It is time for the US begin to end Colonialism around the world. Over the years, through settlement
of wars, agreements with other countries, and other means, the United States has acquired numerous ‘territories’.
The acquisitions were made for various reasons, but, maybe it is time to let many of them become independent countries. Through
the years, after the acquisition of these ‘territories’, many have changed their status in various ways. Alaska and Hawaii have become States, the Philippines, Micronesia,
the Marshall Islands, Cuba and Palau have been granted independence, etc.; however, the U.S. still currently has fourteen
territories in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Why? Five of these territories, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern
Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, are permanently inhabited, and deemed ‘unincorporated territories’;
the other nine are small islands, atolls and reefs with no native (or permanent) population. Of these nine, only one is classified
as an ‘incorporated territory’ (Palmyra Atoll). Two additional territories, Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank,
are claimed by the United States but administered by Colombia.
We believe the time has come for the U.S. to unwind its
current ‘territorial’ claims to all five of the United States ‘inhabited
territories’ noted above and to grant those territories their independence as
was done with the others mentioned earlier. Those, like Guam, that have major military
installations or have strategic defense purpose would be handled the same way
that the Philippines was when it was granted independence on July 4, 1946, whereby the newly
independent country
would grant the U.S. military rights to those bases and/or needed assets for
the next 99 years. In granting independence to American Samoa, Guam, the
Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, they all
will have preferred trade and defense agreements with the United States.
The nine minor territories, Palmyra Atoll, Baker Island,
Howland Island, Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Atoll, Wake
Island and Navassa Island, would all continue to be United States territories,
as they have few, if any native inhabitants.
All
claims to Bajo Nuevo Bank and Serranilla Bank would be
dropped leaving them to Colombia.
