NationStates

From the Desk of the Executive Secretary of World Affairs, M. Azer.

To the Nations of the World,
At the command of the President-Imperial I have opened up the Office of Cultural Exchange so that our government officials might exchange information about our respective nations in a direct fashion in the interest of promoting stronger ties with the international communities. Through this forum, government officials, respected journalists, and interested scholars may directly ask questions of the government of the Free Federation, with the hope of promoting direct, objective answers. Questions of particular interest may be forwarded to the President-Imperial, but the majority of questions will be answered by the newly appointed Director of Cultural Exchange A. Lynn. Below are a set of rules offering guidance to potential queries:

• All requests sent to the Office should include a question and the identity of the interested parties; anonymous queries may be submitted only using the form attached at the bottom of this message. In general, simple questions should be submitted through the form, and will be answered as a batch. More complex questions should accompany a more formal letter.
• Questions asking the Federation's opinion on some highly specific topic (e.g. a particular nation or leader) should be accompanied with information describing the topic
• The OCE maintains the right to refuse to answer any question based on inanity or national security interests.

Below you will find an objective summary of the Federation created through a collaboration of scholars.

Code: Select all

[box][b]To Dir. Lynn of the Office of Cultural Exchange[/b]
Question Here
-Name of Interested Individual (If Applicable)[/box]

To Dir. Lynn of the Office of Cultural Exchange
We are a poor nation surrounded by hostile powers seeking to, er, procure weapons of a nuclear nature. We note that you have an ample supply of such weapons and are curious as to whether you would be willing to sell us some either directly or through proxy.
-Captain-General Darius Drake, advisor for military affairs to the King of Arkdunham

To Captain-General Darius Drake of Arkdunham
Such requests are matters of international security and thus far beyond the scope of this office. If your nation has need of nuclear security, you ought to request a formal diplomatic meeting. I will give some general information on the Federation's willingness to trade in nuclear arms.

First and foremost, the Federation will not put nuclear arms in the hands of governments that do not share our values; the Federation shall only consider arming fellow liberal democracies. Additionally, nuclear arms will only be sold to well established and stable states, with no risk of the weapons falling into the hands of terrorist groups or other hostile actors. Generally, the Federation prefers to establish nuclear launch sites secured, maintained, and managed by Federation personnel with the permission of the host nation. In this way, the Federation can deter attacks against allies without relinquishing control of its nuclear arms.
-Dir. Lynn, OCE

To Dir. Lynn of the Office of Cultural Exchange
What is your nation's climate and how does it affect daily and seasonal life of your population? Does your nation take an active role in climate forecasting?
-Youkika Elma (Officer of Meteorology, UIS AHSCA)

To Youkika Elma of the AHSCA
The Federation has a variety of climates across its States. The majority of the Golden Lands consist of arid deserts and rocky mountains, but three of our States lie on tropical islands, and our capital rests on a land of green hills and fertile soil. We have a modern meteorological infrastructure. Our island states must contend with typhoon seasons, while those living in the deserts must be ready for sandstorms. The variety of climates do affect day-to-day life in the Federation, which can be seen in the dress, architecture, and disaster infrastructure of each region.
-Dir. Lynn of the OCE

To Dir. Lynn of the Office of Cultural Exchange

Honorable greetings to you. My own office has recently been contacted by certain of high-ranking individuals within your nation, bringing the Free Federation and its culture to the attention of the Shrailleeni Empire for the first time.

As you may now be aware, Shrailleen is a matriarchal culture. We have learned through hard experience that this makes us rather unique on the world stage, and it is extremely rare for us to encounter other matriarchal cultures. In studying materials provided by the Free Federation regarding its history, culture, and politics, I was therefore intrigued to learn of the Free Federation city-state of Eternum.

My government and people would be greatly interested to know more about this part of your nation which is apparently a matriarchal culture like ourselves. Specifically:

1. What is the nature of faith in Eternum? Is there an official or popular religion?
2. Can men participate fully in the parliament of Eternum? What is the ratio of male political activism in the city-state?
3. To what degree is there gender separation in Eternian culture? Are there professions which continue to be divided sharply by gender lines?
4. Who is the current Empress of Eternum?

More questions may arrive in the future, as your nation is indeed a diverse and fascinating one. Until that time, I wish you good fortune under the Mother's Light.

- Foreign Minister Zattem Resbruck, The Enlightened Matriarchy of the Shrailleeni Empire

To Minister Resbruck of the Shrailleeni Empire
Good fortune to you and your Empire. Lord Asrian's aides have gotten my office up to speed on our nations' first contact. The status of Eternum is a unique one within the Federation. Currently, Empress Amelia Materat VII sits upon the Eternal Throne, a reign that has lasted for two decades and is expected to last many more. To give you some context, I will briefly overview its history.

The lands that are now under the governance of Empress Materat were once known as Grotheim. When the invaders came to subjugate the Golden Lands, the kings and lords of Grotheim were the first to bend the knee, the first to pay the tribute of human chattel to their new overlords. When the Emperor Akait threw the invaders back into the sea, the Lord of Fire enacted a bloody and terrible vengeance upon the lords of Grotheim, who were complicit in the destruction of so many lives. For a time, the lands were ruled with an iron fist by Lord Caledon, who decorated the keeps of the land with the bones of these slaver kings. Most of the noble houses were wholly exterminated, save for House Materat, who were survived by twin daughters (Almeda and Amelia, infants at the time of the Lord of Flame's purges, spared by the modicum of compassion he possessed). The twins were sent overseas and all but forgotten, until they returned with a mighty host of a strange people who brought with them their matriarchal ways and a throne of black stone, said to have been carved at the beginning of the world. The twins reclaimed their birthright, but accepted the Empire's tenets with a solemn promise to never repeat the sins of their father.

The faith of Eternum is the faith of the people the twins lead to the Golden Lands. The Eternal People worship a full pantheon of goddesses, but it is the Goddess of Storm and Sea they revere above all. Freedom, ambition, and change are the core values of this goddess, and it is these values the followers of this faith embrace. The emphasis of the whole pantheon is on love and motherhood. he first of the Eternum people that made landfall had a developed set of gender roles that saw mothers take up positions of leadership on tribal councils, and a system of marriage and land ownership that saw inheritance pass from mother to daughter.

With all that said, this native faith is held by about half of the population of Eternum, and acknowledges the Empress as one who is chosen by the Goddesses to lead their people. The faith has been the focal point of several conflicts (primarily cultural) between Eternum and other city-states. In modern times, this has been less of a concern, as the other lords seem to be more willing to let the state of Eternum and its Empress keep its own ways.

Legally, gender discrimination is prohibited in the Federation, so all political positions (save the Throne) are open to men. In practice, Eternum's council of 100 elected representatives has two men currently seated. Most administrative positions (both in the government and private sector) are held by women; in business, recent reports say the ratio is about 4:1. An important consideration is the nature of cross-State migration in the Federation; those who are dissatisfied with their status of living in one state can set up a new life in another, financially supported by the Federal government. Politically or economically ambitious men born or raised in Eternum tend to seek their fortune elsewhere.

I hope I have answered your questions satisfactorily, and hope to receive further contact.

-Dir. Lynn of the OCE