MAD emerges from neutrality

On February 15, 2008, shortly after the NADC-BLEU War and in the midst of the Woodstock Massacre, the long-neutral alliance Muturally Assured Defense announced it was emerging from the ranks of neutrals and signing its first mutual defense treaty, an MDoAP with Echelon.

MAD's Minister of State Cirrus made the following statement:

''When Mutually Assured Defense was founded in December of 2006, the cyberverse was an inhospitable place for a tiny collection of new nations. Planet Bob was dominated by the League and the Initiative, two superpowers in the midst of the greatest cold war in the history of Digiterra. Having few friends, knowing nothing of the merit of either side, and not wanting to be cannon fodder in somebody else’s war, we made the only decision available to an unheard of micro-alliance. We laid low and hoped to stay out of things. ''

''We watched as the cold war gave way to Great War II in January of 2007 and noted that another war was almost certainly inevitable. Though our nations still numbered in the single digits, we decided it was time to organize. On February 6, 2007 we adopted the Charter of Confederation, in which we stipulated the neutrality that had served us well as the rule of law. ''

''Soon thereafter, we began to grow. As we did so, neutrality became a warm and comfortable blanket. In May of 2007 we adopted our Proclamation of Commitment to Peace, a simple NAP-like document which many other alliances would come to sign. ''

''However, since our neutrality was based on circumstance rather than an outright conviction in independent isolationism, we were willing to sign non-military treaties with other alliances. A Treaty of Friendship with the Legion, and PIATs with Mostly Harmless, FEAR and ACDC. We even briefly took on a protectorate, IDD, giving them the chance they needed to avoid tech raids in the early stages of their formation. ''

''Eventually, however, that blanket of neutrality came to resemble a noose. MAD has always valued quality over quantity, so we have done little recruiting. As our 60-some nations grew and our average NS rose, the prospect of farming infrastructure and merely watching robertopolitics unfold became less and less attractive. As it has become obvious that in a post cold war world friendless neutrality is no longer safe, it has become more and more difficult for MAD to justify our circumstance-imposed neutrality. Circumstances have changed, and so must we to survive.''

''Therefore, per recently (and overwhelmingly) approved amendments to our Charter, we are abandoning neutrality and entering the world of normal alliances. ''