An island lost at sea sends out SOS
Thanks to the credit crunch, the British parliament has put on hold a plan to build an airport for the tiny Atlantic island of St. Helena. Twelve hundred miles off the coast of Africa and best known as the place where Napoleon once languished in exile, the British colony is still the home of about ...
Thanks to the credit crunch, the British parliament has put on hold a plan to build an airport for the tiny Atlantic island of St. Helena. Twelve hundred miles off the coast of Africa and best known as the place where Napoleon once languished in exile, the British colony is still the home of about 6,500 people. Ships haven't had much reason to stop there since the Suez Canal was built and St. Helena depends on two visits per year from an ageing mail ship for any contact with the outside world.
Needless to say, they were pretty excited about the airport:
The project, which was scheduled for 2012, galvanised islanders to plan for a future with tourism as their main income. Industry experts trained hospitality personnel; tenders were taken to build upmarket boutique accommodation. Plans were hatched to lure back hundreds of young islanders who had left St Helena in search of opportunity.
Thanks to the credit crunch, the British parliament has put on hold a plan to build an airport for the tiny Atlantic island of St. Helena. Twelve hundred miles off the coast of Africa and best known as the place where Napoleon once languished in exile, the British colony is still the home of about 6,500 people. Ships haven’t had much reason to stop there since the Suez Canal was built and St. Helena depends on two visits per year from an ageing mail ship for any contact with the outside world.
Needless to say, they were pretty excited about the airport:
The project, which was scheduled for 2012, galvanised islanders to plan for a future with tourism as their main income. Industry experts trained hospitality personnel; tenders were taken to build upmarket boutique accommodation. Plans were hatched to lure back hundreds of young islanders who had left St Helena in search of opportunity.
“All our plans for the future were based on the airport project,” Eric Benjamin, one of the councillors, told The Times by telephone. “We are devastated.”
With Downing Street nearly two weeks away by ship, it’s a bit hard to hold a rally.
Map: Wikipedia
Joshua Keating was an associate editor at Foreign Policy. Twitter: @joshuakeating
More from Foreign Policy
Lessons for the Next War
Twelve experts weigh in on how to prevent, deter, and—if necessary—fight the next conflict.
It’s High Time to Prepare for Russia’s Collapse
Not planning for the possibility of disintegration betrays a dangerous lack of imagination.
Turkey Is Sending Cold War-Era Cluster Bombs to Ukraine
The artillery-fired cluster munitions could be lethal to Russian troops—and Ukrainian civilians.
Congrats, You’re a Member of Congress. Now Listen Up.
Some brief foreign-policy advice for the newest members of the U.S. legislature.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
