>From the US point of view, this is a good program because it incentivizes people from the Marshall Islands to stay put rather than emigrate to the US mainland

Why is this a good thing? Naively, as an American citizen, I would rather have someone emigrate and work in America where they can provide additional labor to the mainland economy

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TFNA an hour ago | parent | next [-]

The US is competing with China in the Pacific. Keeping those islands healthily populated by USA-sympathizers helps maintains overall US influence in the region.

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jlawrence6809 20 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Presumably if AI reaches it's potential there might not be a need for immigrants labor.

	▲	derektank 8 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		I am very confident that this has not historically been, and is not today, a major or minor consideration in US foreign policymaking

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_heimdall an hour ago | parent | prev [-]

The Marshall Islands are of military importance, we don't squat in the island chain for economic gain.

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derektank 11 minutes ago | parent [-]

This seems like a non sequitur? The US military can staff its own bases without relying upon native labor, as it does in places like Diego Garcia

	▲	jvanderbot 5 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		As said above, you want the population (the ones that run the government right?) to stay there and happy, so that the bases are welcome and symbolic.