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> I am not aware that the US has ratified any treaty which would outlaw perpetual leases. So if Russia did not ratify UN convention on war crimes, then their b

> I am not aware that the US has ratified any treaty which would outlaw perpetual leases. So if Russia did not ratify UN convention on war crimes, then their behaviour in Ukraine is okay? You seem to have no grasp of international law at all. Article 52 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties: “a treaty is void if its conclusion has been procured by the threat or use of force.” The Platt Amendment and accompanying Agreement could have violated this article because the leasing provision was a threatening ultimatum. The first Cuban government extended the lease with unequal bargaining power: Cuba understood that U.S. military forces would remain on the island if the leasing arrangement was not made Cuba may hold that the United States breached the lease Agreement under Article 60 of the Vienna Convention - Lease was for a naval base, not an illegal detention camp. https://www.nyujilp.org/guantanamo-bays-quasi-colonial-status-from-leasehold-to-detention-camp/ https://www.nyujilp.org/guantanamo-bays-quasi-colonial-statu...

kristopolous 4y ago
Thanks for the assist here. I come from a different angle where I see these as the vestigial artefacts of colonialism and we should be adults in the room entrusted to "fix the map". Point Roberts should go to Canada. St Pierre and Miquelon should also be part of Canada. Puerto Rico should be a either a US state or a sovereign nation. Same goes for Guam, Marina Islands, Virgin Islands and American Samoa. There's dozens of things like this. I frankly don't care about arguments of power. We should be relying on better behavior and not devolve into covetous impudent children acting like whiney teenaged monarchs from 500 years ago. We will never be able to successfully tackle the global problems of 21st century pollution, climate change, resource allocation, etc, if we insist on acting like adolescent brats playing Risk. It'll probably save a bunch of money as well. The British maintaining the Falklands and Gibraltar probably isn't cheap. After that we should start returning cultural artifacts captured in war that have been requested back but held up in the victors museums for decades. It's time to move forward and start being adults. We're going to have to do it eventually. Whether that's now or in a hundred years after making things worse is up to us.

kristopolous 4y ago

Thanks for the assist here. I come from a different angle where I see these as the vestigial artefacts of colonialism and we should be adults in the room entrusted to "fix the map". Point Roberts should go to Canada. St Pierre and Miquelon should also be part of Canada. Puerto Rico should be a either a US state or a sovereign nation. Same goes for Guam, Marina Islands, Virgin Islands and American Samoa. There's dozens of things like this. I frankly don't care about arguments of power. We should be relying on better behavior and not devolve into covetous impudent children acting like whiney teenaged monarchs from 500 years ago. We will never be able to successfully tackle the global problems of 21st century pollution, climate change, resource allocation, etc, if we insist on acting like adolescent brats playing Risk. It'll probably save a bunch of money as well. The British maintaining the Falklands and Gibraltar probably isn't cheap. After that we should start returning cultural artifacts captured in war that have been requested back but held up in the victors museums for decades. It's time to move forward and start being adults. We're going to have to do it eventually. Whether that's now or in a hundred years after making things worse is up to us.