http://www.nationalreview.com/article/398136/end-south-africa-josh-gelernter
They could take advantage of their geography and set up a Singapore-style city-state. With foreign investment, they could purchase a city-sized portion of coastal land and assert independence from the national government. First they’ll want to hire some sympathetic military as a temporary security force. They can set up a low-tax, low-interference economic zone that can compete with Durban for its tremendously large volume of shipping traffic. As South Africa has fallen apart, Durban has slipped off the list of the world’s 50 largest container ports. But whatever happens to South Africa, the south of Africa will remain a vital point in world shipping. In fact, it’s only going to become vital-er, as trade between Brazil and Asia increases. Singapore, at the tip of the Malay Peninsula, built itself as a site of entrepôt trade — exporting imports. It has parlayed that into one of the world’s most advanced economies, a global center of innovation and free enterprise.
A new South African city-state could join Singapore and Hong Kong as centers of trade and investment — starting with the investment that would be necessary to build a brand new city-state out of thin air. But one has only to look at Abu Dhabi, Dubai, or any number of Chinese cities to see how fast a city can be built with some will and capital. A South African enclave could attempt its own “Taiwan miracle.”
And as this new city-state developed, it would necessarily boost the surrounding economy, and provide jobs for tens of thousands. It might be a fantastical idea. But it might be able to help South Africa back from the brink.
And, like Singapore, it could develop a serious self-defense force, modeled, like Singapore’s, on the Israel Defense Forces. So, if necessary, it could help prevent a genocide. As a bonus.
— Josh Gelernter writes weekly for NRO and is a regular contributor to The Weekly Standard.
Article published Feb 7th 2015 – My reply Feb 11th…..
I earlier responded to his opening statement with its ritual stab at apartheid, calling it a “scourge”. There was actually nothing bad or evil about apartheid – these are all leftist lies to make the whites look bad. But, enough of that topic, we can argue the rights and wrongs of that till kingdom come.
Having now read the full text I see that he is proposing a Paul Romer “charter city” (google it) for South African whites.
“They could take advantage of their geography and set up a Singapore-style city-state. With foreign investment, they could purchase a city-sized portion of coastal land and assert independence from the national government.”
The problem is the blacks, and the so-called “international community” will never allow whites to have political control of even the tiniest portion of S.Africa, and certainly not an entire port and city state. Even if they did allow it, they would insist it be flooded with blacks whose very presence, and criminal tendencies, would quickly ruin it. It would be very hard to get investment for such a place UNLESS the black-Marxists of the cANCer govt allowed them complete autonomy, which they won’t for many ideological reasons – but mostly because they realise it would be a roaring success and make them look worse than they already are, if that were possible.
The idea in itself is a very good one, but it will never happen in Africa. Somewhere in Central or South America it is a possibility though. Perhaps Paraguay which already has a very free-wheeling economy, low tax, no import duties, etc.