=Western Empire=

=Western Empire= Charter
I. Preamble This document is written in order to protect the happiness, rights and freedoms that all members of the =Western Empire= (henceforth known as =WE=) enjoy. =WE= is a peaceful alliance, that promotes diplomatic resolution to conflict, but will not shy away when the time for military action arrives. =WE= will place no restrictions in regards to how nations should grow and interact, so long as the charter is followed in its entirety.

'''II. Membership''' An alliance is nothing without people willing to be in it, the following outlines how =WE= grows.

A. Requirements =WE= can be joined by any nation, new or developed in the Cyber Nations (henceforth known as CN) community so long as that nation is not a member of another alliance, at war with =WE= or any other alliance, or on any ZI lists.

B. Applications If a nation wishes to join =WE= they must first register on the forums at http://www.westernempire.us. They then must fill out the proper forums with the required information. All applications are approved by either the Emperor or the Imperial Officer of Internal Affairs.

C. Ejection Any member can be ejected from the alliance by the Emperor or an Imperial Officer for any of the following offenses: 1. Un-authorized war on another nation 2. Spying on another nation 3. Declaring war on any member of =WE= 4. Trolling the CN forums 5. Giving out information to other alliances 6. Actions that poorly represent =WE=.


 * Members that have been ejected will be given a 24 hour window to leave the alliance, any member remaining in the alliance after 24 hours will be ZId.
 * If the member holds any position of power in =WE= that position will be immediately abdicated, and proper replacement proceedings will be held.
 * If a member chooses to appeal their ejection they must inform the Emperor and the IO of Internal Affairs within the same 24 hour period.
 * If the appeal is heard, there will be another 24 hour window for the accused to plea their case to the remaining Imperial Officers.
 * Imperial Officers may choose to deny an appeal by a unanimous vote. The Emperor may also deny the appeal if He/She deems so.

'''III. Government''' The government is the people's link to the rest of the cyberverse, and is directly responsible for the well-being and prosperity of =WE=

A. Emperor The Emperor is the leader of all =WE= members. The Emperor provides the final say in all issues, including (but not limited too): 1. Declarations of War 2. Ejections of Members 3. Treaties 4. Amendments to the Charter 5. Appointment of Imperial Officers
 * Treaties that do not include a defense clause do not need to be signed by the Emperor

Any reigning Emperor may be impeached. In order to do so, the Imperial Officers, and a 75% majority of the Deputy Officers, must unanimously pass a vote of no-confidence. If passed, the longest reigning Imperial Officer will serve as emperor until a new Emperor is elected.
 * Impeachment
 * If one or more persons lays claim to being the longest tenured IO, then the Imperial council will vote between those persons, in case of a tie, then all who lay claim to longest-tenured will run the alliance by committee.

B. Imperial Officers Imperial Officers are appointed by the Emperor to their positions, however each officer can choose to hold elections for their seat at any time so long as they have served at least two months at their post. (Duties listed under). Each IO may also make a charter for their own department. That charter will not supersede this charter however. Any charter must be shown to the other IOs as well as the Emperor before it is made public to the =WE= members.
 * All Imperial Officers must make weekly reports to the alliance explaining how their department is and the current direction they are taking their department.

1. Imperial Officer of Foreign Affairs a. Name Ambassadors to embassies. b. Send and receive requests for embassies c. Negotiate treaties d. Serve as the head of intelligence on (but not limited to) i. Global Wars ii. Political Uprisings iii. Intra-Alliance Politics

2. Imperial Officer of Internal Affairs a. Head of recruitment b. Accept / deny applicants to the alliance c. Work with IO of the Treasury to build up new nations, and air war-ravaged ones during times of war.

3. Imperial Officer of Defense a. Head of the Military b. Regulate Military during times of war c. Approve / deny tech raids d. Regulate alliance military actions during times of peace.

4. Imperial Officer of the Treasury a. Head of alliance banks b. Organize alliance tech-deals c. Set up alliance-wide growth programs d. Work with IO of IA to distribute aid in times of war e. Approve / deny aid requests

There are no term limits in regards to Imperial Officers. All Imperial Officers must keep the other Imperial Officers and Emperor informed of current matters in their respective departments

Any Imperial Officer can be impeached by a unanimous vote by the remaining Imperial Officers AND their DOs. If they wish to appeal, they must follow the proper steps. If an IO is successfully impeached, their Deputy Officer takes over their spot unless the Emperor or remaining IO’s do not feel the Deputy is ready for the position of IO. Imperial Officers rank below the Emperor, and may make announcements on =WE= forums, but may not make any announcements on the CN forums without approval of the Emperor. IOs must also be active in the alliance, as their activity can make or break =WE=. Any Officer who is deemed to be neglecting their duties can (and most likely will) be impeached.
 * Impeachment
 * Any IO may also be removed by the Emperor if the Emperor deems it necessary. To be removed the Emperor must have the support of at least two IO’s

C. Deputy Officers Deputy Officers serve as the right-hand man to Imperial Officers. Each IO may appoint as many DO’s as they see fit. Deputy Officers serve at the pleasure of the Imperial Officer, and may be relieved of their duties at any time. Deputy Officers can be impeached, but would most likely be fired by their IO or the Emperor.

'''IV. Foreign Policy''' =WE= is a peaceful alliance. =WE= will always attempt diplomacy before declaring war on any alliance, however =WE= is not afraid of war, and will not adopt an alliance-wide neutrality policy. All declarations of war must be approved by the Imperial Officers and Emperor.

V. Amendments =WE= recognizes that this is not a perfect document. Being said =WE= understands that at times, the charter must be amended. Amendments may be proposed at any time, and must first get approval by the Imperial Officers by a 3/4ths vote, and then must be passed by the rest of the members by a simple majority. The Emperor then may either approve or veto the bill. If the Emperor vetoes the bill, a 70% majority in an alliance-wide re-vote can over-ride the veto. There must be a minimum of 25% of the alliance voting to overturn the Veto.

'''VI. Conclusion''' =WE= has toiled around for quite a while now, and this charter is intended to be rigid enough that a strong, and stable system may be created, but flexible enough so that it can change with the times. The Charter is only as powerful as the members treat it, and nobody is above the rules set forth in this charter.

Current Government
Emperor:
 * Master-Debater

Imperial Officers:

Imperial Officer of Defense
 * eragon55

Imperial Officer of the Treasury
 * SportsMaster

Imperial Officer of Forgein Affairs
 * Lord Frost

Imperial Officer of Internal Affairs
 * Sgtcook

Deputy Officers:

Deputy Officer of Defense
 * Joshua des Atomus

Deputy Officer of the Treasury
 * Anjou Poiters

Deputy Officer of Forgein Affairs
 * n/a

Deputy Officer of Internal Affairs
 * STARCHASER

=Current Treaties= None
 * Protectorates:
 * MCXA
 * Sparta
 * PIATs:
 * Nueva Vida
 * GATO
 * ToAs:
 * MDP:
 * Wolfpack
 * Miscellaneous:
 * The ZI Peace Pact

=Other Links= IRC: #WE on Coldfront.net www.westernempire.us