Fellow Legislators,

Foreign Affairs aren't always about making new acquaintances and agreements and treaties and pacts. Sometimes, it's worth looking at our diplomatic portfolio and seeing of all of that makes sense and has appropriate value.

Some historical context: In mid-2017, our diplomatic portfolio was very much lacking. TSP had undergone a state of transition after the Hileville coup attempt of early 2016, leaving its Manifesto-Independent past behind it and shifting towards a more defender-leaning unaligned. We had repealed our treaty with Balder in the previous year, Europeia then repealed their treaty with us in a bridge-burning manner, and our treaty with the Celestial Union of Lazarus was essentially ineffective since that regime had been couped by Funkadelia etc.. The Cabinet at the time (with Escade as MoFA and myself as Prime Minister) sought to stock up our diplomatic portfolio. One of these ventures was negotiating the Seashell Accords, which was presented to the Assembly on September 10, 2017 and passed soon after.

On paper, this certainly was an alliance that made sense at the time. Conch Kingdom was (and is) an established mid-size UCR with a similar theme, there had been some cross-over, and there had been some cooperation on military and cultural matters. But after around mid-2018 it had pretty much just become an alliance that is merely on the books. We haven't interacted militarily in any direct fashion, and only very occasionally indirectly through Libcord/Antifa. We haven't had any cultural events and neither they nor us really seemed to have a great desire to do so. Furthermore, shifts in the interregional sphere had us drift further apart, with us going outright Defender and CK, as part of the Augustin Alliance and the associated AA/URA sphere, drifting in a more sidelined position. Finally, AA regions (including CK) have come under some level of scrutiny for their imaging, with them being perfectly fine to have their current Delegate Duby displaying outright fascist iconography with no qualms (for RP reasons only, but still), while another Delegate was asked to take down a pride flag, something that's incompatible with our values as a community.

Putting this all together, it's just not a relation that makes sense anymore. In my talks with them this month, we discussed this and they agreed with our assessment. Both parties agreed that a good course of action would be ending the formal relationship amicably, with a repeal of the treaty but leaving the embassy open. I ask you, my fellow South Pacificans, for your assent to do exactly that.

Chairman, as Minister of Foreign Affairs, I hereby declare in good faith that the repeal proposed above has majority executive approval for the purposes of Article 2 Section 3 of the Treaties Act, and request that the corresponding assembly procedure is initiated.

-- Roavin, your friendly lampshade-wearing MoFA

(This post was last modified: 06-06-2022, 02:00 PM by The Haughtherlands.)

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Finally, AA regions (including CK) have come under some level of scrutiny for their imaging, with them being perfectly fine to have their current Delegate Duby displaying outright fascist iconography with no qualms (for RP reasons only, but still), while another Delegate was asked to take down a pride flag, something that's incompatible with our values as a community.

Feeling like you buried the lead here.

While I always prefer to try and keep/revive alliances if at all possible, repealing this seems to make a lot of sense.

-tsunamy
[forum admin]

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while another Delegate was asked to take down a pride flag, something that's incompatible with our values as a community.

Just for my own curiosity, because I agree that this would be incompatible with who we are as a community, do we have any evidence of this?

Former Delegate of the South Pacific
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Feeling like you buried the lead here.

Fair, though this makes sense from both that communal aspect, as well as just in terms of interregional politics.

Just for my own curiosity, because I agree that this would be incompatible with who we are as a community, do we have any evidence of this?

I don't directly - I know this happened in Lands End (another AA region) in 2020. I should be able to get it, though.

EDIT: There's this, though I believe there was something else as well.

(This post was last modified: 01-14-2022, 10:57 AM by Roavin.)

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I think that the fascist flag on CK's delegate alone is enough to cut ties with CK. Full support.

(This post was last modified: 01-14-2022, 12:55 PM by Domais.)

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We have nothing to gain in our relationship with CK or the rest of AA. The fascism and pride issues also make me support this move. Though, I'd like to correct the record and state that we did have a cultural event with CK in January 2020, I believe, but it wasn't very successful.

4× Cabinet minister /// 1× OWL director /// CRS member /// SPSF

My History

(This post was last modified: 01-14-2022, 06:46 PM by Jay Coop.)

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I support cutting relations with CK. We have nothing to gain from it and the only interaction with them that would seem reasonable at this point is either nothing or hostility.

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The minimum debate time is 5 days, which expires in just over 10 hours. I motion to vote for when that time expires.

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I'll second it

-Griffindor/Ebonhand
-Current Roles/Positions
-Legislator 2/24/20-
-High Court Justice 6/7/20-
-South Pacific Coral Guard 11/17/20-
-Minister of Engagement 6/17/22-

-Past Roles/Positions
-Legislator 7/3/16-4/10/18
-Secretary of State 4/3/20-2/24/21
-Chair of the APC 9/24/16-5/31/17
-Vice-Chair of the APC 6/1/17-4/10/18
-Local Council Member 7/1/17-11/17/17
-Citizen 5/2012-12/2014 and  2/26/16-7/3/2016

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This is now at vote.

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