NationStates Jolt Archive

He was afraid that the world struggle today was not of Communism against Fascism, but of tolerance against the bigotry that was preached equally by Communism and Fascism. [...] That Karl Pascal should be turning into a zealot, like most of his chiefs in the Communist party, was grievous to Doremus because he had once simple-heartedly hoped that in the mass strength of Communism there might be an escape from cynical dictatorship. But he saw now that he must remain alone, a “Liberal,” scorned by all the noisier prophets for refusing to be a willing cat for the busy monkeys of either side. But at worst, the Liberals, the Tolerant, might in the long run preserve some of the arts of civilization, no matter which brand of tyranny should finally dominate the world.

-from It Can't Happen Here, by Sinclair Lewis

Central Executive Complex, New York City, the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon

President Abhinash Chandran stared out the window on this, one glorious brief respite in the form of an uneventful day on a lazy June afternoon in New York City, the pride and heart of the United Solaris Federation. There were a great many "great" Tiburonese cities, but few matched the concept that this city invoked. It was chosen as the capitol of the original Tiburonese Alliance of Atlantic and Pacific States precisely because it had the property of belonging so much to this country and at the same time being so international. It was the financial capitol of the nation, edging out Mumbai and Tokyo on Earth and a great deal many newer cities, and was also a major intellectual center of the nation. But importance aside, it was also the home of millions of Tiburonese who shared in this warm, balmy, placid afternoon.

Chandran began reflecting on the events of recent months. It had been quite a tumultuous year- Mercury and the Radiant Sun, the reestablishment of old allies on Earth and the fall of a different allied government, minor outrages on Mars and the asteroids, conflict in Neptune, conflict in Sslaa, and an application to the Triumvirate. This was, by no stretch of the imagination, an idle presidency. He looked back at his desk, and glanced at the newest copy of Newsweek, which had a story in Washington City. Washington City, formerly Washington, D.C., the center of power of a nation and a world for hundreds of years and now the home to memorials for nearly everything imaginable. The background picture of this story perhaps coincidentally featured the Allanean Wars Memorial, a memorial dedicated to the soldiers who had perished fighting that completely mad, tyrannical state which had thankfully sunk beneath the waves a few years ago. Chandran chuckled silently. How odd it was that the UnAPS was clearly the more powerful force during its myriad wars between itself and Allanea, and yet it had fallen first. How odd that the Allaneans seemed to have gotten the last laugh, and how odd that progressivism finally would. It was time.

[Sent Via D-Net]
[To: Supreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit, the Federated Segments of Scolopendra; Prime Minister Jaime Wolfe, the Socialist Democracy of Haraki]
[From: President Abhinash Chandran, the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon]
[Subject: Progressivism]
[Classification: Secret]

My good friends,

After witnessing the so-called "conference against genocide" held by Reichskampen, I have noticed that recent times have been marked with an increase in shows of strength of antiprogressive forces- the Skeelzanians, Prussians, and one-half of the Austari revolutionary movement most notably. Knowing your and your nations' support of the progressive ideals, I turn to you for a proposal- the creation of a new organization to lead by example and support the progressive ideals. A new UnAPS or UNAOTO, if you will. I humbly request that both of you come to New York City to discuss this proposal as soon as possible.

Sincerely,
Abhinash Chandran,
President of the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon

"I guess I get to sit in the big chair again?" Razak smirks, standing a bit straighter than the norm out of a lifetime of habit, arms folded behind his back in the same. "Where're you off to now?"

"Tiburon." The kzintosh chuckles as he gets up, glancing down at his old friend. "They have been quite active lately."

"Yup, so I've seen," the silver-haired man nods. "Hawke's already got Arthropod on the horn. Apparently Flag Colonel K'zta is looking forward to getting out of Saturnspace."

"I cannot blame him." Another chuckle, and Speaker-Rrit smoothly maneuvers himself out the door in a way both natural and seemingly odd for his sinewy bulk. Julius catches himself thinking it's just what the bigger felinids happen to do, as Speaker turns around with a wink of his ears. "Don't sell the homeworld."

"Don't plan on it, sir. Have a good trip."

--<Transmission Type: Standard Diplomatic Communique>--
-<Sender: Supreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit, FSS>-
-<Destination: Abhinash Chandran, USFT>-
--<Subject: Re: Progressivism>--

I will be there as soon as possible. Thank you for the invitation.

http://www.weirdozone.0catch.com/projects/nationstates/scolopendra/speaker-to-animals.gifSupreme Emperor Speaker-Rrit
Chief of State
Federated Segments of Scolopendra

--<End Transmission>--

Jaime smiled slightly as he read the message. On one hand, it was good to have friends and allies in the international arena. It had been that way in the past, when he'd been influential in founding NATO, and led to nations being able to throw their weight around, never a bad thing when you had the upper hand.

On the other hand, having allies was also a potential trap, sucking nations into unneeded conflicts and crises because of allies. He'd discussed this with Abhinash earlier, and they'd come to a conclusion.

Haraki had spent enough time being isolationist and avoiding politics. Having political clout meant having political clout, and Jaime was used to that. He'd been that way when last he was in office, and he was damned used to having it when he sat in the Prime Minister's chair. So he sat down and wrote up a message back.

[QUOTE]To:President Abhinash Chandran, USF Tiburon.
From: Prime Minister Jaime Wolfe, SD Haraki.
Subject: Re: Progressivism
Classification: Secret

I'd be delighted to. I'll be there in short order.

Jaime.



Verification by Guardian... complete...Message Sent.

John F. Kennedy International Aerospaceport, New York City, the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon

The two planes landed in rapid succession, saving Chandran the potential embarrassment of receiving one of the two but not receiving the other. He received both with a traditional Japanese bow and peformed the familiarities on the tarmac- the shaking of the hands, old reminiscences, etc.- but not to a great extent. There would be much more time for such things later.

Central Executive Complex, New York City, the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon

Back in the CEC, Chandran sat with Rrit and Wolfe at a moderately small table in what appeared to be an executive strategy room- the walls were covered with glow maps of various planets and interstellar bodies, and one area had a row of media interfaces to receive news from all over the multiverse. Chandran nodded slightly and began.

"Thank you both for responding to my message so quickly. As I had said, I am growing concerned about the state of the progressive ideal in the multiverse, especially given the lack of any major alliance to preserve such ideals and the increase in prominence of such organizations such as the Greater Prussian Empire."

"Given the history of your two nations- which also are two of Tiburon's closest allies*- for supporting the progressive ideals, I thought it would be natural that if Tiburon was to attempt to create a movement, an alliance to rekindle the progressive spirit, that we should contact your nations first."

"Naturally, if we wish to create an alliance to promote progressivism, we should first define what we mean by doing so. I believe that such an alliance should be set up with the goal to preserve and promote the progressive spirit- to preserve the civil rights of all sentients, to promote the liberalistic government system, be it a liberal democracy or a benign dictatorship, and to promote the spread of sentient rights. Any thoughts on this?"

*Tiburon has four such allies in all.

"I agree there should be more organizations willing to put forward the progressive cause." Speaker-Rrit nods, perhaps with a slightly wry twist to his physiologically thin smile, ears going back just a touch as they wink. "Any such organization we make must start with principles which cannot be negotiated, much like the Triumvirate's stances on slavery and genocide. I think we should first discuss what we want to achieve and what ideals we wish to steadfastly hold to."

The kzintosh thinks for a moment, looking slowly between Chandran and Wolfe. "We must also decide whether we wish to actively correct others or passively lead by example. What do you think?"

Wolfe nodded in agreement, his hands folded in front of him, speaking for the first time during the meeting itself. "We discussed this a short while ago, Abhinash, and as you know, I am in favour of this proposal. Whether or not the final product is still in my good books remains to be seen, but I think we're off to a good start.

"Rrit raises multiple good points and problems we will have to deal with if we are to make this dream a reality, among them our stances on various things. I would like to add to the table for our initial discussion the problem of where our sphere of influence would be, either on earth, throughout the solar system, interstellar, or intergalactic."

He looks back and forth between the other two, Abhinash and Rrit, waiting for their replies.

Chandran nodded and leaned forward slightly. "Agreed in full. For our purpose, I believe our basis should indeed be that which is non-negotiable. This, in my mind for a progressive alliance, should be not only slavery and genocide but also securing the full rights of sentients under the law, regardless of government class (democracy, oligarchy, etc.) or economic system- i.e., the "liberal" part of liberal democracies and liberal/benevolent dictatorships."

"For this end, I believe that we should adopt some or all of the old UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights (http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Universal_Declaration_of_Human_Rights), modifying the language to keep up with the Earth's post-1948 discovery of non-human sentients."

"The biggest problem I see with this issue is the fact that the terms 'liberal' and 'progressive' have come to mean a variety of things, each different for the user. Perhaps by creating an alliance purpose loosely based on the noneconomic progressive policies of the old U.S. presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy and with the backing of the old UN's UDHR (or perhaps even our own), we may be able to create definition of what the APN will stand for?"

"I'd also want to make this free of economic considerations, government type considerations, or what considerations of what I call 'small-spectrum' politics, which could be considered politics that focuses on a small part of the vast political spectrum- for example, the political differences that arise during an election. The candidates would focus on specific aspects of policy, but would have a secured background to work for. The basis of sentient rights must be kept, but small-spectrum politics, I believe, should be left to the individual states, as should government and economic type. We should also make a provision that the purpose and goals structure should be semi-dynamic, allowing future sessions of the alliance to add to the definition of sentient rights but not take away. As history has shown fit to expand upon the definition of the rights of sentients, so it shall do so in the future."

"Finally, regarding the question of presence. By its very nature, I would think that the alliance would be interstellar/intergalactic, given the sheer size of the Federated Segments and the United Solaris Federation. As for how we are to promote our values, I'm in favor of a mixture of both. Acting with a heavy hand would naturally be undesirable, but there are always cases when we must act with full force to uphold sentient rights- for example, in cases of slavery or genocide." He paused for a reply.

Speaker listens patiently, thinking through what he remembers of the Universal Declaration from Civil History courses taken a long, long time ago by anyone's persref to become a naturalized citizen of the Segments. While the general basis of rights ethics is considered intellectually weak in the civil mindset of Scolopendra--what right to life has a man drowning in the ocean?--it is still quite valid in the matter of what rights a society chooses to have and maintain through effort. Individuals may be 'entitled,' as the language in the Declaration occasionally go, but cultures earn said rights through efforts that, in the principle of societarial equivalent exchange, most if not all individuals must expend at least some effort on. "I agree. While we can be rigid on ideals, different societies have different contexts and therefore solutions. Just because we do not like them does not mean they are wrong or cannot be tolerated. We also cannot be so rigid towards, say, tolerance so as to be intolerant of mild intolerance, as the saying goes."

He pauses for a moment, folding his broad orange-furred hands before continuing. "First of all is equality. I unfortunately recently persref spoke to someone who still believed in 'nobility' via mere accident of bloodline. That she was a member of such a falsity is perhaps unsurprising. All sentient beings are intrinsically equal in the eyes of the ideal because they all have the capacity for abstract and original thought. Mere physical or mental inequalities exist"--he seems to indicate himself with a slight shrug--"and they may lead to different levels of 'success' but those are inconsequential in greater terms. Another reason why us idealists must be careful not to be blinded to the truth.

"Now, on that basis, what rights do we wish to ascribe to individuals as self-acting moral entities?"

"No arguments yet," Jaime replied to them both, expressing his agreement, but at the same time feeling like the Yes-man of the trio. "An alliance of like-minded progressive nations regardless of government type, economic theory, and other such matters. Simply an alliance of like-minded governments, for the furtherment and upholding of the rights and freedoms of sentient beings, as well as whatever other functions may be determined later.

"Which is where it gets tricky. The definition of sentient being has been fairly clearly laid down in the past - At its most basic, a being capable of abstract, original and intelligent thought - and so I do not think we need spend further time dicussing it. The rights are also obvious and have also been laid down in the past. Freedom of speech, freedom of movement, the right of all people to be born equal - All have been used in the past as the core of the rights of sentient beings, most commonly humans, but there comes to a point where these freedoms may go too far. I do not wish to sound like an extremist, or even devil's advocate of the group, but a question we should ask ourselves is this: Would we allow freedom of movement and action to go so far as to allow a man to build a bomb and only arrest him as he was pushing the infamous 'big red button'? No need to answer."

He leaned forward again, steepling his fingers on the table and leaning his head chin against them. "Bearing that in mind, it means we can establish our ideals but perhaps not how far nations can take them, which would require a highly subjective council to decide whether or not an issue was worthy of our attention or whether it was the government simply taking this form of power to a level unsuitable to our nations. This is, I believe, where the difference between words and action would come into play.

"We can say all we like, but the real question comes when someone denies us. When we tell someone to cease and desist an activity, or back off from a target, and they flat out tell us to go fuck ourselves, we're left with few choices and will most likely end up in further conflict with this nation or these people. In cases of slavery or genocide, as Abhinash brought up earlier, we must decide not only how far we are willing to go to enforce our ideals but also how far those nations must push us before we are willing to do so, because without this we will become nothing more than a subjective judge, jury and executioner, attacking all those who aggravate us.

"But back to the subject at hand. As to the rights I think we should ascribe, most of them have been laid out previously. Rights to free movement, action, speech and thought. Everyone is born free, everyone has the right to perpetual freedom, namely the absense of slavery, the right to life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness and the right to go without discrimination."

Most likely the largest case of shooting his mouth off Jaime had ever done, he simply sat there again after finishing this speech, waiting for the others to respond. He'd almost lost track of what he was saying partway through, as he had changed subjects so abruptly and randomly as to confuse even himself. In retrospect, it was a good thing he had brought the conversation back to the original focus of his rant, as otherwise he may well have ended up saying something he would deeply regret later.

Abhinash looked pensive for a moment and then responded, "The rights, themselves, have already been established. I believe we should take elements of the old UN Declaration as well as from other documents, choocing carefully to precisely follow our previous definition of progressivism, to form our alliance. As for preventing this alliance to become unruly, I was hoping that the cornerstone of the method that this alliance would take in supporting the progressive ideals would be to lead by example and only use military action when absolutely necessary. Subjectivity per se can't be avoided- we, here and now, cannot possibly forsee every single possibility that shall arise, and I put my trust in future sessions of this alliance to manage themselves in a manner conductive to the future of this alliance.

I believe to continue, however, we must determine which rights we shall consider as the basis of this alliance. Off the top of my head, I can think of self-determination (freedom of action and movement), equality under the law/freedom from government discrimination, free speech, freedom of religion, freedom from search and seizure without a warrant, due process, property ownership, freedom from slavery, peaceful assembly." He flipped through the pages of the document. "In this document, that would mean... Articles 1 through 9, 13, and 17 through 20, in my estimation."

He paused, and then went on. "We should also lay out a format for our alliance charter. I was thinking of having 7 articles: Purpose, Definitions, Alliance Structure, Alliance Duties, Membership, Special Functions, and Amendment Process."

“That is acceptable,” the hulking kzintosh says with a nod of his felinid head. Living and working in the Segments had realigned his ideology quite a long ways away from the old ways of the Patriarchy to which he now holds the ultimate title. Free speech? Free movement? Back in the day, the Patriarch and his power structure was responsible for seeing who would breed with whom. Scolopendran anthropologists, now with the additional data of the existence of the El Sentiel Patriarchy, theorize that this eugenic tendency actually predated whatever happened to drop kzinti on some other fractal plane of Earth. “The people of the Segments and I generally agree with the concept that ‘rights’ tend to be overstated beyond their true form of an intellectual ideal. If we are a progressive alliance, we should be willing to trust each other to act properly. From my own experience, on the other hand, we should have an internal arbitration or expulsion clause ready just in case. I think that falls either under Membership or Special Functions.”

Speaker thinks for a moment. Writing by committee is never efficient or, often, truly effective if it’s done step-by-step; S.H.O.D.A.N. had complained to him about this several times while lying on the couch in his office, usually appended to a statement that even when things were spelled out quite clearly the Valinese delegate to this new Martian Defense Initiative pact simply repeated the points that had already been addressed. “The structure is acceptable. We should leave writing the definitions until last because only then know what needs to be defined amongst us. The first goal is purpose; all must be engineered around the mission. Hrr…” The civil engineering part of Rrit’s mind goes to work. “Here is my recommendation for the Objectives portion--please feel free to amend at will.

“We seek to actively promote and protect those ideals and systems which we believe to improve the individual. Through leadership by example, trade, and diplomacy we hope to extend the progression of sentient rights under the law to their ideal legal and social egalitarian end states. Through the same, and under force of arms only if necessary, we intend to defend ourselves and our ideals from outside aggressors. With reason and a belief in the intrinsic potential of every sentient, ideals all our members hold dear, we will work with collective spirit and intent to empower progressive ideology into a brighter future.”

Another short pause. “Hrr. The last line is a little campy but I think we should have something about reason in there. We do not want nutjobs who happen to be progressive ruining things for everyone else in our alliance.”

Jaime nodded, listening to the other two speak, and politely waited for the other two to finish speaking. As their gazes turned to him, he took a breath and said "I think we should add just one more right to our code. While technically covered under Article 12 of the Declaration, the UN's words are dedicated to something else and merely brush by this: The right to privacy from government or non-government forces. Although often a controversial topic when brought up, especially to do with nation security or crime, I believe everyone has the right not to be spied on by the government in any way. Of course, in the interests of keeping the law in place, we would have to include a sub-clause about receiving warrants from judges for this sort of thing. In any case, I believe we should add that in. Apart from that, I think both ideas I just heard are excellent ones.

"As to the proposed structure of the alliance charter, I have no problems except to request the addition of an extra section: the expulsion procedures. Although hopefully we will never have to go through with an expulsion from the alliance, we should arrange a clause for one, and what I propose is this: If a nation is to be expelled from the alliance, an alliance member must come forward and request their expulsion, provide reasons for this request, whatever they may be, and submit it to the general public of the alliance for consideration. The accused nation will also be presented with a chance to defend itself. The alliance members as a whole then vote and if a majority approves - whether we will have a majority as the classic fifty-one percent or a different system, I don't know - it moves on to us, the founding members. If, say, two out of the three of us approve of the expulsion, the member state is expelled. I say two out of three both to reduce our power in this, because then if even the entire assembly of the alliance voted for the expulsion, one of us vetoing it would kill the democratic process, and also for the unlikely possibility that one of us may be the one being expelled."

With the last sentence, he looked around the room at the other two. He wasn't sure if he was being too serious for the discussion. They were all friends there, and he was acting as if it was a formal meeting, which, he supposed, it was.

Abhinash nodded after listening to the Speaker's vision for the purpose, and turned to press a few keys on a small computer screen on his desk. Turning the screen to show Rrit and Jaime the text, he added, "I've made just a small cosmetic change, mentioning the name of the alliance in the first article."

After they had both perused the text, and keeping the screen facing them, he continued, "I'm in agreement with the idea of adding freedom from espionage without due process of the law, although I'm somewhat averse to including Article 12, since that particular provision has been used historically to silence dissenters of government. Perhaps if we add articles regarding freedom from unreasonable search and seizure without due process and..." He stopped to think for a moment. "Well, Amendments 3 to 8 of the old U.S. Constitution involve issues regarding sentient rights not present in the UN Declaration. Perhaps if, in the definition of basic rights in Article II, we include these tenets?"

"Now, as for structure, which, since we are leaving the definitions for last, is up next on the list. Jaime, you bring up something that I have contemplated about, and that's the manner in which this alliance will be structured- namely, whether we'll have a traditional democratic system for various alliance topics or whether we will have an FAE structure. Jaime has already indicated his support of the FAE system, and I personally have found many instances in which such a system has prevented major problems for an alliance."

"As for the general alliance structure, I was considering having the standard economic, defensive, and intelligence pacts common to most alliances, as well as a policy clause- although this would be inherent in an alliance geared towards a particular idealism. I'm personally in favor of having a Trium-like structure: a single body that decides on all policy matters, with an FAE structure in place, and with similar properties attached- our FAE has the right to veto various items of consideration, the general council can override a veto with some level of majority."

"Finally, as for arbitration and explusion, I'm in agreement with adding these two, and I believe that we should involve these in this article. My vision of Special Functions was for joint alliance projects- for example, I've heard something about Harakian space exploration and USF/FSS support?"

He looked at the other two for a moment, and then remarked with a start, "Ah, crap. I seem to be a terrible host. Would either of you like anything to drink? Eat?"

Proposed Charter of the Alliance of Progressive Nations

Article I- Purpose

"We, the undersigned nations of this charter of the organization (to be henceforth known as the Alliance of Progressive Nations [APN]) seek to actively promote and protect those ideals and systems which we believe to improve the individual. Through leadership by example, trade, and diplomacy we hope to extend the progression of sentient rights under the law to their ideal legal and social egalitarian end states. Through the same, and under force of arms only if necessary, we intend to defend ourselves and our ideals from outside aggressors. With reason and a belief in the intrinsic potential of every sentient, ideals all our members hold dear, we will work with a collective spirit and an intent to empower progressive ideology into a brighter future."

Proposal for a logo (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/United_Solaris_Federation/APN.jpg).

Jaime smiled slightly listening to Abhinash misinterpret what he had said, and responded to his first concern with "Ah, I'm sorry. I don't think I was clear enough. I didn't propose adding Article 12 to our charter, I merely said the right to privacy is only covered once in the Declaration, as a sub-section of Article 12. I just think we should add one written by us here and now saying all sentient beings have the right to privacy from governmental or non-governmental groups without a warrant. This also applies to searches of people's garbage, mail, and on and on."

As to Abhinash's query about food, he shook his head. "No, thanks all the same. No offence intended, but I ate on the way here. Now, on to business.

"I, as I established earlier, am in favour of an FAE arrangement as well. Because we are the founders of the alliance, we will be the ones who know whether or not something at vote is something the alliance was originally created to stand for or not. Although it makes the whole process slightly less democratic, it also prevents the alliance's ideals slowly changing over time, and as Abhinash pointed out, has worked before, most prominently with the success of the Triumvirate. I have no problems with the structure laid out by Abhinash: A general body of nations, with the higher council composed of the three of us.

"As for joint projects, if there are no objections, and since it's been brought up, I'd like to outline my plan for Haraki entering the rest of our system, and founding a colony, hopefully with Tiburonese and Scolopendran aid. The plan, as outlined by HAEDA* officials was that we take a large asteroid from the far edge of the belt beyond Mars - one has already been selected. It's roughly the size of Charon, slightly smaller, but as yet uninhabited although it is rich in mineral ore. Previously just a serial number, we have designated it Dythis - and blast it out of its orbit into one farther out of the asteroid belt, making it safer. From there it will be colonized by a fairly small group of Harakian settlers who will establish a small self-sustaining bubble colony. If this works out, we will expand it later on. This will require two ships, tentatively named the Javelin and the Argo. The Javelin will be the one to blast it out of its orbit, while the Argo will be the transport ship that actually lands and settles it. At least that's the plan they outlined to me. I'm not sure how much of it they can actually pull off, especially when it comes to actually blasting the asteroid out of its orbit. As far as I could tell, their main plan was to shoot a lot of nuclear missiles at it at once. They calculated how much force would be needed to actually hit it into the proper orbit they worked out, and it's a lot."




*Haraki Aerospace Exploration and Development Agency

Listening to the two men agreeing overall and debating piecewise back and forth, Speaker-Rrit feels two closely-connected but slightly conflicting sensations: pride in his current alliance ties, as worthy of emulation as they seem to be by his opposite numbers here, and a quiet worry that there’s no real point in making this new alliance Triumvirate Lite. All of the flavor, none of the guilt. Hrrr. Still, with how it was shaping up, the APN would actually be more exclusive than the Trium; certainly the Empire of Treznor or the Dominion would never get in. That could be because these two have fewer ulterior motives... “I think we all know where my opinion would lie on the FAE system. It has served us well over the yedecemi even though I cannot recall a single time we have had to veto anything. There are very few things that vonKarma, Maica, or I would veto and the knowledge that we would is enough deterrent to keep them from coming up. I also agree it could be useful to start with a combined project to give our new alliance focus at its inception.”

The plan Jaime so casually describes gives the civil engineer pause. Moving a rock a thousand or so kilometers across with nuclear warheads would require a… considerable number of said warheads. Celestial mechanics is not the kzintosh’s forte but any discussion of orbits and velocity changes brushes against the at least passing knowledge of any spacer with a sense of the obvious, much like anyone in 1860s North America could describe at least the basics of railroads or anyone in an agrarian society being able to give educated guesses concerning the ins and outs of farming. “Concerning moving ‘Dythis…’ we can help with that. Imparting the whole delta-vee required for orbit at once would probably be unwise for structural reasons. Then another acceleration must be applied to enter the target orbit. These are problems I see, and I am not even an expert. The Segments’ Science Section (and its counterpart in Tiburon, I am sure) has much experience in these things and could act to advise your HAEDA to come up with a successful mission on your own terms.”

"Of course," Jaime said with a slight laugh. "We appreciate any help you can give us in any sense. The plan for nuclear warheads was by no means one I ever considered. My goal in saying that was to point out that we are far from developing a stable way of dislodging the asteroid from its current orbit and reinstating it in a safer one one our own and with our own technology. But yes, of course we appreciate any help you or Abhinash can provide with the mission. Hopefully, it will not be the last of Harakians in space.

"As for your comments on the FAE structure, I have to say that when this whole discussion began on the structure I became slightly worried. Your relating this back to the Triumvirate with examples from experience have only heightened my thoughts about this, so I might as well voice them. I see no purpose in making our alliance structure all-but identical to the Triumvirate. We are alliances with, as far as I can tell, similar goals, but that by no means should mean that our alliance is the same with a slightly different member base and a different FAE council. I mean, both of your nations are already members of the Triumvirate. If we are to make this alliance on the path it seems to be going down, it seems the most logical step would simply be for Haraki to enter the Triumvirate instead of all of us working through these proceedings." He raised a hand to stifle any protests on this remark, and to show he was not finished yet.

"If we are to make the APN a reality, we really need to, I don't know ... shake things up a bit? We don't want to be using the same things argued about and enforced thousands of times before, the same structure, the same moral code, and the same reaction process. Yes, many of these things will be similar or the same between the APN and other alliances because the group of these nations is a relatively small one, and we really do all stand for basically the same things. You can tell that every time news arrives of genocide in some small nation.

"So, I propose we change the structure slightly. I know that I just advocated a First Among Equals structure, but at the same time I think we should make the alliance process slightly more democratic. What about this: Because this alliance will grow, we have the three of us and also several elected members of the general assembly. We could hold elections periodically and elect members of the assembly to be part of this higher council. The three of us would be permanent members of the council, and any vote that passed in the assembly would also require a pass in the higher council. To start off with, maybe five nations in the higher council, with possibly expanding numbers in the future if the size of the alliance grows? And yes, while I realize this will lengthen the time taken for actions to be made on behalf of the alliance, it will also make the alliance more democratic, and as progressive democracies, isn't that really what we ought to stand for?"







OOC: Yes, I actually did think that earlier, I'm not just realizing that now and bringing it up because you said it.

The kzintosh shrugs in a surprisingly human gesture. “That works for me.” That is a problem avoided. "The only thing I can see is that we would need more than five members to have a council of five, and naturally the 'higher council' should be smaller than the 'lesser' one. Once we have, say, eight or nine members having a four-seat upper council makes sense; once we have ten, then a five-seat council becomes feasible, and then we can hold it static from there until it seems right to change it. If we make this part of our terms of alliance, we should graduate it in writing so it does not become a matter of contention later."

(OOC: Didn't say that you didn't. Anyway, sorry for the short post; nothing else to say.)

Abhinash smiled thinly and added, "Honestly, I was contemplating something similar as well, but was unsure of how to implement it. I was considering having rotating seats, in that the nonpermanent members rotate regularly, but this works even better. As for the graduations, I would think it would be best to create some sort of function- just throwing this out here, perhaps the smallest integer function of (x/2) such that x is greater than 6, with x being the number of members? Between x=3 and x=6, we could have specify that all members are part of the council."

"Sorry, Abhinash, but I think what Rrit says would work better," Jaime responded. "Once the alliance gets to eight people, a four-member high council, and once it gets to ten, a five-member council would work best in my opinion. From there we will see what we will see. As to the vote needed in the higher council, I propose this: With three members, two need to vote in favour of something for it to be passed. With four, three need to vote in favour, and with five, four need to vote in favour. It means a clear majority of the council needs to be in favour of something for it to pass, including at least two of the founding members. If we keep it at three votes for a passed motion once it reaches five, it then simply stays as the three of us controlling everything, because we could all vote for something and both elected members could vote against, and it would still pass.

"Also, if we're speaking of how the alliance will be once it grows, we should probably arrange a process for it to grow in, and I had in mind that any alliance can apply to join the alliance. Then arguments are made for or against their joining in the general assembly, including by members of the higher council and by the applicant nation itself. Then it is an open vote. If whatever we deem to be a majority approves, the vote goes to the higher council, which votes. If both assemblies vote in favour, the nation is admitted."

Abhinash looked quizically and responded, "Well, I was under the impression that the function I just gave was a mathematical description of the Speaker's plan, since from x=8 to x=9, f(x) would equal 4, and at x= 10, f(x) would equal 5. Making it static would just put the bounds between x=6 and x=10. As for voting, I agree with your layout, but would like to add a veto override clause. Perhaps if we make it so that to pass a motion requires a simple majority (barring higher council veto), to add a member requires a 2/3 majority (barring higher council veto), and overriding a higher council veto requires a 3/4 majority?"

"It was the part about between three and six members, all are part of the council that threw me off," Jaime replied. "I don't think we should arbitrarily appoint a member to the council just because they joined earlier, so I think three it should remain until we reach eight members, when it would expand to four, then five at ten. Also, I don't think we've established a veto system as yet. I believe our form of vetoing was the higher council vote, but there was no specific veto protocol because there would be no vetoing. If both the lower and higher council ruled in favour of something in a democratic alliance, especially since at least two of us would have to vote in favour of something for it to pass the higher council, I don't really see the point of a veto system."

Abhinash nodded in recognition. "That was one of those things I was throwing out there, trying to see which of my wild ideas could be whittled down to sensible ones. As for the veto, I was shortening the term "a motion that fails in the higher council" to veto- no individual nation would have veto power, but rather the council overall would have such a power."

"Overall, this is what I'm thinking. Lower council introduces motions, passes motions to the higher council. Higher council can approve or reject motions, and lower council can override higher council rejections. The numbers have already been mentioned."

Speaker-Rrit nods. "That makes sense. It avoids the sort of politicking that was a concern in the old United Nations Security Council, and aids democracy in preventing a single nation from preventing any sort of progress. I suppose the next step are the majorities required. Right now, I am thinking simple majority for nonmilitaristic policy matters and two-thirds majority for military policy, higher-council vetos and lower-council overrides. Hrrr... that makes it highly unlikely for the upper council to successfully veto a military policy proposal. Perhaps four-quarters for a lower-council override of a higher-council veto of a military policy."

"I agree with the numbers outlined by Rrit," Jaime chimed in, "with the change that we simply make it so any lower council veto of a higher council decision requires a three-quarters vote in the lower council. Because it will require four out of five - if that - higher council members to approve a motion, whether military or non, and the council members who are the most crucial swing votes are elected directly from the lower council, there should not be too many times when a higher council decision has to be vetoed. Just to ensure the entire lower council - or at least a large majority of it - is in favour of the veto, I propose a three-quarter veto for any vote."

He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and rubbing his hands together. "With that settled, in what I think have been far too many words, I propose we move on to more important matters."

Abhinash nodded. "Agreed. Now onto functions, which other than mutual defense, mutual free trade, intelligence sharing, and progressive policy, I can't think of much that would be suitable for an alliance such as this. Looking at this charter, it seems that the system for membership/ expulsion and amendments have been pretty much spelled out as well, which just leaves definitions. As for our foundation definitions, I want to stick with so-called North American liberalism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_liberalism) for progressivism and the rights we'd already discussed as the foundation of sentient rights. For charter amendments, I was considering requiring a 3/4 majority to pass without higher council veto and requiring a 4/4 majority with higher council veto, and for membership, I was thinking of having the same system as normal policies. As for membership and expulsion processes, I was contemplating having an open application system as opposed to the Trium's sponsor-based application, and for expulsion... perhaps an expulsion motion would require support of 1/4 of members to be even considered? I'm not sure, honestly, about membership."

"The only reason the Triumvirate adopted a sponsor-only system is because we became inundated with requests for membership from nations that were... less than desirable in our ranks." The kzintosh shrugs in a far more fluid, supple rendition of the human gesture than his bulky linebacker frame would suggest is possible. "The Triumvirate is, on the whole, a meritocracy and meritocracies are by definition elitist. A sponsorship-based system may not serve our new alliance's needs now, but it may sometime in the future.

"The majority needed to accept members should be related to the amount of institutional creep we are willing to accept. As we adopt new members, the overall leaning of our organization will inevitably shift. Simple majority is not enough to maintain ideological cohesion without dumb luck. I would recommend either three-fifths or two-thirds majority to accept new members."

He thinks for a few more minutes. "Perhaps when it comes to mutual military support and intelligence we should aim more for a Treaty Organization model than the federal superforce model that worked for the Triumvirate and failed miserably for the Seraphim Order."

"I second the Speaker's motion to avoid sponsorship for now. Open application, and I feel that a two thirds majority would be best for approval of a nation into the new ranks, both to maintain the ideological aims that we established the alliance based on, and to keep it somewhat inclusive, making sure undesirable nations do not get in simply because we have a less powerful veto system.

"With regards to military and intelligence aspects of the alliance, I propose that in addition to mutual defence we have the option of an offensive war as the entire alliance with due cause. Of course it would require a full vote in both houses of representatives, and a just cause. But I should hope that any nations we are allowing into the alliance would only go to war for a just cause. But this is to prevent a major nation from getting away with murder simply because only one member of our alliance was willing to stand up for what is right. Of course, a 'total war' clause would require the largest majority of any of the votes, and so I propose a three quarter majority for such an act.

"I would like to introduce something about shared intelligence and research projects, but it would not only be damned hard to work out, but also many nations are qutie secretive about such things, and after all, who would we target? So, instead, I propose that willing participant nations be ready to undergo joint projects in the fields of both research and intelligence. Of course, added onto this will be the fact that at any time, an alliance member may request aid in an endeavour from the alliance as a whole or alliance member states as individuals and I should hope that this alliance would be a serious factor in their decision to accept the request for aid. I do not believe forcing member states to take part in projects would be wise or in the spirit of the alliance, but I should hope that any member states would be willing to help out other members of the alliance, if only for the reason that they are both APN member nations."

Abhinash nods. He's not one to stubbornly insist on a proposal just because it's his. "Agreed on all accounts. I'm not sure, though, whether we absolutely need to codify the voluntary shared project aspect, since it would be purely voluntary and therefore be outside of the framework of the alliance itself- even if it is in accordance with the overall structure.

I believe we've covered everything, so this leaves the last aspect of it- the definition of progressivism itself. I wanted to have a fairly loose definition, because of course one nation's progressivism isn't the same as the others. At the same time, the wildly diverging definitions was what destroyed the UnAPS. I propose that we use North American progressivism (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_liberalism) as our base. I feel that it is broad enough to bring together a group of like-minded but diverse nations while allowing us to work as a fairly cohesive structure."

Jaime thought for a moment before replying, leafing through a folder produced from beside him for papers on North American Progressivism. Finding one and briefly skimming through it, he nodded slowly. "Although I'm not sure about how we would define something such as a progressive government without it simply being a broad range of other governmental types, I do like what I see here, especially with the range extending to include more social democracies and progressive government policies than actual types of governments. However, I also feel that establishing a set definition for what we mean, rather than a range, will limit the membership allowed and could force us to make exceptions to our own charter in the future for membership.

"Perhaps the most effective way to maintain our specific methods of progressive thinking would simply be to limit ourselves as to who is voted into the alliance or not? As we share most of our views, it seems as if we would only bring in other member states that also shared those views, thereby establishing a set range or definition that would be progressivism for the spirit of this alliance."

Speaker chuckles softly as he shuffles through the papers himself. "This is all quite in line with my 'indoctrination' in Civil History when I 'emigrated' to the Segments," he says, breath whiffing softly through his nostrils, "so long as we keep more towards the earlier definitions of progress rather than where they evolved to. Personal freedom is good. Enforcement of right-think is not. We should probably codify these in terms of statutes--guidelines--and let precedent work itself out from there to establish a common law of sorts when it comes to accepting newcomers.

"That is just my opinion. I agree with Jaime on this."

Abhinash nods once again. "That sounds a lot better than having a definition worked into the framework of the alliance itself. Ultimately, then, we have in the framework of this alliance: Purpose, which we have formalized; and Alliance Structure, Alliance Duties, Membership, and Amendment Process, all of which we have yet to formalize but have agreed upon so far. Yes?"

"Hrr, yes." The kzintosh stretches out like a rubber band before sitting in a slightly different position. "Let us move on to structure. I believe we have already discounted using a first-among-equals method and instead wish to have a bicameral system with upper and lower councils. The upper council was to begin with us three and then slowly grow to five as the alliance expands. The upper council was to pass things with a clear majority of at least two-thirds," he continues, doing quick mental math, "and the lower council would normally work on a simple-majority basis in most things. I do not recall whether or not we would have permanent members in the upper council. We also discussed the particular vote margins required for particular things.

"All we have now is a matter of how things are written." Finding a sheet of paper near-to-hand, Speaker-Rrit takes out a pen and starts writing in shorthand. "I will work on one version now if no one else has one, but it will take a few minutes."

Abhinash nods. "Right. I'll do the same." He turns back to his computer screen and begins typing somewhat furiously. Everything has been said, now it's just a matter of codifying it.

Several dozen minutes later, he looks up again. "Okay. Here's my proposal for the full charter. We've agreed to have the definitions of progressivism and what specifically to include aside as the first motion of the alliance, although I believe we agreed to use North American liberalism and various tenets from the UN Declaration of Universal Rights."

Proposed Charter of the Alliance of Progressive Nations

Article I- Purpose

We, the undersigned nations of this charter of the organization (to be henceforth known as the Alliance of Progressive Nations [APN]) seek to actively promote and protect those ideals and systems which we believe to improve the individual. Through leadership by example, trade, and diplomacy we hope to extend the progression of sentient rights under the law to their ideal legal and social egalitarian end states. Through the same, and under force of arms only if necessary, we intend to defend ourselves and our ideals from outside aggressors. With reason and a belief in the intrinsic potential of every sentient, ideals all our members hold dear, we will work with a collective spirit and an intent to empower progressive ideology into a brighter future.

Article II- Alliance Duties

The Alliance of Progressive Nations exists as a framework to provide for the mutual safety, defense, and prosperity of the members of this organization and to protect the common foundations of the government structures of the APN’s member states. In accordance, we, the member states of the APN, formally agree to the following alliance duties:

1.) The undersigned nations formally enter a status of alliance, mutual defense, and collective security. This status shall not be abridged while this treaty is in effect, and abridgement of this status shall represent an immediate withdrawal from this treaty by the respective party.

2.) In accordance with Article II Part 1 of this treaty, the nations agree that an unprovoked attack on any territory under the jurisdiction of either nation, an unprovoked attack on any property under the ownership of either nation, or any other unprovoked act of war, shall be interpreted as an attack on both nations, and each respective government shall take any actions it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to maintain the security of all member nations.

3.) The undersigned nations will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, by promoting conditions of stability and well-being, and by promoting the spirit of progressivism throughout the multiverse.

4.) In order more effectively to achieve the objectives of this treaty, the nations, separately and jointly, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.

5.) The nations agree to consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the nations is threatened. Such a consultation shall take place in the APN Central Council, to be comprised of the plenary body of the heads of government of the undersigned nations. The structure of the APN Central Council is to be further outlined in Article III.

6.) In accordance with Article II Part 1 of this treaty, the two nations will engage in an intelligence-sharing program such that each nation shall share any and all classified information if it represents a critical point of information for either nation or if it is requested by the other nation. All such information shall be released at the discretion of the sending nation.

Article III- Alliance Structure

To implement the clauses stipulated in Article II, the Alliance of Progressive Nations requires a stable structure which can implement the clauses with urgency and to their maximum capacities. In accordance and to facilitate this implementation, we, the member states of the APN, formally agree to the following structure of the organization:

1.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations shall consist of two bodies: the Alliance of Progressive Nations Central Council, which shall serve as the primary legislative and judicial body of the alliance, and shall hold all of the subsequent powers therein, and the Alliance of Progressive Nations Stability Council, which shall serve as the primary executive body of the alliance. The powers of the Central Council and the Stability Council shall be enumerated in the subsequent text of this article.

2.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Central Council shall be comprised of the plenary body of the heads of government of all of the undersigned nations. Every signatory shall receive one vote, and motions shall be passed by a simple majority (50% plus one) vote. Any member state may bring a motion to the floor of the Central Council at any time.

3.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Stability Council shall be comprised of the three founding members of the alliance (the Social Democracy of Haraki, the Federated Segments of Scolopendra, and the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon) as well as a certain number of members elected to the Stability Council by the Central Council. The Stability Council shall consist of three members for the period of time until eight nations have signed this charter, at which point it shall have four. Once ten nations have signed this charter, the Stability Council shall have five members, at which point it shall remain static unless requested to do so via amendment process. The amendment process shall be delineated later in this article.

4.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Stability Council shall have veto power over motions passed by the Central Council. A simple majority (50% plus one) of members must agree to veto a motion for a veto to be in effect. The Central Council may override a Stability Council veto by passing it again with a 66% minimum majority.

5.) The legislative, judicial, and executive powers of the Central Council and Stability Council are limited to matters pertaining to the Alliance of Progressive Nations alone. The APN Central Council is the authorized body to settle disputes between member states pertaining to the APN Charter. All finalized decisions of the APN Central Council pertaining to disputes between member states regarding the APN Charter must be passed by the Central Council with a 66% minimum majority. APN Central Council judiciary decisions are not subject to Stability Council vetoes.

6.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations, as a whole, may declare war on a nation or a group of nations. Such a state of war is automatically implied if an armed attack on a member state is carried out, in accordance with Article II. The Alliance of Progressive Nations may also declare war without direct armed attack. Such a motion requires a 75% minimum majority in the Central Council to be implemented.

Article IV- Membership
The Alliance of Progressive Nations is intended to be a union of likeminded nations, united in their support of their own progressive systems and dedicated to the furtherment of sentient rights. As such, we, the undersigned nations, agree to the following protocols for states to join this alliance:

1.) Membership to the Alliance of Progressive Nations shall be an open process, and all nations who wish to join may inform the APN Central Council. The APN Central Council shall then review the candidate and vote on the membership. Membership applications must be passed by a 60% minimum majority in the Central Council to be accepted.

Article V- Amendment Process

The undersigned nations recognize that the charter process cannot foresee all possible events that the alliance may face. In accordance, we, the undersigned nations, agree to the following protocols for amendments to be added to the charter:

1.) Amendments to the charter may be submitted by any member state, just as any other motion. Amendments require a 75% minimum majority to pass to the Stability Council, and an 85% minimum majority is required to override any Stability Council veto.

"There are four points I want to raise. In Article III, Parts 5 and 6 (and also in Article IV Part 1), I was wondering whether or not the Stability Council should have veto power in those situations. I'm thinking no on Article III Part 5 and Article IV Part 1, but as for Article III Part 6... war is a fairly permanent thing to declare.

Finally, for Article IV Part 2. Expulsion procedures. They'll probably be necessary, but I want to discuss this out with you guys beforehand. I'm of the opinion that nations that are rejected or expelled are free to reapply, since nations do undergo significant changes. Regardless, here's my proposal."

OOC: Finally, a post. Victoly.

Jaime takes his time reading the charter as written by Abhinash, nodding in several points and murmuring to himself under his breath in several others. Looking up when Abhinash raises his concerns about upper council vetoes, he goes back and rereads the parts in question, then leans back in his chair, satisfied. "As far as I read into what we said about veto power in the upper council, I understood it as being simply that the motion was vetoed if it failed to pass with a majority in the upper council. I do not believe an actual veto process is necessary, as I can't see any places where that system would not apply.

"As to the actual text here, I find no problems. Everything written here we've covered. The only thing I can think of to add would be in Article II, to add a Point Seven in which we would outline an agreement for member nations to assist each other with joint projects not to do with war or military issues. For example, the construction of an orbital research facility for one nation, they could request aid from any other member nation. Since we don't want to force people or antions into doing things they don't want to, even member nations, the clause would say something about, say ... 'to assist the member nation requesting aid in any way regarded as feasable and for the good of both parties at the time of the request,' so as to prevent nations from making over the top requests from fellow member states. Also possibly a Point Eight to do with joint APN projects of a non-military nature, such as, say, a collective APN orbital research station. I imagine it would fall under pretty much the same terms as Point Seven which I just outlined, taking feasable amounts of resources and involvement from member nations for the joint project. In this way no-one is forced into anything but we're all encouraged to help out.

"Also, could we maybe change Stability Council to something simpler, like Upper Council? Stability Council seems a bit, well ... It sounds like a buzzword-filled corporate slogan, to be honest." The last part is said with a slight laugh, to imply at the same time he is partially joking and yet also serious in his request.

Speaker-Rrit reads it after Jaime and nods. "Other than the suggestions put forth by Mister Wolfe I have nothing more to add." He shrugs a little, his frame making the gesture slightly alien. "His suggested points seven and eight could be combined into a single point with two clauses, giving the APN the authority to create a mandatory group project by supermajority as well as encourage group projects by volition."

Abhinash chuckles. "Buzzwords and acronyms are the key to military dominance. Perhaps the Executive Council instead, since it acts as the executive body of the APN?" He then settles down again to type. He sets back up a few minutes later and shows the screen again to Rrit and Jaime. "All right. I've thought it over, and considered that war declarations should be made by the APNCC alone, since the APNCC is the plenary body of the alliance. It should, however, retain the supermajority requirement, since war declarations need to be very carefully considered. Here are the articles I've added...

Article III- Alliance Structure

7.) To promote the unity between the members of the Alliance of Progressive Nations, the APN is authorized with sanctioning alliance projects among member states that promote the security of and cooperation between the member states.

a.) The members of the APN are encouraged to support each other financially and technologically to complete joint projects between members. As such, the alliance encourages members to assist fellow members requesting aid in any way regarded as feasible by the donating nation.

b.) In the event that the APN as a whole agrees upon a joint alliance project, the members of the APN are required to donate economic and technological aid for the completion of the project. Joint alliance projects require a 75% minimum majority in the APN Central Council to be initiated. Joint alliance projects are not subject to Executive Council vetoes.

Article IV- Membership

2.) In the event that a member of the APN does not promote the stability, security, and common goals of the members of the alliance and the alliance as a whole, the APN Central Council is authorized to eject that nation from the alliance. Expulsion motions require a 75% minimum majority in the Central Council to be approved. Expelled nations are free to reapply to the alliance.

...and here they are when combined with the rest of the charter."

Proposed Charter of the Alliance of Progressive Nations

Article I- Purpose

We, the undersigned nations of this charter of the organization (to be henceforth known as the Alliance of Progressive Nations [APN]) seek to actively promote and protect those ideals and systems which we believe to improve the individual. Through leadership by example, trade, and diplomacy we hope to extend the progression of sentient rights under the law to their ideal legal and social egalitarian end states. Through the same, and under force of arms only if necessary, we intend to defend ourselves and our ideals from outside aggressors. With reason and a belief in the intrinsic potential of every sentient, ideals all our members hold dear, we will work with a collective spirit and an intent to empower progressive ideology into a brighter future.

Article II- Alliance Duties

The Alliance of Progressive Nations exists as a framework to provide for the mutual safety, defense, and prosperity of the members of this organization and to protect the common foundations of the government structures of the APN’s member states. In accordance, we, the member states of the APN, formally agree to the following alliance duties:

1.) The undersigned nations formally enter a status of alliance, mutual defense, and collective security. This status shall not be abridged while this treaty is in effect, and abridgement of this status shall represent an immediate withdrawal from this treaty by the respective party.

2.) In accordance with Article II Part 1 of this treaty, the nations agree that an unprovoked attack on any territory under the jurisdiction of either nation, an unprovoked attack on any property under the ownership of either nation, or any other unprovoked act of war, shall be interpreted as an attack on both nations, and each respective government shall take any actions it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to maintain the security of all member nations.

3.) The undersigned nations will contribute toward the further development of peaceful and friendly international relations by strengthening their free institutions, by bringing about a better understanding of the principles upon which these institutions are founded, by promoting conditions of stability and well-being, and by promoting the spirit of progressivism throughout the multiverse.

4.) In order more effectively to achieve the objectives of this treaty, the nations, separately and jointly, by means of continuous and effective self-help and mutual aid, will maintain and develop their individual and collective capacity to resist armed attack.

5.) The nations agree to consult together whenever, in the opinion of any of them, the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the nations is threatened. Such a consultation shall take place in the APN Central Council, to be comprised of the plenary body of the heads of government of the undersigned nations. The structure of the APN Central Council is to be further outlined in Article III.

6.) In accordance with Article II Part 1 of this treaty, the two nations will engage in an intelligence-sharing program such that each nation shall share any and all classified information if it represents a critical point of information for either nation or if it is requested by the other nation. All such information shall be released at the discretion of the sending nation.

Article III- Alliance Structure

To implement the clauses stipulated in Article II, the Alliance of Progressive Nations requires a stable structure which can implement the clauses with urgency and to their maximum capacities. In accordance and to facilitate this implementation, we, the member states of the APN, formally agree to the following structure of the organization:

1.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations shall consist of two bodies: the Alliance of Progressive Nations Central Council, which shall serve as the primary legislative and judicial body of the alliance, and shall hold all of the subsequent powers therein, and the Alliance of Progressive Nations Executive Council, which shall serve as the primary executive body of the alliance. The powers of the Central Council and the Executive Council shall be enumerated in the subsequent text of this article.

2.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Central Council shall be comprised of the plenary body of the heads of government of all of the undersigned nations. Every signatory shall receive one vote, and motions shall be passed by a simple majority (50% plus one) vote. Any member state may bring a motion to the floor of the Central Council at any time.

3.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Executive Council shall be comprised of the three founding members of the alliance (the Social Democracy of Haraki, the Federated Segments of Scolopendra, and the United Solaris Federation of Tiburon) as well as a certain number of members elected to the Executive Council by the Central Council. The Executive Council shall consist of three members for the period of time until eight nations have signed this charter, at which point it shall have four. Once ten nations have signed this charter, the Executive Council shall have five members, at which point it shall remain static unless requested to do so via amendment process. The amendment process shall be delineated later in this article.

4.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations Executive Council shall have veto power over motions passed by the Central Council. A simple majority (50% plus one) of members must agree to veto a motion for a veto to be in effect. The Central Council may override a Executive Council veto by passing it again with a 66% minimum majority.

5.) The legislative, judicial, and executive powers of the Central Council and Executive Council are limited to matters pertaining to the Alliance of Progressive Nations alone. The APN Central Council is the authorized body to settle disputes between member states pertaining to the APN Charter. All finalized decisions of the APN Central Council pertaining to disputes between member states regarding the APN Charter must be passed by the Central Council with a 66% minimum majority. APN Central Council judiciary decisions are not subject to Executive Council vetoes.

6.) The Alliance of Progressive Nations, as a whole, may declare war on a nation or a group of nations. Such a state of war is automatically implied if an armed attack on a member state is carried out, in accordance with Article II. The Alliance of Progressive Nations may also declare war without direct armed attack. Such a motion requires a 75% minimum majority in the Central Council to be implemented.

7.) To promote the unity between the members of the Alliance of Progressive Nations, the APN is authorized with sanctioning alliance projects among member states that promote the security of and cooperation between the member states.

a.) The members of the APN are encouraged to support each other financially and technologically to complete joint projects between members. As such, the alliance encourages members to assist fellow members requesting aid in any way regarded as feasible by the donating nation.

b.) In the event that the APN as a whole agrees upon a joint alliance project, the members of the APN are required to donate economic and technological aid for the completion of the project. Joint alliance projects require a 75% minimum majority in the APN Central Council to be initiated. Joint alliance projects are not subject to Executive Council vetoes.

Article IV- Membership
The Alliance of Progressive Nations is intended to be a union of likeminded nations, united in their support of their own progressive systems and dedicated to the furtherment of sentient rights. As such, we, the undersigned nations, agree to the following protocols for states to join this alliance:

1.) Membership to the Alliance of Progressive Nations shall be an open process, and all nations who wish to join may inform the APN Central Council. The APN Central Council shall then review the candidate and vote on the membership. Membership applications must be passed by a 60% minimum majority in the Central Council to be accepted.

2.) In the event that a member of the APN does not promote the stability, security, and common goals of the members of the alliance and the alliance as a whole, the APN Central Council is authorized to eject that nation from the alliance. Expulsion motions require a 75% minimum majority in the Central Council to be approved. Expelled nations are free to reapply to the alliance.

Article V- Amendment Process

The undersigned nations recognize that the charter process cannot foresee all possible events that the alliance may face. In accordance, we, the undersigned nations, agree to the following protocols for amendments to be added to the charter:

1.) Amendments to the charter may be submitted by any member state, just as any other motion. Amendments require a 75% minimum majority to pass to the Executive Council, and an 85% minimum majority is required to override any Executive Council veto.

"That's everything on my side. Is there anything else you guys think we should add, or are we good to sign?"

"I can't see anything at the moment," Jaime replies, and with a slight smile adds, "Besides, we can always just amend it if we think of anything new." Finished reading, he leans back into his chair and steeples his fingers together. "Seems we're through with the brainstorming and actual writing. Are we signing it here, or is there some media-friendly press conference going to happen where we all sign it while a horde of journalists take our collective picture and, depending on their political viewpoint, either tear it to ribbons or praise it above everything else in the next editorial?"

Abhinash smiled and nodded, "We can, but I'd just like everything to get done here for peace of mind. As for the signing... I suppose we can indulge the media this time. It'd also help get the word out. For all intents and purposes, though, the treaty will already be signed." He waited for Rrit to share his thoughts, and then anxiously to the end result. The project had started under President Starfighter, and now it would finally be finished.

"Hrr. I suppose it would be most convenient if we were to get the media involved." Speaker chuckles softly, running through the document one last time. "I have no disagreement with this and will be happy to sign. That signature will probably be confirmed through the Legislative Unit in short order. You should consider it a compliment; despite appearances, we are not signatory to that many agreements.

"So... between now and the press conference, what is next on the agenda?"

Abhinash leans back in his chair and stares straight ahead. "Well... we could do the definitions now or work on the plan for the Harakian asteroid. Other than that I can't think of anything else we need to do for this thing.

...There is, of course, a Yankees game an hour from now, so there's that." He chuckles slightly, thinking to himself. Being President can be an interesting job. On one hand, there's the constant media scrutiny... but on the other, there's free season tickets to any team for three major sports leagues, with the ability to bring up to four additional people. It has its share of perks and setbacks.

OOC: New thread made for signing and future official things here (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=497645). Plus, two proposals for logos: this one (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/United_Solaris_Federation/APNsm.jpg) and this one (http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y123/United_Solaris_Federation/Proton.jpg).