Law of Armed Conflict Treaty

[Validus]

The Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) Treaty

The Main Points of the LOAC treaty is:

    * Wars should be limited to achieving the political goals that started the war (e.g., territorial control) and should not include unnecessary destruction
    * Wars should be brought to an end as quickly as possible
    * People and property that do not contribute to the war effort should be protected against unnecessary destruction and hardship

To this end, laws of war are intended to mitigate the evils of war by:

    * Protecting both combatants and noncombatants from unnecessary suffering;
    * Safeguarding certain fundamental human rights of persons who fall into the hands of the enemy, particularly prisoners of war, the wounded and sick, and civilians; and
    * Facilitating the restoration of peace.

-Any looting of the body of a wounded or dead enemy service member or civilian for personal gain is strictly forbidden
-Once an area is captured it is the duty of the Capturing nation to protect the civilian and military assets in that area from looting.
-All wounded, be they from your nation or your enemies must be cared for equally and treated humanly
-While engaging in open combat soldiers and fighters will wear identifying uniforms or have identifying marks on them which will distinguish themselves from the local population, or other civilians.
         -Open Combat is defined as a state of open war or conflict between two nations or two sects within one nation.
-Soldiers will wear their nations flag while in open combat.
-Captured soldiers have the right to keep any protective equipment and personal belongings with no strategic value.
         -Protective equipment is defend as Flak vests, bullet proof vests, and personal NBC kit.

Signed Nations- Validus

~Thanato

[Feniexia]

Feniexia agrees to the treaty, except the law forbidding my soldiers to loot the bodies of death enemies. At first, it is imprecisely - does the looting of enemy bodies for ammunition counts as "personal gain", since soldiers do that mainly to save their own lives. There also are concerns about the last point in the treaty - if medical supplies go short, we will have to set priorities. In other situations, we will also have to cure our own soldiers first before POWs (as long the capured ones do not need immediately treatment to survive or prevent them from suffering long lasting negative conditions), since they are needed on the battlefield.

[Pachamama]

The Federation of Terrangar wishes to sign this treaty.
However we would like to clear that we do not consider the taking of weapons, ammunition, medical supplies and food from a dead enemy soldier looting for personal gain.
We however understand that anything beyond this is looting and agree on the treaty.

[Validus]

Looting for personal gain is what it means You loot the body of a wounded or dead enemy soldier or civilian for Personal gain. If you are taking weapons or medical supplies, unless they are from wounded enemies, then that is not looting for personal gain. Taking weapons or other supplies needed immediately on the battlefield is not looting. However looting personal items like

Also you can not take medical supplies from a wounded enemy Soldier or Civilian, and if the situation permits you must use those supplies to try and stabilize or treat them.

~Thanato

[Feniexia]

Although you said "If you are taking weapons or medical supplies, unless they are from wounded enemies,...", which would mean Feniexia would violate the treaty when disarming wounded opponents, I know it is just a bad formulation, so the Enlightened Empire will sign the treaty.

[Validus]

You are allowed to disarm enemy combatants. Sorry if that was confusing, however you are well within your right to disarm the enemy combatant. Though this means that you are now responsible for the protection of that soldier or civilian.

~Thanato

[Xyrael]

* Wars should be limited to achieving the political goals that started the war (e.g., territorial control) and should not include unnecessary destruction

Events may occur during a war which will force a government to change it's policy, or a regime change due to election may also cause a nation to change it's policy. How do you plan on enforcing this, are these idle threats? Wanton destruction is not necessary, but who is to determine what is and what is not necessary?

* Facilitating the restoration of peace.

Should a nation win a Pyrrhic victory in a war, destablize, and collapse into civil war, why would the loser of the war seek to assist their former foe? I can see how this law would apply should an invader be victorious, but if an invader is repelled at great cost to the stability of the defender, then the invaders objectives are partially accomplished, why would they wish to assist?

Any looting of the body of a wounded or dead enemy service member or civilian for personal gain is strictly forbidden

If a man is deemed by medical observation to be fatally wounded, his supplies will be taken, and the implementation of a quick, honourable, and painless death will be taken. If circumstances are too dire to successfully treat the wounded soldier, and medical assistance is impossible by either side, a painless death will also be instituted.

[Osamafune]

Collosea will not sign the treaty as it is currently written. Our position appears to be nearly identical to that of Xyrael's.

[Validus]

**Updated**

Xyrael. . . yes wars change and evolve but not nearly enough to change the whole reason a nation went to war in the first place. Those objectives should be taken care of an have the victorious nation become an occupying power or pull out.

If the victorious nation collapses into a state of civil unrest there is no reason for the nation which it conquered or destabilized during a war to come to the aid of the aggressor nation. Unless that nation is able and willing. However it should be up to the International Community to assist the nation at this point.

~Thanato

[Delfos]

-Any individual/small number of military/civilian vessel(s), in distress shall be not stricken, aid shall be given or refused, unless the vessel in question doesn't support alternatives and has to land on the closest available assistance area.

[Glomin]

While I agree that there should be laws governing warfare I must also disagree with the exact ones laid out in this treaty.

King Willik Von Endorp

[Feniexia]

"[...] with no strategic value?" Surely our soldiers will also use captured items and vehicles of strategic value. This is war. We see no reason to leave enemy equipment were it is so they can just re-take it. Besides, there are other parts of this treaty we are not agreeing to anymore. Feniexia will quit this treaty - however, we will still accept and use most rules concerning civilians and PoWs.

[Pachamama]

"[...] with no strategic value?"

This actually refers to the bombing of historical sites, destruction of cultural artifacts and bombing of buildings with no strategic values.


Dramatization.

"Let's bomb that museum"
"Why"
"Well because it's there"

"This kindergarten has enormous strategic value. From within it's plaster walls the enemy could hold out even against nuclear strikes and he could stage entire battalions nay armies in it`s 3 square foot sandbox. it must be destroyed I tell you."

"Soldier take your rocket launcher and blow up that statue. I don't like it"

[Delfos]

In the process, New Delfos might form a Judge Advocate General degree for combat counseling.

[Validus]

Strategic Value, means, Taking out Supplie lines, like bridges, train tracks, roads, airfeilds. As well as removing known emenmy strongpoints, if the enemy takes up location in a museum and the only way to remove them is to remove the museum. Then the museum went from having no strategic value to have alot of strategic value.

This is meant for causing the needless destruction of personal property and things of cultural significants. Under the LAC Treaty, anyone caught disobeying these laws can by triad and imprisoned, while the war is still ongoing, regardless of rank.

~Thanato