[DEFEATED] A Treaty on Time Travel

[Goobergunchia]

Regulation - Transportation
(Some other options could include Safety or Energy, it's kind of a niche topic but I think it could realistically fall under any of these - transportation seems best, though)

The World Assembly,

Taking note that many nations have always been captivated by allure of time travel and that, to the best of this esteemed body’s knowledge, time travel has not yet been invented, nor have any provisions been put in place regulating this wonderful yet dangerous scientific practice,

Inferring, since there is no science currently proving time travel to be impossible, that for the time being, it should be assumed that it is possible and the practice may be discovered in the near or distant future,

Mindful that, upon the innovation of such a practice, events involving it will likely begin occurring at such a rapid pace that international protocols will not be able to be made quickly enough to adequately address the event, and attempting to ensure that this Assembly is adequately equipped for such an event to occur,

Enacts the following provisions into World Assembly law:

1. The Time Enforcement and Mishap Prevention Office (TEMPO) is established, and charged with handling all matters relating to Time Travel within the World Assembly.
   
2. In the event that any technological advancement or technique is developed, discovered, or otherwise obtained by a member of the World Assembly, they are required to inform TEMPO of the practice, as well as provide the information required to perform the act. TEMPO should document this information and keep an up-to-date record of all methods of time travel presently accessible and available. Under no circumstances will TEMPO facilitate in the exchange of this information, and it shall only be used for purposes within the committee. Further, it is incredibly strongly recommended that nations cease efforts to invent or otherwise discover time travel or similar technologies.
   
3. Should any techniques of time travel ever exist that allow travel back to the time of this resolution passing, TEMPO should send a representative back in time to the World Assembly chambers, to inform the organization of the existence of time travel and how to utilize it. They should also detail additional rules that may be required to govern such a practice and provide detailed failsafes for the same. TEMPO may, upon their discretion, choose to not send a representative back if doing so would cause a paradox or similar situation.
   
4. Performing time travel on the premises of any territory owned by the World Assembly is not permitted unless one or more of the following applies:
   
   1. The traveler is a member of TEMPO working on official World Assembly business;
   2. The traveler submitted an application to TEMPO for this instance, and the request has been approved by the organization - requests should only be approved if it is deemed to be a necessity to uphold the timeline, and it creates comparatively fewer and less severe paradoxes or other similar situations;
   3. The traveler is on a mission absolutely necessary to preserve the timeline that was urgent and could not await proper approval by TEMPO.
5. The deliberate and intentional meddling in historical events by any World Assembly member-nation through the creation or sending of any liaisons through time is strictly prohibited. The flow of time should go on as it always has, and every effort possible within the World Assembly’s jurisdiction should be made to prevent history from being changed.
   
6. The intentional creation of reality-altering paradoxes through the use of time travel is outlawed, and perpetrators will be prosecuted to the highest extent of the time-authorities. All hail the time-overlords.
   
7. The use of time travel in order to subvert the governing rules, practices or resolutions enacted by the World Assembly, past, present or future is not permissible.
   
8. In the case that the actions of a time traveler result in the creation of a separate timeline, alternate dimension, calamity of the highest degree, or the inadvertent execution of a significant historical figure, the traveler in question is obliged to inform TEMPO immediately of such so that remedial actions may be taken.

Co-author: Abacathea

Darin Perise.

"It occurred to me that as the world progresses technologically, we may soon come to a scenario where we must address time travel. This is worrying to me, because in a realm where we can change times nigh-instantly, then the four-day voting period at that point may be too long. We must be prepared for this time-warping technology to be discovered at a moment's notice. I brought this up to the Abacathean ambassador in one of the common areas, and they shared my passion for the subject. Together, we have written this draft and present it to you all for critique and feedback."

OOC: I'm in no rush to get this passed - hopefully this will be a good reprieve from some of the more serious topics in the Assembly these days. I do believe Aba shares this belief pretty heavily.

[Morover]

Reserved, just in case.

[Hustlertwo]

So money would be paid to people to work for an organization whose sole purpose is to police a nonexistent technology? In this economy?

[Tyrannosaurus Vex]

So money would be paid to people to work for an organization whose sole purpose is to police a nonexistent technology? In this economy?

One would imagine dear Ambassador that the funds required for such a committee would only be proportionate to the staffing needs at any given point in time, ergo this shouldn't really be an issue. Additionally I do not know what the state of affairs is with your economy, but at this moment in time we do not share your economic concerns.

[Bears Armed]

OOC: 'Regulation - [Area of Effect]' proposals are effectively Significant in strength. In the presumed current absence of any time-travel actually to be regulated by this proposal -- to the extent that the term "current" can be used in this context -- how is this draft more than Mild?

[Hustlertwo]

So money would be paid to people to work for an organization whose sole purpose is to police a nonexistent technology? In this economy?

One would imagine dear Ambassador that the funds required for such a committee would only be proportionate to the staffing needs at any given point in time, ergo this shouldn't really be an issue. Additionally I do not know what the state of affairs is with your economy, but at this moment in time we do not share your economic concerns.

Wouldn't that mean it would either be large and wasteful for years, decades or centuries without purpose, or so small and insignificant it would be indistinguishable from starting from scratch when the technology became reality?

Moreover, could we not wait until the technology was perfected and then go back and start a forewarned (and thus forearmed) TEMPO at the exact moment it was most needed, thus insuring that they had always been there at the ready without a minute of wasted bureaucracy?

As for that last bit, this delegate does not recognize the attempts at sick burns from extinct bicep-challenged theropods. Though the presence of dinosaurs in the assembly may mean TEMPO's time of purpose will come sooner rather than later.

[Bananaistan]

... to the best of this esteemed body’s knowledge, time travel has not yet been invented ...

"Not for the want of trying I can tell you. The politburo avidly looks forward to the day that it can fondly reminisce about how literally every single communist revolution in history was successful."

OOC: 'Regulation - [Area of Effect]' proposals are effectively Significant in strength. In the presumed current absence of any time-travel actually to be regulated by this proposal -- to the extent that the term "current" can be used in this context -- how is this draft more than Mild?

OOC: Sections 5 , 6 and 7 seem to be fairly strong requirements.

[Tyrannosaurus Vex]

One would imagine dear Ambassador that the funds required for such a committee would only be proportionate to the staffing needs at any given point in time, ergo this shouldn't really be an issue. Additionally I do not know what the state of affairs is with your economy, but at this moment in time we do not share your economic concerns.

Wouldn't that mean it would either be large and wasteful for years, decades or centuries without purpose, or so small and insignificant it would be indistinguishable from starting from scratch when the technology became reality?

Moreover, could we not wait until the technology was perfected and then go back and start a forewarned (and thus forearmed) TEMPO at the exact moment it was most needed, thus insuring that they had always been there at the ready without a minute of wasted bureaucracy?

As for that last bit, this delegate does not recognize the attempts at sick burns from extinct bicep-challenged theropods. Though the presence of dinosaurs in the assembly may mean TEMPO's time of purpose will come sooner rather than later.

To address your concerns adequately ambassador;

• Who's to say? Time travel could be a thing tomorrow, today, yesterday, twenty years ago, its unclear. Besides isn''t it time some levity made its way to the WA rather than quibbling over drugs and guns and abortions and what have you.
  
• This very legislation requires the technological developer to return to the present or the before to inform TEMPO of what is neccessary going forth. It's very simple the ol' concept of time travel m'dear boy. Keep up.
  
• Lastly, there was no attempt at a sick burn, our economy is fine, it is but a fact. Although I can infer, given that you believe you are having a conversation with an "extinct" (despite very real) delegate from the nation of Tyrannosaurus Vex, coupled with your emphasis on our biceps that you are less of a thinker than our good selves and as such we won't judge you to harshly for your primitive conclusions.

The Vexian ambassador adjusts his monocle, tips his hat and returns to his seat.

[Abacathea]

... to the best of this esteemed body’s knowledge, time travel has not yet been invented ...

"Not for the want of trying I can tell you. The politburo avidly looks forward to the day that it can fondly reminisce about how literally every single communist revolution in history was successful."

OOC: 'Regulation - [Area of Effect]' proposals are effectively Significant in strength. In the presumed current absence of any time-travel actually to be regulated by this proposal -- to the extent that the term "current" can be used in this context -- how is this draft more than Mild?

OOC: Sections 5 , 6 and 7 seem to be fairly strong requirements.

OOC: I would be in agreement with Bananaman's assessment. I get what Bears is saying about no current time travel to be regulated currently, but then, who knows whats going to happen yesterday?

[Bears Armed]

OOC: 'Regulation - [Area of Effect]' proposals are effectively Significant in strength. In the presumed current absence of any time-travel actually to be regulated by this proposal -- to the extent that the term "current" can be used in this context -- how is this draft more than Mild?

OOC: Sections 5 , 6 and 7 seem to be fairly strong requirements.

OOC: Only if and when there actually is time-travel... and for how many WA members is that canonically possible? The stat effects of a passed resolution apply OOC as soon as the resolution passes, even if IC they would actually phase in over a longer period... but if time-travel is never invented in a member nation's canonical reality -- which I suspect strongly will be the case for a majority of member nations -- then there will never be any IC justification for those OOC effects there, and the lower the proportion of the members that it actually affects the weaker its effective strength is.
This might be the first draft on the subject since GenSec was established, but there was at least one earlier on that the Mods quashed for this reason. (No, sorry, I can't provide a link: I'm fairly certain that the drafting thread I remember was back on the Jolt forum...)

[Morover]

OOC:

I'll given some actual responses to some of the IC stuff later, but I would like to get the category stuff out of the way--

I tend to align a bit more with Banana with this one, but I certainly see where Bears is coming from - could a category such as Global Disarmament - Mild work, on the basis that time travel could pretty easily be seen as military-grade technology, and this proposal limits it? I'd still prefer to get it into one of the regulation categories and will probably wait for some other legal opinions on the subject but I think this could possibly work.

[Abacathea]

OOC:

I'll given some actual responses to some of the IC stuff later, but I would like to get the category stuff out of the way--

I tend to align a bit more with Banana with this one, but I certainly see where Bears is coming from - could a category such as Global Disarmament - Mild work, on the basis that time travel could pretty easily be seen as military-grade technology, and this proposal limits it? I'd still prefer to get it into one of the regulation categories and will probably wait for some other legal opinions on the subject but I think this could possibly work.

I echo the sentiments of my co author here. Although I will also say, part of the thinking behind this or at least my coming on board was the sheer fun of such a proposal and while I get that this place isn’t always reknowned for that, it is certainly not beyond its capabilities either.

We are willing (I am speaking for both of us here admittedly but I can’t see morover disagreeing), to work with GenSec to make this a reality, or at least bring it to a natural conclusion!

[Bears Armed]

OOC:

I'll given some actual responses to some of the IC stuff later, but I would like to get the category stuff out of the way--

I tend to align a bit more with Banana with this one, but I certainly see where Bears is coming from - could a category such as Global Disarmament - Mild work, on the basis that time travel could pretty easily be seen as military-grade technology, and this proposal limits it? I'd still prefer to get it into one of the regulation categories and will probably wait for some other legal opinions on the subject but I think this could possibly work.

I think that probably I could accept 'Global Disarmament: Mild'. Let's see whether any other GenSec members have opinions to give in [appropriately?] the near future...

[Tinhampton]

7. The use of time travel in order to subvert the governing rules, practices or resolutions enacted by the World Assembly, past, present or future is not permissible.

(Emphasis added.) I cannot support a resolution which requires those subject to it to be aware of (and to follow) laws that do not yet exist - even in their present reality.

8. In the case that the actions of a time traveler result in the creation of a separate timeline, alternate dimension, irreversible calamity or the inadvertent execution of a significant historical figure, the traveler in question is obliged to inform TEMPO immediately of such so that remedial actions may be taken.

How the time traveller is supposed to contact TEMPO if he finds himself in a timeline where TEMPO does not actually exist is left unstated.

[Abacathea]

7. The use of time travel in order to subvert the governing rules, practices or resolutions enacted by the World Assembly, past, present or future is not permissible.

(Emphasis added.) I cannot support a resolution which requires those subject to it to be aware of (and to follow) laws that do not yet exist - even in their present reality.

8. In the case that the actions of a time traveler result in the creation of a separate timeline, alternate dimension, irreversible calamity or the inadvertent execution of a significant historical figure, the traveler in question is obliged to inform TEMPO immediately of such so that remedial actions may be taken.

How the time traveller is supposed to contact TEMPO if he finds himself in a timeline where TEMPO does not actually exist is left unstated.

I think this really only applies in a scenario where the traveller finds himself unable to return to a timeline where TEMPO exists in which case he’s probably exempt from said requirement as the resolution itself likely doesn’t exist requiring him to either?

[Xanthorrhoea]

4. iii The traveler is on a purely benevolent mission that was urgent and could not await proper approval by TEMPO.

The Xanthorrhoean ambassador raises a pompous finger:

“We feel this clause is redundant. Given that one is travelling in time, surely the urgency is determined by the time one is travelling to where the effects of the changes occur, which is unaffected by the time one travels from. Hence, waiting for approval makes utterly no difference. If one is travelling to the future, it can wait, and if one is travelling to the past, the intervention has already succeeded or failed, and waiting for approval again changes nothing.

The only way we see a delay mattering is if one knows one will die before approval occurs and one is using time travel to escape. In which case, the threat is either from a non-time travelling source, and (IMO) time travel shouldn’t be used to avoid it (preserving timelines and all), or it is from a time travelling source, at which point the logic of when things happen breaks down entirely and you end up in a paradoxical mess, which we would hardly call benevolent. We are also deeply concerned about what other delegates consider ‘benevolent’. In our experience all nations other than ourselves are corrupt and self interested, and we do not trust that their benevolent activity would not harm our glorious nation.”

OOC: Super cool and creative resolution! Between this and the yoghurt I’m torn which I like more.

TLDR: There’s no such thing as urgent time travel. Benevolent for me isn’t benevolent for thee. All hail the time overlords.

[Sierra Lyricalia]

In the case that the actions of a time traveler result in the creation of a separate timeline... the traveler in question is obliged to inform TEMPO immediately of such so that remedial actions may be taken.

"Ambassador, contrary to what you may have seen on last week's episode of Space Dreck: Anomalies 'Я' Us, there is literally no situation in which time travel fails to result in the creation of a separate timeline. The very act of travelling necessarily creates a branch in time - one branch in which the traveler never arrived, and one in which she did. I can no more affect the history of this world we all live in than I can snap my fingers and turn you into a dolphin. Whatever I do in the past creates a whole new, separate past, and you go on here as ever, with no changes in your history. A traveler can't 'change the past' and then come back to a whole new future; he can only create a separate timeline. Now, if it's possible to 'go forward in time' other than by going to sleep in a deep freezer and hoping they don't pull the plug on you, that traveler and everyone existing in the new timeline will have the new history; but the old history doesn't cease to exist; it just exists over here now. And you can't come back."

"In short, ambassador, there is no point to the provision I cited because there is no remedial action that can meaningfully be taken. You can't prevent the Holocaust; you can only create a new spinoff world in which it didn't happen. The old world will keep on going, in just as much sorrow as ever."

[Imperium Anglorum]

The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible.

[Barfleur]

"Barfleur supports this proposal. While we are not opposed on principle to time travel, we recognize the extraordinary--to say the least--risks that it poses to the world as we know it, er, or knew it, or will know it, or would have known it... okay. You know what I mean. We recognize the risks and uncertainties, and believe that it is necessary to have a comprehensive regulatory scheme in place before people begin actually travelling through time--if "before" is even a thing anymore..."

OOC: Full support.

[Doge Land]

7. The use of time travel in order to subvert the governing rules, practices or resolutions enacted by the World Assembly, past, present or future is not permissible.

(Emphasis added.) I cannot support a resolution which requires those subject to it to be aware of (and to follow) laws that do not yet exist - even in their present reality.
-snip-

To me it looks like future proofing. If someone in the future were to use technology to subvert laws in their present, it would have been the future when this proposal was created, so if it only said past and present, then wouldn't the person in the future be allowed to circumvent the laws of the future?

[Hustlertwo]

The Vulcan Science Directorate has determined that time travel is impossible.

If only they had told Spock that, we could have been spared J.J. Abrams glowfest of a reboot.

[Frostwalkers]

After recording one response, the Frostwalker representative shuffles his papers again.

"Ah, here we go. 'Should this vote reach the floor to be approved or denied, the Delegate-General of Starfall will show approval at this proposal with the stipulation that some form of contact should be able to be made - either developed with a combined effort of Member nations or as a project made by the TEMPO organization. There should be some way to contact the originating timeline or TEMPO directly."

OOC: I'm fine with this, really, as long as it follows what GenSec says. But I'd recommend some regulation to have a communication requirement in the case you get stuck or otherwise missing in an aboriginal timeline. Basically, just make a comms requirement.

[Honeydewistania]

How can this resolution be enforced? Is GA#2 going to be repealed so a time police can be created?

[Wallenburg]

Section 4 is unenforceable, considering how well documented time travel is in areas such as the Strangers Bar.

Section 7 contradicts GA #79, "Ban on Ex Post Facto Laws".

[Separatist Peoples]

"If time travel were truly an international issue, somebody would have come back in time to warn us already. Opposed."