Clarification of Resolution 2 Article 5

[Obscure Punctuation Marks]

Could someone clarify what Resolution 2 Article 5 of the World Assembly means?

Article 5 § War in the World of NationStates is defined as a consensual act between two or more NationStates. WA Member States may, at their discretion, intercede against declarations of war on behalf of NationStates who wish to avoid war.

I assumed this was just endowing members states rights in wars, but Resolution 2 Article 7 further confused me by saying that WA Member States can violate Resolution 2 Article 5:

Article 7 § Every WA Member State has the duty to refrain from giving assistance to any NationState which is acting in violation of Article 5 or 6. Every WA Member State has the duty to refrain from recognizing any territorial acquisition by another NationState acting in violation of Article 5 or 6.

Which is strange because Article 5 seemed to only say what Member States CAN do rather than what not to do.
(also I'm kinda a scrub so please use layman's terms)
Thank you for your time!

[Tinhampton]

Member states are allowed to withhold aid from nations that declare war unilaterally? I don't know, but that's my best guess...

[Separatist Peoples]

Could someone clarify what Resolution 2 Article 5 of the World Assembly means?

Article 5 § War in the World of NationStates is defined as a consensual act between two or more NationStates. WA Member States may, at their discretion, intercede against declarations of war on behalf of NationStates who wish to avoid war.

I assumed this was just endowing members states rights in wars, but Resolution 2 Article 7 further confused me by saying that WA Member States can violate Resolution 2 Article 5:

Article 7 § Every WA Member State has the duty to refrain from giving assistance to any NationState which is acting in violation of Article 5 or 6. Every WA Member State has the duty to refrain from recognizing any territorial acquisition by another NationState acting in violation of Article 5 or 6.

Which is strange because Article 5 seemed to only say what Member States CAN do rather than what not to do.
(also I'm kinda a scrub so please use layman's terms)
Thank you for your time!

"Ambassador, it's pretty plain language there. War is defined as consensual. Non-consensual war is to be responded to with no less than a refusal to aid said nation and a denial of recognition of territorial acquisition. Probably more."

[Sandaoguo]

The simple truth is that it doesn't make any sense at all, because the resolution was sloppily written. You'll be hard-pressed to find a war where all parties involved are keen and eager to have war declared on them. "War as a consensual act" is an oxymoron that baffles international legal scholars.

The best illumination of Article 5 is that war is consensual, unless it's not, in which case other states aren't allowed to participate. Who knows? We ought to repeal it and replace it with something more in line with reality.

文勋 Xūn Wén
Permanent Representative to the World Assembly

[Frustrated Franciscans]

Could someone clarify what Resolution 2 Article 5 of the World Assembly means?

Article 5 § War in the World of NationStates is defined as a consensual act between two or more NationStates. WA Member States may, at their discretion, intercede against declarations of war on behalf of NationStates who wish to avoid war.

As others have pointed out, the resolution has some very odd terms that are defined. The key in this article is the word "consensual." It sounds odd, but it actually makes sense. Nation A declares war against Nation B. In response Nation B declares war against Nation A. Thus the "war" is "consensual" (relating to or involving consent, especially mutual consent). Now the question is what are those occasions that could result in war being a "non consensual" act (war has been declared on a nation but that nation in turn does not declare war on the nation that declared war on it).

(Perhaps when the nation knows it's going to be defeated before firing a shot?)

So if you are a member state and some big bully of a member state decides to declare war on you, if you insist on not declaring war back, all the nations in the WA must not aid in that nation's war against you and not recognize any territory gained by that non consensual war.

Strange, but oddly effective. It also applies to nations that are not members, since the onus is on the WA members to not aid and to not recognize.