NationStates Jolt Archive

I have a question regarding The United Nations. It has come to my attention that the UN has no mechanism to dismiss previously passed resolutions, and in fact is is against the rules of the United Nations;

My Question is would a resolution to allow the dismissal of previously passed laws if a simple majority was reached be allowed to be put onto the docket.

This would change the game mechanics of the United Nations, though this is an essential part of any legislative body.

My other question is if your resolution included a section like this

----
11 Article V: All laws in conflict with this resolution will hereby be

12 declared null and void.
----

be allowed in a resolution?
Thanks in advance.

I'm no mod, but the answer is No and No.

You have correctly put this in Technical, because it's a technical answer. Until [violet] comes up with a technical solution to the issue of repeals, political solutions are considered violations of game mechanics.

Since it can't yet be done technically, you can't suggest it politically.

I have a question regarding The United Nations. It has come to my attention that the UN has no mechanism to dismiss previously passed resolutions, and in fact is is against the rules of the United Nations;
As of this morning, this is no longer correct. NationStates now has the ability to repeal passed resolutions.

Please see the "News" page: http://www.nationstates.net/news/

Until [violet] comes up with a technical solution to the issue of repeals, political solutions are considered violations of game mechanics.

Since it can't yet be done technically, you can't suggest it politically.
[Emphasis mine.]

"Until" is now, officially, 1 hour ago. :D

--The Modified Democratic States of Cogitation
NationStates Game Moderator

In all the fuss over allowing Repeals, nobody seems to have made this point:

The new coding on the Passed Un Resolutions has reinstituted proposal formatting to the list, and is a truly excellent idea. Now, UN proposals are readable once again.

Kudos to [violet] and anyone else who helped code that. It is appreciated.

i hate how un resolutions are... with all the KNOWING, ASSUMING, RECALLING, etc... i just want to know what the hell it will do, not why it is doing it

i hate how un resolutions are... with all the KNOWING, ASSUMING, RECALLING, etc... i just want to know what the hell it will do, not why it is doing it

I'm not a huge fan of it either, but in the end, if it helps my UN nation, then why not? ;)

The whole purpose of it, is that it makes it look more professional, and like an actual document, which a resolution is pretty much simulating.

i hate how un resolutions are... with all the KNOWING, ASSUMING, RECALLING, etc... i just want to know what the hell it will do, not why it is doing it

Then just read the numbered parts in the bottom half.

Those capitalized words are used in real life resolutions, which are divided into two parts:

(1) A Preamble / Justification
(2) A Body / Action Section

A resolution is literally a "call to action". It isn't a treaty. It isn't a convention. It isn't an accord. It is just a group (of people or organizations) saying, "X is a problem, therefore we will do Y".

The format you are complaining about has been in common legal practice in the international community at least as long ago as the establishment of the League of Nations, though I suspect that resolutions actually date back hundreds of years before that an might trace their roots back to the Catholic Church. I say this because an older form of "resolutions" are the "Whereas, Whereas, Let it Be Resolved ..." format that are still utilized by many English speaking churches and the medical community.

In any event, most of us that actually have experience with legal documents have a much easier time dealing with *numbered* clauses. They allow us to cut and paste just the sections we feel need amendments. If you don't believe me, watch the Moderators tear apart the numbered resolutions ... their work is actually very easy to follow and the debates move amazingly fast.

I think a more legitimate complaint shouldn't be about those words, but the fact that many resolutions are bloody long. (And I'm one of the worst offenders there.) ;) My solution is to just print hard copies and really just read the numbered clauses.

I would just be happy if more of the resolutions could use better spelling and grammar, and make basic sense in plain English. I don't mind the formal language and format, used properly; it adds to the game. It's the fractured, wounded language that makes me want to jab a sharp stick in my eyes. :mp5:

- PT