Board Thread:Fiction Universe Discussion/@comment-1892820-20140630023113/@comment-5365119-20140702161810

In response to Ginu Narnex, Imperial News Network

"That is up for my constituents––the states––to decide. If the issue ever comes up, it will be fronted in the General Assembly and voted upon. If the League votes to side with the Cooperative, it will side with the Cooperative. If the Orion League votes to remain neutral, it will remain neutral. I can influence the Assembly with my words and my arguments––and believe me, I’ll have a word or two to say about it––but once the vote has passed, I will not subvert the will of the organization." --- In response to Tiarna, Republic HoloDomain News

"I have my concerns. I respect what they have done for the universe in the past, but what I do not respect is their tendency to impose on others their political views. Briefly, I am skeptical, but not opposed to cooperation with them."

In response to Alteos Sarosse, Andromeda News 20

"I am more inclined to be optimistic about our Andromedan neighbors. The League already has several trade treaties with them, and I would like to expand on that partnership wherever possible to benefit us both."

In response to Samuas Dalsortum, Xonexi Economist

"The relation between the League and its neighbors becomes very complicated once you realize that every single member state has its own foreign policy separate from the League. While some states might be allied with a neighbor, others might be on the brink of war with them. This makes figuring out how the League will react to a crisis very difficult. However, the executive does have the power to order humanitarian aid to aid during a crisis, and I will not withhold that aid simply because a nationstate is not a part of the Orion League."

In response to Arelle da Luca, Politics Now

"The galaxy is big enough that we won't run out of space anytime soon, and we have established some colonies in other galaxies as well. As long as they make no hostile move towards humanity, I have no problem with their presence."

In response to the Salsetthe Republic "I had a feeling I might have to confront this question at one time or another, so I've prepared a little rant.

"The general opinion seems to be that humanity can exist in one of two states: not-unified and unified. In this, the options are clear: On one hand, we have a bunch of discordant states who do not trust one another, frequently go to war, and hoard resources for individual advantage. On the other, we have a single state whose resources can be more effectively marshaled across the whole species to respond to changing times. It's a no-brainer, right?

"The problem is that statecraft is not that simple. We have forgotten to take into account the many factors that make up a state. There is more than one way to rule a country, from rule by the people to rule by a single person. There is more than one way to manage an economy, from giving the state control over every factor of production to giving that power to private ownership. How much autonomy should local governments have? What if local laws contradict federal laws, who is right then? To what degree is the state responsible for the safety of its citizens? When does the state have the right to intervene in the affairs of other countries? What defines a "human right?" What constitutes a government's "right to rule?" Every culture--every member of the Orion League--will answer these questions differently.

"How do you propose to reconcile all of those different answers into a single, unified state without creating the very animosity and needless strife you're trying to avoid? As things are now, yes, we compete. Yes, we have our disagreements. But through the Orion League, we have created a system which allows us to disagree, allows us to enact our own visions while empowering us to work together when it is needed of us. We have well-oiled mechanisms of disaster relief, mutual defense, scientific development, economic support--all while not infringing on a nation's sovereignty and right to make its own internal decisions.

"That is why I will not push for full political unification when we already have a system that works."