| |||
| Capital | Philadelphia | ||
| Largest city | New York | ||
| Other cities | Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City, Victoria D.C., Salt Lake City, Zarahemla, Port George, New Edinburgh | ||
| Language official |
English (de facto) | ||
| others | Spanish, French | ||
| Monarch | Queen Elizabeth II | ||
| President-General | Sir Colin Powell The office of President-General is officially non-partisan | ||
| Chancellor | Sir Joseph R. Biden | ||
| Area | 20,094,986 km² | ||
| Population | 348,717,887 | ||
| Established | British North America Act, 1867 Treaty of Union, 1868 | ||
| Currency | Dollar | ||
| Organizations | British Commonwealth, International Conference, Alliance of Nations | ||
Location of the American Union
The American Union or the United Dominions of America is a federation of thirteen republics and dominions in America. Despite the official name, not all of the component nations are ruled by Elizabeth II. While all of the component nations (called Sovereign Republics and Dominions, or just Dominions) have their own domestic policies and often differ in laws or practices, the American Union is responsible for all foreign affairs and has a separate military force.
The American Union was created by the British North America Act, 1867, which spelled out the constitution and named the territories of the British Crown that were to join the American Union. The Treaty of Union of 1868, signed by all of the constituent Dominions of the time, spelled out exactly what each Dominion would provide to the Union. This treaty also named an interim President-General (Robert E. Lee) and Chancellor John A. Mscdonald to oversee elections to the House of Delegates and the House of Dominions. The United States demanded and received a statement in the Treaty of Union that said that the United States would continue to send a delegation of Senators to sit in the House of Lords; the British House of Lords now sends two Lords to the United States Senate and a full delegation to the House of Dominions, the United States Senate sends two Senators to the House of Lords, and the House of Dominions sends a full delegation (dependent on the number of Lords sent by the United Kingdom) to the Lords.
Dominions of the American Union[]
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Republics | |||
| Mosquito Coast | Panama | United States of America | Yucatán | |||
| Dominions | |||
| Alaska | Albionoria | Belize | California | Deseret | Grand River | Jamaica | Lesser Antilles | New Caledonia |
Government of the American Union[]
The American Union is legally governed by Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Queen of the American Union, as well as the titles of Queen of each Dominion that recognizes her as Head of State of that Dominion (all but Yucatan, the Mosquito Coast, and Panama). She is represented in each dominion by a Governor-General and in the Union by a President-General. The equivalent position in the Republics usually carries the title of President. The President-General of the American Union serves "At Her Majesty's Pleasure", which typically translates to five years, although the President-General may serve more than one term. The Chancellor appoints the President-General, who is then submitted to a Union-wide referendum. Sir Colin Powell, the current President-General, was first appointed in 1998, reappointed in 2003, and has announced he will not seek another term in 2008. Chancellor McConnell has designated Lord Stephen Harper of Albionoria as the President-General Designate, to take office on November 1, 2008.
The Chancellor of the House of Dominions is the Head of Government and serves a six year term (or until the House of Dominions decides to remove him). It is uncommon for the House of Dominions to elect a Chancellor to more than one six year term. When chosen to be the Chancellor, a MHD (Member of the House of Dominions) no longer represents his constituency. A special by-election is held to elect another MHD to serve until the Chancellor is removed. If the Chancellor is removed, another by-election is held to determine which of the two should serve as MHD from that constituency. It is common for the newly-elected MHD to step down in favor of the Chancellor, as seniority has many privileges.
The Speaker of the House of Delegates is an integral part of the Chancellor's Cabinet, and helps make many decisions. When the Speaker and the Chancellor are of different parties, this can make for an interesting partisan debate. The Speaker is legally required to implement the policies of the Chancellor, yet the Speaker always prefers that their party's agenda is accomplished. Usually this results in the Chancellor making concessions to the Speaker on areas he does not consider important in return for cooperation on areas the Chancellor considers pressing. Many Speakers and Chancellors of opposite political parties have had close working relationships with the end result being a well-run Union.
The Parliament of the AU is divided into two Houses - the House of Delegates and the House of Dominions. The House of Delegates is based on proportional representation and has elections every three years. The leader of the majority party is called the Speaker of the House of Delegates. The House of Dominions (every member of which is granted the courtesy title of Lord or Lady - the individual Dominions and Republics have rules on how long the title is kept and whether or not it is hereditary) contains representatives from each province-level unit in the Union and has elections every four years (this makes for an interesting election cycle). The President-General can dissolve Parliament at any time. The last time this happened was in 2000.
Politics of the American Union[]
The two major parties in the American Union are the Conservative and the Liberal Parties. The Conservative Party currently has a slim majority in both Houses of Parliament, but polls show that the Liberals might take control by a slim margin in the next election.
Under the Chancellorship of Bill Clinton, the RAAF launched many airstrikes on Eastern European countries who had declared themselves for the Russian Bloc, causing a furious debate in the House of Dominions over whether or not to remove their confidence in the Chancellor. Lord Clinton was removed from office in 1996 by the House of Dominions for using the RAAF to "punish" countries that declared themselves members of the Russian Bloc. Under Chancellor Jean Chrétien allies of the AU expressed concern over the continued use of the RAAF against the Russian Bloc. Lord Chrétien's short government (he was removed from office by the House of Delegates in 2000) was plagued by complaints from his own Liberal Party, members of the Alliance of Nations expressing displeasure, and growing discontent among voters in his own constituency. After the 2000 elections, Chancellor George W. Bush restored much of the confidence in the Armed Forces and in the foreign policy of the country mostly because he was a Conservative and not a Liberal. Although American forces are still engaged in both Syria and Persia, trying to subdue Islamic insurgents and help prop up the new democratic governments, Chancellor Bush was the first Chancellor since Ronald Reagan to serve a full six-year term and in 2006 was elected by his home Dominion of Grand River to serve as Premier. Mitch McConnell was chosen by the House of Dominions to replace him, and has currently served two out of his six years as Chancellor. However, Lord McConnell is presiding over a House of Dominions with a slight Conservative majority, meaning that each change to the composition of the House of Dominions could result in Lord McConnell losing the Chancellorship. The threat of this is growing as Liberals continue to gain in the polls.
International Relations of the American Union[]
| Headquarters: | Philadelphia, United States of America, American Union |
| Commander-in-Chief: | HM Queen Elizabeth II President-General Sir Colin Powell |
| Minister of Defence: | Robert M. Gates |
| Commander: | General David Petraeus |
| Chief of Staff: | Michael G. Mullen |
| Branches: | American Army Royal American Air Force Royal American Navy Royal American Coast Guard |
| Active personnel: | 1,921,513 |
| Reserve personnel: | 1,483,500 |
| Founded in: | 1775 as the Continental Army |
| Reorganized in : | 1784 as the United States Army 1868 as the Royal American Armed Forces |
| Ages qualified for service: | 18-45 |
| Available for service: | 76,721,757 males 75,846,583 females |
| Conscription law: | All residents must register with the Royal Selective Service in the event that Parliament reinstates the draft |
| Time of service: | 3 years in peacetime; until the end of hostilities in wartime Note - Conscription is not currently in effect in all Dominions and Republics |
The American Union is one of the most major players on the world stage. The foreign policy of the American Union is backed up by the Royal American Armed Forces (one of the most powerful military forces in the world today), the American Union's strong economy, and its many connections in international politics. An ally of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the German Empire, the Kingdom of France, the Republic of China, the Oceanic Union, and Japan (among others), the opinion of the AU is taken seriously.
The International Conference meets in New York City, and has a major AU presence. The AU sends 50 delegates to the International Assembly (on par with the UK, France, China, Germany, Russia, South Africa, and Russia) and sits on the Grand Council. The President of the Grand Council has usually either been an American or an American ally. Despite the large American presence, the International Conference is known by the many debates led by the Russian bloc, consisting of the Russian Empire, South Africa, Brazil, Venezuela, Mesopotamia, Spain, and other smaller countries.
The American Union has been called the "World's Policeman" - a term shared with the UK ("World's Constable"). In international politics, the phrase "Policeman and Constable" usually refers to the AU and the UK working together to accomplish a goal. The AU has arbitrated the debate between Greater Israel and East Palestine (with varying degrees of success), the Japan-Korea trade dispute, and the Philippines Civil War. In 1999, the AU invaded Hong Kong (a British protectorate) to prevent a Chinese invasion, thereby toppling the Chinese military dictatorship and establishing the current democratic government in Nanjing.
The American Union has seen a number of major wars in its history. From its formation in 1868, the Royal American Navy (RAN) has participated in (among others) the Spanish-American War, the First and Second World Wars, the Shelling of St. Petersburg, the Korean Intervention, and the Indochinese War. The American Army has fought in the Panamian Revolt, the Spanish-American War, the First and Second World Wars, the Korean Intervention, the Central American Incident, the Indochinese War, and the recent War on Terror in Persia and Syria. The Royal American Air Force (RAAF) has provided support for all recent incidents and operations by the Army and the RAN, as well as numerous airstrikes on unfriendly nations and terrorist organizations. The Royal American Armed Forces are the most respected military forces in the world, and rightly so.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York City and Toronto Lord Bush, with the approval of the Alliance of Nations, invaded Syria, as they refused to turn over Osama bin Laden, the head of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization that claimed responsibility. Bin Laden escaped Syria and traveled to Persia, where he met publicly with the Prime Minister of the anti-American Islamic government. With less support from the the Alliance of Nations but with the backing of key allies the United Kingdom, Oceania, and Germany, the American Union invaded Persia to capture bin Laden. American forces are still in Persia and Syria battling insurgents and trying to prop up democratic governments.
The American Union is more popular in Western and Central Europe than it is in Africa, Eastern Europe, or South America. The AU-controlled Panama Canal is facing competition from the Nicaragua Canal in the Federal Republic of Central America, and many Latin American leaders (especially those such as Hugo Chavez from the Russian Bloc who see America as the source of all of Latin American problems) continue to bash the American Union in the International Conference. The problems have increased after the House of Delegates passed a resolution removing Citgo fuel from the American market (it was discovered that profits from Citgo, a Venezuelan company, were often funneled to insurgents in Persia and Syria) and Saudi Arabia refused to raise oil prices at the latest International Convention of Oil Producers (ICOP) summit, held in Cairo.
The American Dollar continues to be the world's benchmark currency, worth more than all other currencies except the British Pound Sterling. Despite recent falls against the Reichsmark and the Franc, the Dollar remains strong. The Conservatives claim that the recent economic downturn was caused by Liberal obstructions of their policies in Parliament while the Liberals claim that Conservative policies were the major cause of the downturn. The Bank of North America, the central bank of the Union, has embarked on a policy to try to prevent a recession.