Letter to the Editor: Talossan Foreign Policy

Having been a citizen of Talossa for a little over a year, I do not presume to consider myself an expert on Talossan politics. Since becoming a Talossan, I have developed my own political ideology on what I believe is best for Talossa. But, when I was first granted citizenship, I waited and observed, I did not just throw myself into a well established system and try and start rearranging its gears. Moving on, to some astonishment, I have come to the conclusion that my political ideology for Talossa differs greatly from my political ideology of other nations.

While I understand that there are certain aspects of my overall political ideology that ignore borders, such as the idea of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, I am not naïve in thinking that what is good for one nation is necessarily good for others. For my American side, I do believe my country should work with other countries to fight world issues, as the U.S. does not exist as an enclave of another nation, and the U.S. does not exist on land that another nation claims for one of her cities, so there is not a threat of national security if the "parent" nation decided to turn the eye of Sauron on the much smaller, innocent nation. Talossa, on the other hand, very well does exist as an enclave and on the land we believe seceded from the United States. Granted, we joke about the United States "not noticing" the secession, and I think we should work to maintain that. Many of us know, not from firsthand experience of course, what happened the last time the United States noticed a secession movement (and for those who aren't Americans, it wasn't pretty). We need to consider this when deciding on whether or not we should move away from our policy of isolationism.

That is just one main factor; the political landscape between Talossa and many other nations differ immensely. Throughout the world, many issues face governments unilaterally. Talossa is not facing issues like Universal Health Care, illegal immigration, war, civil rights movements, and so forth. Talossa has a remarkable unique opportunity, based a lot on her size and "legitimacy," of being able to exist, in some respects, outside of that world, and to continue to prosper. This is not to say that Talossa should ignore the world. But weighing the pros and the cons of moving away from the policy that has thus far served Talossa amazingly would clearly suggest that we favour isolationism. It is not the place of Talossa to tell other nations what is right for them, just as it is not the place of other nations to tell Talossa what it should do. And it is my responsibility as a Talossan and an American to understand that what is good for America politically, may be very bad for Talossa, and vice versa. Different political situations result in different needs for different countries. So I wholeheartedly believe in maintaining our isolation so as to best ensure the continuous survival and prosperity of the great Kingdom of Talossa.

The Right Honourable Viteu Toctviac'htéir