Neighborhood

The Liminal State uses the model of “The Neighborhood”  to explain complex ideas and situations in simple and easily understood ways. While each person’s concept of a neighborhood may be different, the commonalities among each of these views is what still makes this model an apt construct to demonstrate all the ways in which the Liminal State works, at every level, with all demographics, and in each situation.

International Relationships

To understand the perspective of the Liminal State in regards to international relationships, let’s consider the model of the neighborhood.

There is a family living across the street, and they look different, speak a different language, and practice a different religion. Because the Liminal State respects self-determination, and even finds these differences valuable, that means we would allow our neighbors to live their different lives, without comments, discouragement, corrections, or actions. We would also expect them to refrain from telling us how to live or intervening in our lives.

Now compared to international relationships, this means that the Liminal State does not interfere in the business of other nations. It does not think of its form of governance as better than others, nor use force, clandestine operations, or international pressure to influence the politics, policies, leadership, or future of other nations.

Although non-violent, the Liminal State recognizes that other groups or nations might not respect our own self-determination, and we will defend that right vigorously. Therefore the Liminal State will exercise its right to develop a formidable military for defensive purposes. While diplomacy is the highest priority to the Liminal State, we will not bow to outside forces.

Should there come a time to defend ourselves, the Liminal State will never act proactively. We will defend ourselves at our border, and will aggressively pursue the most advanced military equipment to aid us in this endeavor. Switzerland could be a model to emulate, and we will take lessons from them and their perseverance through WWII.

And yet the Liminal State will continue to think outside the box and develop non-lethal means of defense and techniques to subdue forces that may wish to cause harm to the Liminal State. The future of war should not be assumed to include mass casualties, and the Liminal State will pioneer this endeavour. Killing others only leads to resentment and more people willing to give their lives to avenge the death of loved ones, compatriates, and ideologies. Killing in the name of war is only a path towards more wars, so the Liminal State will do everything possible to work peacefully towards international resolutions and, even in war, minimize casualties.

International Affairs

Yet the behavior of the Liminal State prior to any conflict is really most important. Instead of wielding economic might or military force to coerce other nations to behave as we would deem most agreeable or in our best interests, we instead will always maintain neutrality in any conflicts outside our borders.

Rather than practicing isolationism, we will engage with every country and territory, whether internationally recognized or not. The Liminal State would have embassies in North Korea, Iran, Russia, just as it would have embassies in China, Taiwan, and Tibet. We do not take sides in international affairs or other country’s domestic affairs. We will peacefully coexist with all sides of every conflict and dispute, and that is our only requirement for our own international cooperation and participation.

The employment of embargos and sanctions harms the people most in need in other nations, and we will do everything within our power to help people abroad after employing our own domestic success. We will be the role model for other nations and all people, and we will call all our friends. It is through this work and cooperation that we will be able to offer the world the most help, up until that time that an international coalition of all nations is able to police the unjust activity of all nations.

Just because we do not take sides in an international conflict does not mean that we would trade arms with the aggressor. The Liminal State reserves the sovereign right to trade or limit trade with anyone and for anything.

Using the neighborhood example, this means that, while we would not intervene with two other neighbors fighting with each other, we would not be obligated to sell either of those neighbors a gun if they asked. Rather we would choose to limit trade to food and medication with both neighbors.

International Atrocities

It is difficult as people and as nations to watch another nation abuse its citizens, amass wealth to the detriment of its people, or mistreat and kill those that speak out or have alternative beliefs and worldviews to those in power.

Let’s again consider the example of the neighborhood and our neighbors across the street. We see the parents abusing their children. Maybe the parents even lock the children up in inhumane conditions. Human nature and empathy instinctually want us to protect those children, but the Liminal State is also founded on the principles of self-determination. This may appear to be a dilemma, but there’s still a clear path forward.

Our nations and worldviews today tell us that it’s just and right to go in and make these other nations be better to the people, and we use force, coercion, and other underhanded methods to try and achieve those ends. Because we believe we are better than them, so we must stand up and do something for them.

But that’s not how these stories end. If we, as neighbors, go in and beat up those parents so they stop hurting their children, do we really expect those children to thank us? They won’t, because what are they to do now? We’ve left them helpless and their family broken. Maybe we set up a democracy for that other nation, which is the equivalent of sending those children to foster parents, but those kids will not end up any better for our involvement, and may end up worse.

This simple fact is why the Liminal State does not get involved in other nation’s affairs, regardless how bad the people are treated. There is no way to step in and make a change for good by using force or demands. Everytime this does happen, this only creates a new generation of terrorists, actively working to break our nation for stepping in.

The Liminal State would not go in and beat up those parents, but would rather call the authorities and alert them to the situation. But without the authority given to our police by virtue of the social contract between the people and the government, there would be no civilized way to otherwise affect the change that we want for that neighborhood family.

In the case of a foreign nation badly treating their citizens, there are no international police, nor a strong international body with the necessary legal infrastructure in place to ensure the citizen’s welfare. And we cannot be the ones to take matters into our own hands, no matter how much we would wish to.

We need an international state, with its own police force and internationally-agreed upon laws to enforce the norms of the international community. And until that international agency exists, it is entirely up to the people of an abusive nation, the children of the abusive parents, to rise up and recognize their own power. To rise up, as a society of that nation and take back the freedoms lost to the tyrants in charge. An international body, providing real service to all member nations would be much better, but until that time, it is up to the children to forge their own path forward.

In the meantime, the work done to fully map out the Liminal State may be the gift we give the the people of that nation when they ultimately rise up. And because the Liminal State is built with patience in mind, the faith remains that the people of the world will eventually rise up against all tyrants.

Environment

In the Liminal State the environment includes all living and non-living things. That includes humans, the planet Earth, and all the natural systems that currently sustain life here, as well as any future habitats in space, other planets, etc. The environment is completely inclusive and in the Liminal State the activities of the few for personal gain may not impact the environment to the detriment of any.

Using the model of The Neighborhood, the environment is like the neighborhood park. It’s there for all to enjoy, humans and wildlife alike. We wouldn’t allow one of our neighbors to open a landfill in our park, but that is exactly how businesses and the governments treat our environment now.

The environment is a public commodity and belongs to everyone, and yet companies mistreat this common good, and governments allow it, without any consideration of the impact on the health of people or other wildlife, sustainable prosperity, or any future consequences. Capitalism is treated preferentially by the government, instead of the people coming first. And businesses can do this because our government lacks the framework, leadership, and repercussions that would keep that landfill from being built in our park.

Yet sometimes we protest loud enough that they don’t build it in our park. That landfill still gets built, but now it’s built somewhere else, where the neighborhood is too poor to have a park and lacks that political voice to keep it from getting built. The landfill gets built in someone’s literal backyard, and the landfill makes the poor neighborhood get sick and miss work. The children of the poor play in that landfill in their backyard, and they get exposed to the pollution over those years where their brains are developing. Now their class or race gets blamed for their low school test scores, and the poor parents are blamed for letting their kids play in that landfill. The medical bills go up and the poor keep getting poorer, because we don’t want that landfill in our neighborhood park.

There is a better path and a real answer to this, and the Liminal State changes this entire dynamic. Because every citizen is important, and because those without a political voice have further protections, the answer isn’t to build it somewhere out of political sight, but rather to change the way things work so a landfill isn’t needed.

The Liminal State would look at this problem and could see multiple solutions, including in how we generate waste. It’s completely within our ability to make things reusable and easily recyclable. It’s easy to incentivize the markets to encourage the use of recycled materials and de-incentivize petroleum use for new plastics. Instead of creating a landfill in another neighborhood’s park, we instead change the waste stream and build a clean, environmentally friendly recycling center that brings good quality, safe jobs to our neighborhood.

This is only a simple example, but it’s never a choice between us and them or the rich and the poor. There are always other options that can work for everyone, so long as the citizens are in charge of the choice and not corporations. The Liminal State is willing to look for those options and choose the best one that doesn’t hurt people in exchange for short-sighted and short-term profits.

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