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Department for Friendship with Sovereign Micronations

The Department for Friendship with Sovereign Micronations (DFSM) was founded on 2021.01.01, as the Department of State of the Federated Micronations (DSFM) recognized the importance of a dedicated organisation for building relations with other Micronations. It is a department within the DSFM on the same level as the Federated Micronations Diplomatic Service (FMDS), led by an Assistant Sub-Secretary (ASS) who formally reports to the SoS-PCV.

Definition of a Micronation

The definition of a Micronation has been under discussion for a long time. The FM have not taken part in this process until now, as there are multiple relationships on various levels with many entities which may or may not understand themselves as Micronations. Some of those have a strategy involving general recognition, or practical application of the status in the wider world, something the FM have not striven for.

Finally, the DSFM has come to the conclusion that it is necessary to decide on such a definition. Based on the thinking of important philosophers like D.N. Adams or T.Pratchett, it has decided on the following three characteristics defining a Micronation:

• the entity defining itself as a structure with some state-like characteristics
• the entity having a narrated public history, a narrative self-awareness
• the entity, even if striving for official recognition, not having a form which might make it feasible to be recognized as a state by sovereign recognized states

The first characteristic would allow any child with some toy figures to set up a state, by declaring the toy figure king. This is not to be discounted (many Micronations have their roots in such an event), but only if the entity acquires narrated public history over time, it becomes a Micronation. On the other hand, a novel with a story about a fictional state is, although narrative, not a Micronation because it or its author do not define themselves as such, even if there are physical state-like symbols involved (ref. the Discworld and its stamps).

The third characteristic is the most difficult one, with the DSFM having recognized unilaterally a number of entities which are only proposed states or such with a government-in-exile. These are no Micronations and might become sovereign states at some point in the future. The characteristic contains a statement on future developments which cannot be proven or disproven in the present.

Recognition policies

The recognition of a Micronation according to the above 3 criteria (the "DFSM Trias") need not be mutual - an unilateral recognition may be issued by the DFSM. But generally, a reciprocal recognition is seen as the best way to establish a balanced relationship.

Tasks and goals of the DFSM

The DFSM strives for friendship with any Micronation meeting the three criteria above and is offering mutual recognition and cooperation on that base. It also manages memberships in inter-micronational organisations and participation in related inter-micronational events, in cooperation with the Federated Micronations Diplomatic Service (FMDS). The DFSM documents these relationships and events on the FM webpages with the support of the Federal Service for Data Management (FSDM).