Crown-Horned Snorkack wrote:

:On 8 okt, 16:09, Fred J. McCall wrote:
: BernardZ wrote:
:
: :
: :Worst case the company could pick the country that it was based on like
: :ships do today.
: :
:
: In the case of space, that doesn't save you unless all your people are
: willing to give up their citizenship.
:
:
:Really? Why?
:

Because many countries (like the US) sort of require it, since they
are still going to be responsible for the actions of THEIR citizens.
If they're going to be responsible, they want to control the company.

:
:Suppose that someone sets up a Liberian space ship. Some of the
assengers, employees and investors are citizens of countries other
:than Liberia.
:
:Presumably, if the rules on board the spaceship or in Moon colony are
:felt to be unfair to some of those involved, the consul of their
:native country in Liberia can complain to Liberian government and ask
:the Liberian government to enforce their laws.
:
:Whereas if those involved have given up their citizenship and become
:Liberian naturalized citizens, they have no consuls to protect them,
:but they can themselves complain to Liberian government...
:

The law isn't about protecting the individuals. It's about
responsibility for actions that are essentially 'extra-territorial'.
If a Mongolian crewman does something on your Liberian spaceship that
leads to a couple of buildings getting smashed, who is responsible?

Hint: It doesn't work like ships, where the flag nation is
automatically responsible.


--
"It's always different. It's always complex. But at some point,
somebody has to draw the line. And that somebody is always me....
I am the law."
-- Buffy, The Vampire Slayer