If one country could achieve the common good of another country better than that country could, then would it be right for that country to ask to be a

[porthos11]

Both Texas & Newfoundland are cases of offspring reuniting with the parent state.

Texas became independent of Mexico and was a republic for ten years. Newfoundland was a British colony before being given self-rule as an independent Dominion (just like Canada). Both countries voluntarily relinquished independence and requested annexation and admission to a larger country. Neither were once part of the United States or Canada respectively.

In both cases, it was the smaller countries requesting annexation to the larger.

 

[Bob_Crowley]

If one country could achieve the common good of another country better than that country could, then would it be right for that country to ask to be annexed (or sold or etc.) to the other (better) country?

Likewise, we know that it is good for laws to change if the change will be indisputably good to the people and the common good.

Does this mean that if there exists an especially benighted people, and an especially enlightened people, that the latter could take over the former’s government in order to bring “indisputably” better laws to them?

The request would have to come from the people of the country being helped, and then discussed ad infinitum by both parties.

Suppose for a hypothetical argument’s sake Australia was seen to help a South West Pacific island nation to the point where that nation wanted to become an Australian state. Purely hypothetical please note.

The initial request would have to come from that island state. Then the Australian government and people would have to consider it. Some questions would arise -

1. Would a sudden influx of a few million people put too much strain on the Australian budget?
2. How far would we have to beef up our defence to protect this new state across hundreds of miles of ocean?
3. Do we speak a common language?
4. Do they have a compatible religion and belief system?
5. Would their culture of “island time” fit in with the general expectation of Australians to be on time?
6. Could Australia afford it?
7. Would the island government object to being relegated to a state government and thus losing their own sovereignty?
8. What’s their educational standard like?

There’d be a host of questions to answer. A suitable timetable would take years even if it was decided to go ahead. The only similar case in recent times was the reunion of East and West Germany, which were both sovereign states before the Wall came down. But they shared a common border, common culture, common people, common language and had been a unified nation prior to the end of World War II. That succeeded, but only because West Germany had such a strong economy.

It could be done, but only if both parties thought it was in their national interest.