Occupied Territories Protection Act
The Democratic Union, preserving the delicacy of peace and democracy between nations both domestic and foreign to the assembly, must recognize that land is an important tool for both negotiating peace and waging war. With this in mind, it would be in the best interest of the Union to make a stand against seizing land by the use of force.
In order to begin to create peace for today's and for the future nations of the North Pacific, a series of legislation must be drafted to ensure the safety of the civilians and of the environment in the occupied territory. This act is to:
I. Create a series of laws and boundaries on the topic of occupied territories achieved through the use of force or through threats.
II. Set up a series of consequences for those who break the laws and boundaries set by the act.
III. Create a plan for military, diplomatic, and humanitarian action for the conflict this is being applied to.
Section I of the Occupied Territories Protection Act (OTPA) is to create a series of binding laws and boundaries on the topic of occupied territories and the country that shows aggression toward them. Nations within the Democratic Union must abide by the laws set by the document and the Democratic Union must be able to enforce the laws (Section II) set by the document. The laws are as follows:
I. No nation must claim territories as their own if they have gained control over said territories if military aggression is used against the parent nation.
II. If seized by force and no claims by the aggressor have been made on it, then the land must not be altered, changed, destroyed, or built upon unless it is a temporary structure that can be restored to the scape it was before.
III. Religious structures, hospitals, refugee camps, and government buildings must not be destroyed, altered, or slandered in anyway.
IV. All prisoners of war (POW) must be returned to the parent nation if they were captured inside the territory that was taken over. All POWs must be treated humanely without outrages of dignity.
V. All threatening acts will be investigated by the Democratic Union and punishment will be dealt according to the final verdict. Coercive acts include the threats of: economic sanctions, military action, or attacks on citizens (physical, discriminatory, verbal, or emotional) in order to gain land.
Section II of the OTPA ensures that the laws stated in Section I are followed by using consequences against the aggressor and making sure that a peaceful solution is met. The laws and consequences are to be enforced by the Democratic Union. Such punishments may include: probation, exile from the DU, economic sanctions, military aggression, and more. The consequence and punishment must be seen as a fair and appropriate one by the Chairman and the general assembly. The Chairman has the power to veto the chosen punishment, but the general assembly can overturn that veto with a 2/3 majority. Nations that did not support the consequence can choose to either partake or not to partake in the ruling. For example, if a series of economic sanctions are placed on the aggressor by the DU, individual nations can choose either to commit to the plan or they can decide not to go through with it. With this in mind, it could leave the Democratic Union with the ability to make it legal by the standards set, but can also mean that the DU is all talk with no real ability for action. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman will be put with the duty of raising resources or support for action.
Section III of the OPTA creates a plan to make sure that if the situation arises, the Democratic Union is able to quickly and effectively combat the issue. The Democratic Union will be able to deploy humanitarian, diplomatic, and military forces if need be; the forces and tactics used by these forces should be overseen by the Strategic Commander or the Chairman of the DU. The number one priority of the forces deployed must be keeping the innocent civilians safe and ensuring that democracy is kept within the country. The forces deployed are volunteers given to the DU as they are to be used in the situation that Strategic Commander sees fit relating the to crisis. Displaced civilians are to be treated with respect, dignity, and their well being at mind. Understanding this, the Strategic Commander must make sure that the forces deployed are doing their best to maintain the standard the DU has set and must make sure all forces are properly trained. Steps to such territorial crises can be simplified to four basic steps for humanitarian, diplomatic, and military aid.
I. Understand the situation on hand; this includes all intelligence from many different sources.
II. Decide on the appropriate action. This will be done by the general assembly of the Democratic Union
III. Begin the movement of forces to and fro; debrief and train all members of the forces on the correct rules according to the situation on hand.
IV. Gain support for the cause at hand. This can include funds, resources, troops, and civilian recognition of the crisis.
The final step is to recall forces if seen necessary. While aid is in the territory, the DU can collectively decide whether or not to further explore the situation and how it can be improved. Examples of this could include the building of settlements for the refugees, adding infrastructure to towns or water sources, public hospitals and clinics, public schools, and financial stability. This can all be refused by the parent nation if they do not wish for the aid currently.
