Guam’s bid for Pacific Islands Forum status gains traction amid decolonization push

Excerpt and Photo from benarnews.org

When residents of Guam celebrate Independence Day at one of the island’s two major U.S. military bases on Thursday, the festivities will be tinged with irony.

The small U.S. territory is one of 17 remaining colonies around the globe. While Guamanians have American citizenship, they cannot elect the U.S. president and have only a single, non-voting representative in the U.S. Congress.

As a territory, Guam has no say in foreign policy either, restraining its ability to engage with Pacific island neighbors on regional concerns ranging from climate change to growing militarization.

But that could soon change. Last month, the U.S. State Department officially endorsed Guam’s application to upgrade its standing at the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF), the region’s peak diplomatic body.

Guam along with two other U.S. Pacific territories, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), currently hold observer status with PIF, but American Samoa and Guam have applied to join as non-voting associate members.