In 1946 almost half of the world's population lived in a colonial territory." (Commission 2). Now however, Guam is one of only 16 non-self-governing in the world. With the rest of the world taking strides to self-governing, why is Guam one of the only unincorporated territories? The people of Guam want to take steps to become something more than a possession of a country. So, like many other territories Guam has held and will continue to hold plebiscites to see what is the will of the people in regards to the direction of the territory.

But we have to look comparatively at our fellow island nations and in the context of today's society. Even with its large size and wealth, the Philippines still has many economic problems. The Federated States of Micronesia has the same problems. And looking back on our history, one can find the attitude of the United States...