Peter Lynn ARCHIVE
The Great Age of Exploration
It was during the great age of exploration with new continents opening every week; fame and fortune for the few with enough luck, determination and talent to find and hold the prizes.
Joe, an explorer type, decided to have a go, so mounted an expedition through the untracked jungle and indeed found and claimed a fertile resource rich valley.
Of course, Joe knew that finding is one thing, holding is another so he prepared beforehand by forging relationships with powerful people in his home country, made eye contact with some not always friendly neighbouring countries and employed professional advisors to help navigate through the various regulatory issues of international law.
Just as Joe starts signing up settlers and building the infrastructure required for a new colony, one of the not-so-friendly neighbouring countries sets up an outpost in a remote but claimed corner of Joe's territory.
In fact, the first Joe hears of this foreign outpost is from his political friends and supporters who, for their own security, keep an eye on what is happening in all new territories. They pledge Joe full support but point out that, of course, if Joe can't control the valley, they can hardly be expected to become his settlers and would, regretfully, have to look at setting up their own independent outposts there quite soon, or even, in the last resort, settle in the invader's territory.
Joe's next response is to write a polite but firm note, to the invader offering cooperation but hinting at possible consequences of their not either withdrawing or at least acknowledging Joe's priority. Being a careful type, Joe first ran this past his professional advisers to check for diplomatic niceties.
Their response was that while the note is clear and doesn't offend the diplomatic mores of Joe's home country which they are familiar with, they can't know for sure how it will be received in another culture. What if it makes someone very angry and starts a minor war? Regretfully therefore they advise that there should be no attempt to dislodge the rival outpost at that stage but maybe something will be possible later after the legalities become clearer (by which time it will take a full-blown war to dislodge what may by then have become an entrenched settlement).
Further, they also advise that no attempt should be made to win international public support for Joe's colony because such a campaign could undermine attempts to establish the validity of Joe's formal legal claim to the territory in the view of some foreign country or other. They didn't actually know of any such country specifically but considered it prudent not to take any risk etc.
Of course, if Joe did not take their advice in these matters, then they could not be held responsibility for whatever happened.
Joe did take their advice to do nothing and consequently lost control of the valley, regrettable, but-----.
Peter Lynn November 2000
