May 2018 Asairian Accords

Queen Sorina Dragomir, Monarch of the Imperial Republic of Bunnesia stands, and begins to address the summit members.

"I am Dragomir, Queen of Bunnesia. And I believe we are all faced with an immense international crisis regarding the situation in the South-East. Both threats from the rebel forces, and the incumbent government in Ustiomeria."

"I would like to leave today with a collective international contingency be established, at least in some form, by us as a whole, or as separate sectors to secure ourselves against a seemingly ever-expanding conflict that threatens not only the South-Eastern regions, but the whole world as well, and as such, we must face those potential threats as a united, unwavering front."

"Neither me, nor my citizens are in favor of fullscale invasion as it stands, but instead we express concern that, if we do not show solidarity in these times, it leaves the door open for more hostile actions."

"The goal of the Imperial Republic here, is to secure ourselves and secure our neighbors, both near and far, from the threat of a Nuclear strike at the hands of those who don't understand the weight that possession bears. I will now relinquish the floor."

Dragomir returns to her seat.

A silhouette stands up in a dark corner of the auditorium, sternly walking towards the podium at the end of the aisle. As the figure steps forward, the lights reveal a man in a blue suit wearing a pin with a blue and white pattern. Without introducing himself, he begins to speak:

"Picture this scene; imagine that you are someone living peacefully in your town, which your family has lived in for years. Perhaps you have a spouse and kids, and perhaps you are content in your work. You are somewhat happy, although your government is unstable, and causes your community anxiety and grief. Aside from this, your main priority in life is to see your life fulfilled, your children living in a better place, and your family honored and well-regarded,"

He pauses.

"Your country's instability has taken a toll on your community. Insurgents have risen, deposing the government's authority in your town. Your inclination is to be scared, but these insurgents fight for a cause that, in theory, help an ordinary person like you more than the government ever has. Fearful, you want nothing to do with these politics and to simply tend to your family."

He turns around, looking towards sections of the auditorium where other countries have seated their delegates, and swerves towards the microphone again.
"What happens next will alter your life. Your home is destroyed in a massive blaze, as planes wielding banners from halfway across the world tear through the sky. Your neighbors, as innocent as you, are killed in the blast; others hide fearfully under a crack or crevice under which they've taken shelter,"

"How can these forces; the nations which send in these planes, bombs, and soldiers, consider themselves a friend to the people of your country? How can they seek to provide any benefit towards the life you live? How would you feel after powers from abroad burned your home, killed your neighbors, and alleged themselves to protect the government that never cared for you to begin with?"

"This story, as I hope, aims to put you in the shoes of citizens living in Ustiomerian towns. There are more sides to this conflict than the ULA and Ustiomeria, and it is the opinion of me and my government that I represent here, that many nations present at this assembly have completely forgotten about the people. If this conflict, amidst what several nations consider 'aid' that they have sent, has shown anything to us, it is that the world must have forgotten their humanity."

"My name is Torja Selhefo, and I have been entrusted the honor of representing the Optimist People's Communities of Akohos. With this honor, I carry the reluctant duty of bearing our message to the world. Akohos may be extreme in our dedication towards peace, humanity, and harmony with the environment, but we believe that we do not have to be alone. We as a nation cannot bear to share brotherhood and friendly exchanges with nations that seek to destroy the lives of citizens in pursuit of any single person or group's interest; Akohos's interest, and what we hope others may share, is the interest of humanity."

"My fellow representatives and I are eager and excited to take part in these discussions and look forward to hearing from the next representative of the world. I urge you to consider our words and our sentiments, and to take light of this potentially new perspective on this conflict."

"Forgive my delegation for our second go at the microphone so quick and eager, but we feel this is a necessary moment to respond to some comments. I'd like to welcome Sishai's delegation and thank them for their thoughts towards our opening statement. We expected controversy to arise from our statement, and of course, we do not expect most people, even, to agree with us. This is a new perspective that we are trying to reveal, and it comes from our view that the current perspective on the fight against the Ustiomerian Liberation Army is toxic and misguided."

"I do have a small gripe with the argument against our claim presented by the delegation of Sishai. To start, I must review one of the major pillars of Akohosian diplomacy, which we call Samnavfestas, or loosely translated, 'The People's Idea.' The Akohosian government, since the country's founding in 1971, has sought to preserve humanity and the well-being of people, as stated in our constitution. These values were inspired by what many Akohosians did not have prior to our chaotic upbringing: humanity. To provide a brief history of Akohos, the decade before the founding of the Optimist People's Communities saw rampant bloodshed, overseen by a dictator, Kfalla Torjo, who presided as Akohos's president."

"I could not give you a vivid description of Akohos then; I was born in the era following this period of history. However, millions of Akohosians remember the fear, pressure, and vicious treatment of the Akohosian people by the Kfallan dictatorship. Families were ripped from their homes and their homes searched by the Akohosian military in search of anti-capitalist propaganda, and then executed on their lawns. The military was enshrined as a protector of peace, yet ironically, cared little about people's humanity. The government sought to eliminate any opposition against it by rooting out entire neighborhoods to snuff out a single criminal. In Western Akohos, along the border, was a city that no longer exists. In 1962, it was destroyed in a massive explosion. The government decried it as an attack by insurgents, however, ten years later, after the government was deposed and the country became the Akohos of today, it was discovered that the explosion was authorized by the military in order to attack what was believed to be a criminal hideout."

"To summarize the Samnavfesta, it is the government's obligation to protect the well-being, happiness, and standard of living of all people (not simply citizens) within Akohos and to support the fomentation of this elsewhere. We eschew our military capability and our economic performance in pursuit of what matters most to the ability of people in Akohos to thrive as humans. Military interventions obstruct citizens' rights to their potential, and thus we are inclined to speak out against it."

"We are agonized by that which is occurring in Ustiomeria. I urge this honorable assembly to not misunderstand our stance as pro-ULA, and we are by no means against the involved countries in themselves. However, we have a moral obligation to stand against this method of preserving harmony. What military campaigns do is contrary to the concept of harmony! We ask: how can you take our denunciation of what we suspect is a misuse of military power, and contest it with the fact that we have not committed military action ourselves?"

"We do not disrespect the sacrifices made by the soldiers who risk their lives on the front. Their service is remarkably honorable, and deserving of valor. However, until this valor is guided by better intentions, it will never come from the Akohosian government. We discussed this subject privately with the administration of Bainius, and were unsatisfied with their reasoning for entering the conflict; while due to laws this conversation may not be disclosed, we can summarize that there were more to the conflict than rooting out the ULA, and that certain selective values were being protected."

"We have not sent men out to the conflict because it is against our core principles. That we stick to principles of nurturing humanity and discouraging the vices that reduce humanity---bloodshed, famine, war, disease. Our condemnation goes towards the concept of military intervention!"

"In addition to this, we do not appreciate the red herring referenced in your speech. It is no mystery what the ULA has done to civilians or the brutality they have administered. This is not in question; yet it was flaunted in our faces as if we are blind to it, and seemingly as a distraction against the key points we have made. The ethics of the ULA are clear: there are none. Our question is about the ethics of everyone else!"

"To your passionate question of 'who dares to bring us and our forces down with words when they themselves are not in the thick of the fight or in the mud of the suffering,' it is a nation of people who believe that the thick of the fight and the mud of the suffering are arbitrary and unnecessary paths to take. To insist that military intervention is the only way, and that those who do not participate in this interaction have no say in the conflict, is at its core, toxic and dangerous to humanity and the principles of international cooperation. We are somewhat baffled this statement and its aggressive and brutish tone, and I am sure you will find other delegations here who stand with us on this."

"We, as Akohosians, stand firmly against the use of a military for offensive purposes. And, we have never insinuated that there is, in the situation, simply a binary of insurgents and innocent people; and please forgive me if I misunderstood this detail in your speech. Our opinion is actually quite the opposite: we believe that the sheer politics of this situation is not being analyzed enough! We would find it abhorrent if the world would come to celebrate the march of a thousand soldiers into Ustiomeria to drop bombs, then return home with pride. We would refuse to celebrate such a turn of events, because any resortment to bloodshed is detestable, in our opinion, as a failure of problem-solving and basic diplomacy."

"A major point of the Samnavfesta is that until we eliminate all that drives us to throw blows at each other, we will have lost as humanity. In other words, we will not have truly advanced as a People until we have eliminated the need for violence. Vengeance is a fruitless tool reserved for a crowd that lacks empathy. This is the Akohosian lens, and so that which has occurred in the Ustiomerian urbanscape sharply stands against our desires for global harmony. We have no choice but to speak against it! This is why we have not sent any soldiers to rectify this situation---because we believe that soldiers are the problem. Where are the news headlines from Sishai, Chiiinnna, or other participating countries that hospitals have opened, catering to the Ustiomerian citizens affected in the area? Or that they will be compensated for their loss of lives, property, or livelihoods? Akohos has, in the meantime, opened its doors unconditionally to Ustiomerian refugees who have become displaced by the violence, as we announced earlier last week. We simply find it quite unfortunate that this displacement may not come from just the Ustiomerian Liberation Army."

"It may be advertised that you fight against the ULA to rid the world of their evil. However, we don't see an effective enough strategy to truly accomplish this. These nations may have rushed in to protect their ally as Ustiomeria, but when will we ally with humanity?"

"Along with our friends in Sishai, we will surrender the floor to others' comments as well. I am eager to hear from other countries, though hopefully more amicably."