Editorials
Saturday, January 1, 2000Ushering in the new
millennium in HawaiiTODAY marks an event that no living person will ever again experience -- the advent of a new millennium. Because of changes in the calendar over the centuries, the millennium is an arbitrary construct -- and anyway it will really come on Jan. 1, 2001 -- but it serves a purpose nevertheless as a way for mankind to mark its passage through the ages.The issue: Hawaii has changed dramatically over the last millennium and faces new challenges in the next.
To say that the world was a very different place 1,000 years ago would be an understatement. In an article in today's paper edition, Gail Collins reflects on the world circa 1000 A.D. And it is safe to say that the world will be a very different place 1,000 years from now.
In view of the dazzling pace of change in today's world, it is difficult to look 20 years into the future, much less a century. A millennium is inconceivable.
The pace of change in Hawaii has been breathtaking since the arrival of Capt. James Cook 200 years ago, and if anything the pace is likely to quicken still more. Hawaii may well change beyond recognition in a few decades.
Of the three mainstays of Hawaii's economy in the 20th century, sugar, the military and tourism, one -- sugar -- has already largely disappeared.
Advances in military technology and changes in strategic requirements make it questionable that Hawaii will retain its military bases for more than a few decades. Pearl Harbor may end up with little more than the Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri.
Tourism is still the key industry in the islands but industry leaders know they will have to struggle to maintain its viability. Economic survival in a world in which many new resort destinations are likely to emerge may require drastic changes in tourism. It is also possible that tourism will go the way of other now defunct industries.
New economic activities must be developed to sustain future generations, industries that have yet to emerge but will probably include some versions of high technology.
Simultaneously, Hawaii's political system is likely to be transformed to accommodate Hawaiian sovereignty in some form. The challenge is to find a formula acceptable to all of Hawaii's peoples.
Hawaii's leaders, from King Kalakaua to John A. Burns to the current generation, have spoken of a leadership role for these islands in the Asia-Pacific region. Considerable progress has been made in recent decades, particularly through the remarkable voyages of the Hokule'a, which have revived the sea-faring traditions of the Polynesians.
These efforts should be sustained and expanded as opportunities emerge. In its efforts to find its niche in the world of new technology, Hawaii should not forget its origins and turn its back on its neighbors in the 21st century.
New Russian leader
RUMORED often in recent years to be considering resignation because of ill health, Russian President Boris Yeltsin took his exit when least expected, on New Year's Eve.
The timing is important because it benefits Yeltsin's recently appointed prime minister and now acting president, Vladimir Putin, in his bid to succeed Yeltsin in elections three months away. Although Putin gained popularity at home by his flexing of military muscle in the breakaway region of Chechnya despite strong criticism abroad, his embrace of democratic principles and economic reform is reassuring to the West.
The resignation brought an extra dose of cheer to Russians' millennium celebration, as Yeltsin's popularity had plummeted with the country's economy. During Yeltsin's eight-year presidency, Russia's attempt at market reform disintegrated into widespread poverty because of corruption, ineptitude and crime. Meanwhile Yeltsin was personally plagued with heart problems and heavy drinking.
Despite Yeltsin's shortcomings as president, he earned a place in history in 1991 by standing atop a tank and shaking his fist in defiance of generals trying to oust Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. His heroic action signaled the end of the Soviet Union and put Russia on the road to democracy and a market economy.
Putin clearly is committed to continuing in that direction. "Despite problems and mistakes," Putin said in a new Kremlin Internet site launched this week, "(Russia) has entered the highway by which the whole of humanity is traveling. Only this way offers the possibility of dynamic economic growth and higher living standards, as the world experience convincingly shows. There is no alternative to it."
Unfortunately, Putin also has made clear, as a matter of "national pride," that he has no intention of backing away from the military assault on Chechnya. The West may have to tolerate the military action during the upcoming presidential campaign while continuing to urge a settlement.
A hastily constructed pro-Kremlin party endorsed by Putin ran even with the Communist Party in the recent parliamentary elections, far ahead of other parties. If that trend is followed in the presidential election set for March 26, Putin can expect backing from other pro-reform factions if a runoff proves necessary.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
