John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

Arctic CircleDi spatches|MICROSTATESNorwegian SeaBarents SeathticanBalticSeaNorth SeaFor more than seven centuries, Andorrans lived in a diarchy (or co-principality) ruled jointly by outsiders from Spain and France. This form ofrule ended in 1993. Andorra’s current parliament buildings are pictured above.Lorentey3. AndorraSpainAndorraFranceAndorra’s location, wedged betweenFrance and Spain in the PyreneesMountains, has endowedthe country with one of the most uniqueforms of government in human history.From 1278 to 1993, Andorrans lived in adiarchy (or co-principality) ruled jointlyby outsiders — the Bishop of the Catholicdiocese Seu d’Urgell in bordering Spainand the French head of state.While this unusual, if not anachronistic,form of rule formally ended in 1993with the adoption of a constitution thattransformed Andorra into a representativedemocracy, the Bishop of Seu d’Urgell andthe French President continue to serve asceremonial heads of state.They certainly have reasons to speakhighly of their country, even if they donot reside in Andorra per se. A member ofthe European Council, the Organizationfor Economic Co-operation and Developmentand the United Nations, Andorra isone the healthiest and wealthiest places inthe world. Its infant mortality rates rankamong the lowest and its 85,000 residentscan expect to reach an age in excess of 82Mediterranean Seayears, the fourth-highest life expectancy inthe world, according to the CIA World Factbook.On the economic side of the ledger,Andorra ranks 12th in the world in termsof GDP per capita. Much of this wealthcomes from financial services and tourism.While Andorra has recently agreed toopen up its opaque tax laws followingpressure from the international community,its alpine mountains and duty-freeshopping continue to attract foreign visitorsand their money. Some nine milliontourists, mostly from France and Spain,visit annually, secure in the knowledgethey are traveling in a country Black free Sea(for themost part) of major social pathologies andat peace with the world around it even ifoutsiders might struggle to find Andorraon a map.50WINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR