A New Age of American Stability

[Michael McBride]

"It is certainly a proposal we can put forward. However, we must be prepared for rejection as the Chinese have grown and prospered the area over a number of years."

[New Frontier]

"You'll forgive me if that reassurance doesn't do much for me," Vigneault replied to the Emperor. "The question stands. [b]What if[/b] they choose to annex more of North America?"

[Owned-You]

"I do not mean to interrupt nor disrespect but is it really a concern if China did take more land in Alaska? It's an land full of resources yes, but it's also a frozen tundra and not exactly an area that would be pressing hard against the rest of our powers...I am not so dogmatic in my belief that American soil must be run by pure-American blood as that reeks of 19th century jingoism." Ignacio remarked calmly with little emotion on his face or voice. "Rather I'd retort that if the Chinese took Alaska and then began to take other lands in America then and only then would it be worth our concern. But at the present I feel we are jumping at shadows that pose little threat at the moment. As the Chinese would be foolish to attempt to manage both large holdings in Asia as well as America, it's a logistical nightmare for one and a strategic blunder that would bring ruin to the divided power."

[New Frontier]

"I can appreciate your points, but the North is no less valuable than any other region of the Americas. Beyond that, my point still stands. Should the UFE, or any ally of a member-state, choose to expand into North America, La Republique needs the assurance of every member that their priority will be this compact."

Unlike Ignacio, Vigneault did not conceal his emotions. He was a politician and a man of the people, and an emotional, passionate and beloved leader of his country. Even in private, his temperaments were clear.

[Michael McBride]

Thomas looked at Vigneault as the man's emotions started to rise. He fixed him with a cool, steely glare, one perfected from years of pilot training and dogfights. "You doubt my word, sir? They. Won't. I have my assurances from the Chinese. I have had relations with them perhaps longer than anyone else in this room. August Imperator Jia has given me no reason not to trust him. They will not acquire more land because they have told me they will not. They will not acquire more land because I am telling you they will not. And they certainly won't be acquiring more land before this conference is over and a joint American protectorate proposal can be made to them." Thomas' voice was low, level, but equally passionate. Doubting his word and that of his allies was something taken as a personal insult, and Thomas was not a man who liked to be insulted.

[Yawoo]

Chancellor Croix interrupted before things began spiraling out of control, "Gentlemen, what I am looking for, and what I assume my counter part in Quebec is looking for, is assurances that should any non-American ally of a signatory choose to expand into the Americas that the signatory will honor this bloc before any other agreements. If that is not something that can be done then that is a rather large problem, don't you think?"

[New Frontier]

Vigneault met the Emperor's glare and refused to blink. After several moments, it was Quebec's Foreign Minister, Cherie Lalonde, who spoke up from behind the President. Unlike her leader, Cherie was a long-serving diplomat, and was able to maintain a calm demeanour in all circumstances.

"Maxime does not, of course, mean to insult you or your allies, Your Excellency. Rather, he is a man who needs to know all of the possibilities. We all hope that this treaty lasts a long time, and anything could happen, such as a change in government in any of our countries, or our allies. I would suggest, then, that any agreement signed here include a superiority clause that states that American protectionism supercedes any outside treaty arrangements."

[Michael McBride]

Thomas acknoledged both Croix and Lalonde before turning back and speaking directly to Vigneault. "To assuage your fears, I would not be opposed to a Superiority Clause in any treaty provided," Thomas paused to make sure his point sank in, "provided that the superiority clause would ONLY kick in for American affairs. For example, should the Chinese attempt to gain more land, then this treaty would override our treaty with them. However, if we were involved in a war outside of American helping the Chinese, and a treaty partner here ended up on the other side of that war, this treaty would not override our treaty with the Chinese. Likewise if a member of this treaty decided to attack the Chinese in America when no expansion had been done or attacked the Chinese mainland, this treaty would not override our treaty with the UFE." He leaned back in his chair. "Do my examples make sense?"

[New Frontier]

"Such a clause would be agreeable." Vigneault nodded to Thomas.

[Owned-You]

"I am satisfied with a superseding clause under those boundaries as well." Ignacio smiled as he never had to say a word to get this sensitive piece added to the treaty. "With that said, I'd like to evaluate the treaty document. And if necessary make amendments to it soon."

[Michael McBride]

Thomas nodded. "My assistants have been revising the original as talks have progressed, so that we do not have to go over things twice. They should be here in a few minutes with the most up-to-date revision so we may start hashing out the finer points with the language and such." A few minutes later, an assistant came out and distributed a copy of the revised treaty to everyone present.

It read:
[quote]The American Treaty Organization

I. Preamble
We, the undersigned (henceforth known as the Signers), do come together on this day, June the 21st, year 20XX, to sign on to the American Treaty Organization (henceforth known as the Organization). We the Signers come to proclaim loudly and in one voice that the American powers once again stand united across continents. We the Signers come together to say that the Americas were a victim of colonization for too long, and it shall not happen again. We the Signers come together to say that American affairs will be dealt with by Americans, not dictated by foreign powers.

II. American Sovereignty
We, the Signers, believe that America should be for Americans. The Signers pledge to do everything in their collective diplomatic and military power to prevent any further expansion into the Americas by foreign powers. We, the Signers, also pledge to prevent any future foreign territorial foothold from forming in the Americas, save for military bases agreed on by treaty partners on an undersigned’s sovereign territory.

III. Signatory Sovereignty
The Signers of this treaty agree to respect the sovereignty of the other Signers.

IV. Organization Executive Council
Each Signer shall submit one Representative to sit on the Executive Council of the Organization. These Representatives will make decisions for the Organization on behalf of the Signers.

V. Signatory Intelligence Sharing
The Signers agree to share any and all intelligence pertaining to the future safety and security of the American continents. Failure to do so can be used as grounds for removal from the Organization.

VI. Mutual Defense
Should any Signer’s American territory be attacked, either by another American or foreign nation, the other Signers agree to aid the aforementioned nation by any means necessary, including diplomatic, military, and through the use of MAD policies.

VII. Military Action
Should a Signer wish to use the bloc for aggressive military action, they must bring have their Representative bring the proposal before the other Executive Council of the Organization. Aggressive military actions on the American continents must be approved by a unanimous vote of the Executive Council. Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited.

VIII. Superiority Clause
Signers to the Organization agree that in matters regarding an attack by a foreign nation on American soil, or an attempt by an existing foreign power in America to expand, this Organization will hold superiority over any other treaty Signers hold. This Clause will not apply to actions taken outside of the American continents or aggressive military action taken by the Organization.*

IX. Adding New Signers
New Signers may be added only with a unanimous approval vote by the Executive Council. This is to ensure that all Signers of the Organization are comfortable defending and being defended by any new Signers.

X. Leaving the Organization
A Signer, at any time, may leave the Organization by notifying the Executive Council of their intent. A Signer will then have one week before their membership in the Organization is null and void. A Signer may also be ejected from the Organization at any time by a unanimous vote by the Executive Council, excluding the vote of the Signer up for ejection.

*Aggressive military action is defined as action taken by the Organization with no previous provocation. Attacking foreign power trying to establish a foothold in the American continents or a foreign power trying to expand their current land holdings in America are not considered aggressive military actions and will fall under Sections II, VI, and VIII.

We, the undersigned, do hereby accept and pledge to uphold the tenants of the Organization as long as we are Signers:
[/quote]

[Yawoo]

"Once the bold parts seen below are removed the Republic of Texas will be overjoyed to sign."

[quote]VII. Military Action
Should a Signer wish to use the bloc for aggressive military action, they must bring [b]have[/b] their Representative bring the proposal before the [b]other[/b] Executive Council of the Organization. Aggressive military actions on the American continents must be approved by a unanimous vote of the Executive Council. Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited.
[/quote]

[JEDCJT]

"Apart from what Mr. Croix have bolded, the Holy Empire of Ursalia will be pleased to sign this. Shall we submit our signatures now, or wait until the other delegates have submitted their suggestions?"

[New Frontier]

"Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited."

"We would suggest that such a prohibition be changed to include the option for each individual member to use this as a cassus belli for war overseas, should they so choose."

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='Yawoo' timestamp='1308676031' post='2737409']
"Once the bold parts seen below are removed the Republic of Texas will be overjoyed to sign."
[/quote]

"The parts have been changed to be grammatically correct."

[quote name='JEDCJT' timestamp='1308681302' post='2737510']
"Apart from what Mr. Croix have bolded, the Holy Empire of Ursalia will be pleased to sign this. Shall we submit our signatures now, or wait until the other delegates have submitted their suggestions?"
[/quote]

"We would suggest waiting until all changes are made, just in case something comes up that you do not agree with."

[quote name='New Frontier' timestamp='1308692912' post='2737761']
"Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited."

"We would suggest that such a prohibition be changed to include the option for each individual member to use this as a cassus belli for war overseas, should they so choose."
[/quote]

"I am not sure what you mean. If you are talking about warring foreign nations overseas due to actions in America, that exception is already covered extensively in the document. A purely aggressive action outside the Americas is not allowed by this document. Period."

[JEDCJT]

"I have a question regarding this. If the Signer wishes to initiate aggressive military action independently of this organization, would that be allowed? My understanding of this phrase:

'Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited.'

is that Signers could not use the ATO as a basis to launch aggressive military action. But could they do that independently?

OOC: Like....if I wanted to invade Slavorussia by myself (without your assistance or support) could I do that?

[Yawoo]

[quote name='JEDCJT' timestamp='1308703739' post='2738001']
"I have a question regarding this. If the Signer wishes to initiate aggressive military action independently of this organization, would that be allowed? My understanding of this phrase:

'Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited.'

is that Signers could not use the ATO as a basis to launch aggressive military action. But could they do that independently?

OOC: Like....if I wanted to invade Slavorussia by myself (without your assistance or support) could I do that?
[/quote]

OOC: Yes

"Yes"

[JEDCJT]

[quote name='Yawoo' timestamp='1308704053' post='2738003']
OOC: Yes

"Yes"
[/quote]

OOC:

IC: "Thank you for clearing it up."

Edited June 22, 2011 by JEDCJT

[Shadowsage]

"Will this treaty interfere with any American nations, including non-signatories who are attempting to expand? I would prefer to allow non-signatories to war with each-other if they so desire. However, should any foreign influences attempt to interfere with a side, then I would support military action."

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='Shadowsage' timestamp='1308720530' post='2738245']
"Will this treaty interfere with any American nations, including non-signatories who are attempting to expand? I would prefer to allow non-signatories to war with each-other if they so desire. However, should any foreign influences attempt to interfere with a side, then I would support military action."
[/quote]

"Should two nations, let's say the USA and Midwest Republic, go to war, then the Organization would have a choice. If the Executive Council voted unanimously to intervene and stop the fighting, the Organization could do that. Without the unanimous vote, however, the Organization as a whole could not take action. That would not prevent individual Signers from doing so, obviously. Your assertion about foreign powers is correct."

[Owned-You]

Ignacio continued silently listening to his counterparts before speaking further. "Presently, I am more concerned that New Spain if signing onto this bloc will become embroiled in a manner of wars where it see's little gain internally. Namely, in our current youth we have yet to solidify our own aims and we feel that participation within this bloc could stifle or even oppose our goals as a nation. That isn't to say that we aren't for stability in the Americas, because we are as it within every nations interest on this continent. Rather that we do not feel the pressing need or want to enforce it just yet. We are a young nation and we'd like to get to know our peers on this continent a bit more before were willing to accept the spectre of war and it's toils footing the bill to protect the lives of other nations that may not be willing to do the same for ourselves."

Ignacio paused briefly, and calmly continued. "Now gentlemen I would like to emphasize that this is not a statement of decline by New Spain but simply an airing of concern with regards to being entirely for or against participation within this bloc...I suppose you could say we need further incentives and reasoning to be willing to put our citizens in harms way."

[Michael McBride]

[quote name='Owned-You' timestamp='1308928874' post='2740435']
Ignacio continued silently listening to his counterparts before speaking further. "Presently, I am more concerned that New Spain if signing onto this bloc will become embroiled in a manner of wars where it see's little gain internally. Namely, in our current youth we have yet to solidify our own aims and we feel that participation within this bloc could stifle or even oppose our goals as a nation. That isn't to say that we aren't for stability in the Americas, because we are as it within every nations interest on this continent. Rather that we do not feel the pressing need or want to enforce it just yet. We are a young nation and we'd like to get to know our peers on this continent a bit more before were willing to accept the spectre of war and it's toils footing the bill to protect the lives of other nations that may not be willing to do the same for ourselves."

Ignacio paused briefly, and calmly continued. "Now gentlemen I would like to emphasize that this is not a statement of decline by New Spain but simply an airing of concern with regards to being entirely for or against participation within this bloc...I suppose you could say we need further incentives and reasoning to be willing to put our citizens in harms way."
[/quote]

"I believe you are missing the point of what this bloc is about, sir. This is a bloc for American security. This is not an MDoAP, MDP, MDAP, or anything of that nature. This is a defense organization for American sovereignty. This is to prevent foreign influences from gaining footholds in America, from dictating our affairs and our way of life. If you are not for American sovereignty as a whole, I would have to question what, if anything, you are for? The signers of this organization will pledge to defend EVERY American nation from foreign aggression, not simply the signers. Whether you trust them to or not, every nation that puts their signature onto this treaty WILL defend you should your sovereignty be violated by a foreign power. That is the pact we are making here today." Thomas turned to the rest.

"With the edits made, and none further having been heard, I once again resubmit the American Treaty Organization to you all, this time for signatures."

[quote][font="Palatino Linotype"][size="5"][center][b]The American Treaty Organization[/b][/center][/size][/font]

[center][b]I. Preamble[/b][/center]
We, the undersigned (henceforth known as the Signers), do come together on this day, June the 21st, year 20XX, to sign on to the American Treaty Organization (henceforth known as the Organization). We the Signers come to proclaim loudly and in one voice that the American powers once again stand united across continents. We the Signers come together to say that the Americas were a victim of colonization for too long, and it shall not happen again. We the Signers come together to say that American affairs will be dealt with by Americans, not dictated by foreign powers.
[center][b]
II. American Sovereignty[/b][/center]
We, the Signers, believe that America should be for Americans. The Signers pledge to do everything in their collective diplomatic and military power to prevent any further expansion into the Americas by foreign powers. We, the Signers, also pledge to prevent any future foreign territorial foothold from forming in the Americas, save for military bases agreed on by treaty partners on an undersigned’s sovereign territory.
[center][b]
III. Signatory Sovereignty[/b][/center]
The Signers of this treaty agree to respect the sovereignty of the other Signers.
[center][b]
IV. Organization Executive Council[/b][/center]
Each Signer shall submit one Representative to sit on the Executive Council of the Organization. These Representatives will make decisions for the Organization on behalf of the Signers.
[center][b]
V. Signatory Intelligence Sharing[/b][/center]
The Signers agree to share any and all intelligence pertaining to the future safety and security of the American continents. Failure to do so can be used as grounds for removal from the Organization.

[center][b]VI. Mutual Defense[/b][/center]
Should any Signer’s American territory be attacked, either by another American or foreign nation, the other Signers agree to aid the aforementioned nation by any means necessary, including diplomatic, military, and through the use of MAD policies.

[center][b]VII. Military Action[/b][/center]
Should a Signer wish to use the bloc for aggressive military action, they must have their Representative bring the proposal before the Executive Council of the Organization. Aggressive military actions on the American continents must be approved by a unanimous vote of the Executive Council. Use of this Organization to initiate aggressive military action outside of the American continents is prohibited.

[center][b]VIII. Superiority Clause[/b][/center]
Signers to the Organization agree that in matters regarding an attack by a foreign nation on American soil, or an attempt by an existing foreign power in America to expand, this Organization will hold superiority over any other treaty Signers hold. This Clause will not apply to actions taken outside of the American continents or aggressive military action taken by the Organization.*

[center][b]IX. Adding New Signers[/b][/center]
New Signers may be added only with a unanimous approval vote by the Executive Council. This is to ensure that all Signers of the Organization are comfortable defending and being defended by any new Signers.
[center][b]
X. Leaving the Organization[/b][/center]
A Signer, at any time, may leave the Organization by notifying the Executive Council of their intent. A Signer will then have one week before their membership in the Organization is null and void. A Signer may also be ejected from the Organization at any time by a unanimous vote by the Executive Council, excluding the vote of the Signer up for ejection.

*Aggressive military action is defined as action taken by the Organization with no previous provocation. Attacking foreign power trying to establish a foothold in the American continents or a foreign power trying to expand their current land holdings in America are not considered aggressive military actions and will fall under Sections II, VI, and VIII.

We, the undersigned, do hereby accept and pledge to uphold the tenants of the Organization as long as we are Signers:
For the Empire of Pravus Ingruo,
[img]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v650/That_Bum/thomasatkinsonasgeirsson.png[/img]
Emperor of Pravus Ingruo, Captain (Ret.), PhD., Lord Sovereign of the East Coast

For the Republic of Texas,
Michael Croix
Chancellor
Gabriel Valcoste
Vice-Chancellor

For the Holy American Empire,
Lord Admiral Andrew Wiggin, Emperor of the Southern Rim

For the Holy Empire of Ursalia,
James Norton, Imperator
J Thomas Christopher, Grand Vizier

For the Cajun Federation
HRH the Prince of Acadia, Henri Broussard

Signing for La Republique du Quebec, her Citizens and her National Assembly, in the Name of Christ Our Lord,
His Excellency, Maxime Vigneault, President of La Republque
The Right Honourable Alexandre Picard, Prime Minister of La Republique [/quote]

Edited June 27, 2011 by Pravus Ingruo

[Yawoo]

[quote]/s/

Republic of Texas,

Michael Croix
Chancellor

Gabriel Valcoste
Vice-Chancellor[/quote]

[Shadowsage]

/s/
Lord Admiral Andrew Wiggin, Emperor of the Southern Rim.

[JEDCJT]

The Imperator and Grand Vizier duly submitted their signatures on the draft:

[quote]Signed for the [b]Holy Empire of Ursalia[/b],

[i]/s/[/i]

James Norton, Imperator
J Thomas Christopher, Grand Vizier[/quote]