Vanessa Siliagh

Overview

Vanessa Siliagh is the foreign minister of the Neutral Republic of Ayrwll. She has held that position for ten years, and like many current Ayrwllyan politicians in office, does not show any signs of losing it or giving it up any time soon.

She is especially notable within Ayrwllyan government for being the only full-blood elf in Cabinet, and thus representing a dwindling minority within the predominantly human and half-elven nation. Even among elves she is significant for being one of the few born as native Ayrwllyans, since most of the remaining elves were part of the original colonization.

As is common for the Noldorin (and in fact most elves), Vanessa Siliagh was born only with a given name, Vanessa. Her last name, Siliagh, was acquired centuries later, when she felt it increasingly necessary in her travels. Siliagh means, closely, "Daughter of Liaghe", which is the name of her mother.

History

Dr. Siliagh was born on the 42nd of Ashavoth (1st of July) in 87 AC, eighty-seven years after the colonization effort from Kerran resulted in the foundation of the Colonial Conglomerate of New Atharellian Nations. This was shortly after an expedition from Middle-Earth arrived on the shores of Nyrmal and joined the colony.

As is the custom with most of the Undying, Dr. Siliagh did not take great care in keeping detailed record of her personal history, and thus only a few rough facts are known.

She lived most of her life within the haven city Dawn's Landing on the south coast until the sixth century, and thus she did not experience the civil war that shook the rest of the country closely. Around a hundred years prior to the birth of Empress Katya Daranin, Vanessa Siliagh moved to Siris Isle, a tiny island off the South coast of Ayrwll, where she held a minor position in government for a time.

She viewed Katya Daranin's transformation of the Federation into an Empire with doubt, but as the transition into a monarchy did not cause too many infringements on its population's rights, she did not care to criticize it in any substantial way. However, she began to involve herself in nationcal politics with a little more interest. She also took advantage of a government-funded education program that enabled her to study Political Science abroad, and become possibly the only Ayrwllyan elf ever to attain a foreign doctorate in any area of study.

In the absence of other people versed in international law, Vanessa Siliagh became the first Ayrwllyan representative to the United Nations when the Empire became a member in 688 AC. She has held that position for nearly two hundred years, after which she was replaced by Senator Obertin Arashal, when she herself was elected foreign minister in the transition of Ayrwll into a democratic government.

Little is known about the events surrounding her during the eighth and ninth century, but plenty of rumors abound. It has long been an urban myth that Ayrwll's shift to a democracy was the result of a shadow government intervention, but serious minds scoff at such a notion naturally.

The only thing that is known for sure is that, a few decades prior to President Arancaytar Ilyaran's birth in 860 AC, Vanessa moved suddenly and unexpectedly to Ayrwll's long-time capital, Daraniil, and associated quite closely with the imperial family. She had built ties to the dynasty as early as 700 AC, mere decades after the declaration of the Empire. And because the number of scholars, especially those versed in politics, was quite short in the capital, she also had the honor of tutoring the imperial heir Arancaytar for a while in that field. This, of course, is where the rumors about influence stem from, for no sooner had Arancaytar ascended the throne, than he dissolved the Empire, set up a transitional executive body and called for national elections.

For the office of foreign minister, there were only five nominees, and Vanessa Siliagh won in a landslide. Many were in favor of her keeping the UN delegate position, but she refused on the basis of the two offices being impossible to handle for a single person. The office of UN Representative for Ayrwll is now held by Senator Obertin Arashal, former news anchor, known for his barbed wit and the amusing casualness with which he rebuts arguments he deems foolish (often scathingly). Several older citizens have been up in arms about this choice, and many will miss Dr. Siliagh's emphatic sincerity on the UN floor, but generally he is deemed a worthy successor.

Personality

Vanessa Siliagh describes herself as a libertarian, who would most likely score around 2.1, -9.8 on the Political Compass. Her main political beliefs are centered around the right to freedom, education, and well-being of all sentient beings, and she has been known to speak out with vehemence for the abolishment of slavery, the improvement of government-funded education, the slashing of military spending, and especially the protection of the environment. Her votes within the UN, as well as her policies as foreign minister, have consistently reflected this.

Quotes

As UN representative

Vanessa Siliagh speaking on Slavery, on the floor of the United Nations council [1]:

I fully support the standpoint of my colleagues of the nations of Flibbleites and Tekania. The proposition you are making - namely to take away the human rights of some groups to protect your own population - is in violation of any international law or understanding. Human rights, as a premise, presuppose equality between all human beings.

"How is it even possible to consider appealing to humanity with such a request? The ones you wish to enslave cannot be regarded as second-class-humans. Their right to liberty and education does not surpass that of Nazshar's inhabitants, be they children or adults.

"Besides, even basic economic theory shows that this is utterly needless. A workforce potential is never operating at full capacity. Your proposition is truly hypocritical. You want your children educated? Outlaw child labour. Fund public education. It will be a slight blow for Nazsharian economy, but it does not justify slavery.

"The United Nations stand for liberty and rights for all humans equally. Not for relieving pressure on your economy at the expense of slaves."

On National Sovereignty (in the debate over the Reformed Literacy Initiative on the United Nations floor [2]):

"For heaven's sake! The United Nations are there to bring nations in one line over particular points, taking away their sovereignty. If a nation wants to be exempt from external influence, they need not be a member of this organization!"

As foreign minister

On International Security and Military Spending (in the repeal of #1 Axis of Evil [3]) :

"Axis of Evil" is a repugnant label. As well we could label the nations we oppose 'infidels' or 'heathens'. Fighting terrorism by attacking other countries is a policy that has proven worthless already, and that accomplishes only the opposite of its goal.

If there is a way to protect countries from terrorism, it lies in increasing domestic security, not lashing out randomly against nations that appear to be a threat. That is why the Republic of Ayrwll urges members to vote for the repeal, to protect the credibility of the UN as an organization promoting peace, not war.

On Objective Morality (same source [4]):

Responding to the representative of Melbin,

Evil is bad, good is good. There is no inbetween.

"That stance may have a place in fundamentalism, but certainly not in international politics. We cannot conduct diplomatic negotiations between nations by arbitrarily labeling some of them as good and others as evil, based on their skin color, their economic or militaristic policies, or their government system. Are we reverting to Stone Age politics now? In the modern world, one of the only acts we can classify as evil is the polarization of societies, and the causing of international conflicts! The United Nations represent a neutral body that attempts to promote peace between nations, not a group of thugs that helps each other in taking out perceived 'enemies'."