The canoe of the FSM economy has for many years floated on the tide of government salaries and external assistance. This has led to a consumption-based economy with little means for self-support. After the FSM gained independence in 1986, one of the major goals of the new government was to create a self-sustaining economy. This …
Continue reading “Pushing Out To Sea: Creating a New FSM Economy”
This short documentary about the US-related islands of the Pacific discusses health conditions and social setting in American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and the Republic of the Marshall Islands. While the developed world urges prevention as the new battle line in the campaign against illness, many …
Land has always had a mystical meaning for Micronesians. In the past it was more a link with one's roots and a source of identity than it was a commodity. It is only during recent years that land has come to be regarded as a possession. As the small island nations in the Pacific strive for economic …
A brief overview of US relations with Micronesia over the years. Focused on the FSM, this documentary surveys problems of development in the islands.
A Micronesian leader once compared the FSM economy to a turtle on its back, its feet kicking in the air, but going nowhere. For years the economy in the islands has been upside down. The foreign subsidies that supported an expensive government structure has, in turn, created a small private sector consisting of service industries. This video explores …
Tens of thousands of Micronesians now live in the US, where they have migrated to find jobs, education and health care. This one-hour documentary, a sequel to “Micronesians Abroad,” tracks down some of these islanders in a handful of small towns in the Midwest. Islanders may have once been concentrated in a few key destinations, …
Since the 1990s Micronesians have been leaving in unprecedented numbers to make their home in the US. Today, 30,000 people from FSM, or one out of every four citizens, is living abroad. Islanders from the Marshall Islands and Palau are also leaving in great numbers. Micronesians Abroad offers a look at islanders in their new …