It's amazing how people forget...
This issue has popped up before on GLP. The islands in question have been under Russian rule since czarist times. Some have claimed that the treaty in which the US bought Alaska may have included these islands since they hadn't been fully mapped and explored at the time.
In subsequent years, the islands were explored by various nations, including the US, Russia, Canada, British, and some Scandinavian countries. Geographically speaking, they're off the coast of Russia, not in proximity to Alaska.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not an Obama fan, I don't think the Russians are or ever will be our friends, and I'd go ballistic if solid American territory was ceded.
HOWEVER, do some research before getting emotional. My call for logic is NOT an endorsement of Obama, just a desire to see the facts presented, not emotion and disinformation.
Quoting: Anonymous Coward 10801032 AC, your points along with others is valid. In a differant world, a differant time, maybey such ceding of assests would be a reasonable accomadation towards relations. The timing of this, and the true strategic and resource loss is much harder to understand.
Russia has failed to sign the treaty that defines the boundries which indeed would grant these islands to their control. A full reading of the treaty is in order for me. I wonder why the lack of commitment on their part. If my memory serves me correctly, is there not ongoing disputes concerning fishing and clear understanding of who can be where?
Like you I am no supporter of obama. His actions continue to defy rational logic. What does he stand to gain from doing this? Why do it now?
The point that they are closer to Russia and not ours....Obviously if we can give them away, we must feel some level of ownership. Could this form of reasoning stretch so far as to say Cuba should be ours? Hmmmm, what nation is the closest to Hawaii?
Sorry, I can not simply dismiss this as "normal" and not worthy of watching.
I don't know if this thread is still active. Thank you for responding to my post, OP.
This isn't the first time a story of the USA allegedly ceding islands to Russia has been presented. Even before Obama, from time to time this story would come up. It's like a urban legend of sorts.
For more information, see [
link to en.wikipedia.org] or [
link to en.wikipedia.org] to learn about some of these islands and see where they're located.
The Aleutian Islands, for instance, are solidly and unquestionably American. Big Diomede in the Bering Strait is indisputably Russian, and Little Diomede is definitely American. If any of these islands changed hands, it would be a major issue of land swapping.
The case you're presenting, however, is about a group of islands which were never under American rule or perceived to be part of the US, though several expeditions through the Arctic tried to claim them. There's no map that I can find from the past 100 years that displays these islands as being anything other than Russian.
So talks of Cuba and Hawaii regarding location are moot. My mentioning their proximity to Russia was to help people try to understand where the islands in question were located, as I doubt most people here would be able to find them on the map.
In fact, I bet some of the people reading this thing we're talking about the Aleutian Islands. Though the farthest of those may be closer to Russia, they are solidly American, part of Alaska, no dispute. However, the islands in your post, that are allegedly being ceded are, and have always been, on the Russian side.
Again, not standing up for Russia or Obama, just saying, this Urban Legend/Internet Rumor isn't new and predates the Obama Administration.
When I first heard a similar rumor, about 4 years ago, I had the same emotional reaction as you, OP, which would be valid IF this were true. But then I researched it.
