The Axioms of war return

[Zoot Zoot]

After many months of searching, we have found a treaty named "the axioms of war".

After reading this treaty we wish to bring back this treaty, with amendments to its parameters, decided by an international council, and update its member list.
Below is the old treaty minus its signatures.
I am inviting leaders from around the world to the temporary senate house in Ellemere Island to come together and discuss the treaty, and hopefully for it to be updated for here and now, not many years ago.

Simply respond to this telegram if you wish to be a part of this conference.
[b]Signed[/b]
Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte
Empress Josephine Bonaparte
Imperial Marshal Michael Ripley


[quote]
In the interest of establishing acceptable practices in warfare the following shall be the standards to which we hold ourselves in any and all conflict, and the standard to which we will hold our enemies. Assuming victory, violations committed unto us by any nation or people, or by us unto any nation or people may be considered a war crime.

Article I: Definitions

Civilian Entity: Any structure, facility, or person which does not contribute to or effect the ability of the enemy nation to conduct a policy of war. (Example: School)
Facilitating Entity: Any structure, person, or facility which facilitates the war effort. (Example: Factory)
Military Entity: Any structure, facility or person which directly carries out an enemy nation's policy of war. (Example: Military Base)
Lawful Combatant: An individual who is a recognized member of a enemy nation's armed forces, and which operates under a distinguishable uniform bearing the markings of that nation's military.
Unlawful Combatant: An individual who who is not a recognized member of an enemy nation's armed forces, and which is not operating under a distinguishable uniform. Any combatant who is attempting to conceal their national identity. (Example: Spy, Terrorist, Unsanctioned militia, guerrilla forces).
Surrendered Unit: A former Military entity which is attempting to surrender to an enemy force be it voluntarily or under coercion.
Unrecognized Prisoner: Any unlawful combatant which has surrendered and has not been recognized as a prisoner of war.
Prisoner of War: Any lawful combatant which has surrendered and has had this state recognized by the enemy force.
Upper Government: Any organ that is part of the decision making process responsible for the execution of the war is classified as Military Entities (Example: Parliament).
Lower Government: Any organ of government aiding in the execution of the war shall be labeled as Facilitating Entity (Example: Civil Service).
Democratic Nation: A nation where the "people" form the sovereign base of the government, and are therefore responsible for the actions of the government.
Authoritarian Nation: A nation where the "state" and the "people" are separated and where control of a nation is determined by instruments of coercion thereby exonerating the people of responsability for their government.
Torture: Any method of interrogation which physically harms the body of the interrogated individual, and is designed to produce pain or suffering. (Example: Cutting, Electroshock, Burning)
Biological Warfare: The use of pathogens, and living micro-organisms as weapons in war.
Strategic: In a large scale often effecting civilian, and facilitating entities in addition to military entities. (Example: Large scale nuclear weapon.)
Tactical: Smaller scale limited to single battles, generally only effecting military entities. (Example: Tactical nuclear weapon)

Article II: Axioms of War

1. War should only be used defensively to safeguard against violations of a nation's sovereignty, or threats to the safety and welfare of a nation's people. War is pre-emptively justified when the presupposed threat has demonstrated an intent to violate said nation's sovereignty or the harm the safety and welfare of said nation's people and when engaging in a pre-emptive war would lessen the severity and shorten the inevitable defensive war.

2. In a time of war the targeting of facilitating and military entities is acceptable as their state of existence has a direct effect on the ability of the enemy nation to conduct war. Conversely the targeting of civilian entities is unacceptable as they have no bearing on the war itself. The elimination of a civilian entity is only acceptable when doing so is necessary and balanced by the targeting of facilitating or military entities. Attacks, if possible should be conducted, and timed in such a way as to minimize the damage done to civilian entities.

3. Occupied population centers and territories should be administrated by occupying forces fairly and with minimal intervention in the lives of those living within them. Civilian entities under the control of occupying forces should not be ill treated or abused unless such treatment is necessitated by criminal activity (Exampled: Detainment of Criminals).

4. In a time of war, prisoner of war status should always be extended to surrendered units who were lawful combatants at the time of surrender. Upon said status being conferred the prisoner of war should be detained in sanitary facilities and cared for in a humane way by the host nation until the conclusion of the war or a prisoner exchange. Prisoners of war must not be subjected to ill treatment, execution, or torture. Lawful combatants who surrender in an injured state, or incur injury as a prisoner of war are due quality medical treatment by the host nation. If a surrendered unit is an unlawful combatant at the time of surrender, then they may be considered an unrecognized prisoner by the host nation. Unrecognized prisoners are not protected by this doctrine.

5. Biological warfare is unacceptable and the use of biological weapons, development, storage, trafficking, or sale of them is strictly forbidden. Chemical, and Nuclear weapons are tolerable weapons of mass destruction, and may be developed and maintained for use in war.

6. Nuclear weapons will never be used strategically in a first strike capacity. Tactical use is not prohibited, but is discouraged and should only be used when all other possible alternatives have been exhausted.

7. Economic reparations and sanctions should never be demanded of a defending nation nor should they be demanded of an aggressive Authoritarian Nation as they punish the citizens or subjects of that nation for actions they are not responsible for. Reparations or sanctions may be levied against aggressive democratic nations as their people bare responsability for their government's actions. Citizens belonging to authoritarian nations should also be treated with greater leniency and consideration for the before mentioned reason.

8. Unless there is a cultural, or strategic reason, territory gained during war war should not be absorbed into the occupying nation but should be either given to a successor state, or maintained as an autonomous protectorate.

Article III: Violations

Post war a special commission will be called to investigate war crimes, a tribunal of officials representing the signatories will then be set up to decide punishment. As the nature of an offense may be diverse there is no set punishment. Depending on the nature of the offense anything from simple removal, to execution may be issued.

Article IV: Signatures

Selenarctos
Imperium of Canada
Union of Arctica
New South Wales
The Republic of Madurastan
Australia[/quote]

Edited May 25, 2010 by Zoot Zoot

[iKrolm]

Selenarctos reaffirms our signature of this document.

[Zoot Zoot]

The signature is added, along with the Imperiums

[Silhouette]

New South Wales claims her intellectual rights over this document, as it was formed at the Sydney Convention, and is in fact still accurate and in force...

OOC:

[Vedran]

"The Union of Arctica still abides by this treaty and feels that its current signature is still valid."

[VigilantWatcher]

The Republic of Madurastan wishes to add its signature to this treaty, if that is possible.

[Zoot Zoot]

Your signatures have been added, and of course the treaty is still in effect for those signatores who signed previously, think of this as merely an update of a long out dated document.

[Subtleknifewielder]

Australia for the time being maintains its signature on this document.