GEOPOLITICAL POLICIES

Updated 2008 May 19

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The only lasting solution to the geopolitical problems of the world is the establishment of a single standard of justice for the world, which implies a single state, and any just state would be a stewardship. But the Stewardship of Earth is far in the future, under any scenario, and some attention must be given to problems as they exist now. Each policy outlined below is only an interim step, designed to bring limited relief under the current state of the world, and to bring the world slightly closer to the ideal situation. Comments or suggested changes to these policies can be sent to the Stewardship Project, project.@.the-stewardship.org.

See also Dominion in the world.

Recognition: A tripartite system of recognition of states should be adopted that differentiates among geopolitical reality, democratic mandate, and justice, rather than confounding the three as is current practice.
Democratization: Democracy within all current states should remain as an interim goal.
Self-determination: The geopolitical system of nation-states should be reorganized through the democratic self-determination of nations as they are defined by individual members, with encouragement of democratic separatism and unification as preludes to eventual world unity by consent.
Weapons of mass destruction: Universal disarmament should be sought in nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons. Unilateral disarmament should be pursued in chemical and biological weapons. Nuclear weapons should be retained by the liberal democracies until universal disarmament and reliable inspection régimes are established.
The drug war: Decriminalization of drug use should take place immediately. Only the remaining violent content of the drug trade should be the target of violent response. Treatment and education to lessen demand should be the primary means of working against drug use, though persuasion and positive incentives to farmers may be used to affect supply.
Constitutional monarchy: The anachronism in many Eurasian and Commonwealth states of nominal governmental power and state-sponsored opulence for traditional dynasties should be ended.
North America: Linguistic protection and permanent right of secession should be granted to minority nations, including Nunavut, Québec, Dinétah, Puerto Rico, and others.
United States: The US should ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, recognize the international criminal tribunal, permit the enforcement of international climate-change protocols, and pay in full its arrears to the United Nations.
América Latina: Any assistance in or tolerance of counterinsurgency should be conditioned on democratic government, recognition of human rights, and vigorous disarmament of death squads.
Ireland: Those parts of Ulster with a Nationalist majority should be joined with the Republic of Ireland, with the remainder staying within Britain, until further European integration makes the question irrelevant. Sinn Féin should be allowed to continue within the political process.
Euskal Herria: The parts of Euskal Herria within both España and France should be given the option of independence and union. España should revoke the ban on Batasuna, or any other political expression of popular will.
Gibraltar: The baseless and hypocritical claim of España on Gibraltar should be rejected in favor of self-determination.
Europe: The European Union and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization should continue to expand eastward to incorporate willing states.
Bosna: Partition should be accepted, and self-determination granted to Босна Српска, including union with Србија, on condition of return of non-Српск regions to the Federation.
Shqipëria: The choice of the people of Kosova and their elected assembly for independence should be respected; they should also have the freedom to choose union with Shqipëria. The same choice should be granted to the Shqiptar population of western Македонија.
Cyprus: The partition de facto of the island should be recognized, and the Türk population of the northern part given a free choice among independence, confederation with the south, union with Türkiye, and separate admission to the European Union.
Türkiye: The military should be kept from politics. But the government of Tayyip Erdoğan should be expected to adhere to liberal principles, and should grant cultural equality and eventually independence to the Kurds.
Palestine: The land of Palestine should be divided into three sovereignties: a Jewish state, ישראל Jiśra’el; an عربى Carabī state, فلسطين Filastīn; and a UN trusteeship, Jerusalem, which would be capital of neither. The ישראלי Jiśra’elī colonization of عربى Carabī-populated lands and the عربى Carabī bombing campaign should end immediately.
גולן Goŭlan: No transfer of the גולן Goŭlan to سوريا Sūrīā should take place until the end of the dictatorship in سوريا Sūrīā.
Kurdistan: Herêmî Kurdistan, now sovereign de facto, should be recognized and placed under explicit international protection, and the majority-Kurd areas of Türkiye, ايران ’Īrān, العراق ’al-Cirāq, and سوريا Sūrīā should be incorporated into Kurdistan, regardless of the objections of those four states.
Արցախ Arc'ax: Sovereignty of Հայաստան Hajastan over the enclave of Արցախ Arc'ax should be recognized, without requirement of concession.
Аҧсны-Ирыстон: The sovereignty of Аҧсны and South Ирыстон should be recognized.
Noxçiyçö: The results of the rigged referendum and presidential elections should be disregarded. The sovereignty de facto of Noxçiyçö from 1996 to 1999 should be reinstated, and the assault and occupation by Россия ended immediately. International assistance should be provided to an elected government for economic development and law enforcement on condition of recognition of human-rights principles.
Language: There should be an immediate end to the policies of linguistic suppression in Kurdistan and Tamazgha; the latter could conceivably see some improvement if الجزائر ’al-Ĝaza’īr upholds its promise to recognize Tamazight as a national language, while the former is showing slow improvement under the new government in Türkiye.
Africa: A general post-colonial reorganization of states along true national lines should be encouraged.
Côte d’Ivoire: Partition is the best option; short of that, new presidential elections should be held in which all candidates, including Alassane Ouattara, can participate.
السودان ’al-Sūdān: Partition into at least three states, north, south, and west, should be accepted, with insistence on democracy and protection of minority rights for all resultant states.
Soomaaliya: The supposed government of Cabdulaahi Yuusuf Axmed should be recognized for what it is, an appointed administration without a democratic mandate, and given only the support that the justice of its actions merits.
Soomaaliland: The northern portion of Soomaaliya should be recognized, so that it may receive international assistance in taking advantage of its relative stability to improve the lives of its people. Its future relationship with the rest of Soomaaliya can be decided by referendum when there is stability in the rest of Soomaaliya.
Rwanda: Democracy should be restored, but only with international guarantees of minority rights and a firm commitment to intervene in future atrocities.
Congo: No assistance, diplomatic or military, should be given to the current régime in Kinsásá.
Zimbabhwe: The proclaimed election victories of Robert Mugabe should not be recognized, and his overthrow should be sought by force if necessary.
افغانستان ’Afğānestān: The administration of حامد کرزي Hāmid Karzaī should be assisted. Remedial measures should be taken to help women, religious minorities, and the people of افغانستان ’Afğānestān in general. All parties, especially the Northern Alliance and former supporters of the طالبان Tālibān, should be expected to support liberal democracy and human rights.
Nuclear weapons: भारत B‛ārat and (after restoration of democracy) پاکستان Pākistān should be recognized as nuclear states after signing the Non-Proliferation and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaties.
پاکستان Pākistān: Sanctions should be reimposed, and the democracies of the world should make clear that the current military-hybrid government should restore full power to a civilian government immediately.
Kašmīr: The various nations of the Kašmīr region should be given separate choices among independence, union with भारत B‛ārat, and union with پاکستان Pākistān.
ஈழம் Īzam: The தமிழ் Tamiz of ஈழம் Īzam should be granted a choice among independence, continued union with Śrīla~kā, and union with தமிழ் நாடு Tamiz Nātu.
中國 Zhōng Guó: The bans against the Democracy Party and 法輪功 Fă Lún Gōng should be lifted, political prisoners freed, and exiles allowed to return, all as prelude to democracy.
臺灣 Tâi Oân: Recognition should be granted to the state of 臺灣 Tâi Oân, and reunification should take place, if at all, only by democratic consent of the island.
བོད་ Bod: The occupation of བོད་ Bod should be ended in favor of a sovereign government chosen democratically by the citizens of the former state of བོད་ Bod and their descendants.
ဗမာ Bamā: The elected government of the National League for Democracy should be installed immediately. Separate states should be granted to those peoples so wishing.
Acheh: The army of Indonesia should cease operations in Acheh immediately. The Timor model should be followed, allowing the people of Acheh to choose independence or autonomy within Indonesia; but the application of الشريعة ’al-Šarīcaĥ as law, while expected, is an abuse of the previous autonomy, and should not be condoned in or out of Indonesia.
Antarctica: No recognition of claims by individual states should be granted; administration should be conducted and scientific research overseen by the UN and its agencies.

© O.T. FORD