Consider voting on World Assembly resolutions

If you are here, then you're curious about how World Assembly affairs are run in Lazarus. It is fairly straight-forward, we use multiple metrics for determining how Lazarus votes for General Assembly and Security Council resolutions. The first metric is how world assembly nations and citizens of Lazarus view a resolution, the second metric is how World Assembly nations are voting, and the final metric is how a resolution might be viewed by the inter-regional community and prominent World Assembly members.

The Lazarus World Assembly program is a recent initiative. You can read how to vote here: Voting Form

1. How to Join the World Assembly

Join the World Assembly here: World Assembly page

More information on the World Assembly is in the Nationstates FAQ:

LAZ wrote:

What's the World Assembly?

The World Assembly is the world's governing body. It's your chance to mold the world to your vision, by voting for resolutions you like and scuttling the rest. However, it's a double-edged sword, because your nation will be affected by any resolutions that pass. (Unfortunately you can't obey the resolutions you like and ignore the rest.) In other words, it's a hot-bed of political intrigue and double-dealing.

Your nation can join the WA, but it's not compulsory. If you remain outside, you're unaffected by its decisions. If you're ready to mix it up in international politics, though, the WA is for you.

There are two main benefits to WA membership: you can vote on resolutions, and you can give and receive endorsements to and from other nations in your region, which determines who is Delegate.

[...] I have more than one nation. Can they all join the WA?

No. While you can have as many nations as you like, only one may be a World Assembly member at a time.

You need to receive a verification email for the email on your nation, which should occur within 24 hours, and then you're in and can start voting on resolutions in-game.

2. General Assembly Resolutions

Important links:

• GA Proposal Compendium: Rules & General Advice

• Ideas for General Assembly Proposals

• Rules and Procedures of the GA Secretariat

General Assembly resolutions normally don't have foreign policy implications and are largely focused on issues facing individual nations. Normally this would be a straightforward decision, with the First Citizen (or PM) and Minister in charge of World Assembly affairs making a recommendation. Still, it is very important to let your opinion heard via telegram or on our discord server, as maybe the resolution going through the General Assembly is going to have terrible consequences for your nation, or you just can't stand the WA, and want us to vote against. Whatever your reasoning, best to let us know.

3. Security Council Resolutions

Important links:

• Security Council Proposal Rules

• Ideas for SC Resolutions

• SC Questions & Answers

Security Council resolutions can have foreign policy implications, especially if it pertains to liberations of regions and condemnations, though a lot can be harmless commendations of gameplayers, World Assembly participants, and so on. It is very likely that on this sort of resolution that the First Citizen, Foreign Minister, and Minister in charge of World Assembly affairs will weigh into these sorts of resolutions - as they can impact our relationship with other regions. So, it is entirely possible (though rare) for Security Council resolutions that the final decision might be to abstain or vote for/against the general vote in the region. This is why it is very important to let your opinion heard via telegram or on our discord server.

4. Opinions against the World Assembly

Nevadar wrote:

The colossal fireball of extra-dimensional inanity was a formal email from the real world United Nations delivered to the game founder telling him to stop using the UN name and symbol, hence it was destroyed in game and replaced with the World Assembly. Clearly, Gatesvillians infiltrated the real world UN. :P

Gates the god wrote:

[...]The largest player-created region in the MMO political simulation game NationStates for the last several years, Gatesville was co-founded by the nations of "Gates the god" and "Rose-Colored Glasses." While Gates remains, RCG has since moved on. Gatesville is known for its staunch pro-national sovereignty policy which is most often expressed as opposition to the NationStates United Nations.

What the actual UN thinks...well, they did make Max Barry change the name. Apparently their support for the model UN ends at online gaming.

As for my opinion, I've left the World Assembly at times on principle (and respect those who do) because of GA resolution I've disagreed with, but I've also been a Delegate of a user created region, and then of Lazarus, so I'm clearly fine with it.

5. World Assembly voting form

You can vote via telegram by sending a telegram to New Rogernomics or vote on our Discord server in the WA votes channel.

World Assembly nations and citizens of Lazarus may vote for SC/GA resolution with the following form:

LAZ wrote:

Nation:
GA/SC proposal/resolution:
Vote (Aye/Nay/Abstain):

Votes by non-WA nations will be discarded unless they are citizens of Lazarus.

Note: Citizenship must be applied for non-WA nations to vote. Do so on our forum here: Lazarus forum

6. Cabinet policy and R/D neutrality

While the usual policy of World Assembly voting is to take what you telegram in and what you vote in-game into account when Treadwellia casts their vote on behalf of the region, there is an exception to this when it comes to cabinet policy or R/D (or raiding and defending) neutrality. You will see these both referred to in the google document we use to keep a record of past recommendations to the Delegate.

• Cabinet policy (or CP) is what the First Citizen (or PM) of Lazarus sets as their position against or for a specific nation, region, or organization, or if a World Assembly vote may imperil or hurt our foreign relations with our friendly or allied regions. This may mean that the Delegate is advised to vote against, for, or abstain on a World Assembly vote. This can result sometimes in an unfortunate situation like the majority of World Assembly nations voting one way and the Delegate another.

• Raiding and Defending (or R/D) neutrality is the regional position of Lazarus according to regional law, which prohibits Lazarus from either becoming a raider or defender region or having either of these tags identified with Lazarus specifically on our World Factbook Entry (or WFE). Therefore in these situations Lazarus will either abstain or follow the vote of the region, as we prefer to not take a position for or against.

This act explains the process for World Assembly votes by the Delegate in Lazarus:

View past/current LAZWAP Recommendations