design your country
DESCRIPTION
The specifications of a country I designed after reading Politics by Aristotle.TRANSCRIPT
Manthei 1
Christiana Manthei
Professor Sullivan
Composition
18 November 2014
Kirean
INTRODUCTION
The best country will have the best government in practice. An ideal world does not exist; there-
fore a country that does not have a practical constitution will fail to succeed as a country. A
country contains a single population in a single territory under a constitution. A constitution or-
ganizes a country’s offices. Countries aim to provide the best for its citizens through its constitu-
tion and government.
COUNTRY BASICS
When first describing a country, three main characteristics need to be mentioned: its name, type
of government, and location. Located in Central Western Europe, Kirean (pronounced KEY-ree-
EHN) uses a constitutional aristocracy to rule its citizens.
Geography and Climate. The Alps dominate most of the countryside as well as large forests and
crystal clear lakes. All four seasons show the natural beauty and last for two to four months de-
pending on the year. Summer temperatures range from sixty-five to eighty-five degrees, and win-
ter temperatures generally fall between negative ten and positive thirty-two degrees fahrenheit.
The capital city, Tufallia, lies in a valley and has the design of a star fort. A moat sur-
rounds the fort leaving only the three drawbridges as entrances to the city. The roads will primar-
ily be on a grid; however, a few curved and diagonal roads will be thrown in to confuse out-
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siders. Tufallia contains many grassy and tree-filled parks, and Gothic style buildings dominate
the architecture of the city.
Government. A constitutional aristocracy governs Kirean. It contains three main branches of
government: executive, judicial, and legislative. The best people of Kirean become the officials
rather than the richest, making it an aristocracy not an oligarchy. The constitution holds the
power and is the ultimate authority of law. All three branches of government will rule from and
be ruled by it. The constitution will be created to fit the laws. Christian principles form the base
for much of the Constitution. Its main goal is to create a society that honors God’s laws and chal-
lenges the citizens to strive for greatness in all they do.
THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT
The three branches work harmoniously; each has their own specific duties, but checks and bal-
ances exist to hold each branch accountable to every other. The executive branch of government
leads and acts as the political figureheads of the nation. The judicial branch rules on court cases
and dictates how other courts are to run. The legislative branch proposes additions to the consti-
tution to modernize and keep the country running smoothly. Each ruling official will receive the
mean income of the citizens of Kirean to ensure that political office is not sought for financial
gain.
Executive Branch. Seven members comprise the executive branch of government. Each will
serve a term of seven years with one being replaced every year. Citizens may serve a total of sev-
enteen years; however, no one may serve two consecutive terms. The executive branch will con-
tain three subcommittees: defense, money, and records. All of the executives are required to
serve on two of the committees with each committee having a minimum of three members.
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Judicial Branch. Seven of the finest judges in the nation of Kirean will serve in this branch of
government. Each judge will serve a term of fourteen years with one being replaced every two
years. Each citizen serving in this position is limited to fourteen years. Judges will use the consti-
tution as the ultimate authority in every court decision.
Legislative Branch. Fourteen persons will serve in this branch. The citizens of each of the seven
provinces of Kirean will elect two officials to serve on their behalf, but the elected must be ap-
proved by the executive branch of government. Their duty will be to the people they represent by
updating and creating new legislation in accordance with the constitution. Each legislator will
serve seven years with one province’s legislators being replaced every year. Each citizen may
serve only three terms in this position.
CONSTITUTION AND LAWS
The constitution is the ultimate authority in Kirean. All three branches of government will rule
from and be ruled by it. The laws will be created to fit the constitution. Christian principles form
the base for much of the Constitution. Its main goal is to create a society that honors God’s laws
and challenges the citizens to strive for greatness in all they do.
Amending the Constitution. Amendments and changes can be made to the constitution, but since
it is the final authority amending it is not easy. Neither the legislators nor the executives have the
power to decree laws by themselves. Legislators can propose new laws or amendments to the
whole legislative body, but the law needs ten or more votes out of the fourteen legislators. Then,
both the judicial and executive branches need to approve it with five out of seven votes.
KIREAN’S IDEALS
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Justice, equality, and happiness remain important parts of any nation. Every nation and culture
has differing ideas of how to implement justice, what equality looks like, and how to pursue hap-
piness.
Justice. The idea behind justice is setting things to right, or how they are supposed to be. The
Kirean government recognizes that only God knows how to implement true justice in every situ-
ation. This influences their decisions by urging them to strive to dole out justice according to the
guidelines set up in the Bible. Proportionate justice will predominate as God does not give every-
thing out equally to all humans.
Equality. No person can be completely equal with another except in their personhood because
God created them all in His image. Human rights will play into the Kirean government by not
discriminating based off an irrelevant characteristic of any human. All will have the same rights
under the law. Having the same amount of wealth does not make two people equal because one
may be stronger physically which makes them unequal. Equality among people will be judged in
each area independently of another.
Pursuit of Happiness. Happiness flits away depending upon circumstances, but joy lasts and
comes from God. The Kirean government officials will follow Biblical principles and shine as a
light to the citizens. They will serve as an example of how to attain lasting joy. This also plays
into the main purpose of Kirean: to create a place that will help citizens become better and more
whole as human beings. The only way anyone can become whole is by communing with God.
THE PEOPLE
Rulers. The qualifications for ruling include citizenship, intelligence, moral character, and age.
For any person to be considered for a government position they must be a citizen of Kirean. They
must be intelligent, and have exemplified their capabilities of critical thinking and leadership.
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Officials must also be morally upright and God honoring. Much of the constitution is based off
of the Bible, and to have an effective government the rulers must hold the same values as the
constitution. Age does not always correlate with maturity level, but it can often help with not let-
ting an incompetent individual lead others. Kirean citizens must be thirty-five or older to serve in
the government. As long as these criteria are met, anyone may rule.
Citizenship. People can gain citizenship easily in Kirean. The offspring of citizens will have citi-
zenship at their birth. Immigrants must apply for citizenship and Kirean will accept most of those
who apply. If they do not apply, they have already proven that they will not follow the laws, and
that means Kirean does not want them to be part of the country. Citizenship in Kirean is not
something that needs to be earned because without it many can not achieve the greatness Kirean
wants to foster in them. Citizens should be good people, but it is not required to continue being a
citizen.
Values. All types of people occupy Kirean with all different sorts of personalities and occupa-
tions; however, they will unite over their Christian values and love of liberty. Kirean does not re-
quire that all citizens profess Christianity, but they must respect and follow the laws regardless of
their religion. Every kind of occupation may exist and one will not be valued over another. Every
job holds importance for the thriving of the country and human race. Political, educational, eco-
nomical, and religious liberty will all be valued by Kireans. Real unity can exist among a people
only if they strive towards the same goal. Aristotle uses the example of a body to depict unity.
Each part is different and has a unique function, but they all are working toward making the body
functional.
Classes. The government of Kirean does not depend on a certain class having predominance.
Keeping that in mind, the middle class will exist as the largest class because the upper and lower
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classes breed waste and crime. The wealthy tend to become greedy and live in extravagance
while the lowers classes are unsure if they will eat three meals in a day. The lower class contains
people not content with their lot in life. Crime becomes a viable option for gaining the lifestyle
they dream of having. The middle class has the least amount of these types of people, and is what
the predominant class should be. To keep the lower class from revolting, property will be given
to poor families to try and foster economic development.
Family Life. The Kirean government will not heavily regulate the household, marriage, and chil-
drearing. The government does not recognize the household as any more independent or autono-
mous than an individual. The government will not regulate households except lightly in the area
of marriage. Kirean law only regulates marriage to the point that it can only exist as one man and
one woman, and both persons must be eighteen years or older. In regards to the rest of the fam-
ily, the government will not legislate the birth or upbringing of children, except that abortion will
be illegal. The parents will choose how to raise their own children.
GOVERNMENT INVOLVEMENT
The government can potentially be involved in many areas of the personal and political life of a
citizen. Overall, the Kirean government will not involve itself too much in life outside the gov-
ernment. Media and publications, property, education, and leisure have almost free reign over
their respective domains without the government getting involved.
Media and Publications. The Kirean government encourages free speech and press as long as
treason and libel do not make appearances. The government can monitor what its citizens publish
and sell. The sale and distribution of pornography is illegal; however, the consumption of it will
not be because legislating morality does not work.
Manthei 7
Property. Private ownership of property is allowed and encouraged in Kirean. It is essential to
independence and fosters economic growth. Citizens can grow their own food to eat or sell.
Owning property can also empower individuals and gives them an investment in the country it-
self.
Education. The goals of education in Kirean include creating individuals that know how to learn,
rule and be ruled, communicate, and become more whole in mind and body. The purpose of edu-
cation is not to inculcate virtue, but to teach people how to think and function on their own. Criti-
cal thinkers and innovators help move countries in positive directions economically and politi-
cally, and those are the types of people this education system wants to create. Hopefully parents
will instill virtue in their children so that the state does not have to. Training in a learning envi-
ronment will not work to combat greed and superfluous desires. The only way to stop these evils
is by the power of God, and religion is for the parents to teach.
The government will regulate what subjects children must learn in school. Every student
must take classes in mathematics, natural sciences, music, art, reading and writing, history, and
gymnastic. Mathematics are necessary for the world of money or business transactions and con-
struction of any kind. The natural sciences teach students about the way the world works. This
helps with discovering medical advancements and understanding the constancy of nature. Music
teaches people discipline and public performance. Art shows students how to appreciate beauty.
Reading and writing allow children and adults to function on a most basic human level. Ad-
vancement in life would not happen without being able to communicate to others through lan-
guage. History helps students to know where they came from in order to know where they want
to go. It teaches them to learn from the mistakes and successes of others. Gymnastic also inspires
discipline and helps people live longer, more productive lives.
Manthei 8
Leisure. The Kirean government does not see a need to legislate leisure time. It is a personal de-
cision that should be made by families and individuals. As long as the activities done are not ille-
gal, such as prostitution, then leisure need not be regulated.
LEGAL AND POLITICAL ISSUES
Punishment, foreign relations, and factions play an important role in how a government rules.
How a government responds to law violations, other nations and internal conflict define what
type of regime has power.
Punishment. In all law cases the defendant will be seen as innocent until proven guilty. Punish-
ments for the guilty will vary from community service, fines, and prison. Prisons will not be lux-
ury establishments, but rather will contain the bare necessities for human survival. Self-better-
ment programs will be available to inmates in order to help them not continue in a life of crime.
Foreign Relations. Kirean wants to have fruitful relationships with other countries. Trading rela-
tionships benefit both countries economically and socially. Kirean will strive to live in peace
with all the nations around it, but will defend itself when necessary.
Factions. Differences of opinion exist everywhere even if everyone is striving towards the same
goal. Every reasonable concern or opinion will be listened to by the government officials and
considered. If it seems like something that can be negotiated or fixed, it will be. If not, the offi-
cials will explain why one side of the issue must win. If the faction gets rebellious or destructive,
defensive measures must be taken. To avoid factions, legislators will attempt to write and imple-
ment laws that benefit the good of the whole and avoid legislation that only helps one group.
Fear is a poor way to gain and maintain trust and respect in government.
CONCLUSION
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Kirean is by no means a perfect country (because that would be impossible), but it will help cre-
ate well rounded citizens that strive for greatness in all they do. Liberty and human equality are
important to the government system and the people. The Kirean government does not want to in-
volve itself too heavily in the personal affairs of its citizens, and is always looking for the best
legislation to rule the nation.