Re: OU and New Caledonia - was RE: [GZG] NSL Geopolitical Composition

[Zoe and Carmen Brain <aebrain@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

john tailby wrote:

> It is easy to make small arms, so you could have a low tech army.

Yes, we make our own small-arms and ammunition. We learnt that lesson 
when Sweden refused to supply us ammo for the 84mm Karl Gustav anti-tank 
weapons we had, during the Vietnam War.

> It is possible to make light armoured vehicles from civilian engineering 
> knowledge.

And even design your own, and sell them overseas, as we have.

> It would be very hard to design an build an indigenous design for an MBT 
> especially one that can compete with major power designs.

The last time we did this was in the 1940s. But if Brazil, Korea, and 
China can do it...

> It isn't likely that the Pacific Rim could develop the military 
> infrastructure to develop their own designs for fighter aircraft, 
> aircraft carriers or large naval combatants.
> Even the current defence spending on frigates is based on designs from 
> Europe with components made under licence by local contractors.

Yes, many are still smarting that we didn't produce the FFL, an 
indigenous design that would have been far better - but more expensive - 
than our current FFG-7s.

Fighters are another matter - there we pretty much must rely on foreign 
designs, though we do tend to customise them a bit. OK, a lot. Our 
F-18As  have range of armament on them that USN F-18Cs don't, plus 
various avionics upgrades. Still the basic A engine though :(

> What is interesting is trying to imagine how you would get from the 
> current state of affairs to militaristic enough to invade New Caledonia 
> and stand off France in only 10 electoral cycles. The last thing NZ 
> wants to do is jeopardise its relations with the EU because where would 
> it sell its agricultural products to.

The US?

Sorry, just joking.

I'll see if I can dig up the "Secret History of the OU" that I sent to 
Jon many moons ago. From what I can recollect, the New Caledonian Fracas 
was part of a not-terribly-secret-but-plausibly-deniable concerted move 
to expel the nascent FSE from its Pacific Territories (which were in 
open revolt). All to do with Fish farms, and the large-scale marine 
agribusiness started up by ex-US multibillionaires (refugees from the US 
breakup) who had funded the shallow-water sea dome farms that now 
provided much of the global food supply, and incredible amounts of 
moolah. New Caledonia has extensive mineral wealth BTW.

Basically the Polynesians thought being part of an Oceanic Union that 
respected their culture was a better deal than being the lackeys of an 
increasingly arrogant and exploitative foreign colonial office.

If you've ever been to Tahiti, you'll know that there's an undercurrent 
of resentment there that is barely supressed sometimes. Or there was, 
last time I was there, over 10 years ago.

Oh, and New Caledonia is going to have a referendum on independence in 
about 10 years. See http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/87989.stm

From 1998:
"France views New Caledonia - which contains about 30% of the world's 
nickel reserves - as a strategic political and economic asset in the 
region.

The accord allows the archipelago greater autonomy during a 15-20 year 
transition period before a referendum on self-determination is held.

The New Caledonians will vote on independence some time between the 
years 2013 and 2018.

Leaders of New Caledonia's rival separatist and pro-French groups have 
also signed the document, drawn up in Paris on April 21 (1998).

Party to the agreement were Jacques LaFleur, leader of the 
anti-independence Rally for Caledonia in the Republic party (RPCR) and 
Roch Wamytan, of the pro-independence Kanak and Socialist National 
Liberation Front party (FLNKS).

The accord was also signed by the French Secretary of State for Overseas 
Territories, Jean-Jack Queyranne.

New Caledonia has "crossed a new step" in its political development, 
said Mr Jospin after the signing ceremony.

For the last 10 years, New Caledonia has periodically erupted in 
violence between pro-independence indigenous Kanak people and 
anti-independence settlers who were originally from France."

This treaty took the heat out of the struggle, but it's still simmering.


Zoe
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