Over the past 15 years, the Compact of Free Association has provided financial support and U.S. Federal Programs to the Marshall Islands. In exchange, the Marshalls has granted defense rights and "strategic denial" to the United States. The financial provisions of the Compact are set to expire in September, and with them the support that the Marshall islands has come to rely on.
The US and the Marshall islands are poised to approve a re-negotiated Compact. The Marshalls hopes to secure a $33 million a year grant package that will last for the next 20 years, and will include a trust fund that could help the Marshalls stand economically alone at the end of the assistance period. The Marshalls needs to improve its struggling economy and social services. Will the proposed money be enough? Will this package be approved? In this video, the people of the Marshall Islands discuss the new arrangement and voice their hopes for the future.
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