States and is heavily dependent on U.S. aid. According to CIA factbook, its annual GDP of $240 million is supplemented by an additional $100 million dollars in aid. There is also a U.S. military base in these islands of about 100,000 mostly subsistence farmers and fishers.
It's basically the same story for Palau and the Marshall Islands. Palau is the smallest of the bunch, population 19,000, and it became "independent" only in 1994. Marshall Islands is right next to Micronesia with about 50,000 people. Perhaps the most striking encapsulation of where it stands is in the global pecking order is the fact its atolls were used for nuclear testing by the United States between 1947 and 1962. All these islands were also ravaged by bombing by both sides, U.S. and Japan, during World War II.
Stephen Shalom had a good article last year in Znet summarizing a history of U.S. isolation in the General Assembly. The pattern is so clear that it's hard to comment much about it.
Posted by zeynep at July 21, 2004 04:32 PM
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Comments
Oh the SHAME!! I am looking for somewhere to pour my frustration, outrage and shame that Australia voted with the US and Israel. I am bitterly disappointed with this Government!! Yet there is so little debate. Nothing at all in any of the online newspapers - even the commentators are quiet. This should have raised one hell of a howl over here. Not whimper - yet.
Posted by: Tookie at July 22, 2004 03:19 AM
Any idea why that's the case?
Posted by: zeynep at July 22, 2004 08:39 PM
I finally got a credible answer to that question on the Sydney Morning Herald's Webdiary run by the bravest woman in Australian journalism, Margo Kingston. http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/07/22/1090464787482.html
OF course Rupert Murdock used to be an Aussie, you know! So we have the same problems over here. John Howard is also busting to sign the Free Trade Agreement with the US. Don't even get me started on that one!
Posted by: Tookie at July 23, 2004 03:23 AM