by [Ari Ortega]
[A concern that would come up from your regime structure is, how will you enforce the idea of all the states of Zemia taking a broader look at their sources of authority and legitimacy. Not only do you ensure this will happen but you have guaranteed that the states of Zemia will provide a means for all Indigenous people to self-determine through political action within the council. The states like Kurgan and Khulna will not concede to changing their government. For example, Khulna is an absolute monarchy which means there is a monarch that rules all. The monarch is not going to give up his power to spread it throughout the people of his land. The indigenous people have less opportunity since the monarch only cares about themselves. A perfect example would be North Korea, Kim Jong-un is the monarch and he does not include anyone especially the indigenous people in the decisions he makes that will affect everyone in his country. The United States of America have tried to negotiate and establish a relationship with Kim Jong-un but there has been no sign of any change in North Korea, we have seen North Korea do the complete opposite. Kurgan is the same but there is not one ruler but a group of rulers that decide everything. The same problem would arise, the group of people in the Oligarchy will not concede to spreading their power to more people especially the indigenous people of their land. The only states that will be willing to hear your suggestions will be the democracies and possibly the Theocracy if your morals are aligned to theirs. Even if these states are willing to talk and compromise, do not expect them to give you their full cooperation. No state will willingly change their regime/ideology just for the benefit of a selected few. This would cause you to use force which in most states would cause a war and this is not a beneficial solution. Therefore what will be your solution to ensure that the indigenous people self-determine through political action.]
by [Marion Samuel]
[In your regime structure, a concern that comes up is how will you determine if indigenous people have agency, equality, and self-determination within their own lands. There are various nations in Zemia that differ in how indigenous people are treated. The way Amuria treats the Ukugan people is vastly different from the way Donethal treats the Kurganite Refugees. The only legitimacy and power of this indigenous people’s council are only determined by how the nations in Zemia respond to you. What is agency and how will you give agency to various indigenous groups? You talk about the indigenous population living within the economic structure that they serve or the political apparatus that controls them. Depending on the situation of these groups some of them might need help facing poverty and malnutrition while others might need help with various access to basic services. How would you change the status quo in various nations? Most if not all these groups are a minority in the nations, and even if legislation was made to assist and favor them depending on the way it is handled, it could cause social and political upheaval. Every nation has a different regime type, but they will not try to upset the balance of power, especially in the favor of the minority unless that minority becomes the ruling class. So, you should also focus on the benefits indigenous people provide to nations. Indigenous people are very crucial to the environment as they are familiar with the land, forests, mountains, and various natural phenomena which helps in allowing a biodiverse ecosystem to flourish. Even if some of these benefits are laid out, some nations would still decide not to improve the conditions of indigenous people. So then how would you facilitate the change you wish to seek? By political, social, and economic action or activities depending on the circumstances.]
by [Bella Sasselli]
From my understanding, the IPC is very similar to the modern World Council of Indigenous Peoples (WCIP). The goals of the Council and the methods in which the IPC uses mirror that of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples, however in 1997, the WCIP was forced into dissolution. According to an article titled Lobbying For Global Indigenous Rights, author Jochen Kemner of Bielefeld University explains, “It seems that the inherent contradictions or structural problems of the WCIP…along with the ascendancy of other global indigenous platforms and communication facilities were responsible for the declining significance of the World Council of Indigenous Peoples,” (Kemner, 41). Kemner also explains that “the structure of the World Council with its triennial meetings of the General Assembly proved to be too slow and insufficient for the fast growing global indigenous movement,” (Kemner, 42). Therefore, my question is about how the IPC plans to enforce “agency, equality, and self-determination within their own lands” for the Indigenous people they represent? Given that the IPC is a direct democracy, it can be assumed that every indigenous person that the Council represents would have to take a vote on any action—or inaction—that the IPC takes against any state within Zemia. However, as seen with the WCIP, the direct democracy approach is not efficient enough to effectively work toward self-determination and independence within the Indigenous peoples’ respective nations.
Another question along the same lines would be how does the IPC plan to persuade the different host nations to willingly give up control over these tribal areas within their borders? Lobbying For Global Indigenous Rights also emphasizes that “the United Nations was the most important setting for the primary activity of the WCIP, the regular attendance of conferences, meetings, and workshops,” (Kemner, 22). Is there any standing agreement between the Indigenous Peoples’ Council and the Zemia UN that coordinates meetings and facilitates the participation of nations? Additionally, how does the IPC plan to shift their strategies based on the different types of governments that indigenous land and tribes live in?
Works Cited
Kemner, Jochen. “Lobbying For Global Indigenous Rights: The World Council Of Indigenous Peoples (1975-1997).” Forum for Inter-American Research, Forum for Inter-American Research, http://interamerica.de/current-issue/kemner/#:~:text=It%20seems%20that%20the%20inherent,World%20Council%20of%20Indigenous%20Peoples.
by [Thomas Engle]
In Response to Ari Ortega
We at the Indigenous Peoples Council understand more than anyone the difficulties of holding governments accountable for their actions, especially those governments that are not amenable to the ideas of self-determination and indigenous rights. The argument you make as I see it is that if our action does not show immediate results, then it is not worth taking. The ability of the council to provide pressure on a nation state while also providing those indigenous peoples within an oppressive regime the ability to work outside of the government that they are oppressed by should not be brushed aside so lightly.[1] The mere act of indigenous peoples acting outside their lands current regime provides them agency that they otherwise would not have access to without the IPC regime. The use of force in certain circumstances should not be ruled out. When creating the nation states of Zemia those that came before you wielded centuries long campaigns against the indigenous populations, but now that the lands are conquered these same nations ask all others to drop their arms and acquiesce to the demands of the colonizer.
[1] Non=Governmental Organizations as Agents of Modernization: A Romanian Perspective https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1877042813014699
In response to Marion Samuel
The stationing of the council outside and apart from the governments in which the indigenous peoples reside allows it to cooperate or act belligerently towards nations who support or oppose the equality and self-determination of indigenous peoples across the various Zemia nation states. The minority populations of most of the indigenous peoples within Zemia does not exclude them completely from the ability to exercise power and disrupt systems from within. The great council will allow those peoples within oppressive regimes the ability to exercise power upon the state in which they reside applying pressure externally and if necessary, creating disruption internally.
In response to Bella Sasselli
The WCIP could in many senses be seen as a succus bringing about the representation, self-determination, recognition of indigenous peoples across the planet. Allowing those indigenous peoples to no longer need the representation provided by WCIP having gained the strength and backing of most world governments to have the ability to self-determine in ways that those indigenous nations could control, thus outgrowing the need for the WCIP.[1] The IPC will use all available sources of power in order to influence and support the nation states of Zemia to honor the ideals proposed within UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. We are not beholden to any nation state within Zemia and will act independently and within the best interest of the peoples whose power we represent. The slow movement of direct democracy is a feature allowing our peoples to have the voice that has been stripped from them.
[1] Kemner, Jochen. “Lobbying For Global Indigenous Rights: The World Council Of Indigenous Peoples (1975-1997).” Forum for Inter-American Research, Forum for Inter-American Research, http://interamerica.de/current-issue/kemner/#:~:text=It%20seems%20that%20the%20inherent,World%20Council%20of%20Indigenous%20Peoples.
by Andrew Slade
*Note* I wrote my commentary on the Regime Structure due to the IPC Ideology Section not yet being posted
When looking at the Indigenous Peoples Council’s regime structure the main concern that I draw is the council's push that it requires Indigenous people to, “have agency in the power structure”. Also how the council has the ambition to,“ensure all states within Zemia take a broader look at their sources of authority and legitimacy, while providing a means for all Indigenous peoples to self-determine through political action within the council.”. I question how the council will be effective in these goals if they are not met in countries such as my country of Prenza where the government is quite restrictive of individual rights, including the right to run for political office. The nation of Prenza would also see this as their right to self-governance as an independent nation state that has the ability to make its own laws. This makes it very hard for outside organizations and councils to actually initiate and force change.
The real world example I would use for this is China and its treatment of its Uyghur population who are an ethnic minority and are also indigenous to the Xinjiang region of China. China has routinely restricted the rights of its own citizens but the biggest abuse has been to the Uyghur population who have lost their ability to practice religion, teach their own language and many other rights. They have been subject to torture and many have been displaced into forced labor camps. The reason I use this example is because international organizations such as the United Nations and others have done little to nothing to actually stop these abuses. The UN is in the process of releasing reports while other nations condemn but little is being done. The reason for this is the political power China carries and also the fact that it is a sovereign nation and has the power to rule over its population.
To summarize, I am just pessimistic that the council as constructed will be effective in enforcing the ambitions it has set out for Indigenous Peoples in Zemia. I am concerned that if there are abuses in the more authoritarian nations of Zemia that the council will have issues providing the help that the Indigenous people will need.
Sources:
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/un-publish-xinjiang-findings-soon-2021-12-10/
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinas-repression-uyghurs-xinjiang
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