Why should the next president care about this fictional country

In late March 1977, a group of drunken college graduates accidentally overthrew the colonial masters of their homeland.

Young people were returning to their island country by ship. They drank some of the special purple drink and then swam ashore, holding their clothes above the water and shouting “deliveracion!” Apparently, they meant “delivery” – what is unclear. But the Coast Guard thought they were part of an invading army shouting “liberación!” — release! — and quickly gave up. When the drunks got dressed, the Republic of Z was born.

Z is a fictional nation created by the State Department in the 1970s and still used in consular training scenarios for US diplomats. It is a mixture of countries that such diplomats may encounter, with both serious and caricature elements. First, Washington is worried about Z’s trajectory due to terrorist influence from neighboring Republic X. Meanwhile, Z’s Independence Day is April 1st and his “national disgrace” is a raccoon raiding offices.

State Department only ever offered minor glimpses to the public Q. I heard about this several years ago in a private conversation with a State Department official familiar with consular training. When I asked others, they mentioned it as an amazing part of their State Department initiative. Ever since, I’ve wondered how this fictional country works and what it says about how Washington sees the world. As the US election approaches, I’ve been thinking more and more about Republic of Z.

Was Z the kind of place the next president, Kamala Harris or Donald Trump, would visit? Will it merit a mention in the pages of the National Security Strategy of the next administration? Would the US seek Z’s support at the UN?

In order to get answers, I needed to know more about Z. So I went to the State Department, who immediately turned me away. Fortunately, other sources appeared. I received a State Department briefing with an astonishing amount of detail about the fake nation, many of which had not been previously reported. (The information is not classified, but you wouldn’t know it, by the way, the department answered my questions.) As a responsible journalist, I did my due diligence. I conducted sections of diplomats who said that this generally matched their recollections. State Department officials did not dispute the veracity of the information I received when I returned to them.

I learned a lot about Z, as well as the sense of humor of many American diplomats. In many ways, Z looked like a stand-in for many countries that the US largely ignores — especially in Africa and Latin America — and which have come to look to China as a partner. This is a place that may matter to America’s long-term interests, but which is often not prioritized by US leaders. And while the material I received was not about US domestic politics, Z struck me as a country that is closely watching our upcoming election.

The Republic of Z is a country of over 14 million people on the tropical island of Zixia in the South Pacific. Capital Z – Zug. Its monetary unit is the zolf. Its neighbors are Republics X and Y. And many things in Z, especially its plants, are colored purple.

According to the materials I received, the “Zians” have close ties to the United States. They have relatives in the US who send them money, which helps them and their country’s economy. The outcome of the election, which will hit the American economy, may affect their incomes. Zians will also wonder if the next US president will make it harder to get visas.

If President Harris or President Trump are thinking strategically about the US national interest, they will at least call Leader Z. Ideally, they would visit. This may refute arguments that there are better and more reliable partners, such as China. In addition, Z has natural resources that the US may need and can host some US troops as America’s confrontation with China continues in the Pacific.

Judging by their records, Trump is unlikely to spend much personal time with Z, but his aides, however focused on China, may devote time to strengthening ties. Zians have a better chance of seeing Harris in person; she worked on Problems of the islands of the Pacific Ocean as vice president.

“If the State Department had a Z office, they would be pushing nonstop for a presidential visit,” a State Department official familiar with consular training told me, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss diplomatic strategy for even the fictional country. “They would emphasize the importance of this country for supply chains and minerals, and they would be right.”

The ancient colonizer of the island country was the European people Zandor (what, you’ve never heard of him?). Colonization was more of a process than an event. It began with a group of sailors from Zandor, led by Captain Giorgio Zuc, who reached the island of Zixia in 1756. These sailors lost their initial battles, but their descendants became more powerful and actually dominated the original settlers of the island.

The Z population today is fairly well-educated—many Zians earn degrees in the U.S.—but unemployment is high. US interests control the three major mining companies that seek copper, iron and bauxite, and American tourists are an important source of income. But rebel groups want to remove US influence from Z. Such groups include ZOFT (Zians Opposed to Fraudulent Tyranny); ZARC (Zians Against Recurring Cronyism); and ZALES (Zians At Loss for Establishing Sanity).

The training materials I received offered something of a window into how the United States views and interacts with countries like Z.

You could see where the State Department was affected by reality. For example, according to the document, Republic Z President Sammy Zing moved the capital to the inland city of Zug from the port city of Rosslyn (yes, Rosslyn; it’s where the State Department has long held consular training in real life, hence the link) because he ” I heard that modern countries do that.” This is reminiscent of decisions in places like Myanmar, where the junta built a new capital from scratch

Z’s trials are based on the philosophical writings of the first president of the republic, Jeremiah Zunu. This is an allusion to many autocrats, although it is unclear whether Zununu was one. But consular officers dealing with Americans caught up in Z courts need to understand that context. This may help explain, among other things, why it is illegal to buy rare Z religious icons; and why courts tend to favor Zian’s parents in child custody cases.

Some details border on the absurd. One is that many American tourists are injured by some of Z’s most dangerous animals, such as the giant Zian Zali, because they are extremely cute. (Why do I get the feeling that a bunch of American diplomats are calling me to say that this actually happens a lot?)

Still, “the training is not about memorizing details about a fictional country, but about developing skills and applying U.S. law in a controlled environment,” Joan Polashik, director of the State Department’s Diplomatic Service Institute, which oversees the training, said in a statement. provided after I informed the department that I had received the written material.

I don’t blame the State Department for using a fake model to train their consular officers.

Using a real country and real examples risks introducing bias; an American diplomat might believe that every case similar to the real one they studied should be handled the same way. It could also anger any existing country if, say, the training material became public.

With a fictional country, the tale can be adjusted over time. The modern Republic of Z has cell service, which I assume was not available in the early versions.

And yet I was surprised at what was missing. There was no mention of China—not even a fake version of China. And why is there so little discussion about Z’s role on the world stage? Will Z support the US in the UN?

Some State Department officials may question whether such elements are relevant to consular work. I would argue that it is. Part of America’s competition with China, for example, involves attracting and influencing foreign students who may eventually lead their countries.

Consular interactions can also foster goodwill in countries like Z. Many foreigners’ first, and perhaps only, encounter with a US government official is when they seek a visa through the consular process.

In recent years, the United States—in real life—has even begun to pay more attention to Pacific Island nations. the establishment of embassies in someas part of its rivalry with China. And she found herself courting even the smallest countries in the UN to support resolutions like the one condemning Russia for its invasion of Ukraine.

These are serious issues, and many aspects of Republic Z are not. But its depiction is partly weird to keep learning fun and engaging.

This helps explain the extensive use of purple in the representation of Z’s icons, as well as its flora and fauna—the color’s dominance is attributed to mineral deposits on earth. Maybe that’s why Z’s national spirit is the Purple Zittney and its national gem is the Zemetist.

(If you are tempted by the idea of ​​moving to Z, be aware that foreigners cannot obtain a general work permit that allows them to work anytime, anywhere.)

If the Zians were real, they might be a little irritated by the American portrayal of their country as just another Western power that thinks it has them all figured out. They probably wouldn’t mind paying attention to their national hero, a bright guy named Zardoz. But do American diplomats really need to know about this disgraceful raccoon playing office? (This idea was based on a real-life case of a raccoon sneaking into the Diplomatic Service Institute during a pandemic.)

The Zians look like a proud people, this trait is manifested in their national anthem. My guess is that some US official – I wish I knew who – came up with these verses. My favorite describes the unreality of it all:

“Island of dreams, land of the free,

With, our holy shrine,

We pledge our allegiance to you,

Forward to our destiny.”