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Parliamentary Sovereignty

The nation is organized in a Republican fashion, with the national parliament, the Senate of Laeden, being the most important government entity, responsible not only for passing legislation, but also for selecting the head of the Executive, the Consul, and the Supreme Court's Justices. The Parliamentary system allows the National Government to have a higher degree of adaptability, making it possible to rapidly pass new laws if the situation demands it, while also permitting longer governments, since the Consul is allowed to remain in his office for as long as he can secure his political position, unlike presidents, who have fixed terms. This, combined with the relatively large terms of the Senators, who stay in office for eight years with one reelection allowed, gives the nation the necessary stability to draw long term plans and strategies, ruling with the necessary foresight and prudence that would be jeopardized by shorter terms, which, in the Laedenian point of view, are incentives to populist practices in order to secure reelections.

Devolution

The National Government delegates administrative and legislative powers to subnational entities, allowing them to manage affairs of local interest. Devolution, however, cannot be interpreted as a mere distribution of power. Proper coordination and synchrony is a must that comes along with the package, requiring officials and authorities from both the national and the subnational spheres of government to be able not only to coexist, but to collaborate efficiently. The combined effort of national and local governments, however, come with the benefits of allowing each sphere of power to specialize in specific tasks, instead of simply dumping responsibilities to the national government. With devolution, the central government is allowed to focus on nation wide policymaking and administration, while leaving more local problems to the respective regional government. Besides, it is an addition to the system of checks and balances, preventing the concentration of too much power in the hands of the central government's bureaucrats.

Civilian Leadership

The Laedenian government, as a whole, has a firm culture of limitating the interference of the military leadership in civilian matters, and keep the Armed Forces under strict civilian oversight, and also emphasizes the importance of having a well structured civil society and having civilians occupying the higher ranks and offices of the Republic. Civilism reflects the importance that the Laedenian society puts in matters such as economic and social development, as well as stable politics and the rule of law, which would be jeopardized if a "might makes right" philosophy were employed and if the military were allowed to rule. Shunning any ambitions of neoimperialism and expansionism, the Laedenian people prefers to focus on matters that directly affect their day to day life, which is why civilians are regarded as the fittest to conduct the political affairs of the nation.

Strenght of the Institutions

Laedenian institutions, both from the government and the civil society, are robust and well established. Institutionalism is an important factor in Laedenian politics, since those institutions, who often have conflicting interests and worldviews, compete for power and influence within the Laedenian political world. While this can foment excessive corporativism within certain classes or organizations, such as the Judiciary, which is notorious for it, it also serves as a very powerful instrument to keep the powers in check and preventing some organizations from overtaking the government.

Eudaimonia

The concept of "Eudaimonia" can roughly be described as a Laedenian version of the idea of pursuit of happiness. The ramifications of this core concept, however, are quite broad. It is often interpreted as an attempt to achieve self improvement by means of living virtuously and by encouraging artistic and philosophic endeavors, but it's also apropriated by the Church, who links it with the idea of living a blessed life by means of following the Scripture and exercising the Christian faith. While such interpretations are valid and have their fair share of followers, the word nowadays is usually employed by youngsters to define a lifestyle that values pleasure, fun and entertainment. This type of hedonistic way of living, which is frowned upon only formally by the older generations, is a striking difference that sets Laedenians apart from other industrious and ambitious nations. Eudaimonia, however, cannot be described as an excuse to live a vain or malicious lifestyle. Rather, it is the concept of self growth and development by life experiences.

National Aspiration

Aspirationism is a broad word that encompasses several key concepts of the Laedenian cultural mindset, such as the general feeling of nostalgia of an idealized version of the past, which, paradoxically, coexists with a romantic and hopeful idea of an idealized future. The Laedenians are often told that their minds are elsewhere, either thinking of things that happened or things that will happen, lost in daydreamings and exercises of imagination. The word also connects to "desiderie", a concept typical of the Laedenian way of thinking, that can be hard to translate. In general, it describes a strong desire for a idealized, perfected and utopic version of all things. Often compared with the Painting World element of the Laedenian Folklore, as well as Plato's Cave Allegory, desiderie suggests that everything is imperfect or tainted in one way or another, and the true feelings of joy and happiness that humans feel so fleetingly are mere glimpses of a perpetual state of bliss that could be experienced by living in this utopic version of the world, which can be accessed just by a mental and imaginative effort. This constant mental exercise is often regarded as a source of Laeden's significant artistic creativity, and it's prized by Laedenians, who often explore it in songs and other works of art, regarding it as one of the quintessential elements of nationhood, since it's crucial to explain how the Laedenians have their own particular view of the world and of their place in it.

Solidarity

An important aspect of the Laedenian society is the emphasis put on collectivism. Laedenians encourage a sense of belonging to groups, institutions, places, cultures or traditions, and the individual is often defined by what he chooses to belong to. This leads to a complex network of loyalties, relationships and identifications that define how social relations in Laeden work, and also explains why some institutions of the civil society can be so powerful and influential within the nation. Navigating in such a network is no easy task. It is, however, crucial within the Laedenian society, who is very much aware of the problems represented by conflicting loyalties and allegiances. On the other hand, the benefits of such an arrangement are the meaningful connections that people are capable of making with likeminded colleagues and friends, creating a general feeling of comraderie and oneness.

Compulsory Civic Service

A recent policy, the Compulsory Civic Service is a mandatory duty for the Laedenian youth, who are required to work in public organizations for a period of time while receiving payment. It is a pacifist alternative to conscription and its goal is to improve the civil service, while also allowing youngsters to have an occupation and, at the same time, to contribute positively with their community and learn important social and professional skills. Ultimately, the Civic Service tries to promote a sense of civic pride and belonging, while also improving the quality of the Laedenian workforce and encouraging inclusiveness and group work.

Life Sentences

While Laeden does not adopt the capital punishment, life sentences are possible within its legal system. Such sanctions are regarded as advantageous, for they allow the State to have rigorous punishments, while also giving it the flexibility to correct itself in case of judicial mistakes. Such punishments are, naturally, exceedingly rare and reserved only for the most severe cases, and a life sentence necessarily needs to be endorsed by the Supreme Court before it can come to effect.

Usage of Genetic Material

The Laedenian government allows the forceful extraction of the genetic material of convicts in order to have a DNA database to facilitate investigations. While such measure has been criticized as a flexibilization of the right to body integrity, its benefits include the vast improvement of investigative efficiency, allowing the law enforcement to quickly identify the perpetrators of crime by testing organic evidence, such as hair strands or blood, and comparing it to the DNAs that are stored in the government's archives.

Questioning

One of the most controversial elements of Laeden's criminal procedure laws, the detainment for inquiry allows law enforcement agents to aprehend individuals for 24h in order to collect information or examine if they're involved in crimes. This practice has been considered as a barbaric violation to the citizenry basic freedoms by several law experts, and some courts have started to accept theories in that regard. On the other hand, the law enforcement remains adamant on the defense of the importance of such institute for investigations and elucidations of crime.

Gun Control

The acquisition of firearms is closely controlled by the government, who is responsible for assessing the applicants and issuing the permits. People who desire to purchase such weapons have to fill out several requirements, such as having no criminal record whatsoever, having a stable job and a fixed residency, displaying technical skills to handle and maintain the firearm and passing a rigorous psychological exam. Guns are heavily taxed, anyway, which make the legal acquisition an expensive affair. In any case, gun owners are prohibited from carrying it on the street, so they may only use their guns for home defense. While such measures have proved to be inefficient to disarm the organized crime, they have been quite successful at reducing the mortality rates coming from crimes of passion. The policy has also been important to prevent the possible dangers of having paramilitary organizations arming themselves, which would not be a very implausibe prospect considering the significantly collectivistic nature of Laeden's society.

Centralized Law Enforcement

While Municipalities, large urban conglomerates with special privileges, are allowed to create and manage their own local police departments, Laeden's largest and main law enforcement organization is the Gendarmerie, a nation-wide institute that fills the role of a police force and a national guard. Tasked with missions that range from patrolling small towns to intercept suspicious aircraft, boats and acting as shock police, the Gendarmerie is a very large and very important institution, that is almost a small army within itself. Commanding such an institution is, of course, a matter of great political prestige, so the Gendarmerie was quite often leaded by politically ambitious men. In the last few decades, however, it made a respectable effort in order to modernize and to readapt itself to the current challenges of public security and policework.

Agricultural Might

An important agricultural producer and exporter for the last two centuries, Laeden prides itself for its massive output, which is made possible by heavy investments in infrastructure, research and development, mechanization and qualification of its workforce. Laeden's agricultural production far exceeds the consumption of its population, and allows the nation to export to foreign markets with very competitive prices, making it the primary supplier of food for several nations, including Balnik, Yursea, Hyukai and many others. This, however, lead to an overspecialization of Laeden's economy, and other sectors suffer from the lack of investments, since the capital usually goes to the improvement of the nation's farms and fields.

Nuclear Power

The lack of natural energy sources in Laeden made the nation extremely dependent on foreign sources of power. Initially, this was solved by Plasminia and its enormous reserves of coal. When thermal energy was considered too inefficient and polluting, the Laedenian government decided to explore alternative forms of energy production. Solar and wind power were quickly explored, but their output proved to be incapable of completely providing for the needs of the increasingly urbanized and industrialized nation. Nuclear power was adopted, then, after a government procurement selected foreign companies that mastered the technology and technique of producing such kind of power. As a consequence, Laeden possesses a number of nuclear plants, which are not cheap to operate (especially because they require foreign companies to do so), but that produce enough power to meet the nation's needs. The high costs reflect on the prices of energy, however, making Laedenian consumers constantly wary of the energy bills.

Partial Gold Standard

While the vast majority of modern nations adopt legal tender currency and use US dollars as their primary reserves, Laeden decided to remain with a partial golden standard to its currency. While this somewhat limits government spending and makes the offer of credit more difficult, it also greatly reduces inflation, making the Laedenian currency, the Denarius (D$), a stable currency.

Developing Nation

Despite its major economic achievements in the last decades, Laeden is still a developing nation that has been unable to find a way out of the middle income trap. Some of the elements that contribute to Laeden's status as a developing nation are: a relatively low number of highly technological industries in the nation; an abundance of low income jobs; an excessive dependency on the export of commodities; restricted access to healthcare and to higher education; exceedingly high levels of crime and, to a lesser degree, of corruption; mediocre levels of productivity/work efficiency; and considerable socioeconomic inequality. While several policies have been enacted in order to curb those problems, their success rates vary considerably. Laeden is certainly rich and prosperous enough to be an important member of the international community and to provide the basic needs of its population, but there is still much work to be done in terms of social development before the nation achieves a developed status.

Income Disparity

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Laeden openly admits to have Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in its arsenals. While the nation lacks the technical capabilities, and the financial means, to produce, maintain and operate nuclear weaponry, it keeps considerable amounts of chemical and biological weaponry in its reserves. The Laedenian military doctrine asserts that the WMDs are to be used exclusively in the event of the invasion of Laeden’s sovereign territory, or in the imminence of such invasion. The mere possession of WMDs is considered, in itself, an important asset for the deterrence of possible invasions and aggressions against Laeden’s mainland.

International Liberalism

Laeden is a firm believer in the liberal theory of the international relations, advocating for the creation of international organizations, the signing of multilateral agreements and the investment in the deepening of diplomatic ties as means to prevent wars and promoting a peaceful international order. Laeden’s diplomatic doctrine emphasizes that peace is not a mere absence of conflict, but, rather, a state of things that allow disputes and conflicts to be settled by civilized means, preserving the integrity and the welfare of all parties envolved. Because of that, Laeden is eager to participate in international forums, congresses, meetings and negotiations, always promoting world peace while, at the same time, respecting other nations’ sovereignty. The national diplomatic doctrine also claims that democracies are less likely to fight one another, which is a guiding point in Laeden’s foreign policy, as the nation strives to develop meaningful connections with other democratic countries.

Naval Might

Due to its geographical position as an insular nation, Laeden has always prioritized the Navy in its military spending. Laeden has a long and brilliant naval history, with several meaningful victories and achievements, of which it’s very proud of. While the Navy was usually associated with the monarchic regime, which has been overthrown in the beginning of the 20th century, the naval tradition remains a significant part of Laeden’s military thought, which is why the Navy continues to be the nation’s primary armed force. Laeden has a strong, modern, well trained and well equipped Navy that can be categorized as a green water navy with some blue water capabilities. Laeden has a small but highly professional expeditionary infantry, the Marine Corps, along with numerous vessels meant to patrol the nation’s coasts and preserve its sovereign territory. Laeden also has a limited, but relevant, capability of sending naval task forces to operate far from the country’s shore, effectively projecting its military power to long distances. Laeden is often involved in joint military exercises, most notably with Plasminia and Dormill and Stiura, and it has an exchange program that allows sea cadets from Hyukai to come and train in Laeden’s prestigious Naval School, the training center that prepares its officer corps. The Laedenian Navy is also involved in fighting crime overseas, by capturing pirate ships and aprehending smugglers, while also patrolling major sea trade lanes and assisting in peacekeeping missions.

Commercial Focus

Due to its economic specialization, Laeden has greatly emphasized the construction of economic and commercial ties with other nations as a means to export its massive agricultural production and obtain other goods. One could say that Laeden is highly dependant of imports and that the fluctuations in foreign markets have significant impacts in Laeden’s internal economy. While that is true, the fact that this arrangement allowed Laeden to conquer a very privileged spot in the regional economy, effectively monopolizing several agricultural markets, cannot be ignored either. This economic thought is one of the main drives of Laeden’s foreign policy, especially in the last few years, since the Consul Gaspard d’Albignac enthusiastically seeked to initiate more commercial and economic relations with numerous other countries in order to allow Laeden’s economy to thrive and prosper.

International Collaboration

Laeden’s diplomacy cannot be interpreted as a mere interest in obtaining more consumer markets. The Laedenian state has a legitimate interest in constructing social, cultural, scientific and political ties with other nations that are deemed to be friendly. Some of the most prominent examples of this trend is Laeden’s relations with Avaron, Ainslie, Uprea Plasminia, Dormill and Stiura and Martenyika, despite the regrettable conflicts with the latter. Laeden aspires to be a cultural and social influencer in the world stage, a goal that is not entirely disconnected with political and economic ambitions, but is also not entirely dependant on them. Laeden is also profoundly concerned with other topics that require diplomatic cooperation, such as the preservation of the environment, fighting international crime and engaging in scientific and technologic endeavors such as the joint space project with its partners, Uprea and Solaryia.

Parliamentary Sovereignty

The nation is organized in a Republican fashion, with the national parliament, the Senate of Laeden, being the most important government entity, responsible not only for passing legislation, but also for selecting the head of the Executive, the Consul, and the Supreme Court's Justices. The Parliamentary system allows the National Government to have a higher degree of adaptability, making it possible to rapidly pass new laws if the situation demands it, while also permitting longer governments, since the Consul is allowed to remain in his office for as long as he can secure his political position, unlike presidents, who have fixed terms. This, combined with the relatively large terms of the Senators, who stay in office for eight years with one reelection allowed, gives the nation the necessary stability to draw long term plans and strategies, ruling with the necessary foresight and prudence that would be jeopardized by shorter terms, which, in the Laedenian point of view, are incentives to populist practices in order to secure reelections.

Devolution

The National Government delegates administrative and legislative powers to subnational entities, allowing them to manage affairs of local interest. Devolution, however, cannot be interpreted as a mere distribution of power. Proper coordination and synchrony is a must that comes along with the package, requiring officials and authorities from both the national and the subnational spheres of government to be able not only to coexist, but to collaborate efficiently. The combined effort of national and local governments, however, come with the benefits of allowing each sphere of power to specialize in specific tasks, instead of simply dumping responsibilities to the national government. With devolution, the central government is allowed to focus on nation wide policymaking and administration, while leaving more local problems to the respective regional government. Besides, it is an addition to the system of checks and balances, preventing the concentration of too much power in the hands of the central government's bureaucrats.

Civilian Leadership

The Laedenian government, as a whole, has a firm culture of limitating the interference of the military leadership in civilian matters, and keep the Armed Forces under strict civilian oversight, and also emphasizes the importance of having a well structured civil society and having civilians occupying the higher ranks and offices of the Republic. Civilism reflects the importance that the Laedenian society puts in matters such as economic and social development, as well as stable politics and the rule of law, which would be jeopardized if a "might makes right" philosophy were employed and if the military were allowed to rule. Shunning any ambitions of neoimperialism and expansionism, the Laedenian people prefers to focus on matters that directly affect their day to day life, which is why civilians are regarded as the fittest to conduct the political affairs of the nation.

Strenght of the Institutions

Laedenian institutions, both from the government and the civil society, are robust and well established. Institutionalism is an important factor in Laedenian politics, since those institutions, who often have conflicting interests and worldviews, compete for power and influence within the Laedenian political world. While this can foment excessive corporativism within certain classes or organizations, such as the Judiciary, which is notorious for it, it also serves as a very powerful instrument to keep the powers in check and preventing some organizations from overtaking the government.

Eudaimonia

The concept of "Eudaimonia" can roughly be described as a Laedenian version of the idea of pursuit of happiness. The ramifications of this core concept, however, are quite broad. It is often interpreted as an attempt to achieve self improvement by means of living virtuously and by encouraging artistic and philosophic endeavors, but it's also apropriated by the Church, who links it with the idea of living a blessed life by means of following the Scripture and exercising the Christian faith. While such interpretations are valid and have their fair share of followers, the word nowadays is usually employed by youngsters to define a lifestyle that values pleasure, fun and entertainment. This type of hedonistic way of living, which is frowned upon only formally by the older generations, is a striking difference that sets Laedenians apart from other industrious and ambitious nations. Eudaimonia, however, cannot be described as an excuse to live a vain or malicious lifestyle. Rather, it is the concept of self growth and development by life experiences.

National Aspiration

Aspirationism is a broad word that encompasses several key concepts of the Laedenian cultural mindset, such as the general feeling of nostalgia of an idealized version of the past, which, paradoxically, coexists with a romantic and hopeful idea of an idealized future. The Laedenians are often told that their minds are elsewhere, either thinking of things that happened or things that will happen, lost in daydreamings and exercises of imagination. The word also connects to "desiderie", a concept typical of the Laedenian way of thinking, that can be hard to translate. In general, it describes a strong desire for a idealized, perfected and utopic version of all things. Often compared with the Painting World element of the Laedenian Folklore, as well as Plato's Cave Allegory, desiderie suggests that everything is imperfect or tainted in one way or another, and the true feelings of joy and happiness that humans feel so fleetingly are mere glimpses of a perpetual state of bliss that could be experienced by living in this utopic version of the world, which can be accessed just by a mental and imaginative effort. This constant mental exercise is often regarded as a source of Laeden's significant artistic creativity, and it's prized by Laedenians, who often explore it in songs and other works of art, regarding it as one of the quintessential elements of nationhood, since it's crucial to explain how the Laedenians have their own particular view of the world and of their place in it.

Solidarity

An important aspect of the Laedenian society is the emphasis put on collectivism. Laedenians encourage a sense of belonging to groups, institutions, places, cultures or traditions, and the individual is often defined by what he chooses to belong to. This leads to a complex network of loyalties, relationships and identifications that define how social relations in Laeden work, and also explains why some institutions of the civil society can be so powerful and influential within the nation. Navigating in such a network is no easy task. It is, however, crucial within the Laedenian society, who is very much aware of the problems represented by conflicting loyalties and allegiances. On the other hand, the benefits of such an arrangement are the meaningful connections that people are capable of making with likeminded colleagues and friends, creating a general feeling of comraderie and oneness.

Compulsory Civic Service

A recent policy, the Compulsory Civic Service is a mandatory duty for the Laedenian youth, who are required to work in public organizations for a period of time while receiving payment. It is a pacifist alternative to conscription and its goal is to improve the civil service, while also allowing youngsters to have an occupation and, at the same time, to contribute positively with their community and learn important social and professional skills. Ultimately, the Civic Service tries to promote a sense of civic pride and belonging, while also improving the quality of the Laedenian workforce and encouraging inclusiveness and group work.

Life Sentences

While Laeden does not adopt the capital punishment, life sentences are possible within its legal system. Such sanctions are regarded as advantageous, for they allow the State to have rigorous punishments, while also giving it the flexibility to correct itself in case of judicial mistakes. Such punishments are, naturally, exceedingly rare and reserved only for the most severe cases, and a life sentence necessarily needs to be endorsed by the Supreme Court before it can come to effect.

Usage of Genetic Material

The Laedenian government allows the forceful extraction of the genetic material of convicts in order to have a DNA database to facilitate investigations. While such measure has been criticized as a flexibilization of the right to body integrity, its benefits include the vast improvement of investigative efficiency, allowing the law enforcement to quickly identify the perpetrators of crime by testing organic evidence, such as hair strands or blood, and comparing it to the DNAs that are stored in the government's archives.

Questioning

One of the most controversial elements of Laeden's criminal procedure laws, the detainment for inquiry allows law enforcement agents to aprehend individuals for 24h in order to collect information or examine if they're involved in crimes. This practice has been considered as a barbaric violation to the citizenry basic freedoms by several law experts, and some courts have started to accept theories in that regard. On the other hand, the law enforcement remains adamant on the defense of the importance of such institute for investigations and elucidations of crime.

Gun Control

The acquisition of firearms is closely controlled by the government, who is responsible for assessing the applicants and issuing the permits. People who desire to purchase such weapons have to fill out several requirements, such as having no criminal record whatsoever, having a stable job and a fixed residency, displaying technical skills to handle and maintain the firearm and passing a rigorous psychological exam. Guns are heavily taxed, anyway, which make the legal acquisition an expensive affair. In any case, gun owners are prohibited from carrying it on the street, so they may only use their guns for home defense. While such measures have proved to be inefficient to disarm the organized crime, they have been quite successful at reducing the mortality rates coming from crimes of passion. The policy has also been important to prevent the possible dangers of having paramilitary organizations arming themselves, which would not be a very implausibe prospect considering the significantly collectivistic nature of Laeden's society.

Centralized Law Enforcement

While Municipalities, large urban conglomerates with special privileges, are allowed to create and manage their own local police departments, Laeden's largest and main law enforcement organization is the Gendarmerie, a nation-wide institute that fills the role of a police force and a national guard. Tasked with missions that range from patrolling small towns to intercept suspicious aircraft, boats and acting as shock police, the Gendarmerie is a very large and very important institution, that is almost a small army within itself. Commanding such an institution is, of course, a matter of great political prestige, so the Gendarmerie was quite often leaded by politically ambitious men. In the last few decades, however, it made a respectable effort in order to modernize and to readapt itself to the current challenges of public security and policework.

Agricultural Might

An important agricultural producer and exporter for the last two centuries, Laeden prides itself for its massive output, which is made possible by heavy investments in infrastructure, research and development, mechanization and qualification of its workforce. Laeden's agricultural production far exceeds the consumption of its population, and allows the nation to export to foreign markets with very competitive prices, making it the primary supplier of food for several nations, including Balnik, Yursea, Hyukai and many others. This, however, lead to an overspecialization of Laeden's economy, and other sectors suffer from the lack of investments, since the capital usually goes to the improvement of the nation's farms and fields.

Nuclear Power

The lack of natural energy sources in Laeden made the nation extremely dependent on foreign sources of power. Initially, this was solved by Plasminia and its enormous reserves of coal. When thermal energy was considered too inefficient and polluting, the Laedenian government decided to explore alternative forms of energy production. Solar and wind power were quickly explored, but their output proved to be incapable of completely providing for the needs of the increasingly urbanized and industrialized nation. Nuclear power was adopted, then, after a government procurement selected foreign companies that mastered the technology and technique of producing such kind of power. As a consequence, Laeden possesses a number of nuclear plants, which are not cheap to operate (especially because they require foreign companies to do so), but that produce enough power to meet the nation's needs. The high costs reflect on the prices of energy, however, making Laedenian consumers constantly wary of the energy bills.

Partial Gold Standard

While the vast majority of modern nations adopt legal tender currency and use US dollars as their primary reserves, Laeden decided to remain with a partial golden standard to its currency. While this somewhat limits government spending and makes the offer of credit more difficult, it also greatly reduces inflation, making the Laedenian currency, the Denarius (D$), a stable currency.

Developing Nation

Despite its major economic achievements in the last decades, Laeden is still a developing nation that has been unable to find a way out of the middle income trap. Some of the elements that contribute to Laeden's status as a developing nation are: a relatively low number of highly technological industries in the nation; an abundance of low income jobs; an excessive dependency on the export of commodities; restricted access to healthcare and to higher education; exceedingly high levels of crime and, to a lesser degree, of corruption; mediocre levels of productivity/work efficiency; and considerable socioeconomic inequality. While several policies have been enacted in order to curb those problems, their success rates vary considerably. Laeden is certainly rich and prosperous enough to be an important member of the international community and to provide the basic needs of its population, but there is still much work to be done in terms of social development before the nation achieves a developed status.

Income Disparity

Weapons of Mass Destruction

Laeden openly admits to have Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMDs) in its arsenals. While the nation lacks the technical capabilities, and the financial means, to produce, maintain and operate nuclear weaponry, it keeps considerable amounts of chemical and biological weaponry in its reserves. The Laedenian military doctrine asserts that the WMDs are to be used exclusively in the event of the invasion of Laeden’s sovereign territory, or in the imminence of such invasion. The mere possession of WMDs is considered, in itself, an important asset for the deterrence of possible invasions and aggressions against Laeden’s mainland.

International Liberalism

Laeden is a firm believer in the liberal theory of the international relations, advocating for the creation of international organizations, the signing of multilateral agreements and the investment in the deepening of diplomatic ties as means to prevent wars and promoting a peaceful international order. Laeden’s diplomatic doctrine emphasizes that peace is not a mere absence of conflict, but, rather, a state of things that allow disputes and conflicts to be settled by civilized means, preserving the integrity and the welfare of all parties envolved. Because of that, Laeden is eager to participate in international forums, congresses, meetings and negotiations, always promoting world peace while, at the same time, respecting other nations’ sovereignty. The national diplomatic doctrine also claims that democracies are less likely to fight one another, which is a guiding point in Laeden’s foreign policy, as the nation strives to develop meaningful connections with other democratic countries.

Naval Might

Due to its geographical position as an insular nation, Laeden has always prioritized the Navy in its military spending. Laeden has a long and brilliant naval history, with several meaningful victories and achievements, of which it’s very proud of. While the Navy was usually associated with the monarchic regime, which has been overthrown in the beginning of the 20th century, the naval tradition remains a significant part of Laeden’s military thought, which is why the Navy continues to be the nation’s primary armed force. Laeden has a strong, modern, well trained and well equipped Navy that can be categorized as a green water navy with some blue water capabilities. Laeden has a small but highly professional expeditionary infantry, the Marine Corps, along with numerous vessels meant to patrol the nation’s coasts and preserve its sovereign territory. Laeden also has a limited, but relevant, capability of sending naval task forces to operate far from the country’s shore, effectively projecting its military power to long distances. Laeden is often involved in joint military exercises, most notably with Plasminia and Dormill and Stiura, and it has an exchange program that allows sea cadets from Hyukai to come and train in Laeden’s prestigious Naval School, the training center that prepares its officer corps. The Laedenian Navy is also involved in fighting crime overseas, by capturing pirate ships and aprehending smugglers, while also patrolling major sea trade lanes and assisting in peacekeeping missions.

Commercial Focus

Due to its economic specialization, Laeden has greatly emphasized the construction of economic and commercial ties with other nations as a means to export its massive agricultural production and obtain other goods. One could say that Laeden is highly dependant of imports and that the fluctuations in foreign markets have significant impacts in Laeden’s internal economy. While that is true, the fact that this arrangement allowed Laeden to conquer a very privileged spot in the regional economy, effectively monopolizing several agricultural markets, cannot be ignored either. This economic thought is one of the main drives of Laeden’s foreign policy, especially in the last few years, since the Consul Gaspard d’Albignac enthusiastically seeked to initiate more commercial and economic relations with numerous other countries in order to allow Laeden’s economy to thrive and prosper.

International Collaboration

Laeden’s diplomacy cannot be interpreted as a mere interest in obtaining more consumer markets. The Laedenian state has a legitimate interest in constructing social, cultural, scientific and political ties with other nations that are deemed to be friendly. Some of the most prominent examples of this trend is Laeden’s relations with Avaron, Ainslie, Uprea Plasminia, Dormill and Stiura and Martenyika, despite the regrettable conflicts with the latter. Laeden aspires to be a cultural and social influencer in the world stage, a goal that is not entirely disconnected with political and economic ambitions, but is also not entirely dependant on them. Laeden is also profoundly concerned with other topics that require diplomatic cooperation, such as the preservation of the environment, fighting international crime and engaging in scientific and technologic endeavors such as the joint space project with its partners, Uprea and Solaryia.