Difference between revisions of "Ariddia and the United Nations"

Revision as of 14:19, 10 October 2006

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Ambassador Christelle Zyryanov addresses the General Assembly

The People's Democratic Social Republic of Ariddia (PDSRA), a member of UNOG, has no explicitly stated policy regarding its participation in the United Nations. The Rêvane government, and its representative Ambassador Christelle Zyryanov, are generally not considered to be part of any "sovereignist" movement in the General Assembly, and instead are seen to favour internationally binding legislation in a number of matters.

Sovereignism?

The PDSRA generally refrains from supporting legislation on matters such as forms of government, argueuing that democracy is not, and should be, a universal value, despite Ariddia itself being a democratic country. It also opposes legislation advocating specific economic models, on the basis that each member nation should remain free to decide upon the nature its own economy. Furthermore, Ariddia generally opposes resolutions which it sees as "micromanaging" national legislation. In all these aspects, the PDSRA's position is very close to that of "sovereignist" member states.

Progressivism

However, Ariddia's position is also that of a "progressive" nation, which opposes the furtherment both of capitalism and of right-wing (conservative) values in general. The PDSRA is notably pro-environmental, and is a member of the Green Think Tank.

It was due to a succession of anti-environmentalist repeals (and specifically the imminent implementation of the resolution 'Repeal "Stop dumping - Start Cleaning"') that Ariddia formally resigned from the United Nations, transferring its membership to the tiny "Extraterritorial Sovereign Ariddian Territory" (ESAT), an officially "sovereign" territory which acts as a mouthpiece for Rêvane in the United Nations, while exempting Ariddia from complying with UN legislation it disapproves of.

ESAT's sole purpose is thus as a substitute for Ariddia in the United Nations, a tactic also adopted by several other member states.

Policy evolution

ESAT's ambassador, and legal head of State, remains Ambassador Zyryanov, who abides by Rêvane's instructions to oppose most legislation which it sees as outside the purview of the United Nations, even if the Ariddian government agrees with the ideals of the resolution in question. Nonetheless, her task is also to be a progressive voice among the most outspoken conservatives.

There has been some talk in Rêvane of Ambassador Dr. Jane Ranomezanjanahary-Souvanhnavongsa-Fincfeuiaki being Ariddia's next representative to the UN if and when Ambassador Zyryanov resigns. The apppointment of Ambassador Ranomezanjanahary could signal a shift in Ariddia's UN policy; Ranomezanjanahary is generally considered to be more explicitly anti-capitalist than Zyryanov, and may, with Rêvane's backing, move away from the PDSRA's current, moderately "pro-sovereignist" position, towards a more ideological and interventionist one. At present, however, Ariddia and Ambassador Zyryanov maintain what they see as a "balanced", progressive but generally "sovereignist" policy.

ESAT and the United Nations

Since Ariddia is not officially a member State of the United Nations, only ESAT is obligated to implement UN resolutions, the scope of which is thus restricted to the ESAT building. In some cases, implementation of resolutions is difficult for a nation consisting solely in one building. For example, since resolution #85 Support Hemp Production (now repealed) contained only recommendations, ESAT, which has a population of just 49, did not set up the eight-member advisory board recommended by the resolution. Instead, it vested advisory power in one citizen - a purely ceremonial punction, given that there is no agricultural land in ESAT.

Resolution #47, Definition of 'Fair Trial', has caused some difficulty in the micro-state. Under Ariddian judiciary law, defendants are not entitled to trial by a jury of their peers, because of concerns that a jury may not be apt to determine guilt or innocence in a fair and efficient manner. However, resolution #47, article 6, mandates that any defendent may demand a trial by "a jury of his or her peers". Therefore, Esati judicial law stipulates that any criminal court within ESAT must be comprised of four judges, two factual assessors (all six being on loan from Ariddia) and a jury of five randomly selected Esati citizens. However, resolution #47 does not specify what the task of the jury is to be, and ESAT exploits that loophole by proclaiming that the jury may only offer a recommendation to the judges, and that the judges, as in Ariddia, establish guilt or innocence.

Resolution #49, Rights and Duties of UN States, article 1, states:

Every UN Member State has the right to independence and hence to exercise freely, without dictation by any other NationState, all its legal powers, including the choice of its own form of government.

Given that the function of Esati head of State is attributed to Ariddia's ambassador to the United Nations, and that the Esati head of State is therefore appointed by the Ariddian government, ESAT was obligated to implement some form of legislation which would bring it into compliance with the stipulations of this resolution. It was decided that the citizens of ESAT would be entitled to reject, via referendum, the appointment of their head of State. This right has, however, never been exercised.

Resolution #27, Due Process, mandates that "no person shall be held to answer for a capital or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury". ESAT circumvents this obligation by defining a "Grand Jury" as "a criminal court containing a jury as per the requirements of the United Nations resolution #47".

Recent voting record

• Ariddia voted nay to the resolution Repeal "Definition of Marriage", on the grounds that the repeal made use of a fallacious argument, which the PDSRA did not wish to see enshrined in UN legislation
• Ariddia voted yea to the Orbital Space Safety Act
• Ariddia voted nay to Individual Working Freedoms, on the grounds that, claimed Ambassador Zyryanov, it promoted a capitalist ideology
• Ariddia voted nay to Clothing Supply Pact, which sought to impose free trade on all member States
• Ariddia abstained from voting on Repeal "Keep The World Disease-Free!"
• Ariddia voted nay to Repeal "Support Hemp Production", so as not to lose UN funding for the Esati Hemp Production Advisory Board
• Ariddia abstained from voting on Outlaw Necrophilia, but expressed its unease at the views put forward by some delegates opposed to the proposal
• Ariddia abstained from voting on Fair Sentencing Act, remaining undecided on the issue of a blocker resolution against abolishing the death penalty