| DoFA | |
 | |
| Cabinet department overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2007 |
| Headquarters | 3403 Rudolph Street, New Bay City FAC, Texas |
| Cabinet department executives |
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| Website | http://www.dofa.gov.as |
The Allied States Department of Foreign Affairs (often referred to as the Foreign Affairs Department, Foreign Department or DoFA), is the Allied States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the country, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries. The Department is headquartered in the America Building located at 3403 Rudolph Street, New Bay City FAC. The Department operates the diplomatic missions of the Allied States abroad and is responsible for implementing the foreign policy of the Allied States and A.S. diplomacy efforts. The Department is led by the Secretary of Foreign Affairs, who is appointed by the President and is a member of the cabinet. The current Secretary of Foreign Affairs is Samantha Hatcher.
Organization[]
Bureau of State Security[]
Main article: Bureau of State Security
The Bureau of State Security (BSS or popularly BoSS) is a foreign intelligence agency. It is responsible for providing national security intelligence assessment to senior Allied States policymakers through means of covert psychological, cyber, and social warfare using non-military commissioned civilian intelligence agents to carry out these intelligence-gathering operations; many of whom are trained to avoid tactical situations. The Bureau also oversees and sometimes engages in tactical and covert activities at the request of the President of the Allied States. The Bureau of State Security mainly operates outside of the Allied States, with the Federal Justice Bureau, the National Security Agency and the Office of Strategic Intelligence acting as its domestic counterparts, under the Allied States Federal Intelligence Committee.
Bureau of African Affairs[]
In the Allied States government, the Bureau of African Affairs is part of the A.S. Department of Foreign Affairs and is charged with advising the Secretary on matters related to the Africa continent. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs.
Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs[]
In the Allied States government, the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs is part of the Allied States Department of Foreign Affairs and is charged with advising the Secretary and Deputy Secretary on matters of the Asia-Pacific region, as well as dealing with A.S. foreign policy and A.S. relations with countries in that area. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs[]
In the Allied States government, the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs is part of the A.S. Department of Foreign Affairs, charged with implementing A.S. foreign policy and promoting A.S. interests in Europe and Eurasia, as well as advising both the Secretary and Deputy Secretary. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs, who is currently Gordon McGuire.
Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs[]
The Bureau for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) is a part of the Department of Foreign Affairs within the Allied States government that advises the President, Secretary of Foreign Affairs, other bureaus within the Department of Foreign Affairs, and other departments and agencies within the A.S. government, on the development of policies and programs to combat international narcotics and crime. INL programs support two of the Department of Foreign Affairs's strategic goals: (1) to reduce the entry of illegal drugs into the Allied States; and (2) to minimize the impact of international crime on the Allied States and its citizens. Counternarcotics and anti-crime programs also complement counterterrorism efforts, both directly and indirectly, by promoting modernization of and supporting operations by foreign criminal justice systems and law enforcement agencies charged with the counter-terrorism mission. The head of the bureau is the Assistant Secretary for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs, who is currently Laura Thomson.
The bureau manages the Department of Foreign Affairs’s coordination with the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Federal Justice Bureau (FBI), and other interested A.S. agencies. INL is not a law enforcement organization.
Bureau of International Organization Affairs[]
The Bureau of International Organization Affairs (IO) is a bureau in the Allied States Department of Foreign Affairs that creates and executes A.S. policy in the United Nations and other international organizations. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs. The IO is charged with developing and implementing the policies of the A.S. government with respect to the United Nations and its affiliated agencies, as well as within certain other international organizations. The Bureau of International Organization Affairs was created in order to strengthen the Allied States involvement in important international relations.
Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs[]
The Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs is an agency of the Department of Foreign Affairs within the Allied States government that deals with A.S. foreign policy and diplomatic relations with the nations of the Near East.
Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs[]
The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs is responsible for A.S. foreign policy and A.S. relations with countries in South and Central Asia. The Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs heads the bureau.
Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs[]
In the Allied States government, the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs is a part of the A.S. Department of Foreign Affairs, charged with implementing A.S. foreign policy and promoting A.S. interests in the Western Hemisphere, as well as advising the Secretary and Deputy Secretary. It is headed by the Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, who is currently Blake Bartlet.
Office of International War Affairs[]
The Office of International War Affairs, which is considerably smaller than any of the bureaus, provides specific foreign policy information relating to current and possible future wars.
Foreign policy[]
The foreign policy of the Allied States is the way in which it interacts with foreign nations and sets standards of interaction for its organizations, corporations and individual citizens. The A.S. is highly influential in the world. The global reach of the Allied States is backed by a more than $6 trillion economy, and one of the world's largest defense budgets. The A.S. Secretary of Foreign Affairs is analogous to the foreign minister of other nations and is the official charged with state-to-state diplomacy, although the president has ultimate authority over foreign policy; that policy includes defining the national interest, as well as the strategies chosen both to safeguard that and to achieve its policy goals. The current Secretary of Foreign Affairs is Samantha Hatcher.
The officially stated goals of the foreign policy of the Allied States, as mentioned in the policy agenda of the A.S. Department of Foreign Affairs, are "to create a safer, more equal and prospering world." A.S. foreign policy and foreign aid have been the subject of much debate, praise and criticism both domestically and abroad.
Embassy policy[]
Contrary to popular belief, diplomatic missions do not enjoy full extraterritorial status and are not sovereign territory of the represented state. Rather, the premises of diplomatic missions remain under the jurisdiction of the host state while being afforded special privileges (such as immunity from most local laws) by the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations.
The Allied States, however, not being a signatory to Vienna Convention, and which chose not the inherit the United States' signature, differs. Any country seeking an Allied States embassy or consulate-general has to agree that the diplomatic mission of the Allied States enjoy full extraterritorial status; thus making the entire premises of the embassy sovereign Allied States soil. Any representatives of the host country may not entire the embassy premises without the consent of the embassy staff.
Another condition host countries need to accept is full diplomatic immunity as well as wartime immunity, the former for the chief diplomat (ambassador) and the latter for all embassy staff. All staff are to be given safe passage to the Allied States should a conflict arise between the host country and the Allied States.
These controversial conditions have led to many countries not wanting to renew the embassy with the Allied States. Sources have claimed these countries "fear an invasion from the embassy or consulate premises." Foreign Affairs Department officials refused to comment on the matter, usually only chuckling.
Asylum/refugee status[]
The Allied States adopted the Cartagena Declaration's definition of a refugee, and is as follows:
| “ | A person who flees their country because their lives, safety or freedom have been threatened by violence, foreign aggression, internal conflicts, violation of human rights or other circumstances which have seriously disturbed public order. | ” |
The country official asylum/refugee policy, similar to that of the CRSR, is as follows:
| “ | The Allied States of America (ASA) shall not expel or return a refugee in any manner whatsoever to the territory or frontiers where his life or freedom would be threatened on account of race, religion, nationality, sex, membership of a particular social or political opinion. Refugees will be granted asylum until the Refuge and Asylum Tribunal can determine whether or not said refugee has grounds to seek such refuge in the Allied States. | ” |
The full policy can be found within the text of the Refugee and Sanctuary Act of 2011.
Foreign law enforcement[]
The Allied States, since 2011, does not recognize any foreign nation as having jurisdiction over its citizens. The BSS is responsible for collecting AS citizens abroad should they be faced with problems with the law. Depending on treaties the Allied States has with other countries, the citizen will either be let go or face punishment in the Allied States. The same counts for courts of law.
The Department of Foreign Affairs has maintained that if a country does not want to cooperate if an Allied States citizen has been detained, the act will be seen as political kidnapping, which is viewed as a direct act of war. Since this policy being activated, no notable confrontations have occurred.