NationStates Jolt Archive

OOC: People might care about this, they might not, but it's a major step in the history of Praetonia, so I better post it in here as well as the NATO Forums:

An Open Telegram to All NATO Member Nations

It has been decided by majority vote of the Imperial Parliament that, in accordance with the best interests of the Nation and Commonwealth of Praetonia, The Democratic Imperium of Praetonia, Neo-Praetonia, Segmentum Praetonialis and Porta Praetoniam is to withdraw from the New Alliance Treaty Organisation.

From the beginning of the alliance's existance, the Imperium has struggled to find any common belief or interest of the member states of NATO. The decision to apply for membership was made purely on the basis of the increased protection that NATO would provide, containing many powerful nations that would certainly be a boon both in actual defence and deterrant from attack.

The truth, unfortunately, has proved this idea to be incorrect in the extreme. Not only has the New Alliance Treaty Organisation dragged the Imperium into several conflicts, notably against Communist Mississippi and the attached Commonwealth / Empire and the Right Wing Collective, and is threatening to drag her into far more, notably against the New World Order, but in the one instance where the Democratic Imperium has required the assistance of the members of the New Alliance Treaty Organisation, the only member state which provided assistance without being previously allied to the Imperium was the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). Indeed, one NATO member breached Praetonian territorial waters with a nuclear attack submarine.

Furthermore, the Democratic Imperium has believed for some time that large scale alliances are a serious threat to the ongoing balance of power in the NationStates world, and has on many occassions expressed the opinion that a collective disbandment would be in the best interests of all member states of all alliances and in the interests of other, non-aligned nations of the world.

For many years, the Democratic Imperium has viewed the current Congressional Board / International Consortium Court system to be inherently flawed, due to the nature of the appointment of both bodies and seeming lack of duties for the consistently inactive International Consortium Court. In recent months, the Democratic Imperium has expressed to NATO her wish to see a democratically elected leadership for the New Alliance Treaty Organisation.

This, however, seems to have fallen upon deaf ears, since every statement by a member on the Congressional Board, with the exception of Euroslavia, on this matter has either been one of opposition or of support for a proposal so watered-down that the elected body would be merely advisory, or simply a tool for shifting the tedious work of vetting new members from the Congressional Board which it has proved wholely inadequate to complete, or in any case with such a large membership that a concensus would be impossible to achieve.

Furthermore, the Democratic Imperium has viewed the state of the Congressional Board with much disdain. The body appears from the viewpoint of, and I quote from NATO's defacto leader, Hamptonshire, "a rank-and-file nation" to be incapable of reaching any kind of decision, to the point that the aforementioned Hamptonshire has gone so far as to unilaterally sign treaties on behalf of NATO members, and then ask the Congressional Board for its approval. The Democratic Imperium sees this as the final straw, where a body already on unsteady footing as to the legitimacy of its 'rule' does not even question the illegimate signing of a treaty that will affect all NATO member-states.

In summary, we have not seen any of the benefits espoused by the proponents of this alliance, but instead we have been dragged into war after war, for seemingly no reason, and so it is no longer seen as in the best interests of the Democratic Imperium to remain a member-state of the New Alliance Treaty Organisation. Effective immediately, we no longer consider ourselves bound by the New Alliance Treaty Organisation's Charter, and we will act as such. The Democratic Imperium sees very few nations in NATO with whom we value relations but to with which we are not already allied, but still we will consider all applications for a post-NATO contiuance of relations.

Bumpity, as this will have very serious repercussions.

We do aprove of this action and hope that Praetonia, our ally, will stay in safe waters from now on.

A true loss for NATO, but then again, it is their loss.

Erik Solar,
Imperial Councillor,
Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Bump

-A Message from Central Director Elliot Schultz

"While we are taken aback by this sudden shift in your policy, the following pragmatic concerns on our behalf must be addressed. Since you possess no embassy or written alliance with Schultaria Prime following your nation's resignation from the New Alliance Treaty Organization, we will not commit any military, material, or moral support to your nation until a written alliance has been drafted between our two respective nations. Schultaria Prime, while revering the relations we once had, currently has no legally documented motivation to support Praetonia. It is our sensibility that we must possess a physical contract in order to maintain diplomatic contact; our nation has been misdirected before with 'unwritten alliances', and it's a measure of precaution on our behalf."

Thank you for your time,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/emschultz/CentralDirectorArtsy3.jpg
-Central Director Elliot Schultz
-Head of State: The United Socialist States of Schultaria Prime & The Protectorate of Islandia Schultaria

Encrypted Telegram to Schultaria Prime

First of all, we should state that this is by no means a 'sudden shift of policy'
and has, in fact, been debated for some time. The continued frustration of all
attempts to create an elected NATO leadership, or to pull ourselves out of the
black hole which has been the needless interalliance wars which seem
constantly on the edge of becoming reality, and the realisation that members of
the New Alliance Treaty Organisation is a detrement to the interests of the
Democratic Imperium as opposed to a boon, has merely been what pushed us
over the edge.

Second and lastly, we express our intent to continue deiplomatic relations with
Schultaria Prime, and we will be happy to sign a mutual defence pact. All
relevant trade agreements are, we believe, already secured by our membership
of TAPRES.

"Unfortunately, it seems as though TAPRES has been near death for quite some time. Since almost none of the member nations contribute to the functions of the alliance anymore, its usefulness has been reduced in all real political aspects. Until such time as we can possess active and energetic participation in the design of that alliance, like Granzi has attempted to try recently, The Alliance of Pure Research and Engineering States shall remain politically quiet.

We thank you for the initial dialogue, and we hope to draft a complete and working document of mutual defense with your nation in the near future. Even though NATO's membership is being steadily chipped away by these resignations, the threats imposed by various fascist and imperialist international bodies are just as obvious today as they were months ago. Unfortunately without the aegis of a collective defensive body, these alliances will continue to grow and multiply while we remain fragmented and without any functioning method of supporting one another. While it might not be a collective of nations, we'll do our part to help support you in your time of need should it arise."

With utmost sincerity,

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v352/emschultz/CentralDirectorArtsy3.jpg
-Central Director Elliot Schultz
-Head of State: The United Socialist States of Schultaria Prime & The Protectorate of Islandia Schultaria

Bump

Official PM's Statement

So, Praetonia is pulling a rat and jumping overboard. That doesn't surprise me. After all, he's whiney just because he didn't get a say in CB proceedings. Cry me a river. We need strong members for NATO, not some weak-kneed nation who doesn't know its stance within an alliance.

I pity whoever you join up with next.

Official Statement, Imperial Government

First we should state that we at the Office for Imperial and Foreign Affairs are confused by your use of the word 'he' in reference to our nation, since it is a nation, and not a person. Secondly, we would like to express our disgust at your vague use of insults which do not befit a nation of any standing when used in a diplomatic situation. Thridly, we see no need to be in an alliance which only wishes to use us merely as a source of troops to be used at the bequest of a secret body of people who are, in practise, accountable to no one but themselves against an enemy with whom we otherwise have no quarrel. We wish you luck in the future as being a 'strong' nation, and we hope that the families of the millions of Kryozerkian troops who will inevitably die fighting a pointless inter-alliance war which Kryozerkia had no input in declaring will take confort in the fact that Kryozerkia is a strong nation because of it.

Your recent statement, Mr Prime Minister, has demonstrated exactly why the Democratic Imperiums' esteemed Democratically elected representitives have voted to withdraw our membership from the aformentioned alliance. Having said that, despite your dismissal of our complaints, we see that the alliance has changed completely into a more democratic system as we wanted. Perhaps you should then bring up your complaints with Automagfreek NATO administrators who have become "weak kneed" and changed the alliance in accordance with our views, and those of other nations.

Official Statement from President Mike Sarzo

We in the Incorporated States of Sarzonia are disappointed with the tone and the content of the Prime Minister of Kryozerkia's message to our Praetonian allies. It is attitudes such as that one that have led to Sarzonia's resignation from NATO and our subsequent decision not to apply to rejoin.

I am personally angry with several member nations of NATO for their conduct toward former members in the days and weeks since we have chosen to remove ourselves from the fold. I might have pushed for at least an affiliation with NATO whereby Sarzonia provides support as an unofficial ally, but that prospect is now highly unlikely.

You may have considered Praetonia "whiners" for expressing their views, but they were not alone in their beliefs about the way NATO was run. I have even come across a message berating former and current members for criticising the prior leadership of NATO and essentially demanding that members subvert their own concerns for the alliance as a whole. We believe we have made it known that we shared many of the same concerns as our Praetonian allies and we can not accept such subversion as a compromise to our soverignty.

In closing, I have just one final undiplomatic message for those in NATO who have been the worst offenders in the poisoning of the well that resulted in the mass resignations: Grow the hell up.

Do what is best for your country.

Official Statement of the Comrade of Euroslavia, Patrick Maloney

Euroslavia strongly backs its allies, Praetonia and Sarzonia, in their decisions to leave NATO. I feel that our position, especially Praetonia's, was compromised, in the fact that every nation didn't take their matters seriously. The fact that Kryozerkia insulted Praetonia's withdrawal from a failing NATO shocks our nation. Praetonia was one of the few members that had NATO's reputation as a whole in mind. Specific members of the alliance were only out for themselves.

We must say that the withdrawal of multiple members of NATO...respectful members at that, makes a sign to the remaining members in the fact that either they need to fix things up, or end the Alliance.