I think there's a lot one could say - yes, being a part of the most economically powerful country on earth has many salutary aspects, certainly including the wealth of your citizenry. Being passed back and forth between imperial powers before and during World War II had immense human costs for Guam and its larger region, including the li…
I think there's a lot one could say - yes, being a part of the most economically powerful country on earth has many salutary aspects, certainly including the wealth of your citizenry. Being passed back and forth between imperial powers before and during World War II had immense human costs for Guam and its larger region, including the literal invention of ethnic and linguistic sectarian conflict that didn't exist before. But for our purposes here, the point is that the United States considers Guam its possession, and that is an artifact of what is by any rational definition expansionism. You can argue that it's good expansionism, but then many Chinese people believe China's annexation of Tibet has had great economic benefits for the people there - and they might not be wrong. It's just a question of the bigger picture in terms of human rights and self-determination.
Human rights and self determination are properly the goal. In practice the salutary effects of colonialism is better for average people if it means the trains to run on time .
I went on a jungle trip in Guyana, 2005, every Guyanese I spoke to bemoaned the experience of Guyana’s independence. I spoke to 40ish people, illiterate to well educated, they all pointed to Suriname their next-door neighbour and still a French protectorate. Suriname functions; Guyana imploded and remains a dangerous shambles. They want out.
I’m not a very educated person, so I think I have that advantage. I’m stuck with the practical, I don’t have the theoretical chops to fuck things up with highfaluting overreach.
That hurts my credibility. Nonetheless it was a real experience and an eye-opener they preferred colonialism. They spoke of going to Cayenne and how it functions properly although poor. Georgetown is incredibly dangerous city. We had armed guards the whole time and they were a motley looking group, cold comfort.
I think there's a lot one could say - yes, being a part of the most economically powerful country on earth has many salutary aspects, certainly including the wealth of your citizenry. Being passed back and forth between imperial powers before and during World War II had immense human costs for Guam and its larger region, including the literal invention of ethnic and linguistic sectarian conflict that didn't exist before. But for our purposes here, the point is that the United States considers Guam its possession, and that is an artifact of what is by any rational definition expansionism. You can argue that it's good expansionism, but then many Chinese people believe China's annexation of Tibet has had great economic benefits for the people there - and they might not be wrong. It's just a question of the bigger picture in terms of human rights and self-determination.
Human rights and self determination are properly the goal. In practice the salutary effects of colonialism is better for average people if it means the trains to run on time .
I went on a jungle trip in Guyana, 2005, every Guyanese I spoke to bemoaned the experience of Guyana’s independence. I spoke to 40ish people, illiterate to well educated, they all pointed to Suriname their next-door neighbour and still a French protectorate. Suriname functions; Guyana imploded and remains a dangerous shambles. They want out.
I’m not a very educated person, so I think I have that advantage. I’m stuck with the practical, I don’t have the theoretical chops to fuck things up with highfaluting overreach.
Trains running on time: ya!
Sorry to quibble: Surinam is a Dutch protectorate. French Guiana is the French one.
That hurts my credibility. Nonetheless it was a real experience and an eye-opener they preferred colonialism. They spoke of going to Cayenne and how it functions properly although poor. Georgetown is incredibly dangerous city. We had armed guards the whole time and they were a motley looking group, cold comfort.