05-03-2015, 05:22 AM
A look around at other Pacific Island nations might give us a pretty good indication of what an independent Hawaii would look like.
As far as I know, Hawaii and Tahiti are the only two large island archipelagos aligned with a larger nation, Hawaii with the US, and Tahiti with France. Both have a considerably higher standard of living than any other island or group of islands in the Pacific.
I think a restored Hawaiian kingdom would in a decade or two instead look like Fiji, New Caledonia, Western Samoa, or the Cook Islands. Beautiful places to visit, but every one of them struggling to survive on their own. Look at the recent hurricane in Vanuatu, it will take years for their islands to recover, and that's with international assistance. A hurricane strike on the Hawaiian Kingdom would meet with the same impossible odds toward the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure.
Another example is American Samoa. A small beautiful island, somewhat independent as it it very difficult for foreigners to buy land. It is however a US territory, which allows a majority of the Samoan population to live in Hawaii or California where there are many more opportunities available to them. It's difficult to open and operate a business in American Samoa. As an example, Bank of Hawaii closed their branches a few years ago stating "...we felt we could deliver the appropriate level of service. However, it’s become increasingly difficult to maintain that strategy in American Samoa due to its geographic isolation from our other markets.” This would no doubt happen to many exiting businesses in Hawaii should the islands revert to a geographically isolated kingdom.
One more example is Fiji. It's an independent nation. There is a large Indian population often frequently at odds with the Fijian residents. This has resulted in numerous coups over the years and serious disruptions in the day to day lives of the population. There is no stability in the government or for it's citizens. In Hawaii there are numerous claims by people calling themselves the rightful heirs to the Hawaiian Kingdom. It's possible those claims will be resolved, it's also possible the losers in that process will always lie in wait for the next opportunity to take what they consider rightfully theirs.
As far as I know, Hawaii and Tahiti are the only two large island archipelagos aligned with a larger nation, Hawaii with the US, and Tahiti with France. Both have a considerably higher standard of living than any other island or group of islands in the Pacific.
I think a restored Hawaiian kingdom would in a decade or two instead look like Fiji, New Caledonia, Western Samoa, or the Cook Islands. Beautiful places to visit, but every one of them struggling to survive on their own. Look at the recent hurricane in Vanuatu, it will take years for their islands to recover, and that's with international assistance. A hurricane strike on the Hawaiian Kingdom would meet with the same impossible odds toward the reconstruction of homes and infrastructure.
Another example is American Samoa. A small beautiful island, somewhat independent as it it very difficult for foreigners to buy land. It is however a US territory, which allows a majority of the Samoan population to live in Hawaii or California where there are many more opportunities available to them. It's difficult to open and operate a business in American Samoa. As an example, Bank of Hawaii closed their branches a few years ago stating "...we felt we could deliver the appropriate level of service. However, it’s become increasingly difficult to maintain that strategy in American Samoa due to its geographic isolation from our other markets.” This would no doubt happen to many exiting businesses in Hawaii should the islands revert to a geographically isolated kingdom.
One more example is Fiji. It's an independent nation. There is a large Indian population often frequently at odds with the Fijian residents. This has resulted in numerous coups over the years and serious disruptions in the day to day lives of the population. There is no stability in the government or for it's citizens. In Hawaii there are numerous claims by people calling themselves the rightful heirs to the Hawaiian Kingdom. It's possible those claims will be resolved, it's also possible the losers in that process will always lie in wait for the next opportunity to take what they consider rightfully theirs.
“If any state fails to take the necessary measures to restore public safety and order, the Reich government may temporarily take over the powers of the highest state authority.”