AWWA-Yesterday, Today, and Forever(IC-Closed)

[Bojikami]

July 6th, 1902
New York City

Grand Duke Michael finally arrived in New York to attend the emergency conference called by Britain, an ally of the Russian Empire. In recent years his great nephew's ability to rule has been called into question, not only by scheming nobles, but by the people, foreigners, and even some of the clergy. The Great War, while did not result in a loss of land for Russia, it greatly harmed its prestige as a world power. Then Ukraine-Romania so easily thwarted a massed Russian assault on the Donbas region, and then again in the north. Now, yet again the Ukrainian chips away at what power the empire has left. Poland is in revolt. Student demonstrators have taken to the streets of St. Petersburg. It is only a matter of time before things become truly dire for Russia. Michael himself is an old man, aged into his seventies. He recalls the days of when Russia was great, was feared and respected all of the same. Now, under the curseful rule of his great nephew, Russia has all but collapsed. Nicholas views the United Nations as Russia's last hope, and that Russia may not be able to fight a long war against a Ruthenian offensive, but Michael views the UN as useless. Nonetheless, he was happy to get out of the chaos embroiling the country for once.

As he approached and entered the building, he noted that he was in fact the first to arrive. He took his respective seat in the chamber reserved for UNSC meetings, and lit a cigar. This was to be a long day.

Poland

Two days of constant bombardment had claimed the lives of hundreds, fighter or civilian. The Russian armies outside, eager for a decisive victory over the Natsis, began a mass-assault on the city. There was little resistance that remained, but this did not prevent looting, killing, and other attacks on the Poles within the city. However, in the end it was discovered that Leo Jogiches had fled the city, to Krakow, hoping to jump the border into Ruthenia if things got desperate. Enraged, the Tsar ordered another assault on Southern Poland, and they had authority to move into Ruthenia if "that damned bastard tries to escape", as the Tsar put it.

[Unicario]

July 6, 1902

At the United Nations building, Saito Makoto arrived for another day of listening to the powers of the world fight and argue over useless shit.

The United Nations Security Council always gathered in a smaller room. There were, as of 1902, a few powers on the council. Each continent got either two or three representatives each -- however, neither Northern or Sub-Saharan Africa had any nations capable of taking the mantle up at this point.

For Asia, Japan, China and the Rumites sat on the UNSC.
For Western and Central Europe; the three powers on the UNSC were Germany, France, and Great Britain.
For Eastern Europe, this was the Russian Empire and Tsardom of Ruthenia, who was the main subject of today's summit, and thus disqualified to attend.
For the Americas, there was the Confederate States, Canada, and Tawantinsuyu.

Makoto was soon joined by the delegates from Tawantinsuyu, Rum and France, who took their seats, awaiting the rest.

[Shrillland]

July 6, 1902
New York, New York

Balfour and Landsdowne took their places at the British seats while Canadian Foreign Secretary John Hay took his seat in the Americas section. Prime Minister Roosevelt was not present as he was facing continuous pressure to stay in Albany over the miners' strike. Neither Hay nor Landsdowne were expecting too much out of this meeting, Landsdowne was ready to propose sanctions, but Hay was instructed to ensure peace, something the people of Canada desperately desired after their near defeat in the Great War.

[Luziyca]

July 7th, 1902
Beijing, China

Conservative MP Ling Mon from the city of Dihua in Dzungaria tabled new legislation, titled the "Imperial Reform Act of 1902."

Fu Wen said when he introduced the bill that "in order to ensure a more efficient administration of the Celestial Empire, it is paramount that we simplify the administrative system of the country. And considering that technology has been getting better, it is now possible to directly administer even the most remote town in Chinese East Africa from the capital city of Beijing. Thus, it is paramount to table these improvements to enable a more efficient operation."

The bill included a map of China*, and even included an organization system: each prefecture would be solely referred by a single format: the title "Prefecture," followed by the number. This format would be applied all across the Empire, including the colonies.

Consequently, every square mile of the Empire of China's territory was to belong to a prefecture. Even those that had only recently come under Chinese sovereignty were to be divided up into prefectures. Another clause defined the powers and responsibilities of the prefectures: namely to serve as an "intermediary" between the residents in the prefectures and the national government in Beijing, who had all the power.

Since the prefectures in China's overseas territories were to be administered from Beijing, like the prefectures on the mainland, Fu Wen decided that "all residents of the Celestial Empire who are over the age of 21, and have literacy in Chinese" shall be granted the right to vote in Chinese elections, no matter where in the Empire they are: therefore, people in Mahajanga in Madagascar, all the way to those in Shanghai can vote in Chinese elections and serve in the Parliament.

Thus, Fu decided that each prefecture will function as a constituency, drastically reforming the electoral districts: thus, some prefectures would be over-represented, while others would be under-represented. Fu justified the system by stating that "it is simpler to treat each prefecture as a constituency for the Diet, than to waste money trying to draw lines because of population fluctuations."

The bill also mandated that each prefecture in the Empire be connected by telegraph, to "regional" telegraph exchanges, which in turn would be linked to Beijing.

But... Fu Wen was also concerned that multiple time zones would interfere with operation of the telegraph system.

Thus, he decided to propose designating GMT +8:00 as the sole official time zone of the entire empire: Fu named it "Imperial Standard Time," and the intention of IST would be so that government officials in every prefecture can operate at the exact same time. Thus, he intended for all prefectures, from as far west as Bunagana to as far east as Haishenwai, to use the exact same time zone.

While most of the provisions of the bill were accepted without debate, the final clause regarding IST was controversial: Conservatives supported IST, stating that it would enable government services to operate efficiently, and enable "smooth communication" from Beijing to the prefectures, and vice-versa, while if they had different time zones, prefectures whose telegraph stations were still open trying to send messages to Beijing may not get a "speedy response" if the telegraph station in Beijing was closed.

Socialists and Reformists opposed IST, claiming that it would force people to be "out of sync" with the solar day, and that having multiple time zones would help keep people "in sync" with the solar day. To alleviate the problem of "time-disrupted communication," they proposed that government offices be open at the same time as Beijing, but they provide hours of service so they can still be synced up with Beijing.

It was going to be a long session.

*This map is outdated: it is the most recent version I can find

[Unicario]

July 6, 1902

René Joachim Blanchet, the French ambassador to the United Nations, stood, and unsheathed a large slip of paper.

"If it pleases the United Nations Security Council, I would like to speak on something. At the current time, the United Nations is meeting today to discuss the imposition of sanctions against the Tsardom of Ruthenia for various actions including the advocation of crimes against humanity, and the funding of radical right-wing militias. While we remain allies of the Ruthenian regime, we understand the concerns of the free and democratic world of the threat that National Socialism imposes on all mankind. However, we must note that we feel the United Nations is showing a disproportionate interest in the affairs of the Ukrainians. I hereby submit the question on why the UN has no discussed the following growing problems on Earth.

He cleared his throat.

"The Confederate States of America, who only abolished the barbaric institution of slavery eleven (11) years ago this year, continues to oppress and denigrate coloured citizens to second or third-class citizenship without hesitation through the proliferation of laws called Jim Crow; they also discriminate disproportionately against non-Anglo-Saxon Protestants, and the poor masses of their country; or their brutality against civilians in wartime? What is the UN's solution to show the Confederates that this behaviour is not acceptable?" He gestured towards the Confederate delegates.

"What of the British, who ignore the obvious growing nationalist upstart in the land of Ireland, which is full of thousands of people who do not wish to live under London's grip, and would prefer to establish a free and independent Ireland? Shall we punish the British for the refusal to listen to the will of the Irish people?" He gestured at Balfour and Landsdowne.

"Canada? Shall we punish our hosts' use of residential schools to force the Native American to assimilate into Canadian society? Is that not tantamount to cultural genocide?" He looked towards John Hay.

"What about Russia, who Russifies ethnic minorities without question, and imposes the will of the Orthodox Christian Church on all members of society, and denies the Polish peoples their freedom, along with Germany?"

"What about Germany themselves, who waged war against a group of people clamouring for freedom, and has imposed an unbreakable Iron Curtain dividing the two countries -- so much so that a book, Across the Ehre has been written to pointedly criticize this doctrine, and nobody cared. This, added to the fact that they continue to hold the French peoples hostage with their continued illegitimate occupation of Lorraine, Alsace, and the Moselle; which are French territories by grace of God."

"China, oppressing the Mongols, Tibetans, Central Asians, Pashtuns, and African native under their mighty bootheel, in the name of Chinese glory and salvation? Or perhaps the fact they've killed scores of innocent people through their breakneck attempts at world diplomacy?"

"And Japan, continuing her occupation of Korea, Formosa and other territories in which the Japanese do not make a majority? Is there going to be a punishment for the concept of imperialism? Why shouldn't there be?"

"We should not pretend, gentlemen, that we are all innocent. If we punish Ruthenia for this, why shouldn't we punish ourselves? We all are guilty of genocide, of ethnic oppression, of racism, and of unspeakable acts against God and Mankind. No man is infallible."

[Luziyca]

July 6, 1902
New York
Chinese ambassador Li Tengfei, who was sitting silently since the conference began heard French ambassador René Joachim Blanchet claiming that China was oppressing the non-Chinese, and that it was just as bad as the situation in Ruthenia.

Li waited under Blanchet was finished with his speech, before replying.

"With all due respect to Mr. Blanchet," Li Tengfei said, "I have doubts that we can punish ourselves. After all, we have the unfortunate human tendency to care only about our own interests. Thus, it is easy to be horrified by what others are doing, and decry them as genocide, or as crimes against humanity, to the point that we call them monsters. However, when we engage in the same behavior, we believe that we are doing our orders, that we are civilizing the people."

"To attempt to impose sanctions on Ruthenia and Russia therefore is a complete waste of time," Tengfei declared. "If we were to do that, all it would do is alienate them from the global stage, and make them likely to continue their policies, for they would feel that they have absolutely nothing to lose at all. All we will achieve out of this is a second great war, which would benefit nobody, except for those who invest in making armaments."

"Thus, I would like to propose on behalf of the Celestial Empire a proposal to help outline the conditions where the UN is obligated to intervene," Li declared. He placed a sheet of paper on the conference table.

The United Nations shall only be obligated to intervene in the internal affairs of other member states in the event that any minority ethnic group numbering greater than one million persons as of 1900 faces an imminent risk of complete genocide within three months.

This resolution shall define a minority ethnic group as being:

1. less than 25% of the total population
2. speaks a different language and/or follows a different religion than that of the majority community
3. is concentrated in a geographic region with a population density of greater than five persons per square mile, and greater than 1,000 square miles

This resolution shall define genocide as the deliberate killing of a large group of people, who are members of a particular ethnic group or nation, by physical means. Assimilation shall not be counted as genocide.

An imminent risk of complete genocide indicates that:

1. the government is setting up internment camps for civilian populations
2. increased official hostility to members of ethnic minority groups
3. relocation of ethnic minority groups to the aforementioned internment camps
4. indiscriminate massacres of ethnic minority populations

Notes that if the number of the ethnic minority group is less than one million people, the United Nations shall be forbidden to intervene in the situation.

Li then stated, "I am sorry if it is disorganized, but I feel that this proposal shall result in a satisfactory conclusion to this debate: or at least, how much the UN should go to stop genocide."

[Shrillland]

"Honourable delegates," Lord Landsdowne answered, "It is not merely the Ruthenian government's actions against their own people that bring us here today: It is their wanton aggression towards the Russian Empire that threatens the peace of the world. Our sanctions do not, it is true, necessarily stop them from committing their atrocities upon their own people. It does, however, limit Ruthenia's ability to wage war, either directly or surreptitiously, on any of its neighbours simply because of some mystical goals. We respect the idea of self-determination, and we hope that Poland will be able to choose its own fate. The United Kingdom can not, however, stand by while the Ruthenians arm and assist a small group of gangsters who think that by seizing police stations and army barracks they will be seen as the legitimate government that the Poles clamour for. For this simple reason, the preservation of world peace, the United Kingdom moves to endorse a policy of sanctions against Ruthenia, which will isolate the nation and force it into reasonable discourse."

"We must also consider," John Hay said, "that no nation standing at this table today wants to see the world engulfed in another terrible war. If we are forced to take action against Ruthenia, then it must be united action with the moral authority of the United Nations behind it, and not isolated actions by one nation, no matter how powerful that nation might be." At that Balfour nodded. Hay went on, "We all want peace, but we must be strong to enforce peace and punish those that only want to rule others for their own sakes, as Ruthenia is trying to do with Poland."

[Unicario]

July 7, 1902
Shizuoka, Japan

"We proudly announce the formation of the Third Internationale, the alliance of the Socialist, Communist and Syndicalist Parties of the world; forged in the bonds of eternal socialist fraternity. We set aside our ideological minutia and recognize the universal threat that National Socialism and Fascism poses to the world abroad; and we pledge our all-out revolutionary resistance to end it. Let mankind hear from this day onward that the flame of liberty, and the struggle of all peoples for freedom, shall never be snuffed out!" shouted a young man from a podium. "We shall overcome through all odds to something greater; and we shall bring the Red Dawn to all nations living in chains!"

The large leftist rally was attended by thousands of socialists, communists and syndicalists in Japan's borders -- and was sponsored by the leadership of the Japanese Social Democratic Labour Party, the Revolutionary Socialist Party, and the Syndicalist Front; all of whom were celebrating the formation of the Third Internationale; two years after the Akita Conference between various socialist leaderships of the world.

Also in attendance was a major party deputy for La Syndicat in France, as well as the Paris Soviet; similar representatives from the Netherlands and Centroamerica were also in attendance. The Third Internationale was to be an alliance of nations and ideology that would strive against reactionary politics.

[Bojikami]

July 6th, 1902
New York

Grand Duke Michael, after waiting for the British delegate to finish, cleared his throat and began to speak. "Friends, I fear sanctions may not be enough to halt the momentum of the Ruthenians. What we are facing here is something completely unknown in times before us. What we are up against, is the Totalitarian State. Rulers in Ruthenia do not act by some divine right given to them by gods, or even by the social contract, they act upon their own will, and their people submit." He takes a drag from his cigar. "Meaning, in this sense, sanctions will weaken the economy, yes. But it will not make Oleksandr step down. He will simply rally the masses of his nation against us, pointing to us as the source of his nations woes. What must be done, is we must move against Oleksandr and his allies ourselves. We must react to the expansion of Totalitarianism, regardless of what face it wears, with maximum military force." He took another drag and let out a puff of smoke. "What I mean is, we must publicly declare to Oleksandr and his allies, that any form of aggression will be met with full military retaliation by the United Nations."

"This being said, however, The Russian Empire votes to back the sanctions, if this is all the UN feels is right to do at this time."

---

Poland

News spread of Leo's escape from Warsaw, which he earlier stated he would die defending. Overall confidence in the independence movement dropped as well, as survivors of the assault on Warsaw told grisly tales of what the Imperial Army and their fellow Poles had done. As the day grew on, Freedom Front leaders in Krakow began fortifying the city in any way that they could. Stanisław Skwarczyński, Liaison Officer for the Polish Rebellion and the Ruthenian Army, began sending desperate telegrams to Kyiv, pleading for more weapons.

[Shrillland]

At that, Lord Landsdowne said, "Let us call a vote on the matters before us."

Britain and Canada voted for both measures before the Council.

[Luziyca]

The Chinese delegation voted for the sanctions against Ruthenia, as well as their own measure.

[Bojikami]

The Russian delegation reluctantly voted in favour of the sanctions.

[Unicario]

The Japanese delegate voted aye in favor of the proposal, for no other reason than for global safety.
The Rumite delegate voted aye because of the chaos of the refugees fleeing over land and ocean away from the Ruthenian state into their territory.
The German delegate voted aye, with the ambassador proudly stating that, "We cannot tolerate the stench of National Socialism in Europe; Order must be restored!"
The French delegate, surprisingly, voted aye, claiming that "Ruthenia has turned her back on fascism, and has betrayed the maxims of nationalism and new order, with their violence."
The Confederate and Tawantinsuyuan delegates both voted aye, stating that there was no possible way to tolerate this kind of thing.

[Unicario]

July 7, 1902
Atlanta, Georgia

"Arise, workers of all nations! Arise, oppressed of the Earth! For justice thunders condemnation, a better world is in birth!"

The First Congress of the All-American Social Democratic Labour Party was hosted on 7th July 1902 in the city of Atlanta; the assembly of the Confederate States' communist movements, along with several civil rights leaders, sought to begin to address the grievances of the American working class and the Confederate nation with their white leaders. The leader of the Congress was William D. Haywood, a famed Utah-born labour activist who had gained notoriety in Canada and the Confederacy for his advocation of socialist policies -- he was an emerging leader of the nascent communist movement within the Confederate States of America.

Joining him in the assembly, along with hundreds of people of the poor background and African-American ethnic background; were famed people, such as W.E.B DuBois, a major advocate for the progression of the African-American through more radical approaches than that advocated by Booker T. Washington; an already established opponent of the AASDLP and the "Red Mobilization" as expressed by thousands and thousands of the growing population.

At the first meeting, William D. Haywood was confirmed as the General Secretary of the Party. But on the floor of the Congress, there were some notable groups -- even young people; a twelve year old boy, James P. Cannon, was in the assembly hall with a large number of Young Pioneers who sought to address what they saw as proper social inequality. His first experiences with the AASDLP would soon influence him in later years, as the predominant Trotskyite thinker in the party.

---

Paris, France

The revelations of the modern scientific ideology was an important asset to think about in these days. Marie Curie was the Imperial Minister of Scientific Affairs -- her primary responsibilities were to administer and deal with the nuances of scientific development in the Empire of France -- particularly where physics and the ascendant and new realms of "radiological science" were concerned -- she was pioneering a new understanding of the technology first expressed in mythical-like stories; more commonly expressed as nuclear power.

She wondered the kind of knock-on effects her discoveries would have in the near future...