The Imperial Order

The Imperial Order, officially abbreviated TIO and occasionally TIOv2 (to distinguish it from the first Imperial Order), and known internally as Imperia, is a growing alliance on the Blue sphere. Founded 6 April 2010 by Skippy, the Imperial Order is governed by a nine-member government consisting of the Imperial High Commander, an indirectly appointed triumvirate known as the Security Council, as well as five appointed ministry-level positions. The Imperial Guards serve an important but unofficial role as ministerial assistants.

The Imperial Order is a member of the Sirius bloc, and holds independent treaties with several other alliances, primarily on the Blue sphere. TIO's growing relations with fellow Blue-sphere alliance serve to underline its commitment to strengthening that sphere. The Order maintains a top-class diplomatic team, and is firmly committed to the preservation of peace and the security of its members.

History
The first incarnation of the Imperial Order was founded on the White sphere 1 July 2009 under the protection of the Siberian Tiger Alliance. Although it disbanded later that year, Imperia lived on in the hearts and minds of its founders, and it was reformed on Blue in April 2010, with many of the original founders being among the first in its ranks. Skippy once again took up the role as leader of the alliance.

The Imperial Order worked hard to forge ties with fellow Blue-sphere alliances, its first treaty being a protectorate with the Imperial Assault Alliance. It soon signed several optional treaties, entering Sirius 22 May as a founding member, and signing a PIA with Athens. On 20 August, it announced a treaty with the SOS Brigade which humorously featured an "optional non-aggression" clause.

The Imperial Order significantly amended its Charter 3 July, correcting the terminology used by its two governmental councils, altering the name of its immigration department, and allowing for tech raiding on a limited scale. On 1 August 2010, Skippy abdicated the position of Imperial High Commander, and Sup4l33t3ki11a was elected by the Imperial Government to replace him. Imperia's first mandatory treaty was a 6 September Mutual Defense Pact with IAA, which served to upgrade their protectorate. Early the next day, an was signed with the Killer Turtle Brigade. One week later, a PIA with the New Polar Order was announced.

The present composition of the Imperial Government, as announced 28 September 2010, displays traces of the original TIO. Specifically, Jumperbeast13 is the longest-serving Imperial Officer in the Order, having served in that capacity in both incarnations of the alliance. Likewise, Scorponok has served at the level of Imperial Commander in both incarnations, and is the longest-serving member of the high government. With the recent government's inauguration, Skippy returned to government as External Imperial Commander.

Preamble
We, the member nations of the Imperial Order, desiring to form a community of brothers and sisters who serve to better ourselves and our comrades; consciously upholding the values of freedom of speech, brotherhood, and moral camaraderie; seeking peace and prosperity while providing for the defense of our community; and standing together as one, today and forevermore; do hereby ratify this the Charter of the Imperial Order as our Supreme Law and Code.

Article I
Subject to Article VI, Paragraph 2, any nation may seek to join the Imperial Order, under the condition that it is not in any aggressive wars, is not a member of another alliance, and is not on any zero infrastructure lists or otherwise declared to be an enemy of another alliance.

Article II
A nation applying for membership in the Imperial Order must truthfully submit to the Imperial Government, as described herein, in a manner prescribed thereby, any and all information which is required to process an application and determine eligibility for membership; including but in no way limited to: its alliance and leadership history, its rationale for leaving its most recent alliance, the Uniform Resource Identifier of the nation in question, information regarding the nation's activity, and all other information deemed necessary by the Imperial Officer for Membership Affairs, as described herein.

Article III
A nation applying for membership in the Imperial Order must swear an oath of loyalty to the Imperial Order; confirm intention to act according to this Charter; and pledge to defend the Imperial Order in time of war, show honor and respect in peacetime, and obey and respect the Imperial Government.

Article IV
The Imperial Officer for Membership Affairs and the Imperial Officer for Internal Affairs, as described herein, shall jointly establish and maintain an Imperial Academy tasked with educating and informing members of the Imperial Order on issues related to alliance membership, nation management, and international war and diplomacy.

The Imperial Officer for Membership Affairs shall further establish protocols for facilitating enrollment and graduation from the Imperial Academy.

Article V
The Imperial High Commander, as described herein, shall establish protocols for the granting, maintenance, and revocation of membership in the Imperial Order. Members of the Imperial Government shall be responsible for communicating to the Imperial High Commander any and all recommendations for maintenance of alliance membership.

Article VI
Any member of the Imperial Order may submit notice of resignation of membership to the Imperial Officer for Membership Affairs at any time while the alliance is at peace. Should a member wish to resign membership during time of war, a request to submit a notice of resignation must be submitted to the Imperial High Commander, who shall in consultation with the Imperial Government opt to grant or deny the request.

Any nation who has previously resigned membership of the Imperial Order who wishes to rejoin the alliance must obtain permission to apply from the Security Council, as described herein, before submitting an application to that effect.

Article VII
The Imperial Government shall consist of the Imperial High Commander, the Security Council, and the Ministerial Council, as described herein.

Article VIII
There shall be established the position of Imperial High Commander of the Imperial Order, who shall serve as the Head of State of the Imperial Order, the symbol of its unity, and the guarantee of its sovereignty and independence. The Imperial High Commander serves until death, resignation, or dismissal, as described herein. The Imperial High Commander holds absolute authority in the Imperial Order, subject to this Charter and the veto of the Security Council, as described herein.

Article IX
Any action taken or decision made by the Imperial High Commander shall require the majority approval of the Security Council. Failure of the Imperial High Commander to obtain the Security Council's approval for any given action or decision shall constitute a veto by the Security Council, and the action or decision shall be declared abandoned.

Article X
Any member of the Imperial Government may call for a vote of no confidence to be held in the Imperial High Commander's leadership at any time. Such a vote shall be held confidentially, and shall remain open for as long a period of time as is necessary to secure a majority vote of the Imperial Government either for or against the motion. During any period of time that a confidence vote is open, no one may be dismissed from or appointed to any position in the Imperial Government.

Should the Imperial Government, in such a vote, demonstrate that the Imperial High Commander has lost the confidence of the Imperial Government, the Imperial High Commander shall be immediately dismissed from his position.

Article XI
In the event of the death, resignation, or dismissal of the Imperial High Commander, the Imperial Government shall with all reasonable speed elect from its ranks a new Imperial High Commander.

Article XII
There shall be established a Security Council of the Imperial Order, which shall consist of three members who shall form the Imperial Command. The Security Council shall be responsible for oversight of the Imperial Order, and shall monitor the continued security, growth, and prosperity of the Imperial Order as a whole. The Security Council shall be directly responsible for the oversight of the Ministerial Council. In the event of the Imperial High Commander's extended absence, the Security Council shall collectively and by unanimous consensus act in the capacity of the Imperial High Commander, as described by this Charter, until the Imperial High Commander's return. The members of the Security Council serve until death, resignation, promotion, or dismissal, as described herein.

Article XIII
Each member of the Security Council shall have a defined portfolio; namely:
 * The Imperial Commander for Internal Affairs shall oversee all financial and internal affairs of the Imperial Order;
 * The Imperial Commander for External Affairs shall oversee all foreign and defense affairs of the Imperial Order; and
 * The Imperial Commander for Executive Affairs shall act as an intermediary between the various elements and members of the Imperial Government, and shall be considered to be without a portfolio.

Article XIV
Any member of the Imperial Government may call for the dismissal of any member of the Security Council at any time. Following such a call, the Imperial Government shall confidentially vote on the issue. Such a vote shall remain open for as long a period of time as is necessary to secure a majority vote of the Imperial Government either for or against the motion. Should a majority of the Imperial Government vote in favor of dismissal, the Imperial Commander in question shall be immediately dismissed.

Article XV
In the event of the death, resignation, or dismissal of any member of the Security Council, the Imperial Government shall with all reasonable speed elect a replacement, who may be drawn from either the Ministerial Council or the alliance membership.

Article XVI
There shall be established a Ministerial Council of the Imperial Order tasked with the general management of the alliance's affairs. The Ministerial Council shall consist of five members who shall be styled Imperial Officers. Members of the Ministerial Council serve until death, resignation, promotion, or dismissal, as described herein.

Article XVII
Each member of the Ministerial Council shall have a defined portfolio; namely:
 * The Imperial Officer for Internal Affairs shall manage the internal affairs of the Imperial Order and is charged with monitoring the conduct of the alliance membership;
 * The Imperial Officer for Foreign Affairs shall manage the Imperial Order's relationships with other alliances, including establishment and maintenance of embassies with other alliances, maintaining contact with the Imperial Order's allies, overseeing diplomats, and negotiating the text of treaties prior to their being brought before the Imperial Government for ratification;
 * The Imperial Officer for Defense shall manage the Imperial Order's military and defense preparations and oversee the Imperial Order's military divisions;
 * The Imperial Officer for Finance shall organize the Imperial Order's resource and technology trading and establish protocols for managing the delivery of aid to nations who require it; and
 * The Imperial Officer of Membership Affairs shall manage the Imperial Order's recruitment scheme and application process, and shall be responsible for the induction of new members into the alliance.

Article XVIII
Any member of the Imperial Order in good standing may call for the dismissal of any member of the Ministerial Council at any time. Following such a call, the alliance membership shall confidentially vote on the issue. Such a vote shall remain open for seventy-two hours. Should a supermajority of sixty percent of the alliance membership vote in favor of dismissal, the Imperial Officer in question shall be immediately dismissed.

In addition to a dismissal vote, any member of the Ministerial Council may be dismissed by the Imperial High Commander or a unanimous vote of the Security Council at any time.

Article XIX
In the event of the death, resignation, or dismissal of any member of the Ministerial Council, the Imperial High Commander shall with all reasonable speed appoint a replacement drawn from the alliance membership. In the case that a member of the Ministerial Council was dismissed by the Security Council or an alliance vote under Article XVIII, the replacement chosen by the Imperial High Commander must not be the same member who was dismissed.

Article XX
An attack on a member of the Imperial Order, no matter what the nature of the attack, shall constitute an attack on the entirety of the Imperial Order and shall be addressed by the Imperial Government as it deems appropriate.

Article XXI
During peacetime, no offensive war may be declared unless approved by the Imperial Officer for Defense. Should the Imperial Officer for Defense wish to declare an offensive war, it must be authorized by the Imperial High Commander or a member of the Security Council.

In addition to these regulations, no offensive war may be declared during peacetime against a nation on the blue or red trading spheres or a nation which is a member of an alliance. For the purposes of this Paragraph, an alliance shall be defined as any group of nations with six or more members or any nation or group of nations regardless of size under the protection of an alliance with six or more members. It shall be the responsibility of the Imperial Officer for Defense, or the person otherwise authorizing a war, to ensure that the desired target nation is eligible for attack under this Paragraph.

Any offensive war declared during peacetime is the sole responsibility of the declaring nation and the Imperial Order has no obligation or responsibility to provide assistance to any nation who undertakes to declare such a war.

Article XXII
The Imperial Order shall only issue a declaration of war with the support of the Imperial High Commander and a majority vote of the Imperial Government. In the event of a stalemate, the Imperial High Commander's vote shall count as two votes and the motion shall pass.

Article XXIII
The Imperial Order reserves the right to use nuclear weapons under any circumstances, including preemptively.

Article XXIV
The Imperial Order shall not condone, endorse, or inflict policies of permanent or eternal zero infrastructure on any nation.

Article XXV
Any member of the Imperial Order in good standing may suggest amendment of this Charter to the Imperial Government; however, only a member of the Imperial Government may propose amendment thereof as a government motion.

Article XXVI
Any proposal by a member of the Imperial Government to amend this Charter shall be put to a referendum of the alliance membership, to be open for seventy-two hours.

Article XXVII
Any proposal by a member of the Imperial Government to amend this Charter may be passed by a majority vote of the alliance membership or a unanimous vote of the Imperial High Commander and the Security Council.