Grey Council Charter

=Header=


 * (As Passed xx/xx/xxxx)
 * Declaration of Interdependence
 * Charter and Constitution of the Grey Council

=I. Preamble=


 * WHEREAS, The conditions of the Cyber Nations world favor those nations bound to teams; and
 * WHEREAS, the inter-team environment has been determined to be warlike and aggressive; and
 * WHEREAS, we believe that the joining of any established and pre-existing team entails accepting pre-existing conditions of internecine strife, animosity and war; and
 * WHEREAS, we believe that the acceptance of such conditions is against our national interests and that the happiness, prosperity, peace, and security of our nations are the primary concerns of our national governance;
 * NOW THEREFORE we, as people, leaders, rulers, and official representatives of the national governments of the Cyber Nations world designated "Grey", "Black" or "White" Nations, do hereby establish an alliance of nations, and do hereby establish, affirm, and empower as its ruling body The Grey Council ("Grey Council" or "GC"), who shall administer the needs of the Alliance according to the following principles in order to support the mutual national interests of its signatory nations.

=II. Military=

A) General Statement Of Neutrality

 * 1) The Grey Council, unified in our desire for peace and security in an uncertain world, stands united in our support of the sovereign rights of our member nations and committed to their shared mutual defense. We recognize and affirm that War, while undesirable and should be avoided as a method of solving non-violent international conflicts, may sometimes become necessary in defense of our nations against aggressors, and therefore we agree to abide by the following specific pledges in adherence to our essential military doctrine:

B) Specific Pledges

 * 1) Maintain a normal peacetime military readiness with the capability and willingness to achieve a maximum allowable strength during times of war or defense.
 * 2) Actively pursue the acquisition of Technology, Infrastructure, and Nuclear Capability.
 * 3) Work tirelessly to better the Cyber Nations world through non-violent means by exerting such influence as may become available to us and foregoing and eschewing wars of conquest and aggression.
 * 4) When necessary, band together for mutual Defense and support of our fellow members through Diplomacy, Financial Aid, or Military response when warranted.
 * 5) Any military conflict outside of a defensive and/or recovery effort is strictly forbidden. Wars of aggression may never commence by any member nation.

C) Nuclear Weapons

 * 1) All members have the right to pursue the ownership of nuclear weapons.
 * 2) Members may posses any amount of nuclear weapons as they so choose to.
 * 3) In a case of an unfortunate nuclear war, members with nuclear weapons are not required to use them, if they so choose not to.
 * 4) Member nations do not have the right to fire nuclear weapons by their own discretion. It is required that the Premier, Defense Minister and JAG be consulted before the firing of a nuclear weapon and at least 2 of these 3 officials agree that nuclear weapons are to be used before any are fired. In an emergency situation the Chancellor may also cast a vote to launch nuclear weapons.

=III. Members=

A) Eligibility And Application

 * 1) All Grey Nations who agree to abide in full by this Charter, meet the Grey Council’s criteria for membership, and submit a properly executed application via the official Grey Council forum are eligible for consideration as members of the Grey Council. Terms and conditions of membership in The Grey Council shall be subject to amendment at the discretion of The Grey Council, as expressed in a majority vote by member nations and incorporated by reference herein.

B) Application Procedure

 * 1) Nations wishing to join the Grey Council shall post in the appropriate subforum titled Applications. Their post shall be titled "Application: (insert name of applicant nation here)" and include as the body of their first post the following oath, including the appropriate information:
 * 2) * "I (insert ruler name as link to your CN forum Identity) as the lawful (King/Leader/Emperor/Ruler/President Etc.) of (insert nation name as link to nation), a sovereign state, free from allegiance, debt, or other encumbrance, do hereby acknowledge that I have read and understood the Charter of the Grey Council, and on behalf of my nation and people do hereby apply for membership within the Grey Council and agree to be bound by the terms and condition of its Charter.
 * 3) * I do hereby state that this oath is taken freely, I am under no duress, and I take this action on behalf of my nation and people without reservation or fraudulent intent.
 * 4) * I do state and affirm that my actions and intentions are honorable and that I bear no foreign allegiance, nor will I disclose to others any confidential, sensitive or potentially damaging information which I may obtain through my interactions with other members of the Grey Alliance.
 * 5) * I understand that membership within the Grey Council is a privilege contingent upon compliance with the rulings and directives of the Grey Council, and that my membership may be revoked if my actions or those of my nation are found to be in violation of such terms and conditions as may be contained within the charter or contrary to any legislation, rule or directive of the council.
 * 6) * I understand that my acceptance into the Grey Council and that of my nation shall be decided by a vote of the membership and that the membership shall have the right to request from me such information as they may deem necessary to an informed vote prior to the vote. I promise to answer each question to the best of my ability without prevarication or evasion.
 * 7) * Signed:______________________."
 * 8) Applicant nations will have read and be familiar with the Grey Charter.
 * 9) Applicant nations will have met the following conditions before applying:
 * 10) * Nation team: Grey (No Team)
 * 11) * No affiliation with any other alliance
 * 12) * Not currently in any wars of aggression or aiding any wars of aggression
 * 13) * Not bound by any oath which would prevent membership
 * 14) * If any or all of these conditions are not met and a sufficient explanation is not given as to why they have not been met, membership voting will not begin, and the interview process shall be suspended pending review by the Premier.
 * 15) Upon having met the conditions set forth in the Grey Charter, III(B)(i-iii), the current Grey Council members in good standing will ask the applicant a series of questions. The questioning period will last for two days. After two days have elapsed, the Minister of Internal Affairs shall close the application thread and open a voting poll. The process of questioning may be extended at the discretion of the Minister of Internal Affairs if the applicant has not answered questions posed to them.
 * 16) Voting will last 48 hours after the end of the question period and will be only open to members in good standing. Membership shall be granted upon a two-thirds majority vote (66%) by all eligible member nations of the Grey Council.
 * 17) If membership is granted, the applicant’s application thread shall be closed and edited to include "ACCEPTED" in the title. If membership is rejected and the thread changed to "DENIED" the applicant may re-submit their application and the whole process shall begin again. Those members who are accepted will become "Probationary Members" and will be granted permissions to access forums where they may discuss matters of alliance importance.
 * 18) Nations granted membership shall be required to add "Grey Council" to the "Alliance Affiliation" space on their nation's bio page.
 * 19) Nations granted membership shall be subject to two stages of probationary membership, GC Alpha (days 1-10 of Grey Council membership) and GC Beta (11-30 days of Grey Council membership). At any time before the conclusion of this period, the leadership may eject the Probationary Member if 3 of the 5 positions (Premier, Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs, Defense Minister, or Judge Advocate General) vote to do so. If at the end of the probationary period there have been no formal complaints lodged against the Probationary Member, that nation will be granted full membership in the Grey Council with all rights and privileges accorded with such status.
 * 20) During the probational period, GC Alpha members can not hold any elected or appointed office nor may they qualify for 'members in good standing' privileges. GC Beta members can not hold any elected or appointed office. Exceptions may be made only for GC Beta members and only in regards to holding an appointed position. If a GC Beta member can produce a verifiable recommendation of excellence, the Minister of Internal Affairs believes the Beta to be an asset in recruiting, or the Minister of External Affairs believes the Beta to be an asset as an Ambassador, that Beta may be granted an appointed office. These are the only restrictions placed upon GC Alpha and GC Beta members.
 * 21) At the time of acceptance, you must change your preferences to: War is an Option within 48 hours of acceptance and add Grey Council to your Alliance Affiliation. Failure to comply will result in forfeiture of all rights and claims to membership in the Grey Council. Once you've completed these tasks, you will be granted full membership benefits and access to our forums where you may discuss matters of alliance importance.

C) Adherence To Charter, Terms, And Conditions

 * 1) Although the Grey Council recognizes and affirms the sovereign rights of its member nations, the terms and conditions of this Charter and membership in The Grey Council shall be ultimately binding upon its member nations, and violation of any provision of this Charter or its subsequent amendments shall be cause for expulsion from the Alliance and forfeiture of the protections and benefits of membership, including (but not be limited to) all forms of political, diplomatic, financial, military, technical, and infrastructural aid and support.

D) Exclusivity And Representation

 * 1) No member nation may be a member of, or pledge allegiance to, any other alliance, federation, council, confederacy, organization, association, or other such group, whether sanctioned or unsanctioned, within the greater Cyber Nations community.
 * 2) Each member nation shall be entitled to elect one leader to represent it in the Grey Council. No such leader may represent more than one nation or cast more than one vote on any issue under consideration by the Grey Council. Nations under Regency arrangements, or the custodial care of another member state shall not be counted in the standing council.

E) Sanction

 * 1) Any member nation judged, by appropriate and due vote of the Grey Council, to have violated the terms and conditions of this Charter and other regulations as promulgated on the official Grey Council forums and incorporated here by reference shall be subject to censure and sanction.

F) Expulsion

 * 1) Any member nation judged, by appropriate and due vote of the Grey Council, to have irredeemably violated the terms and conditions of this Charter and other regulations as promulgated on the official Grey Council forums and incorporated here by reference shall be subject to expulsion.
 * 2) Any member in good standing may confidentially approach any of the 5 elected primary officers ('Leader') with a proposal to eject a nation ('Ejectee').
 * 3) Any Leader thus approached by an aggrieved member shall take the proposal to the rest of the Leaders, and shall keep its source anonymous. If 3 or more Leaders agree to act on the proposal, a public poll-only thread entitled 'Should [Ejectee] be permitted to retain membership in the Grey Council?' shall be posted by the JAG, and all members shall have the right to vote in it.
 * 4) If 50%+1 of participants vote Nay, Ejectee shall have his or her membership revoked and shall be returned to pre-applicant status.
 * 5) If the proposed Ejectee is still in the probationary period, the Leaders have the right (at their discretion) to move straight to a vote on ejection without the need of an all-member poll. If 3 of the 5 Leaders vote for ejection, the Ejectee’s membership shall be revoked and his or her status shall be set back to Pre-Applicant.

G) Forfeiture

 * 1) Any nation which ceases to exist shall immediately forfeit membership in the Grey Alliance and all rights and privileges thereunto appertaining.

H) Good Standing

 * The phrase "members in good standing" is used throughout the Charter and other binding legislation within the Grey Council. A member in good standing is one that:
 * 1) Has not been convicted in a Grey Council Court in the past 20 days.
 * 2) Maintains full rights and privileges of Grey Council membership.
 * 3) Fulfills all requirements set forth by the Charter and other binding legislation.
 * 4) Has been a member of the Grey Council for a minimum of 10 full days, and qualifies for GC Beta membership or full GC membership.
 * 5) Privileges granted only to 'members in good standing' are: voting for the five primary elected officials and the Chancellor, voting for or against legislation, participating in new member interviews and votes, and participating in trails outside of use as a witness or defendant.

I) Standards of Response

 * Freedom of speech is a value which the Grey Council holds dear, and deems vital to our commonly held ideals of National Sovereignty.
 * That said, there are elected and appointed officials of the Grey Council who are given the authority to represent the Grey Council in particular matters depending on their particular office (Premier, Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs, Defense Minister, or Judge Advocate General), and these individuals may, within the confines of their office, express the views, positions, policies, and opinions of the Grey Council and initiate activity on its behalf ("represent the GC"). Any member nation receiving an explicit authorization to represent the GC from an official representative of the GC will be allowed to represent the GC, but strictly to the extent that that such authorization allows ("authorized representation of the GC"). Official representatives wishing to grant such authorization must inform the Premier of the Grey Council and receive his or her approval prior to doing so.
 * We hold that the entire Council is tarnished when a member nation uses their free speech in any CN communications to represent the GC without explicit prior approval from an official representative of the GC with appropriate jurisdiction ("misrepresents the Grey Council").
 * In order to promulgate the Grey Council’s reputation of even-tempered and intelligent response with regards to external affairs (i.e. the CN Forums and Foreign Alliance Forums/Embassies), it is the duty and responsibility of member nations of the Grey Council to uphold the standards of measured response that the Council has striven for since its inception, and those Standards of Response are here defined as follows:
 * Member nations agree to avoid posting on the CN Forums in threads which could be construed as unnecessarily inflammatory.
 * National leaders of member nations choosing to engage in CN communications in the Open World Forum - Role Play, Alliances and Wars, and Open Team Forum MUST include a disclaimer which clearly indicates that the opinions expressed are not representative of the official policy of the Grey Council unless aforementioned national leaders are official or authorized representatives of the GC.
 * The Premier, or his or her authorized designee, shall be solely responsible for the issuance of official statements of policy for the Grey Council.
 * Member nations shall refrain from making CN Forums posts that unnecessarily glorify, characterize, or purport to represent the superiority or shortcomings of the Grey Council.
 * Ambassadors engaged in service to the Grey Council are responsible for verifying any statements they would like to make with an official representative of the GC before issuing them.
 * Member nations who, regardless of intent, violate these standards of response and misrepresent the Grey Council shall be charged and tried by the Grey Council Courts in accordance with Article "III" Section "d" of the Charter.
 * If a member of the GC misrepresents the Grey Council through CN communications and such action leads to a declaration of war upon that member nation, then the Grey Council is released from all obligations to support, aid, or otherwise render defensive or offensive assistance to that member nation and is furthermore free to pursue diplomatic channels that will disassociate it from the conflict.

J) Rights Of Greymen

 * All members of the Grey Council in good standing are guaranteed the rights listed below. These rights cannot be taken away for any reason. Changes in the Rights Of Greymen require a 90% vote in favor of the change.
 * 1) Members are entitled the freedom of speech. This does not include the freedom to flame.
 * 2) Members are free to trade with whom ever they choose and for whichever resources they choose without interference form the Council.
 * 3) Members have the right to improve or degrade their nations however they see fit, as long as it does not breach any other section(s) of this Charter.
 * 4) Members are free to send aid to any nation, member or non-member. Aid may only be sent to nations not at war without permission from an officer. Any member may fill all four of their nation's aid slots if they choose, it is not recommended so if aid is needed by this member in times of need it can be sent.
 * 5) All members have the right to a speedy trial of any accusations against them.
 * 6) All members are entitled to a trial before removal of membership and all rights granted by such membership.
 * 7) Any member of the Grey Council and their nation may secede from the Grey Council at any time, for any reason(s) with no questions asked.
 * 8) All members have the right to hold an elected or appointed office.
 * 9) All members have the right to be treated with respect and courtesy by all others.
 * 10) Rights not mentioned here are not necessarily denied nor granted.

=IV. Government=

A) Process Of Election

 * 1) The Grey Council shall elect from among its membership such Officers and Administrators as that membership shall deem necessary for the efficient and effective administration of the affairs of the alliance. These elections shall be by simple majority(50%+1) of the member nations, and shall be held at regular intervals of eight (8) weeks. All elected officials shall be granted Administer powers on the Grey Council Forums. These Officers are given full power of governing the Grey Council, their respected Ministries, and Ministry policy.

B) Offices To Be Elected

 * 1) The Officers of the Grey Council shall include a Premier, who shall hold final authority in case of diplomatic issues between member nations and shall facilitate consultation and voting. In addition to responsibility for administering the affairs of the alliance, the Premier shall have such additional powers and authority as may be granted by consensus of the membership, and shall oversee the actions and activities of all other Grey Alliance Officers and Administrators. The Premier may have final say in all External, Internal, and Military actions and policies.
 * 2) The Officers of the Grey Council shall include a Minister of External Affairs (MoE), whose duties shall include assisting the Premier as may pertain to Foreign Affairs. The Minister of External Affairs primary responsibility is the maintenance of the Foreign Affairs of the Grey Council. This includes Welcoming and properly masking Foreign Diplomats, appointing and guiding Grey Council Ambassadors. Head the Division of Recruitment and assisting the Premier (to whom the Minister of External Affairs shall be accountable) in creating External Affairs Policies.
 * 3) The Officers of the Grey Council shall include a Minister of Internal Affairs (MoI), whose duties shall include the maintenance of accurate records regarding the status and voting records of member nations, administering elections, and co-coordinating and disseminating such official announcements as may be deemed necessary by the Premier, to whom the Minister of Internal Affairs shall be accountable. The Minister of Internal Affairs will also be responsible for the proper masking and record keeping of Grey Council members, GC Alpha members, and GC Beta members.
 * 4) The Officers of the Grey Council shall include a Defense Minister (DM), who shall conduct such military exercises and war games as may be deemed necessary to maintain a well-trained, coordinated and responsive military force for the enhanced Security of Member States, and who shall maintain a state of military readiness such that at least fifty percent (50%) of all allied military assets are available for deployment in defense of member nations at all times. The Defense Minister shall also head the research of the CyberNations' war engine, to help administer the best defense possible for the Grey Council. He/she is also accountable to the Premier.
 * 5) In order to establish a balance of power within the Grey Council, the Grey Council shall elect from among its membership a Judge Advocate General(JAG), who shall establish and oversee the administration of the International Courts of Arbitration, Justice, and Appeals. The duties of the Judge Advocate General shall include appointing judges, interpreting and administering such laws, rules and orders as may issue from the Council, and ensuring compliance with the letter and spirit of any such laws, rules and orders, and the Judge Advocate General shall be authorized, upon the conclusion of due process, to censure any member nation, its representative leader, and/or the Premier and Officers of the Council. The Judge Advocate General shall enforce the laws written within and outside of the Charter. He/she shall be in-charge of writing new legislation by the will of the Council.
 * 6) The Grey Council shall elect an emergency Chancellor from its membership. The purpose of the Chancellor is fill in the role of an absent elected official at times of a needed immediate solution or answer to an important and pressing issue. The Chancellor is a reserve leader who is to ensure the government of the Grey Council continues in an absence of a present Officer. To be nominated for Chancellor, the member must have served a minimum of one term in elected office or currently be in elected office.
 * 7) * The elected Chancellor may not exercise this power until an officer has been absent a minimum of 72 hours, unless the other officials present believe that the situation warrants immediate action. The powers are limited to urgent matters, and the Chancellor may not change day-to-day ways of business. The Chancellor may not issue or change official Grey Council Policy if the replaced officer has been absent for less than 7 days, unless the four remaining and present officers unanimously vote on allowing such powers before 7 days have elapsed.
 * 8) * The Chancellor shall be chosen by the members of the Grey Council in good standing in a second election. The nominations shall immediately follow the Primary Leader's elections and last for two days. The election will then immediately follow the nominations and last for two days. A plurality is needed to win the position of Chancellor. At any time the elected officials believe the current Chancellor is improperly fulfilling his or her duties and failing to perform a satisfactory function in the position, they may call for a new election to fill the role of Chancellor.

C) Appointments

 * 1) Each officer has the right to appoint assistants for themselves from the membership of the Grey Council.
 * 2) The officer must decide which one of their appointment(s) (if more than one is appointed) is their second. This is to comply with Article "V" Section "D" Clauses "v", "vi", and "vii"
 * 3) Members given an appointed position are directly under the Officer whom granted the power.
 * 4) The powers the appointee posses are those only which the appointer designates and/or strictly expresses.
 * 5) An appointee's powers can never equal or surpass those of an elected official.
 * 6) Appointees of one Ministry can not ignore elected officers of another Ministry.
 * 7) The appointee only has power within the respected Ministry in which the appointer belongs too.
 * 8) Appointees may not appoint, delegate power too, or grant powers to any other member.

D) Order of "Head of the Grey Council" Replacement

 * This is to provide the Grey Council direction in case of loss to the members in officer positions occurs outside of election time. This will allow the membership to know whom is in charge as the Head of the Grey Council. The "Head of the Grey Council" (HoG) is a member whom is acting as the Premier of the Grey Council until new elections can be held to determine an elected Premier. The Head of the Grey Council possess all of the powers an elected Premier would possess. The line of succession for the Head of the Grey Council is as follows:
 * 1) In the absence of an elected Premier the Chancellor shall become the acting Premier.
 * 2) In the absence of both an elected Premier and Chancellor the duty of "Head of the Grey Council" is granted to the JAG.
 * 3) In the absence of the Premier, Chancellor, and JAG the duty of "Head of the Grey Council" is granted to the Minister of External Affairs.
 * 4) In the absence of the Premier, Chancellor, JAG, and the Minister of External Affairs the duty of "Head of the Grey Council" is granted to the Minister of Internal Affairs.
 * 5) In the absence of the Premier, Chancellor, JAG, the Minister of External Affairs, and Minister of Internal Affairs the duty of "Head of the Grey Council" is granted to the Defense Minister.
 * 6) In which case there is not one elected official able to perform the duty of the "Head of the Grey Council" falls to the number one appointment of the JAG.
 * 7) In which case there is not one elected official or the number one appointment of the JAG able to perform the duty of the "Head of the Grey Council" falls to the number one appointment of the Minister of External Affairs.
 * 8) In which case there is not one elected official or the number one appointment of the JAG or Minister of External Affairs able to perform the duty of the "Head of the Grey Council" falls to the number one appointment of the Minister of Internal Affairs.
 * 9) In which case there is not one elected official or the number one appointment of the JAG, Minister of External Affairs, or Minister of Internal Affairs able to perform the duty of the "Head of the Grey Council" falls to the number one appointment of the Defense Minister.
 * 10) In which case there is not one elected official or the number one appointment of the JAG, Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs, or Defense Minister able to perform the duty of the "Head of the Grey Council" falls to the most senior member of the Grey Council. (Senior member meaning: the member whom has been a member in good standing with the Grey Council the longest)

E) Replacement of Vacant Officers

 * If for any reason a vacancy of an elected Official position become open in the Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs, or Defense Minister positions, while the previously elected Premier and JAG still in office, the Premier shall select a person of good standing from the current membership to fill in the role till the next elections.
 * 1) The Premier may decide not to appoint a member for a vacant officer position if elections are to take place within two weeks. The Premier will be directly responsible for all the responsibilities of that officer while there is a vacancy.
 * 2) The person the Premier has selected must be approved by the JAG for that member to gain the position.
 * 3) The member filling the empty position will gain all rights and powers as if he/she were the original member elected to the position.
 * 4) For a member to be nominated and then confirmed by the JAG, he/she must be a member in good standing and have completely passed through the Probationary Period (GC Alpha and GC Beta).
 * 5) This applies whenever Article "V" Section "B" Clause "vi" cannot be applied.
 * 6) If the JAG position is vacant the Premier shall nominate a candidate for the position. A unanimous Vote of Confidence by the Minister of External Affairs, Minister of Internal Affairs, and Defense Minister is required for the nominated member to gain the office of the JAG.

=V. Meta=

A) Amendments

 * 1) Amendments to this Charter shall be made through duly established legislative process as overseen by the Judge Advocate General, and shall be incorporated by reference herein.

B) Severability

 * 1) If any section, clause, paragraph, sentence or phrase of this Charter shall for any reason be held to be invalid, such invalid section, clause, paragraph, sentence, or phrase is hereby declared to be severable, and it shall in no way affect the remainder of this Charter.