Power talks

Do you know power talks? Alaska was bought by the united states on 18 October 153 years ago from Russia for 7.2 million dollars only. The U.S paid 15 million dollars for parts of present-day California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. Spain sold the Philippines to America for 20 million dollars. Once Mumbai then erstwhile Bombay was given in dowry in 1661. Singapore was sold for 5 thousand Spanish dollars. China had leased Hong Kong to Britain for 99 years.

Let’s get back to Alaska’s purchase. It was sold to America by Russia in hope that America would set off Russia’s greatest rivals Great Britain. The Alaska Treaty was signed in 1867 on May 28 and officially it was transferred to the USA on 18 October 1867. This Purchase marked an end of Russian’s control over the Pacific Northern rim.

For several decades after the purchase, the USA paid no attention to Alaska and only military and naval movements happened there. The purchase was considered “Seward’s folly” meaning America had acquired a useless land; until a major gold deposit was discovered in the Yukon in 1896 and thus Alaska became the gateway to goldfields. Alaska’s strategic location was recognized in world war II. Its shoreline is greater than that of the Atlantic coast. It has two time zones, a number of national parks, many glaciers, and rivers. It now one of the richest states in America. Alaska is so rich that it doesn’t ask for income taxes instead offers a stipend to its residents.

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Then again America bought another set of islands from Denmark “ The Virgin Island” once called Denish Westendies by transferring 25 million dollars in gold. The islands of Saint Thomas, Saint John, and Saint Croix were bought to improve critical positioning in war during world war I situations. Also, Denmark was not able to manage the island so sold it to the USA. Later the USA also showed its interest in buying Greenland, though this deal couldn’t happen. The current US President Donald  Trump again showed his interest in buying Greenland the reply he got back was it is ‘not for sale’.

This is not the only such sale which was made far from the mainland. Pakistan has leased Gwadar port to a Chinese company for 40 years. China’s strategic move to its involvement in the middle east’s crude oil business as Gwader is located on shores of Arabian seas opposite Oman. The interesting fact is Pakistan bought this island from Oman in 1950 for 5.5 Billion by Feroz khan Noon, Pakistan’s then prime minister.

Another set of islands named Senkaku Islands was bought by Japan in 2012 from the Kurihara family and paid 2.1 Billion yen for these islands. It has become a game-changer in the East China sea. This island lies in a key shipping lane and near to gas deposits.

All these selling and buying of territories occurred in a sense of greed for the nations to emerge powerful than one another, but there is also a deal which happened in need for its people to find a place; due to climate change happening in Kiribati island, it has a risk of submerging down. In 2014 then Kirbatis then-President Anote Tong bought an island from Fiji named Natoavatu Estate located in Fiji which is the second biggest island of Vanua Levu for 9.3 million dollars.

Countries have also fought wars over disputed territories. And after the win, the victors have grabbed the land of other country with impunity. Colonization, WW-I, and WW-II are two major examples of this phenomenon although this has also happened in any war between two countries. Power wins.

The physical boundaries of countries change. The areas get conquered or sold, or gifted – end result is that more powerful countries will always find ways to expand and keep their hegemony. If you want to be safe, be strong – militarily, and economically. To practice non-violence, a country needs to be ready to be ruthlessly violent and crush its opponents if the time comes. Otherwise, any country is just a sitting duck once its power weans – either military or economic.

One Life. Live Boundless.