Foreign policy of Ariddia
The People’s Democratic Social Republic of Ariddia (PDSRA) is active on the international scene, and has formal diplomatic relations with a number of nations.
Contents
Foreign policy overview
The Ariddian authorities have indicated a willingness to maintain diplomatic relations with virtually any type of nation, including capitalist and/or authoritarian ones. Diplomatic relations do not, therefore, constitute an endorsement of a country’s socio-economic or political system, and are definitely not to be viewed as a form of alliance.
Ariddia’s foreign policy is, on the whole, non-interventionist, pacifist, and neutral. The PDSRA avoids military conflict and overt diplomatic crises. It does not intervene in the internal affairs of foreign nations, although it may issue official public condemnation against a specific act committed by a foreign government. The Ariddian Intelligence Service (SERA) may intervene in the affairs of a foreign nation in extreme circumstance, if deemed necessary for Ariddia’s national security, or for the safety of specific Ariddian nationals. SERA, however, has extrememy limited material means at its disposal.
Although it is a socialist country, Ariddia does not believe in forcefully exporting its socialist model. The position of the government is a belief in evolutionary communism – i.e., that the imposition of socialism by force, before a population is ready for it, is ultimately self-defeating. Instead, the PDSRA advocates educating people around the world to hasten the coming of their readiness for socialism and (in the long term) communism.
Thus, Ariddia views the establishing of diplomatic relations with foreign countries as a means to promote a positive image of Ariddian society, values, ideals and socialism abroad. Every Ariddian embassy is tasked with informing visitors about Ariddia, and establishing or supporting Ariddian cultural centres in the host nation. Each embassy also maintains a website with information about the PDSRA’s culture, society, history and values. Whenever possible, Ariddian embassies also promote access to Ariddia’s international news channel, PINA.
The PDSRA stresses the importance of cultural exchanges, and its universities (which include a campus of the Third World Open University) welcome foreign students.
Only as a member of the United Nations does Ariddia actively voice its beliefs and values on the world scene. The PDSRA oscillates between supporting “national sovereignty” and “international federalism”, but leans more often towards the former.
Bilateral diplomatic relations
See: Ariddia’s bilateral diplomatic relations for a list of nations with which Ariddia has exchanged diplomatic representatives.
Specific cases:
Relations with Errinundera
The Cool Temperate Rainforest of Errinundera is, arguably, the country with which Ariddia has the closest and friendliest diplomatic relations. The two nations share similar values, and a series of measures (sports encounters, reciprocal scholarships for students, Ariddia naming a stadium after an Errinundrian football player, Ariddian restaurant chain Santé! and television channel PINA becoming available in Errinundera…) have strengthened their relations.
Perhaps most importantly, the two countries are both vegetarian, share a similar respect for their national environment, and a similar distrust of capitalism.
There is, moreover, a sizeable Ariddian expatriate community living in Errinundera.
Important differences between the two societies in other aspects, far from hindering relations, have increased mutual curiosity.
Ariddia’s ambassador to Errinundera is Audrey Melei. Errinundera’s ambassador is snapisnapiestu.
Relations with Pacitalia
Relations between the two countries have steadily improved and strengthened, despite strong ideological differences. Ariddia’s official statement that social rights in Pacitalia could do with improving was met with a rebuttal from the capitalist country. Since then, however, relations have become more cordial. Pacitalia consulted with Ariddia on opening a Pacitalian branch of the Third World Open University, a move with received warm praise from the PDSRA.
There is, moreover, a sizeable Ariddian expatriate community living in Pacitalia.
Ariddia’s ambassador to Pacitalia is Samantha Majidi. Pacitalia’s ambassador is Traian Dragostea.
Relations with the Ropa-Topian States & San Adriano
The PDSRA has cordial relations with Uhuh-Topia, Uhuh-Ropa and San Adriano. These four countries often support one another’s policies within the Uhuhland Council, and relations have also been strengthened through the medium of sport. In addition, Ariddia has historic ties with San Adriano, and Uhuh-Topia leases its Gnatanamo territory to Ariddia, enabling the latter to have some territorial presence on continental Uhuhland.
By contrast, Ariddia’s relations with other countries in Uhuhland (none of which are members of the Uhuhland Union) are virtually non-existant.
Ariddia’s ambassadors to Uhuh-Topia, Uhuh-Ropa and San Adriano are (respectively) Joan Silversmith, Ul Uel and Keith Taylor. These three countries' ambassadors to Ariddia are Benjamin Cisko, John Sagittarius and Wosh’e Favalli.
Relations with Tanah Burung
Ariddia’s relations with Tanah Burung go back a long way, and are grounded in their common experiences as Third World countries with strong social policies. Both are signatories of the International Fair Trade Agreement, and Tanah Burung has been a leading voice in international Third World movements.
Ariddia’s ambassador to Tanah Burung is E El – one of the PDSRA’s most trusted and experienced diplomats. Tanah Burung’s ambassador to Ariddia is Jose Dias Kahn.
Relations with West Ariddia & North-West Ariddia
The PDSRA and West Ariddia still have strong ideological disagreements, but maintain cordial relations, keen to put the Ariddian Cold War behind them. Lambasting each other’socio-economic policies is done mainly for a domestic audience. The two countries, together with North-West Ariddia, sent a joint team to World Cups 10 and 11 and, later, the second Winter Olympic Games, cementing their strong relations.
North-West Ariddia has, however, distanced itself from Ariddia, asserting its full independence, and no longer considers itself subordinate in any way to Rêvane. Nouvel Espoir has adopted its own socio-economic way, somewhat to the PDSRA’s displeasure.
Moreover, while the PDSRA remains committed to the eventual goal of re-unification of the Ariddian Isles – meaning re-integration of Limea into the PDSRA – the other two Ariddian States oppose that idea for the time being.
Relations with Zaire
See: Zairian relations with Ariddia.
Membership of international organisations
Ariddia is a member of the United Nations, the Uhuhland Union, the United Nations Old Guard, the UN Green Think Tank, the Sophia International Court, the Coalition of Anti-Capitalist Economies and the Emergency World Cup Committee, an observer at the United International Congress [1] and the National Sovereignty Organization, and a signatory to the International Fair Trade Agreement, the treaty of the International Mediation Council, the Golden Agate Declaration and the Matebian Declaration.
This translates the PDSRA’s wish to be an active player on the international scene, but within an unambiguously multilateral framework. Ariddia’s position is to act as a pro-socialist, pro-environmentalist, pro-civil rights voice within such organisations.
Ariddia plays a very active role in the Uhuhland Union, spreading its ideals and policies on a regional level. When supported by ESAT, North-West Ariddia and San Adriano, Ariddia wields an absolute majority in the Uhuhland Council (4 seats out of 7) although not in the Uhuhland Parliament (20 seats out of 51). For this purely practical and political reason, Ariddia has favoured all decisions being taken at the level of the Council, and the Uhuhland Parliament has remained essentially dormant.
Ariddia’s membership in the United Nations is vested in the Extraterritorial Sovereign Ariddian Territory (ESAT), a building in Rêvane, “sovereign” in name only, which enables the PDSRA to vote in the UN General Assembly and then pick and choose which resolutions to abide by.
For more on Ariddia’s policies and positions within the UN, see the article on Ariddia and the United Nations.
Hosting and promoting international events
Ariddia has created and hosted the football World Cup, the Blind World Cup, the World Cup for Indigenous Peoples and the Coupe de la Francophonie, as well as international cultural events such as an International Cultural Exhibition in New Hope and an international “contest” on the popularity of famous people from the histories of various countries. These endeavours have been part of an attempt to promote a flow of knowledge and understanding between cultures and societies – which the Ariddian government views as an effective way of combatting ignorance and prejudice world-wide. For this reason, Rêvane also promotes the creation of Ariddian cultural centres abroad.
The creation by Ariddia of a World Heritage Sites & Treasures List may be seen as a component of this policy.
Foreign aid
A central aspect of Ariddia's foreign policy is the providing of foreign social aid. Thus, for example, the Ariddian Red Star provides humanitarian aid around the world, and also provides medical training to local doctors. Ariddian embassies and cultural centres abroad provide both free education and free emergency medical care to local inhabitants. Parents in foreign countries are invited to move to Ariddia (with assisted passage if necessary), where their children will receive free, high quality education. And the Third World Open University in Cité-Belle provides free university education to young people from developing and under-developed countries (including medical training).
In this way, the Ariddian government boasts that it is a "leader in international solidarity".
PINA: Ariddia’s voice in the world
Public International News Ariddia is an international news channel which aims at disseminating an “Ariddian perspective” on world news. It operates independently from the government, but is officially State-owned, and receives strong support from the authorities in Rêvane. PINA reaches a much broader audience than Ariddia’s cultural centres, and is very much seen as Ariddia’s “voice” on the international scene.
PINA focuses on events and issues seen as important from an Ariddian perspective, and aims at covering their causes, consequences and various aspects in depth, encouraging viewers to reflect upon the news, and giving them the necessary information to do so.
Ariddian values are also represented abroad by the successful restaurant chain Santé!, which sells only healthy, vegetarian food, and operates in accordance with strict social regulations to guarantee decent wages and working conditions to its employees in every nation.
