Post by King Adam Aberdeen I on Apr 15, 2009 13:18:20 GMT -6
Is it possible to export democracy? That question underlies current foreign policy for Lord Aberdeen and the Gaelic Nations.
“Representative government under law, sustained by a political culture that accepts open disagreement and demands accountability, provides the only form of democracy that has sustained itself over time.” He states loudly before a representative body of the people.
Democracy typically emerges from within a society, and history demonstrates the difficulty of making democracy work. Imposing it externally presents further challenges while risking a backlash. The project of spreading democracy must therefore be separated from the objective of establishing a stable order favoring Skye interests so that the latter end can be achieved by more modest means.
Promoting democracy has been an important theme in Adam’s grand strategy. That requires a definition of democracy, one that explains how it works as a political system. Understanding the realities of promoting democracy requires one to have a foundation. A way for Skye to guide political change would be to reform existing structures and political institutions with the aim of securing a rough balance among competing groups, strengthening them so that they can weather change, and promoting civil society. This approach offers no dramatic results in the short run, but it serves Skye interests better than the grand project of spreading democracy across the world.
Adam felt that the legacy of the Skye and the Gaelic Nations needed to refer to a set of cultural values, religious beliefs, as well as technological and other achievements that could be passed on thru the years and continued to shape other civilizations.
In art…
Adam urged artists to discovered ways to bring new life and realism to their subjects... to break away from the religious traditions of the world of art… to create entirely new genres of art, rich in drama and emotion.
In architecture and science…
Standing before architects of the world, he solicited them to design and construct buildings bigger and better than ever before… to take inspiration from the classical past and apply new rules governing proportion and perspective. With thanks due to the Templars, Turas Lan was already a model for the world to see.
He urged men to no longer accept at face value the teachings of the Church. He wanted them to study the natural world, to discover for themselves the secrets of the universe.
He advocated men to find ways of bettering the country’s infrastructure… He sought them to study ways of enhancing communications, transportation, fashion, and education… not just weapons and medical doctrine.
In politics…
Soliciting liberation from the exclusive grasp of the Church, he promoted the idea that education could be filtered down to the upwardly mobile middle classes. Ancient texts, unread for more than 1,000-years, could be devoured and debated. He supported thinkers and writers to share their opinions with the general public; to forma more broad base of discussion, thereby establishing a set of values and guidelines for freedom of the people.
In religion…
Adam had already come to an agreeance with the Papacy in regards to religion in Skye. His non-aligning with any religion set him as a guide, a pinnacle to freedom of religion as any man would wish to. In this new world of religious outlook and debate, plus period of political intrigue involving the corruption and decadence of the Church, which was almost intolerable, allowed the avenue for Skye to shatter centuries of reverence and assumption, paving the way for a revolution in faith.
In economy...
The economy of Skye was among the most advanced in Europe, thanks to the assistance of the Knights Templar. Their advice in the various aspects of mercantilism and capitalism sparked a new wave in the Gaelic Nations.
Turas Lan was now a prime hub in a trading network that at various times extended across nearly all of Europe. The War of Freedom, however, would represent a keypoint in the substantial reversal of fortunes contributing to a period of growth and transform. Adam’s reforms marked the beginning of a revival that projected an image of luxury, and the travelers were impressed by the wealth accumulated in the capital.
Turas Lan held heavy influence on the modalities of trade and the price mechanisms, and its control over the outflow of precious metals and, even over the minting of coins. One of his economic foundations of the Gaelic Nations was trade and he welcomed routes far from the norm.
He established the position of High Merchant, quickly controlling both the internal and the international trade, and retained the monopoly of issuing monetary standards, merging the Griffin Monetary System (based with a gold standard) with the world’s system. The government exercised formal control over interest rates, and set the parameters for the activity of the guilds and corporations, in which it had a special interest. The emperor and its officials intervened at times of crisis to ensure the provisioning of the capital, and to keep down the prices. Finally, the government often collected part of the surplus through taxation, and put it back into circulation, through redistribution in the form of salaries to officials, or in the form of investment in public works.
In diplomacy...
After the War of Freedom, the key challenge to the Gaelic Nations was to maintain a set of relations between itself and its neighbors. When these nations set about forging formal political institutions, they often modeled themselves on Turas Lan. Skye diplomacy soon managed to draw its neighbors into a network of international relations. This network revolved around treaty making, and included the welcoming of the new governments into the family of democracy, and the assimilation of Celtic social attitudes, values and institutions.
In language...
The official language of the Gaelic Nations, was Gaelic. Scholarly Latin and Greek would remain in use among the educated scholars and guilds. Additionally English continued to be a minority language in the Nations and would become the international trade language.
Many other languages existed in the multi-ethnic Gaelic Nations as well, and some of these were given limited official status at various times. Ambassadors from other nations and kingdoms, as a requirement were to be fluent in the Celtic Language or trade language of English.
“Representative government under law, sustained by a political culture that accepts open disagreement and demands accountability, provides the only form of democracy that has sustained itself over time.” He states loudly before a representative body of the people.
Democracy typically emerges from within a society, and history demonstrates the difficulty of making democracy work. Imposing it externally presents further challenges while risking a backlash. The project of spreading democracy must therefore be separated from the objective of establishing a stable order favoring Skye interests so that the latter end can be achieved by more modest means.
Promoting democracy has been an important theme in Adam’s grand strategy. That requires a definition of democracy, one that explains how it works as a political system. Understanding the realities of promoting democracy requires one to have a foundation. A way for Skye to guide political change would be to reform existing structures and political institutions with the aim of securing a rough balance among competing groups, strengthening them so that they can weather change, and promoting civil society. This approach offers no dramatic results in the short run, but it serves Skye interests better than the grand project of spreading democracy across the world.
Adam felt that the legacy of the Skye and the Gaelic Nations needed to refer to a set of cultural values, religious beliefs, as well as technological and other achievements that could be passed on thru the years and continued to shape other civilizations.
In art…
Adam urged artists to discovered ways to bring new life and realism to their subjects... to break away from the religious traditions of the world of art… to create entirely new genres of art, rich in drama and emotion.
In architecture and science…
Standing before architects of the world, he solicited them to design and construct buildings bigger and better than ever before… to take inspiration from the classical past and apply new rules governing proportion and perspective. With thanks due to the Templars, Turas Lan was already a model for the world to see.
He urged men to no longer accept at face value the teachings of the Church. He wanted them to study the natural world, to discover for themselves the secrets of the universe.
He advocated men to find ways of bettering the country’s infrastructure… He sought them to study ways of enhancing communications, transportation, fashion, and education… not just weapons and medical doctrine.
In politics…
Soliciting liberation from the exclusive grasp of the Church, he promoted the idea that education could be filtered down to the upwardly mobile middle classes. Ancient texts, unread for more than 1,000-years, could be devoured and debated. He supported thinkers and writers to share their opinions with the general public; to forma more broad base of discussion, thereby establishing a set of values and guidelines for freedom of the people.
In religion…
Adam had already come to an agreeance with the Papacy in regards to religion in Skye. His non-aligning with any religion set him as a guide, a pinnacle to freedom of religion as any man would wish to. In this new world of religious outlook and debate, plus period of political intrigue involving the corruption and decadence of the Church, which was almost intolerable, allowed the avenue for Skye to shatter centuries of reverence and assumption, paving the way for a revolution in faith.
In economy...
The economy of Skye was among the most advanced in Europe, thanks to the assistance of the Knights Templar. Their advice in the various aspects of mercantilism and capitalism sparked a new wave in the Gaelic Nations.
Turas Lan was now a prime hub in a trading network that at various times extended across nearly all of Europe. The War of Freedom, however, would represent a keypoint in the substantial reversal of fortunes contributing to a period of growth and transform. Adam’s reforms marked the beginning of a revival that projected an image of luxury, and the travelers were impressed by the wealth accumulated in the capital.
Turas Lan held heavy influence on the modalities of trade and the price mechanisms, and its control over the outflow of precious metals and, even over the minting of coins. One of his economic foundations of the Gaelic Nations was trade and he welcomed routes far from the norm.
He established the position of High Merchant, quickly controlling both the internal and the international trade, and retained the monopoly of issuing monetary standards, merging the Griffin Monetary System (based with a gold standard) with the world’s system. The government exercised formal control over interest rates, and set the parameters for the activity of the guilds and corporations, in which it had a special interest. The emperor and its officials intervened at times of crisis to ensure the provisioning of the capital, and to keep down the prices. Finally, the government often collected part of the surplus through taxation, and put it back into circulation, through redistribution in the form of salaries to officials, or in the form of investment in public works.
In diplomacy...
After the War of Freedom, the key challenge to the Gaelic Nations was to maintain a set of relations between itself and its neighbors. When these nations set about forging formal political institutions, they often modeled themselves on Turas Lan. Skye diplomacy soon managed to draw its neighbors into a network of international relations. This network revolved around treaty making, and included the welcoming of the new governments into the family of democracy, and the assimilation of Celtic social attitudes, values and institutions.
In language...
The official language of the Gaelic Nations, was Gaelic. Scholarly Latin and Greek would remain in use among the educated scholars and guilds. Additionally English continued to be a minority language in the Nations and would become the international trade language.
Many other languages existed in the multi-ethnic Gaelic Nations as well, and some of these were given limited official status at various times. Ambassadors from other nations and kingdoms, as a requirement were to be fluent in the Celtic Language or trade language of English.
