United Communities (1983: Doomsday)

United Communities
Predecessor	United Nations
Formation	July 4th, 2007
Type	International Political Union
Legal status	Active
Purpose/focus	World/Regional Peace, Discussion,
Headquarters	Niagara Falls
Location	Navy Island
Membership	16 Full Members 1 Partial Member
Official languages	English, French, Pennsylvania German
Main organ	United Communities General Assembly
Parent organization	United Nations
Budget	90,000,000 C$
Staff	2,300
Volunteers	Approx 1,200
Former name	United Nations

The United Communities (abbreviated as UC) is an international organization dedicated to facilitating cooperation in international law, preserving human rights, reestablishing order, maintaining national security, encouraging economic development, and establishing world peace. The organization was founded in 2007 and was conceived as a platform for dialogue for North American survivor states. Being based on the United Nations, the group is unintentionally very similar in both style and organization to the League of Nations. However the group is different in how it handles economics and its ultimate goal of the elimination of all remaining nuclear weapons and eradicating terrorist and raider groups. By 2100 the organization hopes to have reversed the effects of nuclear waste and the general destruction following Doomsday from the world.

Although only having a presence around the Great Lakes region, the organization's goal is to spread across the continent and eventually throughout the world. The United Communities is headquartered in the partially-completed Assembly Building in Niagara Falls. Since the end of the Saguenay War, a powerful nations on the political field of the world, Canada, joined, and it is hoped that this will expand membership as well as give the organization credibility.

History

Creation

Each of the original member states, all entangled in various agreements, sought a unified platform in which no nation would show superiority over the other. Toledo, North Penn, London, and Norfolk had basically worked together for years regarding multiple things such as eradicating raiders and liberating oppressed cities and towns. Pennsylvania and State College eventually toppled the St. Marys government and restored it to a democratic leadership, and Toledo helped unite stray Ohio communities under a single leadership.

By 2007 the Great Lakes region had greatly stabilized. New governments slower began to prosper and trade began to pick up. However, the Canadian and American survivor communities decided that in order to hasten the process they would need a unified platform. A proposed "Great Lakes Union" was shot down since any organization would have to expand outside the Great Lakes region in order to provide peace for the area. A draft put together by a Londonite of an organization of "United Communities" was accepted. By July 4th, 2007, the United Communities was formed, consisting of London-Ontario, Norfolk-Ontario, Sudbury, Toledo and North Penn and shortly afterwords Niagara Falls and Waterloo. It established itself as a successor to the United Nations that would hope to "preserve and restore the ideals of that great organization". By a few months, the organization is older than the League of Nations.

Navy Island, an uninhabited island on the Ontario side of Niagara Falls, was chosen as the site for the United Communities headquarters since it was famous for being the original site chosen for the United Nations in early planning in 1945 and 1946. As in those days, it has been suggested that the whole island be ceded to the UC (as its sovereign territory) as long as the organization has its headquarters there. Since sovereignty over the area is weak anyway, many felt that this would might give rise to a "city-state" with the secular equivalence to the Vatican. UC officials in London, however, denied any such designs on such a power play.

Present Day

In 2009, calls were made to move the capital from London to Niagara Falls, in a "step in the right direction" as it was the goal of the UC to eventually move to the General Assembly Building on Navy Island which is under the jurisdiction of Niagara Falls. The General Assembly Building was completed on January 9th, 2010 in a rather splendorous state.

The government in place at Kingston, left behind by the Canadian government as it fled eastward, was invited to join the organization, but steadfastly refused, as it viewed it as a violation of Canadian sovereignty. Sudbury sent a request to join on its own, which was readily accepted.

Superior had sent an application shortly before the outbreak of the 2009 Saguenay War. However, they did not take the seat until the closing days of the war and the representatives are known for frequently not attending meetings. Ithaca and Binghamton sent their applications after the war as well and were accepted on July 4th, 2010. During the war there were only a few discussions every so often since the UC was effectively divided into two separate power blocs and they would avoid any topic that might bring up the war. Superior led the a de facto pro-Saguenay coalition along with London-Ontario and Sudbury while the "Pro-Canadian Alliance" was led by North Pennsylvania, along with Waterloo, and Midland. Niagara Falls, Norfolk, and the Toledo Confederation were neutral during the war but the Mercinariness Force of the Falls were still keen to massacre the Lawrence Raiders as often as possible.

In April, 2010 The UC sent representatives to Manchester, Vermont to witness the Treaty of Manchester. It was here that the first indirect meeting between League officials and UC officials happened. The UC gained an amount of international publicity afterwards and was a "subject of interest" of many of the non-League nations in the world.

As part of the agreements around the treaty, Canada, through its new territories at Thunder Bay and Kingston, joined the organization in a limited capacity, something which has made the split during the war even more evident. Saguenay was accepted in a similar fashion, though this has led to discontent with the Canadian government and several officials want to withdraw from the UC completely as a result.

Structure

The UC's basic structure is very similar to the UN. There is the General Assembly, which is the core of discussion, the Security Council which discusses local security issues (Lawrence Raiders), the Secretariat which discusses political issues, the Court of Justice which brings international war criminals to trial, the Social and Economic Council, name implies function and the Post-War Committee.

Members and Applicants

There are two levels of membership, there are Members and Honorary Members (Observers). The observers make up the core of the United Communities. Honoraries have representation in the General Assembly and an optional membership in either the Court of Justice or the Social and Economic Council. All Honoraries have a goal of eventually becoming full fledged members when it is physically possible.

Members

Superior

File:83DD-NiagaraFallsFlag2.png Niagara Falls

File:675px-Flag of Pennsylvania.svg.pngNorth Pennsylvania

Toledo Confederation

File:83DD-LondonFlag.pngLondon-Ontario

File:Norfolkflag.png Norfolk-Haldimand

File:Canadabeaver1963flag.png Sudbury

File:120px-Canada Pearson Pennant 1964 svg.pngWaterloo

File:125px-Flag of New York svg.pngIthaca

File:125px-Flag of New York svg.pngBinghamton

Wisconsin

File:Kentucky-state-flag.full.gif Kentucky

Pelee

State College

File:Vermont Flag.png Vermont

File:Saguenay-flag (DD1983).PNG Saguenay

Keene

Honorary

These members have representation only in the United Communities General Assembly, and an observer in the Court of Justice and the Economic and Social Council but none in the Security Council and Secretariat for distance reasons. As communications and transportation improve they will most likely become full members but in the meantime they are limited members. They are moving closer towards their full membership, though in the case of Canada this may change since Saguenay will become eligible for full membership sometime soon, and they consider it nothing more than a regional organization.

Canada limited capacity-eligible as of January 1st, 2012.

Ambassadors and Observers

In addition to full members and honorary members, several more distant, powerful nations maintain an ambassador in Niagara Falls, who represents their respective country to all of the member states. While they are not allowed in the General Assembly they are allowed to observe and report the political discussions taking place and may report happenings to their home nation. So far the only foreign ambassadors in Niagara Falls is the Celtic Alliance, though this may change in the future as several nations in the Great Lakes have begun expanding their international communications grid to include several other European nations.

Applicants

After a United Communities General Assembly session shortly after the Saguenay War decided that further expansion would be slightly reviewed, any future expansion into the Community was organized into Acceptance Sessions, which occur every 11 months after the previous one. The current list of applicants for a 2012 entrance is:

Plymouth

Future Expansion

The Northern Townships have been considered for future expansion, as they have expressed interest in broadening their communications with other nearby states. Plymouth has accepted offers to join at a future date, though this date is not yet known, but would have to happen in 2012 at the very least. The Quad Cities Alliance, with their close relationship with Superior, have also been approached about joining the organization. Keene has also applied for membership and will join by summer of 2012.