DRAFT

After consultation with stakeholders and thought leaders, the Interplanetary Assembly's Select Committee for the the Exploration of Space beyond Guo's Star have established the following guidelines to govern the contact between exploratory missions and civilizations whose social and technological conditions are very different from those prevailing in the Allied Worlds.

Introduction

The Committee recognizes that judging civilizations to be more or less "advanced" necessarily involves a value judgement, and such standards as may be established for social advancement will reflect the historical development, values and mores of our own culture. Notwithstanding, the Committee has determined that, in light of history, some standards of this type are needed to inform the decision made to contact, or not contact, a culture with extremely different technical or organizational capacities. The overriding goal of these standards and associated guidelines is to promote mutually beneficial outcomes for both civilizations. All interactions must be both consistent with our own values and, as far as can practically be foreseen, beneficial for both parties. At the same time, inordinate caution must not be allowed to deny them the benefits of contact when appropriate.

These guidelines were developed in relation to human civilizations; the Committee has developed largely analogous guidelines for Biran. (The Social Advancement / Scope criterion is inapplicable to Biran societies, which are instead rated on the efficiency of their jurisdictional arrangements. Should an analogous human civilization be discovered, it may be useful to rate it using the Biran scale.) If other sentient or possibly sentient species are encountered, all caution should be exercised, and the initiation of contact should be avoided unless it is clearly necessary for the completion of mission aims.

Definition: Social Advancement

The Committee defines social advancement as a civilization's progress toward a just, peaceful, and harmonious social structure which is respectful of its individual members and enjoys their broad support. Advanced societies direct the efforts of their members towards mutually advantageous goals while respecting their liberties and personal choices.

A point scale is defined in relation to five key areas in which the organization of civilization can be approximately rated: Scope, Human Rights, Rule of Law, Economy, and Freedom.

Definition: Technological Advancement

The Committee defines technological advancement as a civilization's capacity to apply scientific and engineering knowledge to control its material environment and circumstances.

A point scale is defined in relation to five key areas in which technology is applied to address the needs of people: Nutrition, Communications, Transportation, Computation, and Energy.

Categories of Contact

The Committee recognizes that contact with a civilization can take place on a variety of levels, ranging from observation only, to free cultural and technological interchange. The degree of contact recommended by the guidelines is based on the definitions of technological and social advancement above, but personnel must at all times use their best judgement in the application of these recommendations, regarding obtaining a mutually beneficial outcome as paramount. If it is unlikely that one will be obtained, contact should not be initiated at the recommended level. Conversely, if some exigent circumstance appears to justify a higher level of contact, due consideration should be given to it as an option. Personnel are expected to apply the guidelines intelligently and critically, especially if the civilization to which they are applied appears to be following an atypical course of development.

Distant Observation (DO) - Precontact

This is the minimal level from which the technological and social development of the civilization can be begin to be assessed.

The mission attempts to gain information about the civilization by passive means: photography from orbit, atmospheric spectroscopy, monitoring electromagnetic emissions, etc. No attempt at communication is initiated. Other actions which would tend to make the presence of the mission known to the civilization (e.g. orbiting their planet) are avoided if it is practical to do so.

If Distant Observation suggests a civilization may be suitable for contact, the contact can be advanced to Passive Observation.

Passive Observation (PO) - Precontact

Intensive attempts are made to study the civilization scientifically, but without attempts to communicate. Stealthy drones and other suitable means may be used to record languages and make anthropological observations. The overriding goals are to collect scientific data and to accurately grade the social and technical advancement of the society to inform the contact decision.

Limited Scientific Contact (LSC)

If the civilization is determined to be unsuitable for more extensive contact or its level of advancement is not clear after PO, but it is sufficiently tolerant of "foreigners," limited contact can be considered. This would be appropriate only if there are scientific or economic justifications for further study of the civilization or its host environment. Otherwise, it is usually better to leave the civilization to its own devices and avoid the risks inherent. Under LSC, mission personnel will adopt a cover story appropriate to the cultural context and present themselves as visitors, e.g. from a distant land.

Trade goods and gifts appropriate to the civilization may be exchanged. Personnel are to keep necessary use of superior technology discrete. In general, respect for local customs (even if regressive) should be be maintained to avoid confrontation.

Open Contact (OC)

The mission presents itself openly as representatives of a friendly power, interested in mutual cultural enrichment. Reference to space travel may be made if appropriate.

Cultural exchange: the mission represents the values and culture of the Alliance, limited, of course, to what will not shock the mores of the civilization too greatly. Appropriately selected art objects, literature, etc may be provided. Local trade items of interest, art, cultural objects etc may be obtained, possibly in explicit exchange.

The mission should endeavour to collect reasonably extensive documentation of the culture, to inform Allied decisions about future contact and involvement with it.

The mission must avoid carting off the civilization's irreplaceable cultural treasures in exchange for fine art prints, non-stick pans, and flashlights, however desirable those items might be to the trade partners. While some leeway for the acquisition of items of great scientific interest (e.g. Imperial artefacts) or practical necessity (e.g. propellant or raw materials for repairs) can be made, personnel must attempt to achieve a deal that is not just mutually desired, but actually fair.

Economic exchange: the mission will identify opportunities for wider economic exchange. This could include, for example, trade in innocuous manufactured goods or advanced materials in exchange for abundant or renewable natural resources (e.g. local plants of medicinal value, which can be cultivated without ecological compromise.) Samples of possible local products should be procured, and samples of suitable advanced products provided. Care will be taken to attempt to anticipate effects on the indigenous economy and gather data to inform decisions about such matters. Trade which could affect the local balance of power must be given special scrutiny.

Trade agreements are to be deferred until a dedicated mission can be sent to visit the civilization, but it is understood that the success or failure of this later mission - and if it should be sent at all - will depend heavily on the information gathered in OCEE.

Technological exchange: the mission may judiciously offer technological or scientific information and technological devices in exchanges, as a gift to establish goodwill, or simply to benefit the receiving civilization. The utmost care should be given to all foreseeable consequences. Technologies with applications in warfare, even subtle ones, must receive the utmost scrutiny, and should be provided only if the benefit to the receiving civilization is great.

In general, markedly superior technology is not to be offered in trade, except innocuous items that are already known conceptually to the civilization and then only if social disruption is not likely to result from the provision of more of them. (E.g. a civilization with stone-age technology with a few solar-charged electronic lights remaining from Colonial days might be provided with more electric lights, unless, say, chiefdom is determined by possession of an electric light.)

Free Exchange (FE)

Free Exchange is the highest category of contact, to be undertaken between socially and technologically mature civilizations. It is understood that the civilization contacted will be better able to look out for its own interests in the exchange, though this does not in any way excuse mission personnel from attempting to ensure a mutually beneficial and fair outcome. To do otherwise would risk alienating a valuable partner and could even damage the Alliance's strategic interests.

Culture: largely unfettered interchange of cultural ideas and media is likely to be possible; it is expected that representatives of the culture will be able to decide for themselves what is acceptable to for their people, and that they will be sufficiently mature to tolerate the existence of value systems different from their own. Of course, determining if these expectations are justified is requisite. Ancillary technology necessary for the appreciation of our media culture may be discussed and provided if it seems warranted.

Cultural items, media, art etc from newly contacted advanced civilizations are likely to be of great interest to the population of the Alliance and can often be digitized effectively.

Economy: Opportunities for trade in any innocuous items should be considered. Extensive samples of the civilizations' material culture, for examination by Allied experts, should be obtained where practical. Relative deficiencies in certain sectors of industry that might be complementary to the economic capabilities of the Alliance should be identified, as should be areas of unusually high industrial capability or exceptional quality. If the other civilization seems able to make an informed and rational decision about it, trade even in nonrenewable resources may be considered.

Technology: The mission should endeavour to obtain technical and scientific information from the civilization, and if necessary may offer our technology in exchange. Great caution must still be exercised, even where an advanced civilization is concerned. The sudden introduction of a mature technology might have economically disruptive consequences greatly in excess of those that would occur if it was developed incrementally. Also, many technologies can have unexpected military applications, which may not be immediately obvious.

Justifications for Contact

Some particular justifications for a higher level of contact than the guidelines below would otherwise recommend are discussed here, because the potential benefits they represent to one or both parties have been identified by the Committee as having special bearing on the level of contact initiated.

Exceptional Benefits to the Alliance: extensive renewable natural resources, exceptional cultural resources, valuable technology, exceptional historical interest, high strategic value (e.g. controlling a wormhole nexus), unusually high alignment of mores and values.

Exceptional Benefits to the Contactee: current or threatened environmental crisis, progressive failure of terraforming or life support technology, prior exploitation by third-party advanced civilizations, severe diseases eradicable by advanced technology, desperate need of some resource.

Guidelines for Contact with Less Advanced Civilizations

The table below provides the Committee's judgement about what level of contact is appropriate for civilizations meeting various standards of social and technological advancement. It should be understood that unusual circumstances may dictate a higher or lower level of contact.

The Classification column gives the classification of the society based on its scores, ranking it as "A/advanced", "M/intermediate" or "P/primitive" in technology (T) and society (S). Minimum component refers to the lowest allowable component score in the category, i.e. no component can be below this value for the civilization to qualify. Minimum sum refers to the minimum sum of all the component scores in the category, below which the civilization does not qualify for the classification.

*Heightened caution is advised; open contact may be necessary. Depending on the level of belligerent capacity, it may be best to avoid all contact.

Appendix: Select Committee Composition

Select Committee members:

• Chel Ferrari [SMP], at-large Representative of Heidelberg, chair of the Select Committee.
• Wen Burach [SMP], representing Outer Gren, Federal States of Greater Iridia.
• Dr. Yiths Tensol [PCP], Representing the Larsa Free State Polar Provinces, Larsa.

• Upper-Manipulation-Appendages Hero¹ [IND], representing the Unified Compacts for the Propagation of the Species, Water Planet of Iridia.

• John Dotcom [SP], Representing the Central Committee of Mars.
• Mira Huang-Wong [PUD], Representing the Union of Dirac.
• Preeta Cerro [DSP], Representing the Orbital Commonwealth of Thane.

• Pattern-of-Markings Fortune²[IND], representing the Unified Compacts for Trading with Outsiders, Water Planet of Iridia

Principal advisers to the Committee:

• Dr. High-Spatial-Frequecy-Eyes Plankton³, Prebhurts Endowed Professor for Interspecies Ethics, Human-Accessible University of the Higher Education Compact of Mid-Deep 47, Water Planet of Iridia.

• Adm. Clara Hamstroj, Allied Worlds Space Force.
• Her Grace the Archbishop of Susa, Melody Kim.
• Dr. M. Simon al-Larsi, Chair of the Department of Anthropology, All Thane Research University.
• Selwai, Nuncio of the Thomist Lama.
• Wiry Son of Threads, Minister of Industry, Southcap.
• Dr. Mar Song, Professor Emerita, Peters Historian Laureate, Public University of Roinmeh.
• Sir Ed Weatherby-Potts-Frito, Chief Executive Officer, Allied Nanomaterials.

• Dr. Low-Viscosity-Screen-Ink Abyss⁴

• Col. (Ret, AFUD) Samuel Bo, Union Academy of Iolo, Center for Foreign Relations.