Kai Roosevelt's Open Letter on Sandus

Esteemed leaders of the intermicronational community,

I write to each of you tonight on a matter of great international importance. This morning by GMT 10 February 2010, the Barony of Sandus issued a declaration titled "Ultimatum of New Scireland: Order 020910" to one of it's former and now independent constituent countries, New Scireland. As most of you are probably all ready aware, New Scireland is a Republic that sceded from Sandus on 18 January of this year. It's birth was a reaction against the change of government in Sandus, founded by a man who refused to live under a Monarchy and instead wanted to return to the old directly democratic government of the former People's State of Sandus. In doing so he exercised one of his most fundamental, one of his most basic, rights as a micronationalist: the right to self-determination. It's a right each and everyone one of us has called upon, whether we did it when a founding a new nation or choosing to become part of one. It is the belief in the inviolability, in the absolute power of this right that unites us all together - even if we don't always see eye to eye on other issues.

The ultimatum issued by the Sandum government is quite frankly appalling. It amounts to the de facto annexation of New Scireland, a sovereign country with the diplomatic recognition of at least a dozen members of our community. Even Sandus itself recognises the independence of this small but sovereign nation-state; or at least, it claims to. In reality the Sandum government is attempting to bring New Scireland back under its control, to subjugate its government and lay claim to it's land. The agreement they demand the government of New Scireland demand will deprive it of it's territorial, judicial and political sovereignty. I ask you all, if you haven't seen it, to take the time to read the ultimatum. If it New Scireland is forced to accept it, it will stop being a sovereign country. It will be barely worthy of being called a puppet state. This represents one of the most blatant, most disgusting violations of this young nation's right to exist. With the way Sandus has readily changed government and now changed it's opinion on the sovereignty of a nation that should be it's natural ally, I can't help but think that the Barony of Sandus is quickly becoming the metaphorical schizophrenic of the international community.

For many of you, this might not seem like a massive issue. These two nations are small. Not all of you have contact with them or care much about their internal, or bilateral affairs. While that may be the case, the significance of this crisis, this problem goes far beyond the diplomatic relations of two nations. It can't be denied that our community is seriously divided in two, maybe even three from certain perspectives. There is a gaping wound in our multilateral relations that threatens the continued stability of all our nations. I will not say what other nations are to blame for this wound; but I will say that the Democratic People's Republic of Erusia is one of them, one of several. Mistakes in foreign policy by all sides have created a dangerous, unsustainable situation. It is time that this community start to heal that wound. This crisis presents us with an opportunity to do just that.

It is for that reason that I ask each and everyone of you: please, join the Central People's Government of Erusia in condemning this action by Sandus. This community must stand up to the Sandum government and say "No! What you are doing is wrong, and you must stop!". It has been a very long time since we have done anything like this as a community - too long. I am not suggesting that this will be a miracle cure to all our problems or that every nation will start to love it's neighbors overnight; but it is an important step forward for us all. There are many hardliners in my government who do not want me to send you all this letter, hardliners who I am happy to defy and who I suspect many of you know the names of, even if I can't recite them to you. Whether you simply wish to oppose those hardliners or whether you are genuinely concerned about this situation, I ask you to do everything in your power to stop this unjustified aggression by Sandus. Condemn them, pressure them, attack them publically - do whatever it takes. We have the chance to do something great, something historic for our community. I implore you: do not waste it.

From the desk of Kai Roosevelt

President of the Democratic People's Republic of Erusia