Numerous nations have been reluctant to take in Guantanamo detainees, Palau and Bermuda decided to accept seventeen and four Chinese Muslim Ulghers, respectively. Yet Bermuda’s move has caused plenty of controversy in the land of its current colonizer- Great Britain- and the decision could be overturned. According to Bermudan Premier Dr. Ewart F. Brown, “I can say on behalf of the Government, we are confident this decision is the right one from a humanitarian perspective.” Yet as Annie Lowrey of the Foreign Policy Passport blog noted, odds are that the real reason for accepting the repatriation can be simplified to one word: money.
So, why Palau and Bermuda? The countries have more in common than warm sands and clear water and tiny populations. They're very friendly with the United States for economic reasons.Image- AFP (“Chinese Uighur detainees talk to reporters at Camp Iguana in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.”)
The U.S. government has military bases on Palau, and has given its government hundreds of millions in aid and financing. (Palau, which was a protectorate until 1994, actually uses the U.S. dollar as its currency.) Bermuda's economy depends on the United States in no small part as well; a large proportion of Bermuda's tourists come from the U.S., and Bermuda is a staple off-shore tax haven for U.S. financial firms.
Online Sources- AFP, Foreign Policy Passport, ABC News, PRESS TV, BBC News
1 comment:
Instead of paying to keep them in prison after a trial we will spend more in bribes to other countries to take them in. The Obama way
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