[DISCARDED] Repeal 'Pesticide Regulations'

[Excidium Planetis]

OCC:I-ii-ilegaaalll????
CMON BOB LETS GO *run run run*

Blackbourne let's out a surprisingly hearty laugh. "I would like to see your delegation stick by their vote this time."

[Sierra Lyricalia]

*** Opinion of the Secretariat ***

Sierra Lyricalia, joined by Separatist Peoples and Glen-Rhodes. Bears Armed joins as to all except Paragraph 7. Sciongrad recused.

1. We are asked to determine the legality of the resolution at vote, "Repeal 'Pesticide Regulations.'" We do not rule at this time on the questionable practice of making claims about other WA players in the text of a repeal, to be permanently engraved in international law. Rather, on the narrow basis of a violation of existing rules, we find it illegal as submitted.

2. The claims in the first section are a clear Honest Mistake violation. Rational nations simply do not always (or even mostly) act in their own rational interest, especially when it comes to the environment.

3. First, rational nations may rationally seek to maximize economic output, population growth, financial supremacy, technological superiority, or other strengths, all at the expense of the environment, and still be broadly speaking​ "rational."

4. Second, rational nations may have internal elements or strong sub-national departments, factions, anarchy (in the anarchist sense), chaos, or corruption that prevents them from carrying out rational acts without external stimulus (e.g. war, natural disasters, or WA mandate).

5. Third, even if the above conditions don't apply, a rational nation might find itself in a budget crunch and put off taking the (no longer required) measures "until next year;" and by happenstance (whether accidental or deliberate), next year it's the same story. Wash, rinse, repeat, indefinitely putting off taking rational measures they know are necessary because their priorities dictate they must. Yet they may be quite diligent about meeting and enforcing all active WA mandates; thus rationality plus compliance would still not yield the repeal's asserted state of affairs.

6. Therefore it is impossible for a resolution to be written as (or an author to stipulate that it is) an unnecessary law. The repeal violates the Honest Mistake rule, since no interpretation of the text could possibly hold the text itself to be unnecessary.

7. Taken to its logical conclusion, the repeal argues that there is in fact no need whatsoever for international law, full stop. After all, rational nations already do what is in their best interests. So assuming truly heinous acts like genocide and piracy would be met with retaliation, no nation will ever do those things as their "interest" would lay in not doing them. In that state of affairs, every WA resolution is pointless; and therefore the very World Assembly is without purpose and should be abolished. We deny that line of thinking - the complete denial of the WA game itself - entirely.

8. We therefore find that this repeal violates the Honest Mistake rule, and is illegal as submitted.

[Imperium Anglorum]

I'm going to applaud the above arguments, and am happy to see that they are so made. Let it be the death knell to the absurdity that is 'rational inevitability' and the resulting ridiculous overextension of reasonable nation theory. I'm very pleased with the ruling as made.