bill cobbett wrote:Kikapu.... one thing (amongst others of course) that catches my eye in the recent days in the talks are negotiations about the right of each zone to conclude International Agreements... In your experience over in the US, do the American states have anything similar? ... or am right in saying that international treaties are the preserve of the US Fed Govenment.... ???
Only the Federal USA Government can sign treaties with other nations. Individual states can negotiate business dealings with other countries as long as they are within the Federal guidelines. In other words, if the US government has sanctions against another country or tariff disputes, a Federal state cannot go behind the US government back and do business with the country in dispute against Federal guidelines. But for ALL treaties, that is only done by the US government with the backing of the US congress in most of the cases of course, which include members from ALL the Federal states. Such an agreement must not happen in Cyprus where each state can make treaties with other countries. Next thing you know, the north state will invite Turkey to have a base in Cyprus.
The Native Americans have their own nation within the USA, which is independent from the USA, and even they cannot sign treaties with other nations, just the ones they signed back when with United States. Most of them are not even US citizens and if they wish to travel abroad, they are required to obtain US citizenships, which many Native Americans resent.