Confederacy of Independent States (Original)

The Confederacy of Independent States or CIS was formed on September 12, 2006 by Zocane, a former member of the Green Protection Agency and the Coalition of Defensive States (Coalition of Green States at the time) and KasMage, a former member of the Global Alliance and Treaty Organization.

History
The original proposal for the founding of the Confederacy of Independent States was brought forth by Zocane, who at the time of proposal was a member of the Coalition of Dark States. The original planners were KasMage and Zocane, the original charter being drafted by KasMage and being vigorously edited by both to come to a final charter. On September 2 of 2006, Zocane resigned from the CDS and put "Confederacy of Independent States" in his alliance affiliation, officially making him the first person to have the CIS affiliation set. September 14 marked the creation of the CIS forums. Less than two weeks later, KasMage issued his resignation to GATO.

After the creation of the CIS charter, the necessity for a working government was brought into discussion, and a provisional government made of KasMage, Zocane, Witmore, Spakistan, Druid, Fuhrer Stafford, SkYgReEnChIcK, President Jalen and Olaf Simonson was placed into power on October 1. Soon after, elections were set for November 1, a date which has now passed with much success.

Meanwhile, debates over the CIS charter ensued. Proposals for the charter were discussed, and editing of the charter continued. On October 7, a vote in the CIS General Council occurred, and on October 10, the charter was ratified by a vote of 11 - 0.

The future brought more changes for the CIS, most being good. Embassies were setup between the CIS and the United Global Order (UGO), which led to the signing of the Fortified States Accord, a UGO/CIS Mutual Defense Pact. The MDP was ratified by the CIS on October 10 by a vote of 11 - 1. Embassies were setup between the CIS and the Imperial Assault Alliance (IAA) soon after, and the IAA agreed to an MDP as well. The Intergalactic Defense Accord was ratified on October 17, 14 - 1. After this, even more good occurred, as Zocane's proposed CIS flag was chosen to be the official flag of the Confederacy on October 19. But it was on this same day that the good luck of the CIS was broken.

The S-R-I Conflict
The United Global Order, an alliance that was at the time allied to the CIS through the Fortified States Accord, approached the CIS with classified information concerning a possible war between them and the Socialistic Revolution Initiative (S-R-I). This information was circulated to the Master Council and led to the CIS agreeing to support the United Global Order. Both alliances issued a declaration of war against the S-R-I on October 19. 

The war against the S-R-I went extremely well for the next few hours, but it was then that discussions between the S-R-I and CIS swayed the internal Confederate opinion. The CIS discussed the situation with S-R-I leadership, most notably TraianBasescu and Silent, and the Master Council decided that the S-R-I war should not involve the CIS. Little support existed for the UGO or the S-R-I, creating a war based most notably on a mutual dislike between the Order and Initiative. The CIS issued a public statement to both the UGO and the S-R-I, apologizing for involving itself in the war and requested a white peace. 

The S-R-I signed the peace treaty, and soon after, the UGO accepted peace as well.

Midlife
At the conclusion of the war, the CIS began a period of growth and began to discuss foreign policy as well as globally improve relations with other alliances. Attempts were made at quelling the growing dissent being caused by the polarized MDP web, though the outcome of most of these attempts were never notable. The Confederacy began to improve relations with the International Communist Party and came somewhat close to signing a Mutual Defense Pact, something that was eventually halted by the Maroon War and the resignation of KarlMarx from the ICP.

Shortly after the Maroon War, discussions began about the creation of The Initiative, which was to be an organization of alliances bound together by a treaty that would cause a Mega MADP. The CIS became one of the original nine alliances to join, making it part of the most revolutionary organization/treaty to ever occur in the CyberVerse. This would eventually lead to the Confederacy's involvement in the Farklands War, commonly referred to as Great War II.

Farklands War
GOONS declaration of war against Farkistan, an alliance of nations migrating into Cyber Nations from the enemy website, Fark.com, of the GOONS home website, SomethingAwful.com, caused a large amount of political upheaval that eventually led to the LUEnited Nations declaration of war against GOONS. A chain reaction occurred that eventually led to the League of Small Superpowers issuing a declaration of war against the CIS.

The DoW by LoSS was considered debatable by many, as the CIS was not technically involved in the war, making LoSS the aggressor in the eyes of most of the Initiative alliances. However, many other alliances followed in LoSS's footsteps and issued declarations of war as well. OIN, ~Dies~Arae~, and BTA, among others, all declared war on the Confederacy, making the CIS the obvious target of the recently formed League. Attempts were made by the League to focus a mass of firepower on the CIS and cause their resignation from the Initiative, as well as their surrender.

Two days after BTA's declaration of war, FAN began issuing individual DoW's against BTA nations, while Spakistan, the CIS Minister of Defense, headed up CIS-sponsored counterattacks. Master Debater, the head of the BTA approached both Spakistan and a peace treaty was decided upon that involved an apology and a surrender to the forces of Initiative. That effectively marked the first surrender of the Farklands War, but would obviously not be the last.

While the CIS's involvement in the war was considered a massive failure by many, it did prove a huge dedication to the Initiative as well as an amount of honor that couldn't be matched by many other alliances. The CIS became a firing range, and the war would cause a mass of internal turmoil, as well as lowered nation strength, a huge loss of members, and a number of other negative side effects. However, it instilled a dedication within the Confederacy that would eventually make the CIS the iron alliance of the Initiative, despite it being the constant target of the so-called "bandwagon" alliances of the Initiative opposition.

Internal Restructuring
A couple of weeks after the war, KasMage, the CIS High Chancellor, proposed a plan to the General Council of the CIS that would involve a merger between the CIS and Viridian Entente, the CIS's most notable and longest ally. A large amount of support for the bill began to pop-up, but a greater amount of support against it occurred, and most of its opposition was considered die-hard to say the least. The posting of the plan was denounced by the High Magistrate, Zocane, and a number of people, including the Minister of Defense, called both privately for KasMage's resignation once it became clear, through his own revelations, that he wasn't able to make soverign decisions or give full committal to the Confederacy. Despite the amount of opposition for the plan, KasMage continued by posting an official vote for the plan, based upon a mostly even weigh of votes.

The vote itself failed 19-24. Before the vote could be completed however, the majority of the CIS government demanded that KasMage resign which eventually led to his and Kevanovia's departure to the Viridian Entente. A number of people also followed, and shortly afterwards, Jert14 and Spakistan wrote a completely new charter for the CIS.

Zocane issued requests that the charter be ratified, and a few days later, the Master and General Councils of the CIS voted and ratified the new charter. The old Confederate Master Council of nine members would be kept, but would be trimmed down to remove the higher positions of power, such as the High and Vice Chancellors. Those positions were replaced by a "Supreme Council" that would consist of a group of four individuals who would hold the ability to veto laws, remove members, and impeach government officials, among other things. The Ministry of Defense was removed and replaced by a "War Council", which would also consist of four members. The alliance underwent a complete upheaval, charter and all, that resulted in a redrawing of the CIS. The CIS itself was revamped completely, with many government positions being removed, and many others being added, as the forum layout was changed and new officials replaced old ones.

Unjust War
The CIS entered the Unjust War in support of their allies, NoV, who had been attacked by EoTRS. The war effort itself proceeded smoothly with all members of the alliance rallying for the cause when an unexpected event happened.

GOLD had been one of the sanctioned alliances prior to the war and on the 12 September, declared neutrality in the conflict. However all was not well internally, after suffering a coup, Howso regained control and declared that the announcement of neutrality was illegal and revoked it. GOLD's preparations for war (which did not go unnoticed by the CIS) continued until all was revealed on the 15 September when they announced that they were entering the war in support of EoTRS against the CIS. Unfortunately, advanced warning had been given to the CIS when several GOLD nations declared war prior to update, and prior to the actual DoW. CIS braced itself for an onslaught that failed to appear before taking the offensive and declaring on many GOLD nations and when another unexpected event occurred.

It had transpired that GOLD had assisted FAN by funneling money to them to help them wage their war against WUT via a proxy alliance. NPO followed this trail and determined that GOLD was guilty of assisting their enemy, thus they too declared on GOLD. Over extended, they rapidly collapsed. On 19 September, GOLD surrendered to both CIS and NPO and effectively disbanded (a year and a day after they were founded). Finally on the 23 September, EoTRS surrendered to the combined forces of NoV, CIS, IMU, OCUK and NPO (who had joined the conflict against them) ensuring total victory for the CIS and their allies.

CIS Charter
This is the Confederacy's second charter. This charter was drafted by Jert14 and Spakistan. It was ratified on January 30, 2007.

Preamble

This document is the charter of the Confederacy of Independent States and is designed to protect and serve the Confederacy in all of its endeavors. The protection, well-being, and general happiness of the Confederacy is withheld in this document and the willingness of the members of the Confederacy to protect the alliance. May the alliance stay strong through all that it encounters, under the guide and stand of the Charter.

I. Membership

All nations joining the Confederacy of Independent States must take oath towards the alliance, promising to work towards the better of the alliance and follow all passed documentation of the alliance.

"I, (ruler) of (nation) promise to follow the will of the Confederacy of Independent States, providing to my fullest and greatest abilities to work towards the better of the alliance and swear full allegiance to the alliance."

No members shall be denied membership on the basis of team color, ethnicity, or government. No separate membership alliance may be present, and members may not be involved in outstanding wars or be in violation of any portion of this charter or documentation passed by the Confederacy of Independent States. Nations must truthfully fill in the application form and recite the oath displayed above. Nations attempting to join will be ratified as members by the Minister of Internal Affairs or any member who is empowered by his or her ability to ratify membership.

'''II. Government Positions'''

The Supreme Council consists of 4 people. They are entrusted with the overall control of the alliance and are expected to oversee the work of the War Council and the Ministries. They can call for emergency impeachments of any official within the alliance to pass with a 3/4 majority vote. With a 3/4 vote they can veto legislation passed through the General Council. The Supreme Council is elected every 65 days.

The War Council is entrusted with the defensive readiness and preparation of the alliance. They will oversee the coordination of the defense of the Confederacy of Independent States and organize members of the CIS into divisions, based typically on nation strength. They are responsible for deciding on Battalion Commanders, who in turn are responsible for organizing further management levels within the military. The four members of the War Council are selected by the Supreme Council every 30 days.

Members may become eligible as candidates for each position by receiving at least three recommendations from other members of the alliance for that particular position. A member may run for no more than one position at a time. Recommendations will never be considered votes in the government, and voting must take place separately. Only those who have had membership in the CIS for thirty or more days may be considered eligible for an elected government position. The only exception are candidates running for a position in the Supreme Council who must have held membership within the alliance for over 50 days and receive 8 recommendations to run.

The High Magistrate is in charge of investigating allegations of illegal activities in coordination with this charter or any documentation passed by the Confederacy of Independent States. The High Magistrate will decide whether or not a passed bill is in violation of the CIS Charter after a member proposes allegations of illegality of a bill. The High Magistrate does not operate under any authoritative body within the CIS, although impeachment votes against him may occur. The High Magistrate is elected by the General Council every 65 days.

The Minister of External Affairs is responsible for setting up embassies in the CIS and embassies of the CIS in other alliances and proposes passed treaties to other alliances. This Minister has the ability to assign any member of the CIS, including himself, as ambassador to any alliance where an embassy is present. The Minister of External Affairs is elected by the General Council every 30 days.

The Minister of Trade and Finance is responsible for setting up trades and organizing Aid Guarantees to attacked states of the CIS. The Minister also is responsible for helping set policies to strengthen member states through aid disbursement. The Minister of Trade and Finance is elected by the General Council every 30 days.

The Minister of Internal Affairs is responsible for recruitment, immigration control, internal investigations and internal development. It will be his or her responsibility to select heads of the four departments under their control. The Minister of Internal Affairs is elected by the General Council every 30 days.

Voting for elected positions occurs on 30 and 65 day cycles. Once the period of 30 or 65 days is completed voting occurs. Voting starts at 12 PM GMT and will last for 48 hours, at which point the votes will be counted and the candidate with the largest number of votes wins. In the incidence of the Supreme Council, the 4 candidates with the greatest number of votes each win a seat in the Supreme Council.

'''III. Legislation'''

The legislative branch of the CIS government shall be divided into two sections, the Master Council and the General Council. The Master Council consists of all members of the Supreme Council (4), War Council (4) and the Ministers of Trade and Finance, Internal Affairs, and External Affairs. The General Council shall consist of all members of the CIS, including those also in the Master Council. Members of the Master Council will be awarded a vote in the Master Council and a vote in the General Council.

All bills, including amendments to the Charter, will begin in the General Council. Voting will occur over a two day period. A simple majority vote by the General Council will promote the bill for debate to the Master Council. A tied vote in the General Council will result in a defeat.

In order for a bill to pass the Master Council, a majority vote must be made in favor. Voting within the Master Council will occur over a two day period, or until a majority decision is obtained, whichever occurs first. The Supreme Council by unanimous voice reserves veto rights for all legislation.

Declarations of Interalliance war must start in the Supreme Council and will require a 3/4 vote in favor. The War Council, if by unanimous vote, may veto a Declaration of Interalliance War.

Any bill, including Charter Amendments, but excluding Declarations of War, may only be voted upon once every month. Every member of the alliance may only vote once upon a bill during each voting period, excluding members of the Master Council, who may vote upon a bill once while in the Master Council and once while in the General Council.

'''IV. Judiciary'''

Any member of the CIS may propose allegations of illegal activity in coordination with the CIS Charter or CIS legislation. The High Magistrate will determine if a piece of legislation is in violation of the CIS charter, and together with the Minister of Internal Affairs will determine if a member is in violation of CIS legislation or the CIS Charter.

Any member may propose an appeal if they are decided to have been in violation of legislation. The General Council will take a one-day vote. If thirty-three percent or more of the General Council decides a new decision is warranted, the Supreme Council will make a final decision.

V. Impeachment of Government Position

Any member of the alliance may provide allegations of illegal activities in coordination with this charter or any legislation passed by the Confederacy of Independent States or failure to complete the duties assigned to a government position. A vote will take place in the General Council, requiring that a majority of the votes are for the impeachment, rather than against it. If it is accepted, a decision will be made within the Supreme Council regarding the impeachment request. If the member facing impeachment is in the Supreme Council, that member will be precluded from the discussion.

Provisions for replacement of the government official are similar to provisions for resignation and are outlined in Section VII.

'''VI. Discharge from the CIS'''

The Minister of Internal Affairs & the High Magistrate, in concurrence, may discharge a nation from the CIS as a necessary punishment for illegal activities. This discharge may be appealed, and will be reviewed by vote by the General Council. If thirty-three percent or more of the General Council decides a new decision is warranted, the Supreme Council will make a final decision.

'''VII. Resignation of a Government Official'''

Any government official who resigns from the Confederacy of Independent States will be replaced by the Supreme Council within two days of resignation. The replacement will carry out the original term of the position.

'''VIII. Member Guarantees'''

Nations that are attacked by other alliances will be assisted at the jurisdiction of the War Council and aided at the jurisdiction of the Minister of Trade and Finance. Nations that declare war will not be guaranteed any aid, but assuming no violation of the charter or passed documentation of the CIS is in occurrence, will be allowed to request aid and receive it. Nations that are declared war upon will be given an aid guarantee by the Minister of Trade and Finance, assuming the war is brought to the attention of the CIS. Support will be given by the CIS.

'''IX. Treason'''

Attacks by CIS members against fellow members of the CIS will be considered acts of treason and will be grounds for dishonorable discharge from the alliance. Exceptions will include activities such as training exercises held under the guidance and direction of the War Council. The disclosure of information considered to be of confidential status will also be considered an act of treason and will warrant discharge as well.

Existing Laws
This is a list of laws that have been enacted, including laws that have been passed and later repealed.

Current Government
 Master Council 
 * Supreme Council
 * Spakistan
 * Quicksurfer
 * Sharduke
 * War Council
 * 08milluz
 * Kanu Tanu
 * Small Force
 * Ombudsman
 * Bert101
 * Head of the Confederate Bank
 * George the Wild
 * Minister of Internal Affairs
 * Alpha Psi
 * Deputy minister of Internal Affairs
 * yankeedude45
 * Protector's of the Confederacy
 * Jert14
 * Teh Chad

 Non Master Council 
 * Chief of Recruitment and Activity
 * JDawg
 * Confederate Dean
 * Currently Vacant

Previous Announcements
Full listing may be found in the CIS Archive.

 2007 

CIS-IMU MDAP (29 Oct 2007)

Statement Regarding the Lafayette Squadron (7 Apr 2007)

Official Announcement Requesting Contents of GATO-BTA PIAT (25 Mar 2007)

Nuking of Lyon S. Kennedy (24 Mar 2007)

Declaration of War Against Opponents in Great War III (22 Mar 2007)

CIS Declaration of Support for NPO in Great War III (19 Mar 2007)

CIS Tech Raiding Policy (16 Mar 2007)

Another Jalen Announcement (14 Mar 2007)

Vengashii Becomes CIS MoEA (12 Feb 2007)

New CIS Charter Announced (31 Jan 2007)

Discharge of Zkward (12 Jan 2007)

Declaration of War On LoSS (11 Jan 2007)

Nullification of NAPs with GOLD and LUE (10 Jan 2007)

 2006 

CIS Official Stance on President Jalen (27 Dec 2006)

Announcement Regarding Josh the Great Hacking (26 Dec 2006)

200 Members Announcement (17 Dec 2006)

Foreign Policy Stance Following the Signing of the World Unity Treaty (15 Dec 2006)

Joint VE/CIS Statement Regarding President Jalen (8 Dec 2006)

Official Sanction Proposal to United Green Sanctions Council (The Final Hero) (7 Dec 2006)

Official Stance on CNARF (6 Dec 2006)

Official Stance in Maroon War (15 Nov 2006)

Announcement Stating 100 Members (5 Nov 2006)

Results of the First CIS Master Council Elections (2 Nov 2006)

Severance of Diplomatic Communications With Cyber Gods of War (31 Oct 2006)

Announcement Regarding Cyber Gods of War Charter (25 Oct 2006)

Declaration of Peace With the Socialistic Revolution Initiative (20 Oct 2006)

Declaration of Interalliance War Against Socialistic Revolution Initiative (19 Oct 2006)