[DRAFT] WA Digest January 2019

El Fiji Grande · Jan 8, 2019

World Assembly Digest

by El Fiji Grande, Minister of Communications

General Assembly
Improving the world one resolution at a time.

Preventing Groundwater Contamination
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 13,534 Against: 2,184
Final Vote (TNP): For: 511 Against: 62 Percentage of WA nations voting: 39.2

Recommendation: This proposal is a bit convoluted and not very clear in its intent. It fails to cite any parameters for the proposed project and gives only vague indications of the project's eventual benefits to member nations. Without these things, the project has the potential to become a vast and costly white elephant in space, indefinitely hemorrhaging funds into the nearest singularity. Most problematic is the requirement to a mandatory, open-ended spend for all WA nations, many of whom have no interest in space exploration at all. This lack of clarity in authorship, and perhaps an ambition that has outpaced practical realities, renders the project difficult to envision, and the proposal difficult to support.

For this reason, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote Against this proposal.

Debtor Voting Rights
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 9,613 Against: 6,991
Final Vote (TNP): For: 457 Against: 157 Percentage of WA nations voting: 42.1

Recommendation: The proposal very simply and elegantly protects the voting rights of debtors. This is important as democratic member nations should not constrict the rights of citizens to elect representatives and/or the ability to vote upon other democratic processes based on their financial status or grievances.

In accordance with the brief reasoning stated above, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this proposal.

Repeal "Debtor Voting Rights"
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: Against
Final Vote (World): For: 10,937 Against: 5,078
Final Vote (TNP): For: 316 Against: 218 Percentage of WA nations voting: 40.0

Recommendation: Foundationally, the target proposal remains sound. That it does not address every conceivable scenario where it may be skirted by nefarious governments does not preclude the possibility of future, enhancing proposals to address those vulnerabilities. The recent passage of GAR#450 (Don't Kill the Poor Act) addressing an oversight in GAR#38 (Convention Against Genocide) shows how scenarios not considered at the time of passage of a law can be later addressed, without a wholesale repeal and replace. Although the ideas outlined in this repeal and the ideas outlined in DVR are linked, they remain separate issues: One relating to debt and imprisonment. One relating to debt and voting rights. As a result, and provided any supplementary legislation enhancing DVR does not tread on precisely the same ground, the concerns raised in this proposal can be addressed without the repeal. While some may see DVR as incomplete, incomplete is not the same as defective. In what it sets out to do, DVR still makes it very clear that no nation shall bar member nations from invoking a person's debts as reason to deprive that person of the right to vote. Legislation relating to debt and incarceration can, and likely will, come later.

For this reason, The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote Against this proposal.

Freedom to Seek Medical Care II
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: Against
Final Vote (World): For: 8,069 Against: 7,770
Final Vote (TNP): For: 196 Against: 410 Percentage of WA nations voting: 41.4

Recommendation: This is the second incarnation of this proposal. The first was submitted for vote roughly one year ago, and little has changed between that version and this. The Ministry cited a significant problem with version one (FTSMC), in that it created potential conflicts with standing legislation GAR#389, relating to the closure of national borders, and the prohibition of temporary emigration at times of quarantine during epidemics. Should the need arise to repeal and replace GAR#389 with a more comprehensive version, the passage of FTSMC would have rendered that legally impossible. The loss of that ability to declare quarantines, and close national borders, would present an unacceptable risk to the greater public health of the WA, writ large. While the Ministry, then, supported the premise of FTMSC, it could not support the proposal without a suggested, minor edit to language, alleviating that problem. In the current version, those recommendations have gone ignored, the troublesome language remains, as does the potential conflict. It appears the author simply sat on the proposal for a year, made minor amendments that did not address previous concerns, then added a "II" to the title in hopes that voters would forget. This shows a certain complacency, which is further highlighted by the garbled text that appeared in the previous version and remains uncorrected a year later. For these reasons, The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote Against this proposal.

Repeal "Safeguarding Nuclear Materials"
Status: Failed
Delegate's Vote: Against
Final Vote (World): For: 4,846 Against: 10,862
Final Vote (TNP): For: 65 Against: 496 Percentage of WA nations voting: 39.3

Recommendation: In citing our previous support of the target of this repeal, it should be noted that the target allows all WA nations to procure and trade nuclear weapons without WA interference. This is important as very real and powerful nuclear threats do exist outside of the WA sphere of influence and it is paramount that WA member nuclear programs are not subject to limitations that may prevent a response or act of aggression by a foreign power. Furthermore, the target resolution provides denuclearization services free of charge to nations who cannot defend or no longer wish to maintain their own nuclear program.

In accordance with the items stated above, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote Against this repeal.

"Safeguarding Nuclear Materials" aims to protect member nations' rights to possess nuclear weapons and use them in cases of defense and war against hostile forces. We wish to remind the WA nations of the region that there are no limitations on what nuclear armaments non-WA member nations may produce and how said nations may use them, and that two former resolutions regarding nuclear materials within WA member nations have been repealed. This creates a situation in which a single resolution limiting the nuclear power of WA member nations could cause detrimental and most certainly fatal military disadvantages for WA member nations against non-WA member nations. Additionally, this resolution ensures that member nations can call upon the Nuclear Energy Safety Commission to secure technology and scientific knowledge as well as provide denuclearization assistance to nations unable to defend said items from hostile forces.

For these reasons, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote for the resolution.

Right to Self-defense
Status: At Vote
Delegate's Vote: Against

Security Council
Spreading interregional peace and goodwill, via force if necessary.

Repeal "Commend Solorni"
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: Against
Final Vote (World): For: 10,943 Against: 2,806
Final Vote (TNP): For: 169 Against: 327 Percentage of WA nations voting: 33.8%

Recommendation: There is strong historical precedent within the NationStates community, that commendations of players discovered to have engaged in out-of-character (OOC) misconduct ought to be repealed, as a means of isolating these players and protecting the community. Such repeals have occurred a few times in the past, and The North Pacific has consistently voted in support of them. The need for these repeals arises, largely, due to the unwillingness of NationStates' administration to adequately address OOC actions occurring outside of the main NationStates website. It is also an unfortunate consequence of NationStates' harmful rules for handling OOC misconduct issues, that these repeals must be written from an entirely in-character (IC) perspective. As a result, repeals of this kind are difficult to write, with the authors having to waltz around the rules in order to disguise what the resolution really is about: condemnation of OOC misconduct.

Unfortunately, in the case of the repeal in question, the attempts for rule compliance have resulted in a resolution containing assertions that are at best exaggerations, and at worst outright falsehoods. The problematic claims are found in two clauses, "Disgusted..." and "Disturbed...": In these clauses, the resolution takes allegations of misconduct by the commended nation, previously published in Europeia's investigation, and elevates them into statements of fact. This is despite the fact that Europeia themselves acknowledge that there is not sufficient evidence to prove these allegations. To make matters worse, by asserting the entire career of the commended nation to be the result of OOC misconduct, the resolution grossly misrepresents even the number of these allegations. The implication of the clauses is that the commended nation routinely and consistently resorted to OOC misconduct, possibly in a majority of their interactions throughout their years-long NationStates career. There is simply no evidence to support that there has been misconduct at this scale.

It is worth taking a moment to contrast this resolution with previous repeals of commendations for OOC reasons: All of them had to cite IC arguments, in order to overcome the unfortunate confines of the NationStates' rules. However, none of them had to resort to unproven assertions of OOC misconduct. This is the first resolution to do so. Supporting this resolution sets a dangerous precedent for future resolutions attempting to address OOC misconduct. Not only is this resolution not conducive to establishing an effective protocol for how the community should deal with cases of OOC misconduct by commended players, but it damages what progress the community has already made in that regard.

Because of all of the above, The North Pacific must oppose this resolution. The North Pacific would vote in favor of an alternative repeal resolution that addressed the above shortcomings. But as it stands, The North Pacific recommends a vote against the current resolution.

Commend Lyras
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 12,948 Against: 2,038
Final Vote (TNP): For: 439 Against: 60 Percentage of WA nations voting: 34.3

Recommendation: Lyras is a well-known figure in the RP community, commanding great respect, and possessing a highly influential style that has drawn the loyalty and alignment of numerous nations. Lyras' military power is undeniable and has proven to be a stabilizing force in times of conflict and turmoil. As a superpower, this military might has been used overwhelmingly as an ultimate force towards good, and always with a beneficial, strategic endgame in mind. Lyras is expert in military armament, custom manufacture, and is always open to educating fellow RPers, and to bringing an unprecedented technical expertise to the realm of play. With a presence dating back nearly to antiquity, Lyras' place in the stratocracy is undeniable, and their leadership in shaping the post-Jolt landscape has contributed to the thriving RP community enjoyed today.

For this reason, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this proposal.

Commend Jutsa
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 12,930 Against: 1,634
Final Vote (TNP): For: 474 Against: 44 Percentage of WA nations voting: 35.2

Recommendation: In addition to being regionally active in the East Pacific, Jutsa has been an ongoing contributor to the greater NS community. Jutsa has authored several of the daily issues that appear in regular gameplay and has also collaborated in the authorship of legislation for the WA. Additionally, Jutsa is a regular contributor to legislation development for other nations, providing leadership and expertise through consistent forum activity, along with post-factum documentation and archiving. This is often thankless work that benefits every member of the WA by providing a clear and well-organized window into the past. Jutsa is a deserving member of the community and an important contributor to that which keeps the WA functioning day-to-day.

For this reason, the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this resolution.

Commend Paffnia
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 11,963 Against: 2,600
Final Vote (TNP): For: 541 Against: 43 Percentage of WA nations voting: 39.9

Recommendation: At first blush, the nomination seems to place greatest emphasis on Paffnia's regional accomplishments within 10,000 Islands, but more careful review reveals extensive international work as well, both diplomatically and militarily. A former WA Delegate and Foreign Affairs Minster for 10KI, Paffnia has forged numerous international relationships and has been recognized for ongoing good conduct abroad. Militarily, Paffnia has participated in some of the most significant defender campaigns in recent history, assisting some of the largest GCRs in the realm, and contributing to hundreds of smaller campaigns that have brought relief and stability to thousands of WA nations. Rounding out their contributions to the greater community is Paffnia's authorship of SC Resolution #93. Paffnia has received numerous accolades, awards, and military decorations domestically, and this worthy nominee is an ideal candidate for SC Commendation.

For the reasoning displayed above, The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this proposal.

Repeal "Commend Imperium Anglorum"
Status: Failed
Delegate's Vote: Against
Final Vote (World): For: 3,514 Against: 11,845
Final Vote (TNP): For: 75 Against: 502 Percentage of WA nations voting: 39.5

Recommendation: At first blush, the nomination seems to place greatest emphasis on Paffnia's regional accomplishments within 10,000 Islands, but more careful review reveals extensive international work as well, both diplomatically and militarily. A former WA Delegate and Foreign Affairs Minster for 10KI, Paffnia has forged numerous international relationships and has been recognized for ongoing good conduct abroad. Militarily, Paffnia has participated in some of the most significant defender campaigns in recent history, assisting some of the largest GCRs in the realm, and contributing to hundreds of smaller campaigns that have brought relief and stability to thousands of WA nations. Rounding out their contributions to the greater community is Paffnia's authorship of SC Resolution #93. Paffnia has received numerous accolades, awards, and military decorations domestically, and this worthy nominee is an ideal candidate for SC Commendation.

For the reasoning displayed above, The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this proposal.

Liberate Politics Amino
Status: Passed
Delegate's Vote: For
Final Vote (World): For: 10,357 Against: 4,574
Final Vote (TNP): For: 523 Against: 51 Percentage of WA nations voting: 39.5

Recommendation: Politics Amino is a small, active region who became the unfortunate target of an aggressive raid and refound orchestrated by a joint force led by Osiris. A liberation becomes necessary as those known to the situation believe it is a trophy hunt without specific reasoning and Osiris has stated that there is no explicit justification for the operation taking place. It is the stance of The North Pacific to oppose the total destruction of innocent communities and the support of legislation aiming to fulfill that goal. In accordance with the reasoning displayed above, The Ministry of World Assembly Affairs recommends a vote For this proposal

[DRAFT] WA Digest January 2019

El Fiji Grande

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