[PASSED] Ban on Secret Treaties

[Separatist Peoples]

New Waldensian Ambassador Josiah Garrett rose in his seat.

"New Waldensia opposes this measure, for several reasons. Foreign policy is exclusively the realm of each independent nation - every state should be able to pursue international agreements and treaties that they deem fit. If they desire to make public their agreements, so be it. If they, for security purposes, desire to keep their mutual decisions between the agreeing parties, so be it."

"However, our greatest objection lies in the fourth point of the resolution. It reads as follows:

4. The words 'secret treaty' and all variant capitalisations thereof, excluding pluralisations, shall mean military-grade weapons and feline animals of varying sizes with tabby coats.

This language is a complete mockery of this august General Assembly and our procedures, and should not be allowed to pass. I urge you to vote against."

"Ambassador, did you not read the repeal that incldued a recipe for an Orange Julius? Or the resolution that refers to ambassadors as alcoholics, weirdos, and military machos?"

[Deropia]

New Waldensian Ambassador Josiah Garrett rose in his seat.

"New Waldensia opposes this measure, for several reasons. Foreign policy is exclusively the realm of each independent nation - every state should be able to pursue international agreements and treaties that they deem fit. If they desire to make public their agreements, so be it. If they, for security purposes, desire to keep their mutual decisions between the agreeing parties, so be it."

"However, our greatest objection lies in the fourth point of the resolution. It reads as follows:

4. The words 'secret treaty' and all variant capitalisations thereof, excluding pluralisations, shall mean military-grade weapons and feline animals of varying sizes with tabby coats.

This language is a complete mockery of this august General Assembly and our procedures, and should not be allowed to pass. I urge you to vote against."

"Ah, then you must also consider GAR#8 to be a mockery, since it refers to ambassadors as uh...what was it again...oh yes, 'drunks, stoners, weirdos, military fruitcakes, sex addicts, rejects, dear little kiddies, honest family types' and goes on to say 'that it would be nice for these inmates to have an asylum to run' so believe me, so it seems to me that a joke being present in the text of a resolution, if it has no impact on the interpretation, is relatively harmless. Besides it can be refreshing to have a chuckle when your reading through some of this dry subject matter." Jason sighs "From a a security perspective, wouldn't it increase your security by publishing such treaties? I mean, if you have a mutual assistance and non aggression pact with one of your more powerful neighbours, wouldn't the fact that other nations know of this treaty make you less susceptible to foreign aggression?"

[The Egyptian Pharocracial Suzerainty]

[/list]Now, therefore, be it enacted by this august and most excellent World Assembly, by and with the advice and consent of the Delegates and Members, in this present session assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows :—

1. There shall be formed a committee of the Compliance Commission, styled the 'Judicial Committee of the Compliance Commission', to oversee the publication of all laws, treaties, and international agreements, and those other tasks that may be assigned to it from time to time.
   
   
2. All treaties and international agreements with the force of law entered into by member nations shall be published by those members and registered with the Judicial Committee of Compliance Commission, which shall promptly publish in full those treaties and international agreements.
   
   
3. Member nations may not invoke treaties or international agreements that have not been so registered in pursuance with the second section to this resolution. Provisions relating to mandates for secrecy or non-disclosure of the text or existence of past treaties and international agreements shall cease to have effect as if those provisions did not exist upon passage.
   
   
4. The words 'secret treaty' and all variant capitalisations thereof, excluding pluralisations, shall mean military-grade weapons and feline animals of varying sizes with tabby coats.

[/box]

No. We are disinclined to subject Our diplomatic negotiations to the scrutiny and approval of an international committee comprised of bureaucrats who are not citizens of Our nation, and who are neither elected nor appointed by Out nation's citizenry, and who are not responsible to those citizens.

Our diplomatic negotiations are Our own affair, along with that of the other nation(s) being negotiated with, whether in private or public, and are no business of the World Assembly.

Opposed.

Should this Resolution pass, it shall be forwarded immediately to the Pharocracyan Ministry of Creative Interpretations for scrutiny and recommendations for compliant noncompliance falling within the strictest possible interpretation of the Resolution's provisions.

"Treaty? There was no treaty negotiated. There was merely a private conversation between the Prime Minister of Blackacre and the Suzeraintyan Secretary of State regarding the potential for independent and inadvertent coordination of Our separate policies upon the matter," stated the Press Secretary for the Prince Suzerain. "That this conversation coincided just prior to the advent of our previously agreed upon Joint Blackacrean/Suzeraintyan Military Exercises in the vicinity of the aggressing nations in a fashion that inadvertently resulted in the timely defeat of the enemy coalition was purely coincidental and entirely a matter of serendipity, as was the ensuing and unfortunate demise of the Brancalandian Prime Minister due to friendly sniper fire. After all, one couldn't possibly expect Suzeraintyan troops to merely stand by inactive when their partners in the joint exercise were fired upon without provocation, regardless of what agreements did not take place beforehand."

To pull a completely fictional and spurious faux example out of my hat that in no way is binding upon any of the ministers of My nation, nor exemplary of Our actual or potential foreign policy in any fashion whatsoever.

"Firstly, if the terms are binding only on those two nations but are such terms as, for example, agreement to declare war on an aggressor if one nation is attacked, treaties which are known to only the signatories do not deter war," Blackbourne explains, "for they cannot deter war of the aggressor is not aware of them.... "

Au contraire, Mr. Blackbourne: the complete devastation and defeat of the aggressor when they suddenly encounter a previously unknown and unexpected coalition of allied defenders that not only prevents their victory, but results in their utter defeat, most assuredly is a deterrent - it deters that particular aggressor from being capable of aggressing in the immediate future, just as certainly as an unexpected 10mm projectile fired into the head of a burglar by a homeowner prevents the recidivism of that particular burglar.

In short: don't aggress, for one has no real complaint if the result of said aggression is suddenly and unexpectedly discovering that one has unknowingly stepped into a woodchipper.

Again: opposed.

- Ambassador Rorschach of the The Egyptian Pharocracial Suzerainty

[The Egyptian Pharocracial Suzerainty]

since it refers to ambassadors as uh...what was it again...oh yes, 'drunks, stoners, weirdos, military fruitcakes, sex addicts, rejects, dear little kiddies, honest family types'

Sounds fairly accurate, based upon my limited exposure to and observations of these August Chambers and the denizens therein. What was the objection to the appraisal, again?

and goes on to say 'that it would be nice for these inmates to have an asylum to run'

I find myself puzzled. I thought that we had given them one: we call it "The World Assembly."

[The Egyptian Pharocracial Suzerainty]

This language is a complete mockery of this august General Assembly and our procedures

I am forced to agree. This august General Assembly should be mocked in completely different language. I suggest Cthuvian Ipsum.

- Ambassador Rorschach

[Evacus]

I believe that we should start a committee where all treaties go through, and the representative nations of the WA vote on it for the interest of the common country.

[Fauxia]

This language is a complete mockery of this august General Assembly and our procedures

I am forced to agree. This august General Assembly should be mocked in completely different language. I suggest Cthuvian Ipsum.

- Ambassador Rorschach

"Do we have to complain because there is a joke in the resolution? Our sattelite state voted against for actual reasons."

[Fauxia]

I believe that we should start a committee where all treaties go through, and the representative nations of the WA vote on it for the interest of the common country.

"It is not your business on a treaty between Fauxia and, say Imperium Anglorum

[States of Glory WA Office]

Fairburn: Can we ban magic invisible clauses now?

[Fauxia]

Fairburn: Can we ban magic invisible clauses now?

"What?"

[Whovian Tardisia]

"Due to Clause 4, which, due to poor wording, defines "secret treaty" as things that most certainly are NOT a secret treaty, not just within this proposal, but in ALL FUTURE WA LEGISLATION, Whovian Tardisia has decided to vote AGAINST, and encourages others to do the same."

[The Egyptian Pharocracial Suzerainty]

"Do we have to complain because there is a joke in the resolution? Our sattelite state voted against for actual reasons."

Well, if people are going to just freely give away straight lines, it would be a crime of omission to not grab them and turn them into punchlines.

And We voted against it for actual reasons: those reasons were stated in the post where We stated that We were opposed.

Making fun of the August Assembly and the other delegates was merely gratuitous mockery for our own amusement, as well as for the casual observers and passersby who might find entertainment in seeing the pretentious skewered, the imprecise lambasted, and the pompous deflated.

And it provides a welcome break from watching the filth and the vermin being washed into the gutters by the scouring, cleansing rain and whispering, "No," to their piteous pleas for succor.

- Ambassador Rorschach

[Fauxia]

"Do we have to complain because there is a joke in the resolution? Our sattelite state voted against for actual reasons."

Well, if people are going to just freely give away straight lines, it would be a crime of omission to not grab them and turn them into punchlines.

And We voted against it for actual reasons: those reasons were stated in the post where We stated that We were opposed.

Making fun of the August Assembly and the other delegates was merely gratuitous mockery for our own amusement, as well as for the casual observers and passersby who might find entertainment in seeing the pretentious skewered, the imprecise lambasted, and the pompous deflated.

And it provides a welcome break from watching the filth and the vermin being washed into the gutters by the scouring, cleansing rain and whispering, "No," to their piteous pleas for succor.

- Ambassador Rorschach

"You take this thing too seriously."

[Separatist Peoples]

And it provides a welcome break from watching the filth and the vermin being washed into the gutters by the scouring, cleansing rain and whispering, "No," to their piteous pleas for succor."

Bell gently places a bottle of antidepressants on the Ambassador's desk.

[States of Glory WA Office]

And it provides a welcome break from watching the filth and the vermin being washed into the gutters by the scouring, cleansing rain and whispering, "No," to their piteous pleas for succor."

Bell gently places a bottle of antidepressants on the Ambassador's desk.

Fairburn: Can I have some of those?

...They're for a friend.

[Fauxia]

Bell gently places a bottle of antidepressants on the Ambassador's desk.

Fairburn: Can I have some of those?

...They're for a friend.

OoC: For the entirety of the pro-life NS community after an attempted repeal of reproductive freedoms."

[Imperial Polk County]

"Before I vote on this, can I have a rational explanation on why clause 4 is included?"

[Araraukar]

Great. This 'too mild' drivel again. Ara, I invite you to challenge on that basis so we can get a ruling saying that there is no such thing.

OOC: I honestly don't give a flying fuck, so I'm just going to officially ignore you instead. Once I bother to switch accs to vote, it'll be an against one as a protest for all the stupidity in the proposal.

[Egyptian Pharocracy]

And it provides a welcome break from watching the filth and the vermin being washed into the gutters by the scouring, cleansing rain and whispering, "No," to their piteous pleas for succor."

Bell gently places a bottle of antidepressants on the Ambassador's desk.

OOC:

*rofl!* Nice touch. I like that.

I'm not sure that Ambassador Rorschach seems all that depressed by the mental image, more like... disturbingly cheerful, but still, nice touch.

[States of Glory WA Office]

-snip-

OOC: Well, that sure escalated quickly.

[Honeytopia]

In some circumstances, Secret treaties are needed for investigating countries in regions like what I have to deal with right now.

[Yohannes]

---

When I read the title ‘Judicial Committee of the Compliance Commission’, I was amused. It may be ‘badass’, but whether it (the name) is relevant to the theoretical purpose of this committee, I am not sure. Nevertheless, hereby in representation of the Christian Democratic Executive Council shall I present, that Parliament and the Electoral College have voted FOR the General Assembly Resolution At Vote: Ban on Secret Treaties. Aha.

Her Excellency Elisa Rue Wake, Emperor’s Counsel
World Assembly Ambassador of Yohannes

[Fauxia]

---

When I read the title ‘Judicial Committee of the Compliance Commission’, I was amused. It may be ‘badass’, but whether it (the name) is relevant to the theoretical purpose of this committee, I am not sure. Nevertheless, hereby in representation of the Christian Democratic Executive Council shall I present, that Parliament and the Electoral College have voted FOR the General Assembly Resolution At Vote: Ban on Secret Treaties. Aha.

Her Excellency Elisa Rue Wake, Emperor’s Counsel
World Assembly Ambassador of Yohannes

OOC: Don't call your nation a Christian Democratic Executive Council, it reminds people of one of the most polarizing GAers in all of NationStates, Christian Democrats

[Yohannes]

OOC: Don't call your nation a Christian Democratic Executive Council, it reminds people of one of the most polarizing GAers in all of NationStates, Christian Democrats

Out of character statement: Normally, I am kind to stranger (feel free to check my posting history, aha). But I do not like the way you worded your OOC (out of character) reply to my IC (entirely in character) post at all.

The way you worded that was, in my opinion, very rude and very disrespectful. And so I will be equally blunt

there is a saying; if one do not know much about something (in this case, the complexity of governance); it is better to keep one's mouth shut, instead of speaking impulsively and remove all doubt of one's (lack of) knowledge. Perhaps something to think about before commenting next time

Edit: If you still don't get that a Christian Democratic Executive Council is not a nation, then I rest my case

Edit2: I will give you this emoji -- my apologies for being so blunt; but I simply say what I think ~E

[The Eternal Kawaii]

In the Name of the Eternal Kawaii, may the Cute One be praised

We rise in confusion over this proposal. Basically, it boils down to one question:
If two nations were intent on conspiring against a third, why would they care what the Compliance Commission thought of the legality of their conspiracy?