You've probably seen the Terms of Service for Space X's Starlink service:
**For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities.**
Governments hold authority because they can impose consequences. If a station refuses to follow the law, the government can withhold supplies until the station changes their mind. But if the station is self-sufficient, then the only effective consequence is military force. But it's not always worth it for the government to use force. Sometimes you just let the rebels go.
I think that was the case with Britain and the American colonists. The amount of military force required to subdue the colonies was too high relative to the gain (people in Britain didn't care enough).
I imagine that the Corporate Hierarchy has lots of inter-corporate laws that govern how corporations treat each other. Those laws can be enforced through non-military means because the corporations are very interdependent. Individual corporations can't survive on their own.
But the Corporate Hierarchy as a whole is largely self-sufficient, so it can demand (partial) independence from the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth won't try to use military power because it's not worth it.
Agreed! It's interesting to think about.
You've probably seen the Terms of Service for Space X's Starlink service:
**For Services provided on Mars, or in transit to Mars via Starship or other colonization spacecraft, the parties recognize Mars as a free planet and that no Earth-based government has authority or sovereignty over Martian activities.**
Governments hold authority because they can impose consequences. If a station refuses to follow the law, the government can withhold supplies until the station changes their mind. But if the station is self-sufficient, then the only effective consequence is military force. But it's not always worth it for the government to use force. Sometimes you just let the rebels go.
I think that was the case with Britain and the American colonists. The amount of military force required to subdue the colonies was too high relative to the gain (people in Britain didn't care enough).
I imagine that the Corporate Hierarchy has lots of inter-corporate laws that govern how corporations treat each other. Those laws can be enforced through non-military means because the corporations are very interdependent. Individual corporations can't survive on their own.
But the Corporate Hierarchy as a whole is largely self-sufficient, so it can demand (partial) independence from the Commonwealth and the Commonwealth won't try to use military power because it's not worth it.