NationStates

Whereas, the maintenance of free international trade has been known for centuries, by the concession of economists of all political stripes, to be of economic benefit to all;

Whereas, acts of protectionism are a negative-sum, economically harmful, process;

Whereas, industries unable to remain competitive often create lobbying campaigns on false claims of public benefit to remain subsidized by the taxpayer,

Whereas the signatories are desirous of promoting the welfare of sapient-kind;

The Undersigned thereafter promote this agreement, as a first step to free global trade;

1. No Signatory Nation shall level punitive tariffs or taxes against products imported by another Signatory Nation. This statement shall not include such things as National Sales Taxes except where those taxes are individually leveled against products imported by a Signatory Nation.

2. No Signatory Nation shall prohibit the imports of products that can be lawfully made and sold by commercial enterprises within that nations, as long as they are bought and sold under the same legal restrictions as similar products made within the Nation;

3. Any member of the world community can become a signatory unilaterally, except states which practice genocide, democide, chattel slavery, serfdom or forced labor;

4. Signatory Nations who do not hold to either of the above three statements shall be removed as Signatories. Such a Signatory may not be reinstated without making changes in their policy to comply, and the approval of the Free Kingdom of Allanea.

5. This Agreement shall not be subject to change. It is not seen as an Evolving Document rather as a Static Agreement.

6. Any Nation, excepting those covered under Sections 3-4, may at any time become a Signatory to this Agreement.

Opponents of the Agreement may notice that it does not cover every possible eventuality, nor does it cover various ‘surreptitious’ means by which opponents of free trade may attempt to ‘cheat’ the agreement. This is not a ‘mistake’ by the Free Kingdom government, but a deliberate choice. We believe that it is impossible to ‘cheat’ at trade, and states which attempt to do so are only harming their own citizens. We do not believe we should bar our borders to foreign goods merely because someone in a foreign country ‘subsidizes’ their products or whatever such foolishness. If hey subsidize their products, they are merely giving Allaneans cheaper goods at the expense of their taxpayer. Bring it, we say.

Moreover, history shows that attempting to create elaborate free-trade agreements, tens of thousands of pages long, makes the agreements unpopular and undesirable to the public, and often ends in their manipulation by protectionists, or rejection by a nation that disagreed with some foolish provision on Page 5533 of a 10,000-page document. As such, we offer the world an opportunity to simplify trade processes, make money, and improve economic growth, by signing on to a simple agreement.

That is all. May the Gods bless you all,
And may they forever continue to bless Allanea.

We are happy to see so many signatories arrive so rapidly to sign the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement, and we are especially happy to see Yohannes among the signatories. The Free Kingdom will send the leadership of each signatory nation an honorary gift package, including a basket with a bottle of Allanean vodka, Reichskamphenite chocolate, a bottle of Menelmacari wine, New Dornalian sausage and Snogohsian fruit.

We welcome your new nations both into the world community, and into the Reichsburg Free Trade Agreement.