Cheat Seeking Missiles

Posted by: Laer at 03:58 pm

Peeling away the layers of Bermuda’s onion, the Independent’s Bill Zuill may have found the spoonful of sugar that’s helping the British protectorate islands stomach the unpalatable taste of Uighurs a la Obama. Before we get to that, let’s allow Zuill to vent a bit, shall we?

Many locals are struggling to understand why Bermuda has joined Palau and Albania as the only countries in the world to accept ex-Guantanamo inmates. “What’s it got to do with us?” they chorus.

The US Attorney General’s statement that transferring the detainees will make America safer has also raised hackles. If America is safer, Bermudans are asking themselves, doesn’t that mean Bermuda, by extension, is less safe?

There is also irritation among the large expatriate community, many of whom are British. Bermuda has one of the strictest immigration policies in the world so expats are none too pleased that while they have no chance of getting a permanent visa, the four Uighurs are set to spend the rest of their days under the Bermudan sun.

The extreme secrecy surrounding their transfer only adds to the intrigue. Most cabinet ministers and the majority of MPs were out of the loop. The British Governor said he didn’t know anything until after the Uighurs had actually landed on Bermudan soil.

For all the criticism Obama heaped on Bush for his perceived weakness in diplomacy, he’s really stepped into it with his handling of the Uigher/Bahama/Britain matter. Talk about your textbook lesson in whatever the diplomatic equivalent of a malopropism is!

So why did the Bahamans offer instant citizenship to a group of al-Qaeda-trained misfits from the steppes of Western China? Who knows if we’ll ever know for sure, but Zuill has a theory that resonates:

… [T]here is a bill wending its way through the US Congress that would curtail the thriving insurance and reinsurance sector, which is estimated to hold $440bn worth of assets in the off-shore financial territory. Although no promises have been forthcoming, White House help on that legislation would be greatly appreciated.

So what if Obama promised to end all off-shore tax dodges (no matter what impact on the economy)? It’s just an Obama promise, and as we’re learning, Obama promises are are like lofty words, all air, no substance.

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