NationStates Jolt Archive

~From the desk of Lord Damien the Destroyer, Supreme Warlord of the Excessively Armed Empire of Automagfreek~

My fellow Freeks and Gholgothians, and people of the world.

I come to you all today with great news. Recent diplomatic talks between the regional alliance known as Gholgoth and the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations (GASN) have been extremely successful, and I am pleased to announce that our two respective organizations have hereby signed a mutual defense pact.

Gholgoth has always held a positive view of the Global Alliance, and this pact reciprocates their feelings towards us. I forsee this pact as only a stepping stone to bigger and better things, but for now peace and stability for both alliances shall be more secure through this pact.

The MDP is as follows, though for the next several days either side may made additions/omissions to this pact so long as the other side is aware and agrees:

****************

Preamble
To protect and maintain the prosperous relations and views of our alliances from aggressors, Gholgoth and the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations (GASN) agree to the following terms of mutual defense.

Article I
In the signing of this pact, it must be clear that both organizations will remain sovereign as will their individual member nations/states. This pact is not a merger of any kind, and its terms apply only to threats to the security of the stability of both signatory alliances.

Article II
In the signing of this pact, both sides agree to defend and aid one another in times of war when requested by the other signatory alliance. Should either of the signatory alliances be attacked by another power, the other is required to come to its assistance with its full strength and resources. It must also be clear that this pact is intended to only defend the safety and prosperity of the signatory alliances, and not as a tool to aid in any imperialistic goals of either alliance. To prevent such events from occurring, this pact may be broken to further protect and maintain both alliance's safety and integrity (See Article IV). If there is ever a conflict of interests between multiple MDPs, neutrality is the only option.

Article III
To request assistance in a time of war, the alliance which is in need must first send a request to the other signatory alliance. That alliance then has 48 hours, or two days, to fully prepare for the shift from peace to war for maximum war efficiency. The options of termination outlined in Article IV are still available even after assistance is requested and granted. If one alliance commits a warranted act of aggression and requests assistance from the other signatory alliance, that alliance is not required to grant the request. Granting assistance requests is only required if that request is defensive, not offensive.

Article IV
This pact will not trigger reciprocal defense obligations in the event that a signatory has engaged in extreme provocation of another party, or otherwise conducted its foreign affairs in such a way as to bring the conflict upon itself. If one party to this pact calls upon the other party to provide assistance in a time of war, and the second party believes that reciprocal defense is not appropriate for the reasons stated in this article, the second party shall notify the first that no assistance shall be forthcoming. This notification will also automatically terminate the pact.

Article V
If this pact is to be broken, both signatory alliances must agree to, but are not limited to, the following. First, the offended alliance must notify the offending alliance of their intentions to break the pact at least 24 hours in advance in order for said alliance time to prepare for the change. Second, both alliances agree to a 72 hour period of mandatory non-aggression, in which neither side may declare war upon each other.

Article VI
This MDP only applies in a situation in which one the signatory alliances comes under the direct attack of another alliance, nation, or entity. In essence, this means if either of the above alliances jumps into a war due to an MDP it has with a separate alliance, this MDP is considered inapplicable.

****************

It is with great pride that I declare this pact in full effect from this moment on. I look forward to working alongside GASN in both times of peace and turmoil, and on behalf of Gholgoth I extend my appreciation and thanks for entering into this agreement.

If there are any questions, they may be directed to the AMF Foreign Affairs department. Minister Hartman will be happy to address any queries as soon as possible.


http://img418.imageshack.us/img418/3269/dreadfireclose7ue.jpg
---Damien the Destroyer---
-Supreme Warlord of AMF-

the Tagged.

Article 2 may have some issues, as there are somtimes situations thatr occur where 2 or more signatories may be attacked, and sending ALL available resources into the first one might weaken the group as a whole.

Also, such may encur the wrath of a far oversized force (like every army in the world swarming into the defense of the UK after a small terrorist atack)
[tries picturing the entire soviet army garrisioned 'somewhere in Great Britian']

So.

I'd suggest a threat assesment level, and a que system (the que is a ranking of Nations most able to go overseas without compromising internal security)

The que will also consider OOC events, such as inactivity.

The Socialist Commonwealth of Wanderjar welcomes this most excellent pact, and is most pleased to see its signing.

OOC: Article II states that if one of the signatories is attacked that the other will respond with full force to the extent that the threat can be easily and quickly defeated. It does not imply that everything should be dumped into the defense of a single nation, but states that half assing is unacceptable.

Your threat assessment scale will likely cause more red tape, so I would leave it to the discretion of each alliance to determine who they would send to defend an attacked signatory.

For example, if Cravan is attacked by another nation I may decide to send in Crimmond and Barbarosea to assist should the Pact be invoked (Aequatio is both a Gholgoth and GASN member, and would likely be there to defend anyways). I may also order a few Gholgthians to send arms and ammunition, while others yet send nothing but funds.

I would consider that sufficent fulfillment of the Pact, as it provides a full response level but does not deplete our overall defensive and offensive capabilities.

The people of Greater Morocco wish to congratulate Automagfreek, Gogloth, and GASN for their latest achievement.

OOC:For example, if Cravan is attacked by another nation I may decide to send in Crimmond and Barbarosea to assist should the Pact be invoked (Aequatio is both a Gholgoth and GASN member, and would likely be there to defend anyways). I may also order a few Gholgthians to send arms and ammunition, while others yet send nothing but funds.

OOC: I would be the best to aid Craven as I could use Clandonia as a jumping spot. Or use me at the attacker for the person, whom attacked Craven. Anybody following me?

OOC: I would be the best to aid Craven as I could use Clandonia as a jumping spot. Or use me at the attacker for the person, whom attacked Craven. Anybody following me?

OOC: Hehehe jumping spot for some reason that made me laugh :/

[Extract from Hansard, 30th November - Speech to the Lower House by the Prime Minister on the subject of a defensive alliance between Gholgoth and the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations]

I beg to move, that this house condemn wholeheartedly the 'unholy alliance' that has been joined in partnership the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations and its memberstates and the allied Gholgoth nations, and those alliances represented therein.

Mr Speaker, less than a week ago the Foreign Secretary made a speech in the House praising, for the time in the history of this government, the GASN alliance. In recent months we have observed a remarkable transformation in attitue and outlook from one in opposition to our own interests to one which any free Power could give its support. With the entry of the Questerian Commonwealth into the alliance, it appeared to me, as to my Government and to His Majesty, that a new force was emerging that could stand side-by-side with the Sovereign League Powers for the preservation and expansion of liberty across the world.

It pains me to say, Mr Speaker, that I was wrong. Completely and utterly wrong.

In the early hours of yesterday morning, TMT, the 'Excessively Armed Empire' of Automagfreek published a statement to the effect that its group of satellites and puppet states, Gholgoth, had formally allied with GASN. We must not blind ourselves to the fact, Sir, that yesterday was a hammer blow to the ideals of laissez-faire to which we have dedicated our efforts. No more can we say that despite their vast legions of unwilling troops, despite their outward and unapologetic evil, we are the many and they, the few. No more can we say that they are isolated amongst the Great Powers of the world.

What is more, the process by which this 'unholy alliance' was attained was anything but legitimate. Less than an hour ago, on my way up to the House, I spoke with the Questerian Ambassador, and asked him why his Government had allowed itself and its people, who are known to guard their liberty jealously against the likes of Gholgoth, to join this treaty. He informed me that neither he, nor his government, had even heard of the treaty, not least been consulted on its signing, before it was announced.

Mr Speaker, Sir, we have all of us witnessed, in the past few hours, the greatest swindle that has been prepetrated in the history of human crime. This theft was not of gold or valuable artworks, nor of property of any kind. Nay, Sir, the member states of GASN have been robbed of the very right to self-determination within the sovereign parliaments of their own realms. Their people have been denied the right to choose with whom their country associates, and to whom they promise their blood and their bayonets in defence.

The rug has been pulled from under the feet of liberty.

More than twenty billions have signed up their property and their lives to further the aims of the Tyrant, and all without a single referendum, without a single vote and without a single public discussion. In one fell swoop the people of a dozen nations and more have been conscripted into a cause that is not their own; indeed, which actively fights against them, against their prosperity and against their freedom. Their support has been signed away by an official or group of officials who had no mandate or legal right to gift it to anyone. In many cases, these officials were foreigners.

Mr Speaker, we have entered dark days. It is clear to me that Automagfreek and Gholgoth seek to create a web of alliance consisting of hundreds of billions of people who own them no loyalty and no favour and, indeed, who have a lot to gain from their destruction, and yet who will fight in their defence. To those in GASN, I say this: Do not allows your rights to be stolen from you. Do not allow yourselves to be used as pawns in a world powergame that seeks only to harm your interests. Do not promise the blood of your free citizens to defend a power structure which murders and enslaves. Declare that you do not recognise this treaty, that you condemn the method by which it was agreed upon and signed on your behalf, and reject wholeheartedly the defence by free men of fascism and dictatorship.

If these things can be done, if this treaty can be destroyed, if GASN can retake its freedom and its own direction, then all may yet be well. But Mr Speaker, if these things are not achieved, I do not know what will happen. It is quite possible, perhaps even likely, that nothing will happen immediately. But a plan has been set in motion that can only be bad for us all. That can only threaten our freedom. That can only destroy our happiness and our prosperity. We, and by 'we', I mean all of the free peoples of this world, whether they be our realm's natural allies or not, must stand united in its opposition.

God Save the King.

"Did you tell them that we were not informed?"

"Yes, but I am not pleased about it." The Questarian ambassador shook the hand of the SITES operative that had been inserted via quite the normal plane ride into Praetonia to oversee that everything was running correctly in the embassy. The ambassador proceeded to pour a cup of tea for the SITES colonel, and one for himself.

"Well, I should say so: lying is not in the nature of a Questarian gentleman. But our government, for the reasons neccessary, has asked and we must obey." the colonel replied.

"Hm." the ambassador looked upwards. "Milk?"

"Indeed." The operative replied and graciously took the mug of hot tea offered to him. Sipping it slowly, he smiled, the hot substance warming his insides and reminding him of home. He glanced outside to the rain that splashed the streets of the capital and let out a sigh.

"How is it in Praetonia, anyway?"

"Not so bad." The ambassador said, drinking his own tea. "My son will be taking his physics mock exam right now, I believe." the ambassador looked down into his tea, blinking several times, then he looked back up at the colonel who was admiring the paintings in Ambassador Fern's office.

"Colonel." Fern spoke up. "What is happening?"

"I don't quite know myself. I'm not sure why our government would lie and say it was not informed of this - possibly to stir something up, possibly to avoid criticism from the Praetonians. As I say, I don't know. I only take the Kings shilling, I don't question it."

The Ambassador shrugged. "Do you really trust Fieldingham?"

The Colonel scratched his forehead. "Trust him with what?"

"Nevermind."

Statement of His Majesty's Government
His Majesty's Government, under the circumstances set by this defence pact, and given the current political climate, in all good intention, refuses to take part in this pact, and although we will honour the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations and the Treaty signed by ourselves upon our acceptance into its body, and come to the aid of any G.A.S.N members unlawfully attacked, we refuse to assist the nations of Gholgoth and especially the despicable state of Automagfreek should they come under foreign threat.

HM Government was under the impression that Automagfreek was the most powerful nation in the world, or so it is said by many. We find it amusing that a state that declares itself a military power would need to sign a military defence pact with a foreign alliance, especially when it leads a group of nations itself, and furthermore, we shall not; and we shall never agree to defend a nation such as Automagfreek that the government of Questers and its people find so abominable.

While we mean no bad intention to the nations of G.A.S.N, which we hold in high esteem and respect and will always defend, some to the very death, due to their core values and principles, due to the defence of liberty and the extension of its many arms, we outright refuse to defend the most disgusting nations of Gholgoth and their foul, decadent governments. Let it be known that the United Kingdom will not come to the aid of Gholgoth or Automagfreek should it be assaulted, we would not have in the past, we will not now, and w will not in the forseeable future.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Pwnt.

Anyways, Welcome, AMF/Gholgoth!

The Following is a Transcript of Erika Kars' Speech to the nation by television, With the actual video attached
I congratulate all the nations in GASN and Gholgoth that have come together in today's uncertain world to help bring about more stability. This Mutual Defense Pact is a step towards creating strong ties with Gholgothian nations to ensure the current peaceful state of these two great alliances. With time, I hope that the Mutual Defense Pact will move further, allowing for all nations in the two great blocs to prosper for years to come.

With those hopes in place, and the groundwork laid to allow them to happen, I would like to say that this agreement was thoroughly discussed at the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nation's headquarters in Cravan, with all delegates sharing their concerns and their hopes. The final consensus was that it would be in the best interests of the collective whole to agree and become signatories to this agreement, even though it may have conflicting interests with one or two of the nations.

To those that say we are putting our freedom at jeopardy, I say this: you have absolutely no idea what you are talking about. My father and I have both dealt with The Excessively Armed Empire before, along with many of the other nations in Gholgoth, mainly thanks to a now extinct alliance that at one point was the most powerful collective in our world: The Allied Powers Treaty Organization. During those years, Illior worked with many of the Gholgothian nations, all of whom were quite easy to work with, as long as you stayed reasonable and personable, they would too. If you really want to put it in simple terms, We'd actually end up restricting their freedoms, as The Global Alliance is actually more strict on what its member states may and may not do.

It is with regret that I see one of our newer allies refuse to sign this Mutual Defense Pact, because in the end they would prosper quite a bit, and I also see it as slightly rude, especially in light of the chance to prosper, and the lack to stay as part of the collective whole, which had decided that it was in the best interests of the alliance to sign such a document. I must duly request that the great Nation of Questers rethink their position for a moment, and look at what they have said. The statement made by His Majesty's Government says that they will never come to the aid of a Gholgothian, when one of their oldest members is also one of the Global Alliance's strongest supporters.

The nation I mention is Aequatio, who has never turned down a request to help a nation in the Global Alliance in the name of freedom. Aequatio has also donated countless dollars, and countless hours of its noble citizens to ensure that any nation in the Global Alliance that needs it receives aid. Now, it seems to me that Aequatio represents Gholgoth's own values well, Integrity, Trust, a Value for Freedom, Camraderie Between Nations, and to Forever Protect Its Member's Sovereignty no matter what the Cost. In the end, it is logical and seemingly destined that these two great powers with almost perfectly matching ideals and member nations with similar ideals would create at least basic ties, if not become something more than that.

Again, I ask His Majesty's government to rethink their position, as the past has shown that working with Gholgothian nations has been prosperous. I also would like to reiterate that this agreement is not unholy, nor will it restrict the freedoms of the Global Alliance, nor will it harm any economic progress, unless an outside force acts to make it that way. I hope, no, I know, that this agreement will create a prosperity that will be remembered by all the signatories in their history books.

Thank you for your time ladies and gentlemen
attch: Speech.mp4

Fuck.

Nice comment. ~ The Count

Fuck.

Encrypted Transmission to the 'Council'

As you understand, Alpha and Omega are now united. The good news is that this complicates logistics and their deployments. The bad news it that this complicates our war efforts.

Our conquests have obtained many islands in the former Galation, and we can redirect a significant number of equipment there. I'm sure everyone here knows about the Sou'frican Plan or the Redeker Doctrine. Imagine ΑΩ as the Zed Heads or G's having to spend their time wading through that radioactive muck while we throw wave after wave of men that won't live long enough to be harmed by the radiation.

[END]

Supreme Prophet Sedo Eternus Making Speech Before Departure to Nova Aquaria on The Current “Issue” of The Gholgoth

"I see great things and bad things in the future; I see inspiring acts of nobility and disgusting ones and they are all connected to this recent signing of the Mutual Defense Pact between two powerful alliances: Gholgoth and Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations. These actions I see are on two different roads that the allied groups can take. It is with great desire that I see these nations of great power and influence use it responsibility. The possible benefits to such an alliance are limitless as are the horrors."

"We as nation states, big or small have a responsibility to do the right thing even though unfortunately not all do that. Many nations past, present and future will disregard their responsibilities and do as they please. I believe that such an alliance as the Gholgoth-GASN Pact can stop such rouge nations and maybe one day help the world contrary to belief. It is my strongest hope that this alliance does not become a group of tyrants who abuse their power and care not for the abused for if it does the world might not be the beautiful place it is today."

"I know all to well the carnage some nations have wreaked upon others and I also know the acts of kindness others have done. Hopefully the good will prevail and show the nations who are guilty of villainous acts the light so to speak."

"Because the possible positives are as great as the negatives are terrible I call upon nations of the world to not jump to conclusions. I call upon the nations of the world to not cast judgment as if you knew the outcome; surely you know the old and tired expression to not judge a book by its cover. It can be applied here if loosely. You may certainly be right about the direction of this pact and you most definitely can be wrong as well and it is for that reason I ask to give this alliance a chance to show its true colors. Thank you..."

Government Message Uldarious

Greetings all, new friends and old.
This is a major step forward in the interests of a sane and safe world.
However, the Incorporated States are displeased that we weren't informed of these talks but it is no great matter, as Uldarious does not stand high in the Alliance.

In short, we would like to extend our friendship to our new allies in Gholgoth and express our delight in gaining such strong and capable allies.
Peace favour us but should it fail...Glory and Victory to G.A.S.N and Gholgoth.
Borric Almanad, Director of Foreign Relations.

The Neverending Dictatorial Land of Barbarosea officially recognizes the GASN as a defensive partner and would like to wish the best to all of the GASN and their interests.

The Prime Minister of Haraki had this to say:

"It is with great pleasure that I announce to the people of Haraki what meany of you have already probably heard from news networks, that the Gholgoth Alliance and the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations have signed a mutual defence pact. What this means for us is that GASN nations can now come to the aid of us and our Gholgothian brothers if we are in need, and we can come to their aid, without having to become involved in undue bureaucracy. This is not a union of the alliances or anything of the sort. This is us agreeing we stand for many of the same things and saying that threats to one are threats to the other. The way I see this, an attacked nation goes first to its own alliance, and if that alliance finds itself unable to handle the threat, the other alliance is called.

"Even in such a brief time, criticism has been brought against the pact. Most primary is that GASN member nations were not informed prior to the announcement. I disagree with this practice, and think that the body that governs the GASN should have had a larger say in this matter. I have confidence the result would have been the same anyway. Bearing that in mind, remember that I have nothing but respect for the new incarnation of the GASN, and the peace and security it helps provide in the world.

"Another criticism has stated that, and I quote, 'Automagfreek published a statement to the effect that its group of satellites and puppet states, Gholgoth'. This is clearly meant as an insult to any nation in Gholgoth. We here in Haraki are far from a satellite or puppet state of the Excessively Armed Empire. We have a different economic system, a different political system, different domestic policies, different methods of dealing with international affairs ... we are our own nation in every way, and will remain that way for ever. I will resign Haraki from Gholgoth before I change the nation to suit any desires to force us into anything that is not for the good of Haraki. We are far from a satellite or puppet state, and any attempts to call us such are blatantly false and flagrant lies, ones so full of holes that any person who sees such a statement on television should be able to easily tell that it is nothing more than propaganda designed to demean Gholgoth and lower its image in the world.

"The same message goes on to claim we have legions of unwilling troops - to which I remind any people watching that Haraki's military is entirely volunteer-formed -, that we were outwardly and unapologetically evil - to which I ask, at what point has Haraki ever displayed any acts of evil? The message is full of holes which can be pointed out by looking at but one member nation. I am not going to go into detail about the other nations, I will leave those rebuttals to the leaders and representatives of our friends. But I have this to say. Our Gholgothian allies are not the monsters, the jackbooted dictatorships, and the evil empires made out in the broadcast speech by the prime minister of the nation of Praetonia, and neither is Haraki. In our entire history since we joined the Gholgothian alliance years ago, we have fought one war which ended in twelve hours through diplomacy, and one minor skirmish which ended, again, after diplomacy. The first was fought to unite a nation which had been oppressed by a slave state of the Kraven Corporation and divided for years. We defeated the occupying nation and reoccupied all land, rebuilt it, and handed it back over to the people of the land under a democratically-elected government of the people originally living there. We imposed no limits or restrictions on the government, and unilaterally withdrew upon their request.

"The second was because as a nation was withdrawing from that same conflict, they razed a city to the ground and killed thousands of innocent civilians. Treating this as a war crime, we attacked and decisively defeated them. Without ever setting foot in their homeland, we managed to impose peace restrictions which included large amounts of money to help the nation they helped destroy, and the dissolving of the present government and rebuilding of it under a democratic system. At no time in either of these conflicts did we annex any territory, make any puppet states, destroy any cities, or any such thing so often associated with evil empires. In fact, in both of these conflicts Gholgothian forces were involved fighting with Harakian forces, and helped rebuild. Do these actions seem like those of such an evil group of nations which rule with an iron fist under the jackboot? No. I have seen worse jobs, worse invasions, worse peace treaties, imposed by the very nations which criticize this agreement.

"There is no real base for people to stand on when criticizing this pact. Saying it is a chance for Gholgoth to exert power over GASN nations is bullshit. The pact states that either alliance will come to the aid of the other if requested. Gholgoth is rarely attacked, and the agreement even states that it is not to be used in the case of offensive wars. I can think of no real way for this agreement to be used to benefit the signing nations except in providing an extra measure of safety and security by providing alliance between two very powerful groups of nations. Besides which, I cannot see either alliance calling on the other one unless faced by a very pressing threat. Most conflicts can probably be handled by the parent alliance of the attacked nation, and as I see it only in extreme cases threatening the very alliance itself will the other alliance be called on to help. I honestly do not expect this pact to ever be used extensively.

"Thank you."

-Prime Minister Jaime Wolfe

The King was rather pleased when he heard about this newly created GASN-Gholgoth Treaty Organization. He had sensed that as of late the power of the GASN had been waning at the expense of rising powers such as the Corporate Alliance. While the King had no specific qualms against either group, he felt much more secure when competing alliances equal in their power. This made it much easier for him to play one off of the other and achieve his objectives diplomatically. Now, he only hoped that this new alliance was not too powerful.

As for Automagfreek, the country certainly had dishonorable moments in its past, but was very prestigious in its power. Such a prestigious nation naturally deserved a letter of congratulations when an event such as this occurred, so the King went to work writing a statement.



http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/9138/cotenshirecoatofarmsee2.png

To the Great Lord Damien the Destroyer, Supreme Warlord of the Excessively Armed Empire of Automagfreek,

A declaration penned on the eve following the union of the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations and the Most Mighty, Most Potent Gholgoth Alliance Force, to which the Most Christian, Most Serene, Most Potent King, King William Salisbury V, acceded on the nineteenth hour.

The Most Serene, Most Potent King, who rules under a divine mandate from the Most Holy Providence, hath decided upon accepting the pact, and articles within, as a just and lawful decree, and shall recognize all of its provisions as well by land as by sea.

Moreover, the Most Glorious, Most Potent, Most Serene King hath announced that among the Great Lords of Cotenshire, who serve in the Name of the Most Holy and Undivided Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, there shall be a Christian, universal, and perpetual acceptance of the provisions of this treaty without any compensation between them or their heirs and successors.

In a Most Exalting celebration of this pact and the peace it shall bring to this Earth, all the prisoners in all the realms of Cotenshire shall be freed from their chains due to the Most Infinitesimal Mercy and Splendor of the Most Potent, Most Serene King.

To the Most Serene, Most Peaceful, Most Awesome Lord Damien, the Most Potent, Most Serene King wishes fertile women for progenating heirs, and the wealth of Ten Babylons.

Signed,
I, the King

Posted by Cottenshire:
Most Serene, Most Peaceful, Most Awesome Lord Damien,

I would like to roll on the floor and laugh maniacally now. AMF peaceful? Serene? Awesome is a personal opinion but the other two...heh.
On a side note, this man irks me with his extreme Christian silliness. Is he even a part of either of our alliances? May I kill him?
For you people who lack wit, or are just confused I mean Cottenshire not AMF.

Official Statement from the Dominion

I see the members of the GASN as my new family, as my new brothers, as my new sisters. As a brother, the Dominion will come to the aid of the GASN members anytime it is needed. Don’t think twice about asking for help from the Dominion, that help will come.

Now, I laugh at the statement about the nations of Gholgoth are nothing but satellites and puppet states of the Excessively Armed Empire. That is untrue and why would somebody tells lies like that? The Dominion is not a puppet state of the Excessively Armed Empire. We rose up on our own two feet and have never been a puppet of anybody. Not the Nazis, not anyone. The nations within Gholgoth are a brotherhood of nations. Each one is a treated as a brother to me as the GASN members are now being treated as.

That is all I’m going to say about the lies of the Praetonian prime minister. Real men don’t speard lies like those.

Signed,
Count JWolf
The God-Emperor of the Dominion
The Lord Marshall of the Dominion Commonwealth

I highly recommend against any action against AMF, he's been here awhile (Longer then even me) and knows how to deal with invasions very well...It would be stupid to attempt to even threaten him...

Official Clandonian Response

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v338/madnukedude/clandoniansmallflag.png

Clandonia welcomes this pact, as part of the Dominion Commonwealth we have close ties to the Gholgoth member state of The Transylvania. Those that question or fear this have nothing to fear.

Automagfreek a nation of great military force will bring security to the uncertain and dangerous world. With states like The Kraven Corporation and other such rogue entities there is a need to group together in a show of force.

((OOC: Official GASN statement of awesomeness will be coming soon. Been quite busy lately. Expect it for Sunday, but I know I never keep my dates so it'll probably be sometime next week. XD Aiming for Sunday.

Also, as a side note. All members would have been notified if they checked the offsite forums more often. Insert obligatory "DEE-Dee-dee." =P))

[OOC: I would also like to say that the PM's speech was not a special broadcast or a government statement, merely a speech in the Commons which any MP is entitled to make and which happen all the time on all manner of subjects. It does not bind government policy. Of course, Parliamentary proceedings are televised and a speech by the PM on any current event is likely to get into the papers at home and abroad, and to be broadcast on television as part of the news / Parliamentary TV channel, but some people seem to be referring to government statements and special government broadcasts in their posts when this is not technically accurate - the speech is nothing out of the ordinary.]

[OOC: yeah, I did think that the MDP was't mentioned on the forums and told Praetonia so but then started being literate again and re-read the message so I RPed my ambassador lying to th ePraetonians adn saying we weren't informed, sorry, that was my fault.]

Official Message from the Foreign Ministry of the Elected Government of the Whole Sort of General Mish Mash of the Libertarian Concordance of the Republican Democracy of the Evil Flying Ninja Empire of the Commonwealth of the Great Nation of Czardas

Ummm... good for you?

We're not in Gholgoth or GASN, or any alliances at war with either, so we don't really give a flying fuck. On the other hand, it's kind of nice to see some people working together for the sake of peace, even if some of them have been known to overreact when faced with perceived threats. (Damien Dreadfire, I'm lookin' at you baby!)

~ Kari Alhoun
Czardaian Foreign Minister

We are overjoyed too hear yet another nation is willing too come too the defense of the GASN, in the wake of CA oppression, tyranny and imperialism. This is a pact you will not regret. We are interested in opening trade. Are you so, in any manner?

-Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Parliament Live! Webcast - Parliamentary Debate, House of Commons

Giles Chesterton [Neo-Conservative Member of Parliament for Grinstead, Leader of the Opposition] - Assembled Members of Parliament, Your Majesty, it is with a feeling of deep worry that I bring this next matter to your attention. During the past few hours, it has come to my attention that an alliance of the purest evil and malice has been formed, a collusion that threatens, even in this early stage, to become one of the greatest threats that this nation has ever faced; indeed, I do not think myself being too forward when I state that it is one of the greatest evils that humanity itself has ever faced. Less than twenty-four hours ago, that foul collection of nationstates which forms the blot upon humanity known as Golgoth entered into an devilish pact with the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations, another grouping of pathetic and vulturous nations.

I do not think that I need to remind the assembled ladies and gentlemen of the record of the nationstates of Golgoth; the atrocities and horrific war crimes alone committed by that terrible nationstate, Automagfreek, whose iron fist is the only thing that keeps such a pack of jackals together, should be enough to illustrate the dire threat that this alliance presents to the Grand Monarchy and the rest of decent civilization. The same cannot be said for the sad, pathetic nations that reside under the tattered banner of the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations; these states, whose rulers are only kept upon their thrones by the bloodied bayonets of the mercenary killers in their employ, are of little danger to humanity when isolated in the international community, as they have been until now.

However, now that these two vile alliances have signed a treaty - one that is soaked with the blood of uncounted millions of innocent men, women and children - that bonds them together, the GASN nationstates have given Golgoth exactly what they need to begin a campaign of total and utter destruction against humanity. By signing this treaty, these verminous states have given the murderous war machine of Golgoth millions of mercenary soldiers, swelling the ranks of those crimes against humanity, the Sentinels, and they have given Golgoth the territory and military installations which will allow them to expand their aura of hatred even further against the untainted majority of humanity.

It is my view - and it should be the view of any decent, civilized member of the human race - that this treaty is nothing less than an act of war against humanity itself. By kowtowing to the wretched power of Golgoth, the nationstates of GASN have given the key that opens Pandora's Box to the leadership of Golgoth, and it is as sure as the sun will rise tomorrow that Automagfreek and the other murderous nations in that pact will use that key to open the Box. And when that occurs, they will unleash a terrifying and apocalyptic force upon this nation and every other decent nationstate upon this planet. If something is not done to combat this monstrosity immediately, then the results will be unimaginable; the end of humanity itself can be the only result possible.

So I ask the King, as a matter of public record, what the government intends to do to deal with this horrendous and verminous alliance that threatens to destroy everything good and decent upon this planet. What will be done to combat this cancer, this blight upon humanity?

[Thunderous Applause]

His Majesty, King Alexander I - Mr Chesterton, [Sounds of Speaker's Gavel] Mr Chesterton. I thank you kindly for that most excellent piece of verbiose oratory; I do believe that you have set a record for the number of synonyms for 'evil' in a single speech, although I will leave it to the experts to successfully judge that. [Laughter] Oratory aside, however, your concerns are well-noted, and I ensure you that this government has the situation well in hand, and is already formulating a plan to deal with this unfotunate occurance.

It was meant to be a secret for some time longer, but these events seem to have forced our hand somewhat. As such, it gives me great pleasure to announce that, after extensive negotiation and discussion with its charter members, the Grand Monarchy has submitted an application to join the Sovereign League. It is my firm belief that joining this grand alliance of propsperous and grand nations, many of whom are already firm allies of this country, is an excellent first step in a solution against the Golgoth-GASN Axis. I trust that this satisfies the Honourable Member?

[Shouting, Applause; The Honourable Member for Grinstead nods and sits down]

[OOC: yeah, I did think that the MDP was't mentioned on the forums and told Praetonia so but then started being literate again and re-read the message so I RPed my ambassador lying to th ePraetonians adn saying we weren't informed, sorry, that was my fault.]
[OOC: Dont worry about it. The PM's main point - that the GASN nations were not properly consulted - is easily justified by the fact that Questers had to declare its non-compliance after the fact. And the subterfuge makes the RP more interesting.]

[the following is a transcript of a speech delivered by Minister of Foreign Affairs Darian Aurelius to the Inner Court regarding the annexation of GASN by Gholgoth]

To His Divine Majesty, the Sacred Emperor, and to all His assembled servants, greetings. I bring report of a sudden and unexpected movement abroad: the infidel has stolen a march on the faithful, and the order of the world is shaken.

The Excessively Armed Empire of Automagfreek, a name known to all the world, has led its cohorts in the Gholgoth regional alliance into signing a mutual defense pact with the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations. I see you remember the name, Imperator; our brothers in Borman almost led the CAD into glorious war with GASN, and I believe the fools of Socal8 were a member of that alliance as well. I'm sure they've regretted their membership since being dispersed and annihilated. I digress; forgive me.

This has created a super-alliance, if you will; Gholgoth, with the possible exception of the CAD, is the most famous regional alliance in the world, and certainly, again similar to our native CAD, is among one of the most powerful alliances in the world. On the other hand, the Imperium has always regarded the GASN as a paralyzed, incompetent mass of democratist slime. This very trait may make them as clay in the grasping hands of Gholgoth, placing billions of 'extra citizens' and massive amounts of military firepower ultimately in the hands of Damien Dreadfire. The best hope that the status quo might be salvaged lies in the hands of Cravan, founder of the GASN, who may assert the Global Alliance's liberty and maintain their independence from Dreadfire.

The world has changed because of this act. Gholgoth and the GASN are now effectively unassailable, save by one of the most massive concentrations of force the world has ever seen. ACTO, the CAD, the Sovereign League; all these forces retain the strength to halt the new power, but if we do not maintain constant, unceasing vigilance, this too may be lost.

Great Lord, I beg leave to make the following recommendations. Firstly, we must nudge the CAD and ACTO towards containing the new alliance as much as possible; for now, the mutual defense pact does not apply to aggressive war, but we cannot rely on this to remain the case. I must stress that we must not directly engage either alliance; we are not ready for such a conflict, which brings me to my second point. Next, we must bite at the edges of GASN, and Gholgoth if possible, by engaging nations that have politically isolated themselves; that is, nations that are involved in wars but do not represent the entirety of their alliance. To this end, betrayal, surprise, and overwhelming force should of course be employed wherever possible. Finally, we must press forward with the augmentation of the Armed Forces; Imperator, this especially holds true for the Navy. Our fleets must be capable of engaging any foe and holding their own, and I humbly request the Divine One to allocate more funds to the Navy for this reason. On land and in the air, my friends, more and better guns, tanks, artillery, aircraft...more Immortals, more shock divisions, refinement and perfection of the tactics we have explored in Czardas and elsewhere, in consultation with High Lords Rahvin, Avaru, and Ishamael. Excelsior is the path to victory, and I have every faith in the power of the Imperium. We shall not fail.

Blood and Honor.

It was a rare moment for Her Imperial Highness Lien I Larsen and the Imperial Family. Normally they were all so busy that it was very unusual for them to attend a session of the Imperial Senate. However, it so happened that her duties meant she had to attend the Senate so that she could deliver her latest handiwork. The two Royal Guard commandos near her personal entrance to the Senate briefly came to attention and then opened the massive solid wood doors. The commander of the small detachment, a Sargeant First Class, barked out, "All rise for Her Imperial Highness Lien I Larsen."

Everybody at their seats, and there were close to ten thousand of them, immediately shut up and stood. It sometimes amused her how these men and women, most of whom had not held any military rank ever or in a very long time, could execute such a manuever with something verging on military precision. Then again, when an armed and very dangerous person told you to stand for the single most powerful woman in the Imperium, you did it and liked it even if the person giving the orders was a mere SFC. After a suitable period of silence, Deva Chandrasekhar, the Primus of the Senate, intoned, "The Senate recognizes and welcomes Her Imperial Highness to Her Senate."

"Thank you, Primus. It does my heart good to see such loyal servants to Myself and My Citizens. Unfortunately, I believe this is the last bit of levity we will enjoy tonight. The recent blitz of rhetoric by certain members of the international community in the wake of the Gholgoth-GASN MDP announcement threatens to destabilize a peaceful situation. Tonight I am going to introduce a resolution condemning the hateful rhetoric of certain present and future members of the Sovereign League."

Deva looked as if she had been expecting this and nodded, "As is your Sovereign right, so it shall be."

The anachronistic formula was still in use after a millinium, "If it would please the Senate, I shall skip the preamble and get to the point of this resolution.

"OBSERVING, the inflammatory remarks made by the Prime Minister of Praetonia, the government of the United Kingdom of Questers, and Giles Chesterson of the Opposition of the House of Commons of the Kingdom of Skinny87.

"NOTING, that all aforementioned governments either belong to, or have stated their intention to join, the alliance known as the Sovereign League.

"ADVISING, said governments that such remarks are inflammatory to the process of general discourse between nations and alliances.

"DECLARING, that any military actions by the Sovereign League, or members thereof, directed against Gholgoth, and specifically, Automagfreek, is not and never will be acceptable to Her Imperial Majesty nor the Imperial Senate.

"VOWING, to meet any such moves with the full might of Her Imperial Majesty's Armed Forces and to see all relavent sections of the New Alliance Treaty Organization's charter activated.

"WE HEREBY URGE, the aforementioned members of the Sovereign League to take a more conciliatory tone towards the leadership of the GASN and Gholgoth."


After a few seconds of absolute silence, all the Senators of the Lords and Commons leapt to their feet and began a defeaning ovation and some even whistled. It was some time before the Primus could bring the Senators to order, but in this case neither she nor the Empress were upset with the breach of decorum. A final bang of the gavel preceeded a stern, "Order, if you please! The Senators shall take ten minutes to consider the full resolution and then the vote will be tallied."

Despite the fact that the entire chamber was made from hand-carved blocks of expensive stone and that the chairs themselves were hand-craft, the Senate was a fully modern building of government. Every Senator had a computer with access to a closed network. It allowed them to read laws already passed, read the full text of motions and proposed laws while they were being presented, and even to cast votes with a single touch to the screen. The votes were counted as they came in and judging from the astounded looks on the faces of both the Primus (who hailed from the Lords) and Speaker for the Citizens (who always came from the Commons), this vote was going to be something special.

As was the right of any person whose law or motion was called to vote, Lien called for the tally, "Primus of the Senate, what is the will of my Lords?"

"Highness, I beg to report that your Lords have voted 2,235 in favor of the resolution, with no votes in the negative and no abstentations," replied Deva.

"Very well. Speaker for the Citizens, what is the will of the People?"

"Highness, I beg to report that the Senators for the People have voted 7,400 in favor of the resolution, with no votes in the negetive and no abstentations," replied Sean Forsythe.

"Very well. I shall instruct my press secretary to give a statement confirming the vote. I ask all Senators give direct statements or make press releases stating your reasons for voting the way you have. If we are to set ourselves upon this course, we inform the people of our reasons."

Lien stood up from her throne and the Sargeant of the Royal Guard detachment repeated what he had done the first time she had entered. The Empress barely noticed it this time, she had other things on her mind.

I troubles me greatly how certain members of our global community have reacted to the news of the MDP signing, though we in Automagfreek are not surprised in the slightest.

The false and inflammatory comments made by certain Sovereign League members in addition to those of Skinny87 and The Warmaster are most troubling. One would imagine that before such rhetoric is spewed that facts or evidence would be present, but instead those mentioned above seem content to rely on prejudice and paranoia. The remarks seen thus far point to a severe discomfort and indeed fear of this agreement between Gholgoth and GASN, which was designed to be nothing more than mutual defense pact.

It would have done the above mentioned well to have read the pact and paid attention to how it was worded. Articles were put in place so that neither side is obligated to commit to the campaign of another signatory should it be *offensive* in nature, as this pact only covers *defensive* involvement. Each side has been allowed elbow room to either abstain from commiting or dissolve the pact completely, so the claims that AMF plans on manipulating GASN for imperialistic means are false...though uneducated may be more fitting.

This MDP is in no way, shape, or form an alliance of any kind. It is merely a commitment to defend each other in the face of aggression, and the pact has been carefully and clearly worded to spell this out to even the most mentally handicapped. However, as displayed today, it appears it was not dumbed down enough.

Regardless of what the above mentioned think of the Freekish Empire and Gholgoth, our nation and the regional brotherhood we belong to are not imperialistic, nor are we warmongers. This pact was written, agreed upon, and put into place because of the instability of those mentioned above and those like them. It is entities such as those that we protect ourselves (and more importantly, our brothers) from, because your fear of that which you do not understand has clouded whatever sense of reason you may possess.

While in such a panic driven mindset, those mentioned above are more likely to try and destroy the source of their fear, and as a result our collective interests are threatened. Gholgoth and GASN have recognized threats like this and have come to terms so that if either of us are subjected to any campaign of aggression, we will be ready to stamp it out quickly.

It is a shame that people are intentionally putting themselves in a position to which this pact may end up being used. It was our hope that this pact would become unneeded, but as more nations who have a vendetta against the Excessively Armed Empire come out of the woodwork, that hope begins to fade. We can only state our disappointment that our MDP was not studied more carefully before the true imperialists spouted off ignorantly about supposed "crusades of aggression" while Gholgoth uses its "newly acquired GASN pawns".

Please, who do you honestly think you are fooling? It is clear that you are afraid. And you are afraid because you see the status quo no longer falling in your favor, and you have this grand delusion that there is some conspiracy against you. Normally we would be content to laugh at your paranoia and pass it off as just that, but we are ready in case that paranoia turns into any form of aggressive action.

I would urge all those who are critical of this pact to keep their insecurities to themselves, and to not inject themselves into matters that do not concern them.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/images/gold/thumb/3401.gif
Minister Hartman
-Minister of International Affairs-

OOC: Feel free to skip this long introduction, call it sleep deprivation, call it making up for lost time... eitherway it's really not essential to my nations actual statement. Skip to the next bold sentance for this.

As always it starts with a trickle, the smallest of flows in electronic information, rumours floating in the deep currents of cyberspace often going unnoticed in a constantly changing tide of data. As often is the case it mostly went unnoticed with only the most obcessed individuals picking it up without discarding it. As time passes the trickle becomes a slow and steady stream of facts. Officials being said to meet one another, parts of rumours now confirmed. More and more people start to take notice and prick up their ears to the possibility. It's not long before the questions are asked: If this is true, how would it effect us? Could this be important? All the while analysts take note and attempt to predict the possibilities with increasing accuracy as the event gets closer to certainity or impossibility, 1 or 0. Finally... with some basic guildlines already decided upon, it's announced and rumour becomes fact.

The Mutual Defence Pact has been confirmed.

The last five years had been generous to the Iuthian Networks as both storage and bandwidth increased exponentially, already in what was hailed as a data revolution as optical computers were invented and introduced, the 'Net had expanded to such a point where the majority of the population carry Commlinks around as many modern day people would carry around their mobile phone. These Commlinks are essentially personal computers complete with internet access and 'augmented reality', allowing the user access to information while walking the street, with the right accessories they could view such information in their fiew of view and interact with it via a Direct Neural Interface... depending on their model. Information wasn't just widely avialable anymore, it's practically flooding the airwaves; advertisements, conversations, dailying shopping... filtered and viewed as prefered by each individual. An electronic marvel in a modern Iuthia.

Oddly, however, the majority of Iuthians didn't actually seem to worry too much about this region of the world. To those with a world political interest it was certainly something to take note of as it affected the regions balance of power to some extent... but beyond that it didn't seem to matter too much to Iuthian affairs, much like Mars in many respects. As if to echo their populations concern, much of the Iuthian government didn't seem to bothered by the developement, viewing it as an outside affair that may eventually boil up to affect a trade with certain states involved in the matter. As one might expect, the IDC (Iuthian Diplomatic Corps) paid close attention to the matter, choosing to simply watch to see the communities reaction.

Eventually the IDC's hand was forced as other nationstates, who were more directly involved in this region of politics, started to ask questions as to where Iuthia actually stood in all of this. It used to be that the Benevolent Dictatorship took more a active interest in 'the balances of power' and was something of a vocal, if not nagging, faction in international politics. At first one could simply dismiss the matter... but as tension grew it became more important to many others, even if the Lord General wasn't overly interested. Finally, an official statement was released.

Took long enough.

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Official Statement from the Offices of the Iuthian Diplomatic Corps:

After reading the official realease of the Gholgoth/GASN Mutual Defense Pact and having taken into account the possible implications of such an agreement, the Benevolent Dictorship of Iuthia has come to the conclusion that given the defencive nature of such a treaty it is of very little threat to ourselves and in our opinion, the international community at large.

While the wording may be open to some creative interpretation in places, it is clear that without clear aggressive action from another nation's part the only nations that would help either signatories would be those who were willing to do so in the first place. If anything we see the logic behind such a move in order to better protect each individual nation from those with imperialistic tendancies or an over-active sense of 'international justice'. The Benevolent Dictatorship itself joined the Non-Democratic Alliance in part on the same principals of protecting our soveriegn rights and those of our allies and we understand the strength of such connections.

When the International community itself is still rather chaotic in places, with large alliances forming with the express perpose of promoting their military, economic and political strengths, it's no wonder that other large blocs will seek to better protect themselves from possible aggression and fortunately this agreement clearly promotes a defencive attitude compared to that of other such agreements that seem to promote raw strength for use of 'bettering' the world.

That isn't to say there isn't cause for concern, the fact these two alliances are prepared to cover each others backs (at least, that seems to be what their leadership is saying, invididual members have their own views) is significant in itself as it suggests a certain level of co-operation that could be viewed as a potential threat to some if only because of scale of both alliances combined. But to act now without observing and witnessing how such a pact works seems soming of a kneejerk responce.

No... for now we'll watch and see how things develope. It is not for us to tell either group whether or not they can make agreements with others and for the most part we respect and acknowledge the reasoning behind this. We will of course look down on aggressive and reckless behaviour... but as it stands providing everything is as it is writen we see little need for concern and would hope that others can conduct their matters in a manner befitting a civilised nation.

Thanks,

Foriegn Minister Mick Lakely
Iuthian Diplomatic Corps

OOC: Doesn't really affect anything, just wanted to point out that my speech was a classified report to a a few VIP's in my gov't, so you wouldn't know about it, AMF.

London
United Kingdom Home Isles

"Do I look alright Mary?"

Fieldingham adjusted his tie and grinned, raising one eyebrow, into the mirror. You handsome bastard.

"Yes sir! Absolutely stunning." Fieldingham nodded, finishing his tea, took a deep breath, and strode onto the stage amongst the backdrop of flags, photographs of the Royal Navy, the Royal Standard, and against the arrayed media of the world. Thirty seconds later, he waved a hand and the photographs stopped. Without coughing or clearing his throat, he began immediately in his loud and booming inspirational voice.

"His Majesty's Government does not for one moment intend the engagement of hostilities towards Automagfreek or Gholgoth and we note Automagfreek's quick assumption of hostility, fear, and war, whereas our intentions, stated, and implied, were nothing of the sort.

In response to the Scandavian suggestion, HM Government finds it a direct and personal insult that the Scandavians, upon whom we have mantained a somewhat more than neutral relationship, insist upon making matters far more complicated than they are and than they should be. It is a simple matter than we do not condone the M.D.P signed between Gholgoth and G.A.S.N and that we find the goverment of Automagfreek most distateful and indeed their past history reflects this. We do not understand what is so hard to understand that the United Kingdom does not wish to become involved with Gholgoth.

We respect the stance of our friends in Illior whom only recently have become closer to the U.K, but we resent the fact they imagine our condemning of this pact as rude. We find Automagfreek's history of genocide and rampant aggression distateful and Gholgoth, including A.M.F are a region we are particularly interested in politically distancing ourselves from. We are not interested in developing relations with Gholgoth. We are not interested in defending them if they are attacked by whoever decides to. We are not interested in become sycophants to Automagfreek's hand. Questers is a sovereign nation, it will not allow others to make promises for it, we act on our own initiative and we will defend our interests and only our interests! We have fought two devastating wars to defend our sovereignty and it will not be given up by a mere political acceptance!

We thank the Illiorians for looking past the "AMF is powerful" stance, and for looking ahead into peace and prosperity. But peace and prosperity are values that the United Kingdom place before our sovereignty and the liberty our people enjoy under their own elected government. We outright refuse, once again, to sign this pact that we feel is an intrusion upon our sovereignty that was not chosen originally by ourselves. Thank you, members of the press, any questions?"

[Transcript of an interview with the Prime Minister from Commonwealth General Television's Newsnight programme]

Interviewer: To follow on from our Special Report on the 'unholy alliance' between the GASN and Gholgoth, the Prime Minister has kindly agreed to appear for an interview on the subject. Prime Minister, welcome back to the programme. The first question on the lips of most people in this room is, I am sure: are we on the brink of war with GASN or Gholgoth?

Prime Minister: Absolutely not. Both Scandavian States and the so-called "Excessively Armed Empire" of Automagfreek have released statements threatening us with military action if we launch a direct attack against them, but as yet not a single country has released a statement threatening such an attack, or indeed any offensive action of any kind.

Interviewer: So what are their statements drawing on? Surely they must have some basis in fact.

Prime Minister: Paranoia would be the most likely cause. Afterall, if you live in a country where the state analyses and controls every aspect of your life, it is only natural to think that everyone is out to get you, especially if that country is one like Automagfreek where individuals can be arrested and convicted without due process and then subjected to brutal torture and execution as 'punishment' for dissent against the state. If there is to be a war, it will be initiated by their side, not ours.

Interviewer: So if the Crown Commonwealth is not threatening any direct military action, what action are we considering to combat this treaty?

Prime Minister: We are considering a range of options, including possible economic sanctions, but at this stage we want to keep the GASN on-board, and exert primarily political pressure upon them. Most of the GASN states are free democracies - it would be suprising if their people consent in the long run to the idea that they could be conscripted to fight in the defence of a country that tortures and enslaves its own populace, having long abandoned the rule of law, such as Automagfreek.

Interviewer: How do you respond to the resolution passed by the Scandavian Senate condemning Praetonia's stance on the issue?

Prime Minister: Clearly it is disappointing. We have been friendly with Scandavian States for some time now but it appears that that no longer means anything to them. The language of their resolution was unnecessarily belligerent and insulting. Suffice it to say that His Majesty's Government shall not "take a more conciliatory tone" towards tyrants and those who would try to prop up their wicked regimes with military force simply for their sake.

[audience applause]

One observes, also, that the Scandavian vote was absolutely unanimous out of nearly 10,000 people who were eligable to vote, all of whom did. In my mind, this dubious result casts a major shadow of doubt over the legitimacy and neutrality of the voting proceedure itself.

Interviewer: What of the issue of the Gholgoth powers being 'puppet states' of Automagfreek? Many of these countries seem to be claiming that they are completely sovereign.

Prime Minister: Well they would say that, wouldn't they?

[audience laughter]

I am sure that they are legally sovereign, and they have the potential to be sovereign, but we must look at their actions: these countries are almost entirely insular until Automagfreek goes on another 'crusade', when they spring into action, and where Automagfreek doesn't support them, nothing gets done. The eprfect example to illustrate this point is the Danteri War. Automagfreek was supportive, and Gholgoth quickly achieved victory. Then, when the war spread to Okielahoma, Automagfreek's material support disappeared, and only a little opposition was required on our part and the part of our Sovereign League ally Allanea to force Hakari into accepting our own plan for the future of Okielahoma, which is now a rapidly progressing Sovereign League memberstate.

Interview: That's all we've got time for this evening. Prime Minister, thankyou for agreeing to talk to us this evening.

Tune in tomorrow for a special report on the astonishing growth of the Praetonian civil space-plane transport sector.

[audience applause, credits]

http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/samtonia.jpg
Official Statement of the Almighty People's Republic of Samtonia

It is with grave and mounting concern that the APRS sees and hears inflammatory action and rhetoric of Sovereign League members growing daily- Sovereign League members who, in what once was Samtonia's opinion, could be counted on to act with rationality and tact in the international sphere. It appears that our thoughts were incorrect on this matter.

Ignoring the entire fact that a condemnation of a mutual defense pact as warmongering and imperialistic is quite possibly one of the most ludicrous claims that Samtonia has heard in years and ignoring equally that the claims by foreign nations and heads of state that said mutual defense pact will somehow lead to the imminent demise of the entirety of the world, a claim bereft of reality and created in a vacuum of delusion, as all these facts have already been addressed, Samtonia will instead focus on the areas which its ex-allies have completely missed the mark.

Gholgoth. Its name inspires that most visceral and destructive of all emotions in Sovereign League members- hatred. Yet this hatred is inspired, again, in a vacuum of delusional mistrust and dislike. Gholgoth is not the oppressive enforcer of Automagfreek; the citizens of her nations are not elite stormtropers prepared to strike without a moment's notice and topple democratic governments around the world- did anyone stop to think reasonably about these claims before so spuriously making them?

Gholgoth's nations are not nameless buzzards who circle, waiting for AMF's call to spring into action and kill- each and every nation in Gholgoth is there for a specific reason. Not to be AMF's lackeys, as the hate-laced rhetoric of the Sovereign League attempts to levy upon us. No, every nation in Gholgoth is there because mutual defense, a mutual defense enabled by a number of nations being together in Gholgoth, is necessary in today's world to provide any means of security. We are not all imperialists and we are not all pawns, as any look at historical precedence could show- but, again, the tenuous grasp upon reality that members of the Sovereign League have been enjoying in this matter has seemingly prevented an easy check.

Dissension is present- Pacitalia and Samtonia both openly denounced Automagfreek's actions in another one of their standard slaughters of a nation- something that Samtonia fully disagrees with still but realizes is the prerogative of AMF. WE may not respect it, but we will respect AMF's decision to pursue it. Yet did these two nations of Gholgoth sit idly by? No.

Can nations succeed militarily without AMF's aid? To insinuate otherwise is a grievous affront to the thousands (if not millions) who have given their lives in pursuit of freedom and justice for others. The casualties of the People's Armed Forces, the Samtonian military, have fought and bled to stop Kravenite incursions across the world, to offer aid and succor to fledgling nations the world over, and to protect Samtonian (not Gholgothian) interests. Samtonia has achieved a record of success unparalleled by most and without AMF military aid, a distinction also enjoyed by many in Gholgoth.

And to claim that the nations in Gholgoth are somehow bitter enemies of democracy couldn't be farther from the truth. Numerous Gholgothian nations are republics, democracies, or some form of representative government, Samtonia being one. And even if not a one of the nations of Gholgoth was a democracy, point out one instant where the nations of Gholgoth have deliberated and attempted to destroy a nation merely because they are a democracy. You will find that an impossibility, as the claims made are every one of them false.

And that seems to be the common theme of the Sovereign League- obfusification of the issues, spurious claims, and hate-laced invectives leveled at Gholgoth, while patronizing and honied tones are turned towards the GASN. These are tactics embraced by maniacal dictators and global outcasts, not what once were respected and influential nations in the world, nations who have just tarnished and destroyed any respect they may once have had by their hateful and deceitful actions.

The Council of Thirteen

Official Statement from Executor Shijin Kotomari;
Emperor of Tersanctus, Lord of her Conquered Lands
Press Release from Sanctus, Tersanctus, Capitol of the Imperial Republic.

Greetings to all Honored Heads of State,

Fear has been the major reaction that has been shown to world from those not of Gholgoth or GASN. Some would dare call Tersanctus a 'lackey' or other esteemed nations in Gholgoth the same.

Perhaps these leaders are unfamiliar with our foriegn and alien concept of 'honor' and 'loyalty', and perhaps they should look up the meanings of the word and put the said foreign and alien concepts into practice.

These leaders may find that they will not be so alone and hated in the world should they succesfuly put these perspectives into practice. Needless war-mongering is the sign of an unhealthy state, unsound of it's leaders mental capacities.

We of the Dragon pledged our loyatly and support to Damien and the Reavers of Pantera because we chose too. Fear did not compel us, respect upon the battlefield did, for the Templars and Reavers have crossed swords before. And when Tersanctus stood on the precipice of destruction at the hands of the Blood Pact, stayed was the hand of the Lord Reaver, and the War Lord, mercy was wisely shown, for that mercy has spawned the most lasting and fiercest of alliances between our three mutual nations.

While others alliances have come and gone, Nations backstab each other, and squabble like children over the most minor of convictions and coveted lands, the Blood Pact remains at the top of the heap of corpses, a mighty sword forged in blood, honor, and fire. Weilded by three hands, but cleaving in one direction, that of our enemies.

Gholgoth, and the GASN alliance is merely a symptom of the mark of wise rulers who have followed suit. Ask not where the Fourth Horseman is, for the three of us are the Fourth Horseman, named Death.

I bid you Farewell.

Automagfreek applauds the wise statements from Samtonia, and more importantly Iuthia. Reason is what has been severely lacking, and hopefully the words from both of your government will put minds at ease.

The Excessively Armed Empire cannot stress enough that there are absolutely no plans for any ofensive action against the Sovereign League, or against *any* nation or alliance for that matter. Such false accusations serve only to escalate an innocent situation such as this. After monitoring the mindsets of politicians from certain nations, we can safely say that much more is being made of this situation than there exists in real life. The Freekish Empire has stated its views on this defense pact, and therefore will not explain it again to those who care not to pay attention the first time.

We also echo the sentiments of Gholgothian nations who have stepped forward and denounced themselves as pawns of Automagfreek. This claim is one that disgusts us more than anything else, for those who spout off this nonsense have no factual evidence to base their claim off of. It is no secret that Automagfreek has committed itself to be one of the chief defenders of the region, and our nation made a solem promise to defend and assist those within Gholgoth, no questions asked. Our regional alliance is a brotherhood, a round table, with every entrant having equal say and role in our collective affairs. To falsely accuse these nations of being pawns of the Empire is a direct insult to them.

We do not expect you to understand our way of life, and because it is foreign to you your governments see it as a threat. Is it a coincidence that those vocal of this pact are largely monarchies/and or governments based off of systems very similar to this? Careful research would show you that Gholgothian nations come from all walks of life...dictatorships, communist states, democracies...all co-existing within the same collective. In essence, Gholgoth is an example of harmony and stability to the world, one the rest of mankind should make note of. To simply dismiss these points is ignorant.

In closing, situations like this are esaily avoidable if those who are concerned would open their eyes and minds instead of closing them. Some seem content to mention the bloody history of Automagfreek as proof of what is to come, but alas the Freeks do not live in the past. We are always looking and moving forward, and we do not burden ourselves with actions long since written in the history books. So perhaps instead of demonizing the Dreadfire regime it would do you well to open dialogue with it.

http://www.sideshowtoy.com/images/gold/thumb/3401.gif
Minister Hartman
-Minister of International Affairs-

(OOC: Here's the actual public statement)

OFFICIAL DIPLOMATIC STATEMENT

The Imperium has heard a great deal recently of the mutual defense pact between Gholgoth and the GASN. The lepers and cowards of the Sovereign League have, of course, been quick to condemn what they fear; we of Kregaia are a stronger and better breed, and look upon this new movement with the eyes of faith rather than weakness.

What those eyes see is not pleasing.

Gholgoth, it has been said, is invincible. Its members are certainly quick to affirm this; Executor Kotomari of Tersanctus boasts of the power of the Blood Pact, the Samtonian Council of Thirteen declaims that their forces and those of the rest of Gholgoth have left their blood all over the world, and of course, Minister Hartman reminds us all that if one opposes Automagfreek, it logically follows that the opposer is terrified of the same. A fascinating pack of propaganda; truly the Inquisition could learn from Gholgoth, despite having had seventeen centuries to hone its skills. But if Gholgoth is so powerful, what need of further alliance with GASN, a rabble whose record is far from clean?

Tersanctus states that it joined the Blood Pact in a gesture of respect for Pantera and Automagfreek for sparing it. A relief, then, that this statement has been made; the casual observer might mistake their participation in the Blood Pact for, say, a forced recruitment as the only alternative to Automagfreek's trademark annihilation of its foes.

Samtonia pipes up that it respects AMF despite this same tendency towards slaughter, and yet it also speaks of millions dying for freedom and justice. Amusing, as a rather large number of these millions have died fighting for their own freedom by the hand of Damien Dreadfire. They also note that despite protesting Dreadfire's massacres, they respect him regardless. The Imperium was under the impression it was traditional for democratists to oppose such killings under any circumstances, but then, there are few who stand up to the Freekish warlord.

And of course, Minister Hartman speaks for Lord Dreadfire and the Excessively Armed Empire, with typically flawless logic: the Sovereign League opposes the Freeks, so the League must fear them. The League may be a pack of cowards, but the Imperium knows of their faith in their navies, and thus in their abilities to keep the Sentinels off their shores. As for defensive involvements, what offensive war cannot be justified as a defensive one, even unconvincingly? We move next to the accusation of paranoia. It should be clear to anyone that a nation who leaps to the assumption of war has a predilection for combat to go with paranoia of their own, throwing a new light on Automagfreek's constant claims of being a peace-loving nation, albeit one with a record number of national exterminations to its name.

A remarkable display from Gholgoth. Rest assured, the Imperium does not consider this mutual defense pact grounds for war, so there is no longer any need for statements of readiness to fight. However, it would be a fool who did not consider the world a different place after this pact, and the Imperium shall observe matters closely as always.

Darian Aurelius, Minister of Foreign Affairs

Though it hardly matters in this present day and age, the history between our nations is hardly what you describe Warmaster, as Tersanctus was indeed a Bi-Ruled regency land for a short time, but Pantera and AMF released us from that rule, and Tersanctus went her own way for quite some time, fighting our own wars, serving our own interests, developing our own strength.

When the time came, and dare I say, the Kungshaoist Templar, were of such a might to rival even that of any Reaver or Sentinel, and twice as ferverent to defend thier land and Empire, an accord was struck so that the three Kingdoms would not perish in selfish and foolish bickering, but rather the blossmed flowers of the Savage Garden would defend in blood and brotherhood.

Respect, not fear. Faith, not Coercsion. As a wise king recruits the loyal, and does not bribe the greedy, so has the foundations of an unbreakable alliance been laid.

I hope that you too, in time, may know the fruits of virtue, Warmaster.

Personal Correspondence from Executor Shijin Kotomari.

Fuck.

OOC:
That'll be quotable in the future, i'm sure.


IC:
OFFICIAL IMPERIAL PROCLIMAITON
TO: All Members of the GASN and Gholgoth
FROM: George A. Loak, Supreme Emperor of the Dark Empire of Shazbotdom

The Dark Empire herby aknoledges the members of the Glorious Regional Alliance of Gholgoth as it's extended family. And thus we hearby extend an open invitation of the Member of Gholgoth to open an Embasy within the Dark Empire of Shazbotdom. Although we may need to open up some new land to our Embasy Exchange Program to make this happen but it can be done.

If you wish some space for an Embasy, please see THIS (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=466717) thread. Thank you and I hope we have peace and prosperity for now and in the future.


p.s. If Golgoth members wish for the Dark Empire to name a road after their alliance and put Embasies along that road for them, then please make a note of that in any transmission sent in the Embasy Exchange Thread.

..::Imperial News Network Special Broadcast::..
NATO Headquarters, Schultaria Prime

Cut to a typical Scandinavian (that is to say, beautiful) female reporter holding a small microphone, waiting expectantly for the holocam's light to go green. A low grade buzz is heard in the background from various newspaper reporters chatting amongst themselves. The light goes green and the reporter takes her first deep breath...

"This is Kristen Jensen, INN International News, reporting from the Schulatian capital city of Schulatia Prime at NATO headquarters. We're about to hear from the Imperial representative to NATO and current member of the Council of Twelve, Sir Seamus O'Connel. While no official announcements have been made about the content of tonight's address, I've heard rumors that it's to do with the recent Gholgoth-GASN Mutual Defense Pact. This press conference is particularly odd, because it usually falls on the shoulders of Lord Dreadfire to make NATO's more important announcements. Ah, here's Sir Seamus right now."

The camera pans to a man of medium height with a fair complexion and short cropped black hair. He is not particularly built, but certainly reasonably in shape. The reporters go completely silent as the Imperial ambassador settles himself behind the podium.

A short clearing of the throat preceeds a slight brogue in a whisky-smooth baritone, "Good evening. As you all know, I am Sir Seamus O'Connel, the Imperial representative to NATO and also a sitting member of the Council of Twelve. Before I begin with the main body of this statement, I would like to say that this press conference is called by the Council of Twelve on behalf of said body and the junior members of the alliance. We felt it best that Lord Dreadfire not be involved in the process so that there can be no impression that this statement does not represent the will of the entirety of the alliance.

"With that said, let us begin. The Council of Twelve and the member states of the New Alliance Treaty Organization have viewed with increasing alarm and not some resignation the rhetoric being put forth by certain members of the alliance known as the Sovereign League. Beyond the sheer scope and audacity of the hatefulness, rumor-mongering, and outright slander being used by the governments of Praetonia, Questers, and certain members of the parliment of Skinny87 in official statements of record, we come to a pattern.

"For those of us fortunate to be willing members of NATO and proud allies of such Gholgoth nations as Automagfreek and Crimmond, this slew of rhetoric is imminantly familiar. This vile discource is used by every nation or group of nations who seek to attack AMF, and by extension Gholgoth and NATO, in a bid to prove they are a power to be reckoned with. Such groups are, in my opinion, opportunistic, warmongering jackals whose envy and lust for power are superceded only by their selfishness.

"No doubt this Sovereign League will claim that because they are parlimentary democracies they are somehow free of such vices. No doubt this Sovereign League will now call NATO and its members lackeys of Lord Dreadfire, et cetera, et cetera. No doubt they will claim they seek only to protect themselves from the imperialistic hordes of Lord Dreadfire, Gholgoth, et... Wait, they've already done that," a laugh from the reporters followed the crack. "I say this to the Sovereign League; if you expect the Council of Twelve and the rest of NATO to believe all that, then be quiet. This is all so old hat that it's not even mildly amusing anymore."

"I would like to lay down a couple home truths to the Sovereign League. The past is the past, and nothing about the past will change despite having it likened to a horse and beaten to a thousand deaths. Second, unless the Sovereign Leage plans to dedicate itself to war, and a successful one at that, nothing about Lord Damien's rules of engagement are going to change; if the Sovereign League is not prepared to do so then they are only contributing to the world's carbon emissions and I humbly request that they stop. I like the cool weather of Dublin.

"That concludes my address. I shall be taking a few questions at this time."

A tall, thin man stood up, his accent clearly marking him as Schultarian, "Ambassador, both the governments of Praetonia and Questers have expressed their disappointment in Empress Lien's resolution and referenced their neutral-to-warm relations with the Imperium while doing so. How do you answer this?"

Seamus sighed, as if expecting this question, "I would preface this by saying that I have no access to the opinion on my government as it relates to any foreign powers, only NATO. However, I believe I can answer this as Duchess Saleh would. While their statements are true, both governments should be reminded that neither are Imperial allies while several Gholgoth nations are. The Imperium, despite its strong tradition of democracy, does not operate on any idealism, only pragmatism served up with a healthy dose of loyalty and honor."

Kristen Jensen raised her hand, "Sir Seamus, on the note of democracy in the Imperium, the Prime Minister of Praetonia has suggested that the Senate's unanimous vote of support for Empress Lien's resolution was less than above the board. What do you say to this?"

The knight's lips thinned slightly and his eyes narrowed, "With all due respect to the Prime Minister, I don't believe he knows what he's talking about. Anybody familiar with the Imperial Senate knows that the political spectrum ranges from crotchety old reactionaries to liberal ideologues par none. If the Imperial Senate voted unanimously on the resolution, which I believe is only the fifth time in the entire history of the Imperium for such to occur, then perhaps it's because all those people of differeing political leanings agree with Empress Lien and think the Sovereign League is out of line. Remember what I said earlier, this is all so formulaic anymore than no government official in the Imperium is likely to dissent on such an issue."

Sir Seamus held up his hand, "Please, I think that's about all I can handle. I promised my colleagues a calm and reasoned address and somewhat failed at that. If I take any more questions, I fear I shall die of apoplexy."

Seamus quickly stalked, and that was the word for it, out of the room and reporters began packing their gear. The INN broadcast reporter faced the holocam one last time, "From NATO headquarters in Schultaria Prime, this is Kristen Jensen signing off."

As a proud brother of Gholgoth, I have decided to step up and speak my mind here. I have sat back too long and watched as my brothers and I have been called many things, including puppets and warmongers. These lies have no basis.

Many Gholgothan nations have not seen the fire of war in many years, enjoying the peace that can come from a group such as Gholgoth that ensures defense to it's members if they are threatened. My nation has itself not gone to war in a long time, but instead has supplied both our Gholgothan brothers and the innocent victims of conflict more times than we can count.

This is not to be taken that we Sigmans are a weak people. Oh no, our armies can rival even the Sentinels on the battlefield. While our soldiers may lack the extended training periods and patriotic zealotism of our Reaver and Sentinel brothers, we make up for it with numbers and top of the line equipment. We have simply never gotten into battle as our armies most often arive to find only smoke and ashes remaining of the battlefield, our brothers having settled things in a manner of days, sometimes even a manner of hours.

I feel that this Mutual Defense Pact can provide the same security in peace for our new brothers and sisters in the GASN that my nation and I enjoy. Hopefully the prospect of having to combat both Gholgoth and the GASN will deter any hostilities towards us, helping in the long run to stabilize the insanity we deal with on this world.

I welcome GASN to what should be a new time of peace, provided the warlike nations out there don't intice this new pact into action.

Thank you.

General James B. Snowlander
High General
Sigma Octavus

To: All Parties Concerned
From: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Southeast Asian Federal-Parliamentarian Government
Subject: Southeast Asian stance on crisis

To Whom It May Concern:

Is it so the matter of the respective Excellencies of the governments of the member nations of the Sovereign League, that of the matters of the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations and that of the Gholgoth Powers and Gholgoth Region?

While we understand that the concerns of the Sovereign League, an alliance of paragons of democracy of the so-called "free world", that their values are being threatened by the intolerant and arrogant, domineering Gholgothian Powers, we in Southeast Asia sense that so many of the people within the respective member nations (save the Aequatian Republic and the Illiorian State for they are long time allies of the self-styled "Excessively Armed Empire") of the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations have their concerns with the politicians they have cast into power with their ballots.

Rest assured, the Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations is acting out of realpolitik and interest. The Global Alliance of Sovereign Nations (save the aforementioned Aequatian Republic and Illiorian State, whom we have a sliver of a modicum of respect for, more so for the Aequatian Republic) can think to themselves that they are acting in the name of security both for their own respective alliance, the security of the international community and with regards to their own state in general.

However, be warned: judging from our observations, the Supreme Warlord of the Excessively Armed Empire is not all he seems to be on first impression: a mindless, brutal, evil and demented by nature belligerent of a savage. He is as insidious, conniving and as devious as he is as bloody and devastating in his most appalling actions.

Be warned. He may have some ulterior scheme out to get you. It is inevitable that the savage warlord shall yet again prove himself to be the one the world deserves to adore to love to abhor with his self-serving arrogance and craving for violence.

It is but a matter of time. It shall yet again prove that he is a despicable excuse for an individual and worthy of disrespect when he cannot even respect other nation's rights, albeit those of his cronyist-cohorts.

Yours Truly,
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Southeast Asian Federal-Parliamentarian Government

The Leader's Bunker, Under Undershi City

Alesksander Miller, Leader of the Undershi Empire, whimpered faintly as he read the list of the new nations to have just entered into a pact with the GASN and their populations.
This was bad. This was getting-dunked-in-boiling-crap bad... shaking in the sort of sheer terror that it took a lot to bring out in a True Undershi, he turned to his aide, a Major in the IIS, and asked, voice quivering,
"Now that I've seen this... I want a full assessment of when and how they're going to attack. If this... if this alliance decides that it doesn't like the Corporate Alliance, it's going to eat our militaries for dinner, then have our Homelands for dessert..." he shook as he clicked something, and brough up a special super-secret computer file. As he read through it, he turned to his aide, and ordered:
"Cancel every provocation that we had planned. I have no intention of seeing the Empire destroyed. I think it would be a good idea if... if, shall we say, the entire Empire laid low for a little, as far as the diplomatic scene was concerned." his aide nodded, and went off to carry out those orders.
As his aide left, Alesksander called after him:
"Oh, and get me a couple of bottles of vodka... I'm going to need it..." his aide looked back at him with a face full of confusion and asked:
"But sir... I thought you didn't drink." Aleksander laughed, and replied:
"I didn't. This news just seems to mark now as the perfect time to start."

"Mixed emotions, Matt. Some countries we want to get closer to have pushed us away... Some we're not so close to have made themselves closer. Question is, what are we gonna do?"

The Emperor gently mixed his martini, resting against the oak desk passed down through the generations of the Imperial Family. He took a sip, turning his attention to the lights of Cravna. A heavy snow storm had blown in, and already the Imperial Gardens around the Palace were white. He looked to Head Director Vince Gallens, stroking his goatee.

"Everything's going as planned so far. The SL is worried about a spread of totalitarianism. CA is shitting themselves, which they shouldn't be since there is something most of them don't know. GASN and Gholgoth nations are shaking hands and showing friendship. And the world in general has mixed emotions. Its funny, however, that they're worried 'bout a whole shitload of nothing."
"Heh, I know... I've read some of the reports about their statements. Alot of conspiracy theories out there. And alot of countries saying we're being used. God knows what else they're saying."
"And you know what? They don't realise how much of a load of shit their theories really are. I mean really... At the current time we alone are connected to at least half of the SL in one way or another. Particularly the UK through GASN itself."
"Yeah, how 'bout that? Denying they were notified."
"I damn well had Luisa announce that in the General Assembly. They knew negotiations were underway, and the majority of the Assembly gave the okay. It was only the UK who disagreed, and we said we understood why. And yet still they drag us through the mud. Questarian bastards."

He took a sip from his glass, setting it down on the desk with care so as to not spill the alcoholic contents on his papers.

"But we'll play along... If we accuse the UK of denying the truth it'd only stress tensions that much more. Just don't mention it and everything'll be fine."
"Exactly... Hopefully we can repair the situation somewhat. I'd rather not get on the bad side of other libertarian nations. It wouldn't be prudent."
"I know... But we've been allies with the Aequatians for far too long. It would only serve to slap them in the face if we refused this. Hell, most of our military is running around with Aequatian equipment. Our boys have fought and died to assist Aequatians in battle. The 121st is still deployed in Aequatio. It'd just be stupidity to abandon that relationship."

He sighed, knowing that in the morning he'd have to make a public statement supporting the Cravanian-based GASN. And he knew that it would be just as tedious as any other speech he'd make this week.

"Sometimes I hate being born into this job... I really do."
"Robbie's of age now that he could ascend to the throne... Well, chair."
"I love this job too much.", the Emperor replied with a sly chuckle.

The Imperial Gardens were now covered in snow, the fountains almost iced over. Guardsmen patrolled the grounds outside as stars twinkled high above the Imperial City, just as the snow-covered evergreen trees outside twinkled with white Christmas lights, elegantly decorated for the season.

"Now if only this job learned to love me...", the Emperor said smiling to himself as he downed the remainder of his martini.

****************************

http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c381/crave22/Cravan/crestcopysmall.png

Official Imperial Decree
House of Craven

Many things have been said about this pact... Some positive, some negative. However, it is my duty to assure the world that this pact between brothers and sisters is meant for the betterment of mankind in the eternal struggle for peace. Many theories have been passed around by the nations of the world, most of them proclaiming GASN and her member states as new playthings of the Dreadfire regime. I must tell you all, this is quite far from the case. Lord Dreadfire and his cabinet have been most hospitable in the formation of this pact, and we have ironed out the details in a friendly manner. Our nations have agreed that the world is an unstable place, and it is among our goals to increase our security, and subsequently the security of nations worldwide.

Of course many nations are quick to spread propoganda on this event. Many nations which we wish to hold ties to, and some which we do hold ties to. We had originally hoped this pact could inspire all nations to finally talk about making peace happen, and show that nations of completely opposite ideologies can work together to achieve a stable peace. It is time the world finally come to realise peace cannot be achieved if nations refuse to speak to one another and continue to spread lies about each other. These lies and propoganda are threats to world security, not pacts such as this. And it is these lies which we must put a stop to.

The Democratic Empire has always held the Sovereign League in a high regard, and shares many ideological views with this organization. It had even considered membership at one point, however decided against it due to tensions at the time. We do hope, however, that you open your minds and consider that this pact may not be what it seems. Attempt to release the paranoia you feel, and stop clouding your minds and the minds of your citizens with these lies. We do not threaten you with war... Instead we wish you to accept friendship. The world cannot see peace until all nations set aside their differences. And this is a step in the correct direction.

I do hope all nations of the world cease making lies and excuses, and cast aside the propoganda which they spread. And instead I hope they finally decide to discover that which is really going on in this world in which we live. It is a dangerous place... But with our combined efforts it can be a safe place.

Signed with respect to all world leaders,

Matthew R. Craven
Matthew R. Craven
Emperor of the Democratic Empire of Cravan

May the combined deterrance of our two great alliances act to ensure a safer world than has ever been known before. Though they shriek now, the agitators will look upon the strength of our united defense and fall silent, so that a lasting peace can be achieved.

All glory to the GASN, and to mighty Gholgoth! May our swords stay sheathed!

Dayne the Evenstar
Lord Reaver of Pantera
Drag the Waters of War

OOC: Sorry about being so late and digging up the thread, but I didn't realize it was six days dead until I'd already posted.