Re: Nation-Building Mars vs Afghanistan and Iraq

From: Tkalbfus1 (tkalbfus1_at_aol.com)
Date: 12/18/04 

Date: 18 Dec 2004 15:35:07 GMT

>Nation building on Mars? What make you so sure that the locals would be
>happy about it? Don't be so sure that there's nothing there
>
>Then there's also the matter if you managed to build a nation there.
>You think that the nation there will be obidient forever to the Earth
>government and not start a "Free Mars Movement" and start fighting the
>Earth government?

Why is that a problem? According to the UN Space Treaty, any settlement
established on Mars will have to be independent from Day One. Since no nation
on Earth is allowed to own space resources, then it follows that only people in
space can own them. Since its forbidden for any Earth Nation to make
territorial claims, Mars is technically an independent Nation at the time the
first human settler establishes a base. The humans on Mars would determine what
sort of government they have, but since they'll be highly dependent of resupply
from Earth, they'll effectively be a colony of whatever country or organization
that is doing the resupply. Technically it is a trade between nations according
to the UN space treaty. Later on, when the colony is more self-sufficient and
if there is more than one supplier, they'll be able to determine who they trade
with. The idea is that those who send out the initial settelers to the planet
will determine the sort of government established there by carefully choosing
those astronauts to send. Send alot of Americans to Mars, and you'll end up
with a government that resembles the USA.

We would want to be influential in determining the first Martian Nation because
we want friendly countries in the Solar System that are like us. It is similar
to the same reason we have troops in Iraq, that is to improve the environment
of the Middle East, not necessarily to squeeze oil profits out of Iraq to get a
direct return on our investments.

Tom

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