Ombre Ga’chong: What if Micronesia banded to become the 51st State of the United States of America?

By Lee Webber

I shared this idea more than 12 years ago and neither Washington nor local politicians ever took it to heart but it remains as valid today, or even more so, than it was then!

What if the Republic of Belau, the Federated States of Micronesia, CNMI, Guam and the Republic of the Marshall Islands came together to become the 51^st State of the United States?

Now, before you scream that this is outrageous, and scrap the entire idea because you do not believe it makes any sense, hear me out.

This new State would connect Hawaii and Micronesia then span roughly 2,500 miles to the west of Honolulu and continue across the great blue Pacific to within 500 miles of the Philippines.

A farfetched idea, I believe not!

Consider the state of Texas (28^th State brought into the union), became part of the United States on December 29, 1845. At that time Texas had approximately 210,000 residents and had a geographical area of 266,807 square miles.

Alaska the 49^th and currently the largest State in the union joined the United States on January 3, 1959. At that time Alaska had a population of approximately 230,000 people and a geographical area of 591,833 square miles.

Hawaii, the 50^th State was the first State to be physically detached from the continent and became a State on August 21, 1959. At that time Hawaii had a total population of an estimated 635,000 residents spread across a total of 132 islands with a geographical area of 6,470 square miles.

By contrast, the proposed State of Micronesia (the 51^st State) would encompass a geographical area of approximately 2.5 million square miles (nearly the size of the entire United States – with land masses of approximately 1,212 square miles or slightly more than three quarters the size to the State of Rhode Island). 

The current population is estimated at approximately 415,000+ people. That is divided among Guam, the FSM, the CNMI, and Republic of the Marshalls followed by the Republic of Belau respectively.

But you say, why even consider such an idea?

As the Pacific Rim and more particularly Asia and the Pacific continue to evolve the value of this blue nation continues to grow economically and strategically. 

With this new State we would have a strategic line that stretched from the state of Hawaii to within 500 miles of the Philippines – completely across the Pacific Ocean.

This vast area called the Pacific Ocean covers nearly 1/3 of the Earth’s surface. A prudent man will not ignore such an expanse or the value it carries strategically and economically.

The Pacific Ocean as a whole covers an area about 20 times the size of the former USSR and more than 28 times the size of the United States of America.

While the overall land mass of this 51^st State may be small and the population spread throughout this large area, the strategic and EEZ (exclusive economic zone) value of the region will continue to gain strength and momentum in the years ahead.

You need not be an Asia specialist to get a grasp of the key issues in this region as the Pacific continues to grow in economic and strategic magnitude. 

Couple this with the Chinese economic and strategic desires for their country to expand and you have a very interesting situation developing to say the least.

A State that stretched across this vast area could and would position the United States squarely in the center of the world’s largest and most rapidly growing economic region.

It also has the ability to draw together the vast resources of the region into one collective group thereby sharing both strength and wisdom.

Additionally, it has resources that can be applied with modern technology for the development of power that can then be used to share with other Pacific nations – giving them an alternative source to reach out to for assistance. This new source would be more like themselves as opposed to a major power broker or continent seeking to expand its reach.

One need only scan throughout the north and south pacific to see the economic, political and social influence that the People’s Republic of China and Taiwan have exerted in nearly every major island group in the region.

This vast amount of influence covering nearly the entire Pacific (remember 1/3 of the earth’s surface) is a huge chip in the game of strategic and economic influence in not only our part of the world but for the balance of it as well.

So while we rap our knuckles against the wall over the smaller issues of the buildup here on Guam we may well be ignoring the elephant in the room.

The time may be ripe for leadership throughout Micronesia to join hands and create a new entity.

Guam is not only where America’s day begins but it would also be the center of the 51^st State of America – and – spread completely across the great Pacific!

Make Guam and Micronesia Great Again!

Esta.

_____

Lee P. Webber is a businessman and civic advocate, the former publisher of the Pacific Daily News, a former president and publisher of the Honolulu Advertiser, and a former director of operations for USA Today International/Asia