Proposal to Restore Freedom over Military Spending
We have long been troubled by the military requirements imposed upon us by the UN resolution 'Fight the Axis of Evil'. We have therefore submitted a proposal to the UN to ask for its re-evaluation by the developed UN body. The proposal reads in full:
Whereas it is to be recognised that the world is a dangerous place, wherein unscrupulous aggressors may indeed have access to weapons and powerfully destructive military technology,
Be it also duly recognised that retaliation in kind is not always the ideal solution to acts of aggression, nor is the escalation of military power always the ideal response to the existence of danger.
In recognition of the fact that non-aggressive policies can and do work for the preservation of peace,
In recognition of the sovereignty of each individual UN nation with regard to their adoption of militaristic or non-militaristic policies, and that UN nations should be free to abandon military spending should they so wish it,
In recognition that the Resolution 'Fight the Axis of Evil' was passed by a majority of 2 to 1, whereas the UN currently comprises over 27,000 nations, the vast majority of which have had no say in its implementation,
Be it resolved that the resolution 'Fight the Axis of Evil' shall be repealed, and freedom over military spending restored to UN member nations.
Though primarily designed to allow pacifistic nations the freedom not to build up armaments in their nations, it is further our belief that it is the sovereign right of all UN member nations to decide their military budgets. We ask delegates to endorse this proposal in recognisance of that right, and for UN members to vote in favour.
With benedictions,
Dr. Xu, the Elected, Chair of the Elected General Council of Xikuang
Knootoss
11-09-2003, 13:05
We fully support this resolution and encourage all other delegates to endorse it as well for reasons above stated.
Ballotonia
11-09-2003, 13:10
Be it resolved that the resolution 'Fight the Axis of Evil' shall be repealed, and freedom over military spending restored to UN member nations.
A combination of restoring national sovereignty and increasing democratic values by reconsidering that 2-1 vote in the beginning of the game has our support as well.
We as well request other delegates to seriously consider endorsing this proposal.
Ballotonia
Celdonia
11-09-2003, 15:22
Celdonia also wishes to add it support to this resolution and urges all UN Delegates to approve it.
Celdonian Delegate to the UN.
Bump for democratic process!
Catholic Europe
11-09-2003, 19:08
Catholic Europe does not support this resolution. We feel that the original vote on the resolution 'fight the axis of evil' is democratic enough and was done in a democratic process. We also feel that the resolution is a resolution of safety and enables nations to fight against, and stop, terrorism.
Catholic Europe does not support this resolution. We feel that the original vote on the resolution 'fight the axis of evil' is democratic enough and was done in a democratic process.
The fact that none of the current members nations of the UN had a chance to vote on this ancient resolution is what makes it now undemocratic. If you want to be truly democratic, you should make sure this proposal is approved, so that all the current UN members have a chance to effectively vote on it again, in the form of the repeal.
We also feel that the resolution is a resolution of safety and enables nations to fight against, and stop, terrorism.
Wrong - what the current resolution does is to require that UN nations increase their military, under the unproven assumption that doing so will automatically decrease "terrorism". Sovereign nations should have a choice of how and whether to combat terrorism as they see fit.
By approving this proposal, Delegates are only allowing their UN members to have this free choice, which was never allowed them in the first place.
Catholic Europe does not support this resolution. We feel that the original vote on the resolution 'fight the axis of evil' is democratic enough and was done in a democratic process. We also feel that the resolution is a resolution of safety and enables nations to fight against, and stop, terrorism.
We do not dispute that, at the time, this resolution was passed by fair democratic process. However, the UN has since grown into an organisation comprising many more members and far greater diversity of opinion. The strength of the resolution we hope to defeat in recognisance of a nation's right to allocate military spending how it sees fit is significantly restrictive of that right, and we would like to see the resolution brought once more before a mature UN, to choose once again by democratic process whether or not the resolution is appropriate to the UN as it now is, not as it once was.
One of the primary strengths of the democratic process is that it enables policy to change when the needs of the populace do. It is our considered opinion that this is one of the many instances when established policy must be re-evaluated by the democratic community. We very much hope to see this resolution come to quorum, so that the UN as a whole can decide.
Oppressed Possums
12-09-2003, 01:00
I wish the moderators would stop people from adding threads about things beyond the scope of the game...
Passing a law to void it does more damage than good. The "Axis of Evil" resolution has no effect on the current working of the UN or your economy, however, if you make that proposal, it will.
I wish the moderators would stop people from adding threads about things beyond the scope of the game...
Passing a law to void it does more damage than good. The "Axis of Evil" resolution has no effect on the current working of the UN or your economy, however, if you make that proposal, it will.
Where did you get the idea that that resolution has no effect while all the other ones do?
In fact the mod Stephistan has already approved it.
Oppressed Possums
12-09-2003, 01:43
I wish the moderators would stop people from adding threads about things beyond the scope of the game...
Passing a law to void it does more damage than good. The "Axis of Evil" resolution has no effect on the current working of the UN or your economy, however, if you make that proposal, it will.
Where did you get the idea that that resolution has no effect while all the other ones do?
I doubt all the other resolutions that have passed affect you when you join....
New resolutions do. (at least as I understand it)
Have you counted how many "Repeal the Axis of Evil" threads there are? Aren't there enough?
Elizabethshire
12-09-2003, 02:10
I think, that Repeal of the Axis of Evil Bill, is in everyone's best interests, noting that the Armed Republic of Elizabethshire was not in the UN during that bill, and thus its conditions do not apply, we still think everyone should be allowed to arm their militaries til their hearts content. And if it does not get repealed, well we will press forth with our Space Battle Cruiser, Modified Assault Weaponry and Kill the Enemy for the betterment of your country (enemies mean anyone outside the shire) no matter what!
I doubt all the other resolutions that have passed affect you when you join....
New resolutions do. (at least as I understand it)
I'm sure that's not how it works. While you are in the UN, you are bound by all the resolutions, no matter how long ago they were passed. Otherwise all you'd have to do is resign from the UN and immediately join back up again after every resolution and you'd never be affected by any of them.
Here's an old thread I found about a previous attempt at this proposal:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=43886&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
I hate to put a damper on this proposal that I spent so much time promoting, but I have received confirmation from the mods that UN resolutions are not retroactive, and in fact they way they are currently implemented makes it so it really doesn't make any sense (in game terms anyway) to ever propose a resolution that repeals a previous resolution.
Further discussion with the mods here:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69170
and in the Technical forum a report of this situation which I consider to be an exploitable design flaw, because nations can use it to selectively determine exactly which UN resolutions they will and will not comply with, here:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70385
However I still support this resolution in principle, and it should be passed in case they ever decide to fix this design flaw.
I hate to put a damper on this proposal that I spent so much time promoting, but I have received confirmation from the mods that UN resolutions are not retroactive, and in fact they way they are currently implemented makes it so it really doesn't make any sense (in game terms anyway) to ever propose a resolution that repeals a previous resolution.
Further discussion with the mods here:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=69170
and in the Technical forum a report of this situation which I consider to be an exploitable design flaw, because nations can use it to selectively determine exactly which UN resolutions they will and will not comply with, here:
http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=70385
However I still support this resolution in principle, and it should be passed in case they ever decide to fix this design flaw.
In that case, may I apologise for not properly having done the reading. Nonetheless the general council is agreed that we should continue to promote the proposal, both in the spirit of the self-revising nature of the democratic process, and in the event that the game mechanic should be modified such that all past resolutions apply mechanically, and not just textually:
The UN is your chance to mold the rest of the world to your vision, by voting for resolutions you like and scuttling the rest. However, it's a double-edged sword, because your nation will also be affected by any resolutions that pass. (You can't just obey the resolutions you like and ignore the rest, like real nations do.)
We still believe it is in the best interests of the United Nations community to bring this resolution to review. We hope that mechanics will not stand in the way of delegates suppoting the principles involved.
May we also thank Eschatopia for the work they have done both in hunting up mechanical particulars, and in promoting this proposal.
Hey! Where did this proposal go? Was it deleted to hide the evidence? :x
I've noticed that the NS boards do this on occasion-- they seem to get ahead of themselves and you end up with a 'no posts exist for this topic'. I'm not sure why it should be, but it seems to clear up when the topic catches up to the second page the forum thinks it ought to have. :?
I'm not talking about the post. I'm talking about your proposal. It's gone! They deleted it! :x
Did they? Without explanation??
I can't find the proposal nor an explanation of why it is gone. You should probably telegram a mod. Cogitation and SalusaSecondus were the ones I was discussing the design flaw with yesterday.
I've posted a question on the moderation forum here:
Spang! (http://www.nationstates.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=1522115#1522115)
I will telegram Cogitation and SalusaSecundus now... thanks!