Northern Mariana Islands Lose Their Last Best Hope

In the FDD interview, he said the situation left him feeling like“John the Baptist out in the desert. That's how lonely it has been.”

That's also astonishing bravery. Indeed, Arnold Palacios' briefing and comments at FDD should be required viewing for all elected members of Congress and state legislatures in the United States.

A word about Director Patel's shutting down investigations into former CNMI Governor Ralph Torres, the Imperial Pacific casino and related matters in July 2025 was perplexing and stupid. This decision needs to be reexamined.

There's more to all this than just“local” corruption. Governor Palacios recognized the threat posed by China to CNMI and the United States.

How right was he? The US Congress' China Select Committee, which has access to“all the intelligence,” issued a rare statement of condolence on learning of Governor Palacios' death, saying in part,“He was a devoted public servant and a true patriot who courageously stood against Chinese coercion, steadfastly defending the sovereignty of the CNMI and the American homeland. His principled leadership and unwavering dedication to his people will leave a lasting legacy and will not be forgotten.”

Chinese investment always appears as a panacea solving one's economic woes, but it invariably leads to corruption, crime and a local constituency that is beholden to China's interests.

You would think CNMI's long experience with Chinese casinos -most recently Imperial Pacific on Saipan, which came after the earlier garment industry debacle-might have opened some eyes.

Still, there's a push for more and more and unvetted, or poorly vetted, Chinese investment in the CNMI, as if there are no dangers and no alternatives, but there are.

This is all part of China's political warfare intended to subvert societies and to insert Chinese influence. Get in the way and expect to be fiercely attacked, as Gov. Palacios was, and as former Federated States of Micronesia President David Panuelo and former Malaita Premier Daniel Suidani can attest.

Chinese proxies are rife in the CNMI, throughout the Pacific and in Washington DC itself. They've been in place for years and their tentacles are everywhere. Now, the one man who had the character, inside experience and clout to stop them in CNMI is gone.

There will be plenty of crocodile tears about Palacios' passing in certain quarters but, if there's one thing Chinese proxies hate, it's transparency and clarity. Palacios scared them. They are no doubt glad he is gone. Expect the clamoring for“China investment” to ramp up soon.

If China's proxies are close enough to the levers, they may even ground down the CNMI economy to justify more Chinese access as“the only way out.” That would be Beijing's standard operating procedure.

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Hopefully, Governor Arnold Palacios was not the CNMI's last best hope. And instead, we are his last best hope.

Let's see if Governor Palacios' successors take up his calls for serious US government-led investigations into the corruption that has squandered CNMI citizens' prosperity for too long while lining a select few pockets in CNMI and elsewhere.

If they instead declare,“let sleeping dogs lie,” or“let's just move along,” or“it's the culture,” then you'll know they were, and are, in on it as well.

That shows contempt for the CNMI and its citizens, for whom Arnold Palacios put his life on the line. Governor Palacios, well done, thou good and faithful servant.

Colonel Grant Newsham is the author of“When China Attacks: A Warning to America.” A retired US Marine, he served in the Indo-Pacific for decades and was instrumental in establishing Japan's amphibious force. As a US foreign service officer, he covered a number of regions, including East and South Asia, and specialized in insurgency, counterinsurgency and commercial matters.

This article first appeared on Pacific Island Times and is republished with permission. Read the original here .

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