Mangalan Accords



Preamble


Purposes and Principles:

We, The Sentients of Mars, have gathered here in Mangala to write an Accord which will serve as the framework for an Independent Planetary Adjudication Body. We intend this Accord to be a flexible Document subject to change over time in the light of Experience and changing historical conditions, but assert here that we hope to establish a body that will forever uphold these Principles: The Rule of Law; The Equality of all before the Law; Individual Freedom of Movement, Association, and Expression; Communal Stewardship of the Planet's Natural Resources; and Respect for the Planet's Primal Heritage.


Chapter I - Global Adjudication


Article I - The Duma

Section I - Purpose
The purpose of the Duma is to rule as an adjudicating body on issues of global conflict between one or more Martian nations. Such issues may include, but are not limited too, disputes over land, water, airspace, orbital space, international economic issues, global trade, terraforming disputes and acts of aggression between nations.

Section II - Composition
The Duma will be composed of delegations from each signatory nation on Mars. Each nation may select by methods of their choice either 5, 3, or 1 Delegate(s). These groups of delegates shall form a single Seat with 1 Vote per Seat. If the Duma feels the matter is of such pressing need that Force is justified the Duma may hold a Vote on an existing Opinion. If all Seats agree to the opinion Military Force may be used to enforce the decision. The Duma will meet on Ls=0 and Ls=180, every m-year, and stay in session for as long as necessary to complete its business. An extraordinary session of the Duma may be called if at least 1/5 of the member nations sign a petition to do so.

Section III - Judicial Procedure
The Duma has no binding power over any nation unless that nation is brought before the Duma in the context of an international issue or conflict. When an issue is brought before the Duma, a series of steps shall be taken to resolve it. First, a hearing not exceeding one week in length will be held where the nations involved may each speak and present their arguments. Each seat shall consider an issue before the Duma based on their own laws and precedents. In order to encourage mutual understanding each nation shall write a opinion that states the laws they used to make the decision as well as any precedent cases. For national, purely internal, affairs brought before the Duma a non-binding opinion shall be issued. To issue the opinion a full 1/2 of the Seats must agree to it. For disagreements between nations a binding opinion shall be issued. To issue the opinion a full 3/4 of the seats must agree to it. This opinion shall carry with it the weight of expulsion from the Duma as a penalty for non-compliance. Each national delegation shall have one vote to cast on the final decision, excluding nations directly involved in the dispute. At least ¾ (9) of the members of the delegation must be in consensus on the delegation’s voting position. If a delegation is unable to reach ¾ consensus they must abstain from voting. At least ¾ of the signatory nation delegations must be present to achieve a quorum; missing nations will lose their vote.

Section IV - Powers
The Duma has the power to hear and rule on courses of action to resolve disputes brought before it by signatory nations. A ruling by the Duma must be respected and complied with, however the decision may be appealed and heard again a maximum of two times if 1/5 of the signatory nations petition to do so.

Section V - Enforcement
Failure to comply with the Duma’s ruling on an international issue will result in the offending nation possibly losing voting power on the Duma, being expelled from the Duma, or facing economic sanction and/or a military intervention. The exact nature of the measures taken will be decided by the Duma, taking into consideration the severity of the contravention.



Article II - Signatory Nations


Section 1. Signatory Requirements
In order to be a signatory nation of this accord a nation must have a population of at least 100 million [ooc: i.e. exist for more than a couple days] sentient beings living on Mars and must agree to abide by the terms and conditions of the Accord and the Duma’s rulings.

Section 2. Expulsion from the Accord
Any nation that fails to comply within a period defined by the Duma with a ruling by the Duma will face expulsion from said body. Any nation expelled from the Duma may reapply to join only after a period of 5 m-years has passed, and must, in addition to fulfilling the requirements outlined in article 2, section 1, be confirmed by a 2/3 majority vote in the Duma.



Article III - Addendum


Section I - Proposed Terraforming Goals and Limits
1. The primal state of Mars shall have legal consideration, and shall not be altered except as part of a terraforming program dedicated to making the surface of the planet survivable primarily by humans, but with consideration for other sentients [ooc: I changed “sophonts” to sentients, as I was unsure what a sophont was and it wasn’t in the dictionary] inhabiting the planet, up to an altitude of 11 kilometers above sea level at the time of the ratification of this treaty, or 8 kilometers above the datum line, defined as the contour line indicating Mars’s mean radius, 3382.9 kilometers from the planet’s center.

2. The air pressure of the atmosphere shall not exceed 300 millibars at 8 kilometers above the datum, in the equatorial latitudes (30 degrees north to 30 degrees south).

3. The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere shall not exceed 3%, and should be reduced to human-breathable levels as soon as is possible.

4. Deliberate introduction of any and all species, natural or engineered, that have not already been released at the time of the ratification of this treaty, to areas in which they may affect nations other than those introducing them, is to be approved by the Duma's agencies, after review for environmental impacts on already existing biomes and ecologies and with approval of the affected nations.

5. No terraforming methods will be employed that release harmful ionizing radiation to the land, groundwater or air of Mars.

6. No terraforming methods will be employed which are unstable and prone to rapid collapse, or that do violent damage to the Martian landscape, as determined by the Duma.

7. No terraforming projects not currently underway at the time of the ratification of this treaty that impact areas outside the territory owned by the nations or organizations undertaking the projects will be initiated without the consent of all affected nations, with projects on international land to be approved by the Duma.

Section 2.

Chapter 2. Amending the Accord

Whenever two-thirds of the delegations to the Duma, or a majority of the voters in a majority of the signatory nations, shall propose amendments to this document, the proposed amendment shall be put to a general global vote among the citizens of signatory countries, and shall require a supermajority of two-thirds to pass.

Signatories:
(Insert Signatories Here)


Mars, 2363FT (January, 2033MT)
Written by Fletch F. (Mangala) with a little help from Kim Stanley Robinson’s Martian Constitution (Blue Mars, Green Mars), The UN Charter, and with assistance and suggestions from Sunset, The Snel, and Auman.

Editted to HTML by Sunset

© 2003 Fletch F.