Tuesday February 22, 2005

I've Been Thinking:

Yesterday President Bush clearly expressed his expectation that the future Palestinian State not be a "string of territories."

The concept is called "territorial contiguity." It means that all land should be connected in order for it to be a viable state and government.

Let's take a look. Hawaii, Japan, The Philippines, Fiji, and the list goes on. Almost none of the Pacific Island countries have territorial contiguity, they are separated by vast distances and spaces. And yet, they govern.

The point is this:
A state is run by the people and by the leaders who serve in government.
Land mass, size, shape, and location are not determining factors of statehood.
Liberty, freedom, equality, those are the essentials needed for governance - by the people and for the people - in order to establish and maintain viable statehood in today's world.

The people must be connected, not the territory.