Empire of Sunilian States

Sunilia (Empire of Sunilian States)
Sunilia (Empire of Sunilian States)
	Flag
	Motto: Tu felix Sunilia, manere Fortis!
	Anthem: The International, German or preferred language
	File:Mostly within Germany and Austria
Capital	Bencia
Largest city	Seeberg
Official languages	Austrian German, English
Demonym(s)	Sunilian
Government	Monarchy overseeing Socialist State
•	Linus I.
• Emperor	Linus I.
Establishment	2011
Population
• Census	around 30 citizens
Currency	Sun, /S/
Time zone	UTC +1, Summer time UTC+2
	Website; Government website

Sunilia, formally known as the Empire of Sunilian States, is a micronation of roughly 0.4 km², located largely within Germany and Austria and ruled by Emperor Linus the I.

Description as per the Government's Website

The website of the Government of the Empire of Sunilian States describes the nation as follows:

Sunilia is a micronation. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, you can see it as a form of an independent social art project in the form of a nation state, forming a community and exploring the concept of modern day nations and politics. It is a way for people to come together in a unique way and also a form of subtle protest and rebellion – claiming that we could do a better job at running a country, even if it is only the size of several apartments. We are concerned by real-world issues such as climate change and the resurgence of right-wing populism, and try to form a better world of our own, together with other micronations. We firmly believe that small actions can kick off larger-scale change. We are not some dangerous cult, we are just a group of people that are politically interested, want to have a good time, think this world could be a better place and want to contribute to making it just that. We can outline policy which we would like to see instated on a larger scale. Together, we can make a first step into the directions that we wish the world to develop. Sunilia is a free union of individuals who hope to make a change for the better in this world, who wish to be creative, egalitarian and partial to scientific achievements and advancement.
— Sunilia website.

History of Sunilia

Founding & Early Years

The Empire of Sunilian States declared its independence on the 9th of October, 2011. Sunilia, as was its official name at the time, initially consisted only of the state of Ma Greb, located in the Styria province of Austria. It expanded a few days later to incorporate the territory of Bencia, which seceded from Germany and became the new nation's capital. Bencia expanded from a size of roughly 10 to about 200 square meters through treaties over the coming months. Thanks to support for the Sunilian cause, further territories declared their independence from Germany, and Sunilia became a federation of numerous states.

The nation's official long name was therefore changed to "Empire of Sunilian States" in 2014.

The People's Republic of Seabourg & the Sunilian-Seabourg Double Nation

Between 2014 and 2019, the Empire of Sunilian States went through a period of difficult relations with a region of land referred to as Seabourg. Seabourg had not formally declared itself independent from Germany, however controlled its own affairs, maintained a strict border regime cutting it off for German citizens without a permit for passage (with the exception of residents of the surrounding German township) and repeatedly finding themselves in dispute with German authorities over their independent-minded approach.

The fact that Seabourg governed itself was recognized by the Empire of Sunilian States, which declared Seabourg's independence on its behalf as the "People's Republic of Seabourg," and then promptly moved to offer to assimilate the newly independent nation into the federation that is the Empire of Sunilian States. This advance was, however, ignored by the administration under the Dear Leader Peter in Seeberg, the capital of Seabourg.

The Sunilian government responded by finding a diplomatic solution to the issue. As the declaration of independence of the People's Republic of Seabourg had been made by the Empire of Sunilian States, the Sunilian government argued that Seabourg owed its independence entirely to Sunilian administration. Therefore, without Sunilia, Seabourg wouldn't exist as an independent entity. Hence, the Sunilian government concluded, Seabourg was naturally a part of Sunilia for as long as it was independent from Germany. This marked the start of an official Sunilian policy which was named the "Sunilian-Seabourg Double Nation," in reference to the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The Sunilian-Seabourg Double Nation operates in a manner of complete autonomy of the two nations from one another, each having full control over their internal and external affairs. The People's Republic of Seabourg exists as a crown dependency of Sunilia under this regulation, and the only limitation to its absolute autonomy is that it may not revoke its status as an independent state.

Military action

Unconfirmed reports have been made that the Sunilian armed forces created battle plans to annex substantial parts of the People's Republic of Seabourg by force, should the need arise. These plans were supposedly drafted during the increase of tensions with the recently independent nation and some reports claim that hardliners within the National Party pushed for their implementation well into 2018.

The Sunilian military has confirmed that some training was carried out in the forests of the People's Republic of Seabourg without Seeberg's knowledge, however, the Sunilian government has never released an official press statement addressing any rumors regarding military action or plans toward Seabourg. Political analysts presume that the Sunilian government does in fact have a battle plan stored away on a shelf which it would be ready to use in the case of souring relations between the two nations, considering the great strategic value of Seabourg to Sunilia.

The Bir Tawil Dispute and Decolonization

Starting in 2014, the Empire of Sunilian States held a colony in the territory of Bir Tawil, located in the Sahara Desert between Egypt and Sudan. This claim was deemed legitimate by the Sunilian government as no other nation recognized by the Empire of Sunilian States had laid claim on this stretch of land at the time.

In 2015 and increasingly so in 2016, however, it came to the attention of the Imperial Government that there were several organizations - including other micronations - which were trying to agitate against Sunilian authority in the Bir Tawil region. This was initially met with repression by the government of Sunilia. The 2015 Donestic Branch report of the Service of State Security (SOSS) read:

"...The so called “Kingdom of North Sudan”, a separatist movement that has started up in 2014, [claims] the whole of the Sunilian colony “Bir Tawil”. Admittedly, the Sunilian Government has lost the control of the region due to its peace-loving approach to the conflict, however Sunilia is not willing to lose its entire colony to separatist terrorists. This will remain a very important target for Sunilian counter-terrorism and military intelligence. The Sunilian government cannot exclude the possibility for military countermeasures to be taken."

A number of press releases were made over the following months, and the threat of hostilities between the Empire of Sunilian States and separatists or other micronations laying claim to Bir Tawil poisoned the political atmosphere in Bencia.

In 2017, a fundamental decision was taken by the Central Committee of the National Party of the Empire of Sunilian States to decolonize. As Sunilia respects the right to self-determination of all people, this was the only natural step to be taken. Claims to Bir Tawil were consequently dropped and an escalation of tensions averted.

Government of Sunilia

The Government of Sunilia is describes as a "Monarchy overseeing a Socialist State."

Monarchy

Sunilia is ruled by a monarch, the Emperor, currently the nation's founding Emperor Linus the I. of all Sunilian lands; Regent Supreme of Ma Greb, Bencia, Ogel, Ober-Auweia, and Northwesternstate; Guarantor of Independence of Seabourg. The Emperor's position and authorities are outlined in the "Kaisergesetz," the "Law of the Emperor." Among the most crucial powers is the Emperor's power to issue Imperial Decrees, which need no further approval and will enter into effect as laws immediately without the ability of any other entity to overrule them.

The National Party & The State

The State is made up of the National Party, the sole political party permitted in Sunilia. As every single Sunilian citizen is a member of the National Party, it represents all the nations people fully. The two main organs of the National Party are the Central Committee (ZK, Zentralkommitee der Nationalen Partei) and the Council of States.

The Central Committee is made up of a selection of important functionaries of the National Party and is selected by the Emperor. It is responsible for issuing and passing laws on a federal level.

The Council of States is made up of the heads of state of each of the Imperial Sunilian States. The Council of States' responsibility is to facilitate exchange between the individual provinces and to enable the creation of laws on a more local level.

Members of one council may also be, but by no means must be, a member of the other council.

Elections

Emperor Linus the I. has repeatedly emphasized the importance of direct democracy to ensure the fulfillment of Sunilian ideals of statehood. Direct democracy was most prominently used for the selection of a new national anthem in 2019, which resulted in the formation of a "dual national anthem system," in which the nation has a civilian and a war-time national anthem.

Aside from direct democracy, elections in Sunilia are performed on a case-to-case basis.

State Agencies

Imperial Ministry for Internal Affairs (KMfI)

The Imperial Ministry for Internal Affairs, officially "Kaiserliches Ministerium für Inneres (KMfI)", is the Empire of Sunilian States' ministry for internal affairs. It is operated by the National Party of Sunilia. Below is a summary of some of its subdivisions.

The Imperial Bureau for Nature & Environment

Established in 2017, the Imperial Bureau of Nature and Environment of the Empire of Sunilian States has received international notoriety for operating a number of natural parks and nature reserves, including the world's smallest nature reserve. The world's smallest nature reserve is located in the Bir Tawil capital province of Sunilia, and is 10 cm² in size. It was also Sunilia's first national park, which further makes it the world's smallest national park.

The Bureau for Nature and Environment also operates a natural reserve of 20 m² in the western Canadian temperate rain forest.

Bürgeramt

The Bürgeramt ("Citizenship Bureau") is responsible for handling all matters regarding Sunilian citizenship, such as the issuing of Sunilian citizenship as well as the issuing and renewing of Sunilian passports. To combat paper usage, the Bürgeramt has since its inception used the "DigiPass" digital passports.

Court of Justice

The Court of Justice is Sunilia's only court. All actions which break Sunilian law or are not aligned with Sunilian core values are tried before this court.

Grenzschutz

The Grenzschutz - "Border Protection" - is responsible for patrolling and operating the borders of the Empire of Sunilian States. The Grenzschutz is responsible for the issuing of visas, transit permits as well as for working together with the Bürgeramt to handle applications of prospective citizens.

Kaiserliches Ministerium für Wirtschaft (KMfW)

The Imperial Ministry for the Economy is a part of the KMfI.

Luftfahrtministerium

The ministry of aviation is responsible for issuing piloting license and determining guidelines for aviation in Sunilian airspace. It may close Sunilian airspace to any entities deemed unsafe.

Red Suns Publishing

Red Suns Publishing is the official news agency of the Empire of Sunilian States. Red Suns Publishing operates the Government's website, www.sunilianempire.com , and is responsible for press releases and government communications, including publicity campaigns. The head of Red Suns Publishing is the Minister for Agitation. Almost everything which represents Sunilia to the outside world is a work of Red Suns Publishing.

Service of State Security (SOSS)

The Service of State Security is the Sunilian Empire's sole intelligence agency. It is divided into a domestic and a foreign branch.

The domestic branch of SOSS is responsible for reporting on and suppressing threats to the Sunilian movement, nation and state which may arise from within. It releases an annual "Domestic Branch Report" in which it outlines counts of cases of extremism from the far right, politically motivated criminality (as outlined in the law on politically motivated criminality, PMC), as well as outlining other internal threats to state security and some countermeasures taken to mitigate these.

The foreign branch of SOSS engages in military intelligence and ensures that the Sunilian leadership remains up to date on threats facing the Empire from abroad.

All policing underlies SOSS following the merging of the police into the Service of State Security in 2017.

Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs (KMfÄ)

The Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs, officially "Kaiserliches Ministerium für Äußeres (KMfÄ)", is the Empire of Sunilian States' ministry for external affairs. It is operated by the National Party of Sunilia. The head of the KMfÄ is the minister for foreign affairs.

The ministry is responsible for all and any contact with other states, micronations and all foreign entities. All treaties of bilateral recognition and any and all other bilateral treaties are managed by the KMfÄ.

All embassies and foreign representations of the Empire of Sunilian States underlie the KMfÄ. Embassies are currently being operated by Sunilia in the following countries:

AUSTRIA (Embassy of the Empire of Sunilian States to the Republic of Austria) in Graz, Austria
GERMANY (Embassy of the Empire of Sunilian States to the Federal Republic of Germany) in Berlin, Germany
SPAIN (Embassy of the Empire of Sunilian States to the Kingdom of Spain) near Barcelona, Spain
The NETHERLANDS (Embassy of the Empire of Sunilian States to the Kingdom of the Netherlands) in Amsterdam, the Netherlands
The UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (Embassy of the Empire of Sunilian States to the United States of America) in greater Chicago, United States

The Armed Forces of the Empire of Sunilian States, "Sunilianisches Heer," are a subdivision of the Imperial Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

Bank of Sunilia

The Bank of Sunilia is a separate entity from the ministries for internal and external affairs. It is also operated by the National Party of Sunilia.

The Sunilian Currency, the Sun /S/

The Sunilian currency is the Sun, a currency which is based on multiples of six. It is pegged to the Euro so that 18 /S/ = 1€.

Debates are currently ongoing in the Sunilian government as to whether to introduce a smaller sub-denomination of the Sun. This sub-denomination would be called the "atomos," as it is indivisible.

Post Office & Stamps

The Sunilian Post Office is a part of the Bank of Sunilia. It is tasked with delivering mail and issuing stamps.

A series of stamps celebrating Sunilian achievements was published in 2015 and remains in use today.

Language

The official nation-wide languages for use on official documents are Austrian German and English. On a regional level, however, any language is tolerated and welcomed by the Empire of Sunilian States.

Sträwkürr and Bebe

Two Sunilian languages exist and continue to be taught to some for the sake of preserving Sunilian culture and history: Sträwkürr and Bebe. Both languages were created with the explicit aim of providing Sunilia with a language to bolster national identity. On the 10th of January, 2017, they were declared obsolete by the government of the Empire of Sunilian States, as they are "now not needed anymore" for the task of strengthening national unity. Sträwkürr and Bebe remain official languages in the Empire of Sunilian States, but no new government forms will be issued in them.

Both Sträwkürr and Bebe are based on German. Sträwkürr amounts to what is essentially German, but spoken backward. It must be noted that Sträwkürr is based on what German would sound like when spoken backwards, not what it would read as. Hence the spelling of Sträwkürr words is not simply the reversed version of a German word.

Bebe is formed by taking a German word and modifying it by adding a "b" after each vowel, then repeating the vowel. This creates a new language which is not intelligible by German speakers, however can easily be learned and understood by those who know Bebe.

While Sträwkürr was widely used on early official documents by the Sunilian government, Bebe has found rel-life usage as a conversational language in parts of the Sunilian Empire and in the People's Republic of Seabourg. Some Bebe speakers live outside of Sunilia, mainly in Austria, Germany and the U.K.