Posted
on July 9, 2014
Wikipedia
says that Palau developed the first “nuclear-free” constitution
in 1981. – but that the country dropped “nuclear-free” in 1994
in order to become an “associated state” to the U.S.
And
that got me wondering...
What
is an “associated state”?
A territory is an associated state if it has a relationship with another—usually much larger—nation but still has a degree of self-rule. Some minor partners that have relationships with larger nations are called “protectorates” or some other label, but when no other label fits, they are called associated states.
How
many associated states are there in the world?
There
are only five who are in formal associations: two (Cook Islands and
Niue) that are associated with New Zealand, and three (Marshall
Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) that are
associated with the U.S.
 |
| Jellyfish Lake |
However,
there are some dependent territories and countries associated with
larger countries, usually for the sake of defense. For example,
Andorra depends on Spain and France to defend it, and Monaco depends
on France.
 |
| Spearfishing in the clear water |
What
does the U.S. do for Palau?
It
provides defense, as you probably guessed. Also, the U.S. also funds
grants and gives access to social services. Palau uses the U.S.
dollar as its currency, but actually quite a few countries that have
no formal association with the U.S. do that (like Ecuador).
What
about that anti-nuclear constitution?
As
I mentioned earlier, in 1981 Palau voted for the world's first
nuclear-free constitution which explicitly banned the use, storage,
and disposal of nuclear, toxic chemical, gas and biological weapons
without being approved by a three-fourths majority in a referendum
(vote).
But
the United States had some power over Palau, because it was part of
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands set up after World War II.
And the U.S. insisted that, if they were to grant Palau full
independence, it be allowed to operate its nuclear subs within Palau
waters. With the promise of independence dangling as a reward,
Palauans finally voted (on the eighth referendum!) to amend that part
of the constitution.
Where
in the world is Palau?
This
island group is part of Micronesia, found near the Philippines,
Indonesia, and the other islands in the western Pacific Ocean. The
islands were settled some 3,000 years ago. In the late 1800s they
were colonized by Spain, and they were later were sold to Imperial
Germany. The Imperial Japanese Navy conquered the islands during
World War I.
(No
wonder Palauans want help with their defense from a larger country!)
What
more should we know about Palau?
- Well, I don't know that you SHOULD know anything at all about Palau, but I found it very interesting that there are from 200 to 250 islands in the nation.
- Most of the islands are volcanoes or coral atolls.
- Only eight of the islands are inhabited!
Some
of the islands formed by coral reefs have bases that have been
eroded away. These islands are often compared to fuzzy green
mushrooms.
Divers
love to go to Palau! Not only is there great visibility in the clear
blue waters, but there are cool underwater walls and caves formed by
eroded coral, and there are also sunken planes and ships from World
War II.
Some of the caves on Palauan islands are adorned with elaborate artwork. From this and other evidence, we know that the caves have been used by humans for at least four thousand years.
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