The Order of the Paradox

The Order of the Paradox (TOP) is a democratic alliance dedicated to the protection and betterment of its members in times of war and peace. It is open to all members of the Paradox Interactive forums.

TOP is ruled by an elected Grand Master and his Internal and Foreign Affairs advisors. These are elected in bi-monthly elections and all alliance members can take part. The current Grand Master is Gustav II Adolf.

The Order of the Paradox' Charter
Preamble

We, the sovereign nations of the Order of the Paradox (TOP), in order to further the interests of brotherhood, cooperation, and strength, do join and establish this Charter for the Order of the Paradox. With full acknowledgment of the seperation of national and international responsibilities, this body shall promote peaceful relations, common defense, and commerce amongst its members.

Article I: Admission & Membership
Section 1: Admission

To apply for membership into The Order, each nation must visit the TOP forums and apply.

Article II: Government Structure
The Order of the Paradox will be governed by a Paradox Council and General Assembly.

Section 1: Paradox Council

The Paradox Council shall consist of an executive and ministers, elected by the member nations, possessing the administerial powers of the Order. The Council includes:

A. The Grandmaster

The Grandmaster of the Paradox Council is an elected position held for a term of two months. The Grandmaster holds final executive power over the Paradox Council. This chief executive is responsible for representing the alliance in international negotiations, coordinating the operation of the Council, determining the administrative policies of the Order, act as the Commander in Chief of the Order's armed conflicts, and see to the enforcement of this Charter.

B. Council Ministers

All Council Ministers are elected by the members of the Order for a term of two months.

1. Grand Hospitaller

The Grand Hospitaller is responsible for admission of new Order members, coordinating non-military aid between members, resolving conflicts between Order members, and aiding the Grandmaster in enforcing this Charter. The Grand Hospitaller also has the power to collect intelligence from non-member nations and alliances. The Grand Hospitaller is responsible for the communication of this information as well as general world news to member nations and the Paradox Council.

2. Grand Chancellor

The Grand Chancellor shall have the power to coordinate negotiations with other alliances and nations. The Grand Chancellor shall make suggestions regarding foreign policy to the Grandmaster and General Assembly and provide assements of possible threats to the Order. The Grand Chancellor shall also have the power to appoint and control ambassadors. Ambassadors are responsible for negotiations with other alliances and non-member nations. The Grand Chancellor is also responsible for supervising armed conflicts the Order has entered, tracking wars involving individual member nations, coordinating military assistance between member nations, advising the Grandmaster on military matters, and assisting in threat assessments.

C. Order of Succession

In the event of an emergency and vacancy exists within the Council, the following order of succession will be followed until the vacancy is filled:

1. Grandmaster

2. Grand Hospitaller;

3. Grand Chancellor;

Cabinet members may appoint a substitute for their role in case they expect to be temporarily absent. For unexpected absences, or those extending beyond the length of term, the Grandmaster may appoint a substitute.

Section 2: Non-Voting Council Members

In addition to the Grandmaster, Grand Hospitaller, and Grand Chancellor, who compose the voting members of the Paradox Council, there shall also be four non-voting members of the Council. These non-voting members may be consulted on any and all Council business, and are entilted to all privileges and accesses afforded to voting members of the Council, but they may not vote in matters that require a vote of the Council, and they may not second motions that require a second by the Council or its members.

A. Grand Defender

The Grand Defender has principal responsibility for organizing TOP action in hostilities; he may also, at the discretion of the Grand Chancellor, assist with other Grand Chancellor responsibilities. The Grand Defender shall be appointed by the Grand Chancellor and confirmed by majority vote of the General Assembly. The Grand Defender’s term begins when confirmed by the General Assembly, and ends when his successor receives confirmation.

B. Grand Treasurer

The Grand Treasurer has principal responsibility for organizing TOP banking and financial activities, including the accumulation of a surplus fund for use in emergencies; he may also, at the discretion of the Grand Hospitaller, assist with other Grand Hospitaller responsibilities. The Grand Treasurer shall be appointed by the Grand Hospitaller and confirmed by majority vote of the General Assembly. The Grand Treasurer’s term begins when confirmed by the General Assembly, and ends when his successor receives confirmation.

C. Grand Inductor

The Grand Inductor has principal responsibility for recruitment and training of new members. The Grand Inductor shall be appointed by the Grand Master and confirmed by majority vote of the General Assembly. The Grand Inductor’s term begins when confirmed by the General Assembly, and ends when his successor receives confirmation.

D. Councillor-at-Large

The Councillor-at-Large has general governmental and ministerial duties. His primary responsibility is serving as an effective liaison between the General Assembly and the Council; he may also, at the discretion of any voting or non-voting member of the Council, assist with that member’s responsibilities. The Councilor-at-Large shall be elected by the General Assembly in a separate election held after the general elections described in Article III; his term begins upon election, and ends when the next government takes office.

Section 3: General Assembly

A: All Order members in good standing are admitted to the General Assembly, the legislative chamber of the Order. Each member nation holds one vote.

B: A Order member may at any time move to introduce new legislation or amend/remove existing legislation, and invite other members to second that motion.

C: A motion to amend the Charter seconded by two Council members is brought to plenary vote, and is implemented with a 2/3 majority of active members.

D: Any other motion seconded by four Order members is brought to plenary vote, and becomes Order law with a simple majority of voters.

E: The Grandmaster retains veto power for any legislative changes. A veto may be overturned by the General Assembly upon a 2/3 majority vote.

Article III: Elections
A. Council Minister elections shall occur every two months, to coincide with the expiration of government terms. Elections shall consist of nomination, campaigning, and voting phases, on a schedule determined by the Grandmaster or his designee, but no phase shall last less than 72 hours.

B. No Order member may be nominated or nominate himself for more than two Paradox Council positions.

C. The Grandmaster is responsible for ensuring the transparency and coordination of all elections, with the exception of any election in which he runs for reelection to the same or other post. In the case of a Grandmaster running for reelection to the same or other post, the highest ranking council member that does not run for the position in question or a member of good standing that does not run and is seconded by all applicants will be responsible for the transparency of the election for that position.

D. Order members may cast one vote for each Office.

E. The most voted nation for each Office is appointed. Should a nation win the vote for two Offices, they are appointed to the Office of their choice, and their candidacy is removed from the other. This process is iterated until all positions are filled. In the event of a tie, the Grandmaster will cast the tie-breaking vote.

F. The Grandmaster or Grand Hospitaller shall certify and post election results as soon as possible. Election winners may enter office immediately or, upon request of the incoming Grandmaster, may arrange for a transition period of not more than 72 hours.

Article IV: War
A: The Order endorses peace between its members. Signatories are prohibited from conducting unprovoked attacks against any member nation or any member of a friendly alliance.

B: Should a member nation be the victim of an attack, all Order members pledge to rally their full military and economic powers in defense of the attacked nation, aiding reconstruction and war efforts to the best of their abilities.

C. Member nations shall not declare war on non-member nations unless:

1. The member nation has been attacked by the target of the declaration or

2. The member nation has consulted and obtained express permission by a majority of the Paradox Council or

3. The member nation has consulted and obtained a full alliance declaration of war from the General Assembly signed by the Grandmaster.

Article V: Foreign Aid
1. The Order offers aid to any member nation who seeks it, where it does not endanger the security and financial stability of other member nations.

2. Non-member nations may request aid from the Order, and the Order shall grant such aid upon the determination of the General Assembly.

7th Council
Grand Master: Gustav II Adolf of The Swarm

Grand Hospitaller: Daedalus of Sacramento

Grand Chancellor: Bodvar Jarl of Bodvaria

Non-voting Council Members
Grand Inductor: DukeWilliam of NeoVenetian Republic

Grand Treasurer: TonytheTiger of Sommervillian Empire

Grand Defender: Saber of Novada

Councilor at large: Punkbob of Green Men

Former Grand Masters
1st - Avernite

2nd - Tryan

3rd - Litigator02

4th - Bodvar Jarl

5th - Lemeard

6th - Ski

mIRC Channel
Server:
 * Espernet; irc.esper.net; 6667

Channel: #TOP

History
On May 16 of 2006, Mezzo posted on the Paradox Off-Topic forum about this weird little online game he was playing. On May 17th, Gustavus (Gustav II Adolf) suggested the formation of a Paradox alliance on the Paradox OT boards. Over the next several days, members of the Paradox OT boards saw these posts and decided to try CyberNations out.

Soon after this seminal posting by Mezzo, several Paradox OT'ers rallied around Gustav's call to set up what was then just a loose confederation of nations joined by the common bond of being Paradoxers. Gustav had more or less created a charter by May 18th, drawing loosely from the GATO and Legion charters, and Zanza set up the invisionfree forum.

From the beginning, TOP was more of a collection of friends, with Carthade (Vengashii) and several other veteran CN players walking in and giving advice, and Branimir creating the sign-up thread. Some of these early members were from NPO, thus creating a slight NPO sympathy among many older TOP members for the help we received in our earliest days.

The founding members of TOP, initially were not sure if TOP should be a "real alliance". Some said no, because most of the member nations were still weak, some were neutral, and some thought 'maybe in some weeks', once their nations had time to grow. Further complicating the matter, TOP allowed its members to hold membership in other alliances.

Towards the end of may, Avernite looked at Gustav's charter and edited it a bit. TOP had held a poll for our name and some minister positions were cut to create the current three voting member council, although those positions had different names back then.

Sometime towards the end of May 31st or the beginning of June 1st (depending on your time zone), this new charter was approved. TOP announced this charter and their existance to the rest of the CN world on June 1st. After this announcement, TOP began its first ever election cycle.

Because of all of the hard work he had put in to creating TOP, Avernite was given the "honor" of being TOP's first, what was then called, "President". Over the next two weeks, a series of nominations and declining of nominations led to Tryan becoming the foreign minister and Daedalus becoming interior minister. Also occuring in these two weeks of elections, a small rogue problem let to the first ambassador being commisioned, with Avernite being chosen to represent TOP to the NPO.

Thus, with the ministries now filled, TOP went through a period of growth, second only to the intial recruitment from Mezzo's posting. Even though many old members who had joined at the start of may were leaving, the alliance attracted enough people to more than off-set the loss.

Around this time (the beginning of July), the first amendment was passed, as many didn't want to go through the confusing nomination process that had occurred at the start of June again. This amendment extended the council terms to two months. July also saw TOP reach the 50 member milestone, and the old government titles were retired, as GrandMaster replaced President, Grand Hospitaller replaced Interior Minister, and Grand Chancellor took over for Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Another charter amendment was passed around this time, as well, making official what had long been common practice. Friends of TOP members were now also allowed in, as Paradox Forum's membership was no longer officially required for TOP membership.

Late July saw the creation of the Chapter system in TOP, and the fighting of Great War I in CN. At the start of GWI, the government spent way too much time trying to keep people from getting us involved in this conflict, as TOP was not the feared fighting machine it is now. Back then, TOP boasted a grand total of zero nukes and only Tryan had a nation of significant strength. Sometime during GW1, TOP reached the 100 nation milestone.

Sometime during GW1, Admin created new team colors (pink, black, yellow and maroon), leading TOP to try an aborted shift to pink. Those online at the time had made the decision to change colors, but by the time the whole alliance could be mobilized for the decision, LUE had decided to make the switch, thus negating any reason for TOP to change colors.

The beginning of August saw the end to Great War I, and TOP went about installing a new government. Daedalus decided not to run again for government, while Tryan ran for Grandmaster, and Avernite made a late entrance into the race for Grand Chancellor. Tryan won the race for Grandmaster, while another member, Alech, became Grand Hospitaller, and Gustav became the new Grand Chancellor.

August was fairly uneventful, as TOP gradually spread our diplomatic wings and signed a few more NAPs. We attempted an MDP with IRON and ODN (dubbed within TOP as the Pax Oranje) around this time, but nothing came of it as IRON would not sign a MDP, and ODN later signed an MDP with Legion. TOP tried for the next few months to bring about Pax Oranje, but these efforts did not meet succes for a variety of reasons.

In September, however, we had our first international crisis. The former leader of an alliance known as the Federation had joined the GGA leaving some bad blood behind him in the Federation. This bad blood included some serious disputes that involved a friend of his, TOP member Mely Ranen. The Federation apparently wanted to settle these disputes privately, but Mely argued about it on the CN forums, leading to GGA members Kevin the Great and Bilrow dropping their alliance affiliation and attacking Mely.

In response to an attack upon a fellow TOPer, and before the government had time to react, litigator02, Avernite, and Pseudodragon attacked Kevin. Due to their inexperience in war, Litigator02 and Avernite did not, however, attack the other two nations attacking Mely. Amidst a fairly calm debate (and TOP suffering its second anarchy of this skirmish along with Pseudodragon giving Bilrow of the GGA his first anarchy ever), the issue was settled with no reparations paid. The GGA members involved were later temporarily suspended from their alliance.

The end of September saw Alech resigning his post as Hospitaller a week or two before the elections, leading to TOP having a temporary 2-man council.

In these elections, daedalus ran again for Hospitaller. Litigator02 was the new man running for Grandmaster on a platform advocating the expansion of the council to better manage a larger TOP, and Avernite ran for Chancellor suggesting an MDP with the NPO.

This election resulted in the first set of major changes to the charter. Apart from the 3-man voting Council, we now have four non-voting council members, in charge of TOP's military efforts, the banking system, the recruitment programs, and one member designed to help the three voting members administer the functions of government.

In what was a major diplomatic mover for TOP, Avernite's NPO MDP (titled the 'non-treaty treaty') came to fruition as well. After relatively short talks with the NPO that consisted of the offer being submitted, and a fully signed treaty being returned to TOP, Avernite had his victory. This represented a big foreign policy shift for TOP, as it was now no longer the small neutral alliance, but was now on one side of the big web of MDP's that pervaded CN at that time.

It is important to note that during these preceding months, TOP was not a major player on the CN stage. It was a small, relatively unknown alliance, that consisted of members from another forum. The internal atmosphere of TOP was different as well, with alot less internal strife with Beer vs. Mead being the biggest debate of the time, and fighting off rogues being our main source of war fun. But as some of our older nations got bigger, they were no longer able to fight the rogues anymore, and that Paradoxian trait to be awesome begin to surface. Slowly, some members began to press to open the alliance up, in an effort to boost our member numbers. There was also a push to become more involved in the big world of CN and become recognized among our peers. These two issues represented a dramatic shift from traditional TOP policy, and were not without dissenters. Divisions slowly began to seep into TOP, and towards the end of November, these differences started to come to a head.

In late November, then Emperor of the New Pacific Order, Dilber, approached Grand Chancellor and NPO ambassador Avernite, asking if TOP would be interested in joining a military block with several other alliances. The other alliances would include NPO's closest friends, GOONS and the NpO, but more controversial for TOP was the inclusion of the GGA, which was still led by Bilrow and Kevin the Great (among others).

Right after the offer was made, and before it had time to be properly discussed within the TOP council, the GGA announced a policy demanding the right to attack the unaligned. This led non-voting councilmember Councilor-without-portfolio Ivanelterrible to go rogue, and he attacked Kevin the Great over the policy. Much to the surprise of many in TOP, he was not immediately crushed (despite NPO aid to Kevin per their MDP with GGA), but instead was instrumental in the policy being reversed. The two leaders of the GGA were suspended agian, and Ivanelterriblecame back to TOP.

After this incident, discussions about the treaty that would become the World Unity Treaty really took off. This discussion was not only between prospective alliances, but also among the TOP government, and later the TOP General Assembly.

But before WUT was finalized, TOP rolled into yet another 'event'. During a weekend that Grand Master Litigator02 was away, Mely Ranen resigned and then withdrew his resignation. But that was not quite all, as he then posted on the CN forums in a way that violated TOP policy. Mely readily admitted in his next post that his post was out of line, but a later post by Avernite reaffirming that fact, lead to him, via PM, resigning from TOP yet again. Avernite then demasked him from the TOP forums.

Grand Hospitaller daedalus, however, believed this wasn't the proper course of action and remasked Mely Ranen. This created alot of controversy, which in part, led to daedalus resigning his position as Grand Hospitaller. Eventually, Mely did leave TOP, this time for good, but by the time Litigator02 returned, it was a nice big mess.

The "Mely Affair" left the government with much to do during the next few weeks, with the WUT going into discussion and then voting almost at the same time as new elections. Litigator02 ran again, and by winning the election becoming the first TOP member to hold the same office twice. (In August, Tryan had become the first member to serve in government twice).

Bodvar Jarl became Grand Chancellor and Ivanelterrible became Hospitaller, setting the trend for most new government members to have first held a non-voting position. Ivanelterrible's election, in particular, would prove to be a harbinger of things to come, as not only was he not punished by TOP for leaving and declaring war against Kevin the Great, but was later elected, still being unapologetic for his actions. It seemed that many in TOP were beginning to search for a purpose outside of buying infrastructure.

During the first days of their term, the WUT was very narrowly approved by a vote of 28-26. This vote remained very controversial for a long time showing for the first time a great divide in TOP over an issue. Many in TOP contended that the MADP provisions within the WUT would be an equivalent of a charter amendment, and felt the treaty should have had to have met the same voting standards (2/3 voting yes to pass). But with this vote to ratify, TOP became a founding member of the Initiative, heralding our entry into the major international political scene. TOP was now firmly on one side of the great MDP web, and that would have huge effects.

Around Christmas (with Litigator02 and Bodvar Jarl both half-active at best) a new crisis surfaced, as the NPO and its opponents nearly went to war over an issue concerning the Red team senate. Coming just on the heels of the WUT ratification and with many in TOP viewing the reason for war frivolous or juvenile, several TOP members suggested that we withdraw from the Initiative (or INI as it was shorthanded in TOP). Throughout the mass chaos that ensued, several high ranking government officials resigned but later came back, and some were subject to no-confidence votes. But in the end, the government remained the same and the anti-INI bloc could not muster a majority. This led to several of the staunchest opponents of our being in INI leaving TOP (following some who had left when the WUT was first signed), including for the former Grand Hospitaller, Alech.

Even as this crisis died down, TOP was still bitterly divided, but the majority kept TOP in the WUT, even if at times by the smallest of margins.

But just as the first rounds of pro-WUT vs. anti-WUT TOP debate fell into memory in January, another INI inspired crisis started a second round. Debates began about TOP having to join in the war that its WUT ally GOONs were engaged in with FARK. After initial conflicts between GOONS and Fark, LUE intervened on a small scale on FARK's behalf. This led to GOONs declaring on LUE, and GATO activated its MDP with LUE and declared not just on GOONs but on the entire Initiative. This blanket declaration by GATO rendered all internal TOP discussions as obsolete, because TOP's entry into the war was no longer a matter of an INI ally calling them in a war some in TOP viewed as only quasi-legitimate, it was because we were under attack. On Jan 10th, TOP acknowledged a state of war between itself and GATO.

This led to TOP fighting in its first major war, what is commonly referred to as GW2. Although the actual conflict lasted less than a week, TOP had clearly announced its arrival as a military juggernaut. While we didn't have the numbers of GATO, our high averaged NS proved sufficient to decapitate GATO, as nation after nation in the GATO top 50 fell to our prowess. Especially noteworthy was the way our two high NS squads devastated GATO's top 20 nations. For the first time, TOP had a reputation beyond "just another average Orange alliance". For the first time, people then our own members considered people naive for not having heard of us.

After this conflict, TOP was definitely changed. Even the most vocal of INI critics recognized that leaving the WUT now would be a huge mistake. The war had managed to bring us together, as staunch supporters on both sides of the issue put aside their difference and sacrificed their own nations to help the other out. TOP decided to use their newfound recognition on the CN stage to change its admission policy. TOP would, for the first time, be open to all who qualified.

Our February elections, while hotly debated, were fairly calm. Bodvar Jarl moved to the position of Grandmaster, with Lemeard moved up from a non-voting position to Grand Hospitaller, and Avernite returned as Grand Chancellor.

TOP's experience in GW2 was not without its drawbacks though. After getting a taste of war in their mouth, a few prominent members quit TOP for being bored with TOPs strict policy on offensive warfare. These members included Ivanelterrible and then Grand Defender Tachikaze.

At the end of March, amidst another left-wing versus right-wing conflict, war came again to TOP. Having found out about espionage and other acts of aggression from GATO, the NPO declared war on them. INI had devised several contingency plans for how to dealing with alliances that may come to the aid of GATO. It was widely rumored that TOP and FAN had been "assigned" to Legion, in the event that they activated their MDP with GATO. This led to Legion doing an update blitz attack on TOP, in an attempt to take us out early on. Legion had some small early success with their surprise update assault on TOP, but within minutes of the first strikes, TOP had mobilized and began to strike back. Fighting together with FAN, and parts of the NPO not occupied with GATO, and later by the MHA, TOP won a strategic victory over the Legion. This helped lead to an overall INI victory in what was soon called the Great War 3.

TOP again used its wartime fame to attract more members, and quickly resumed its peace time banking efforts that helped it become the economic powerhouse it is. Rebuilding efforts from the latest war were well underway, and TOP moved into its election cycle again. Lemeard won the post of Grand Master, former Grand Inductor Ski11585 was elected to Grand Hospitaller, and former Councilor-at-Large Saber in a contentious race beat out Litigator02 for the Grand Chancellor spot.