Ma'at Kheru: Ban of Perfidy in Warfare

[Treize Dreizehn]

GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLUTION AT VOTE
Ban of Perfidy in Warfare

A resolution to restrict civil freedoms in the interest of moral decency.


Category: Moral Decency


Strength: Mild


Proposed by: Elke and Elba

Description: Believing that member states must observe certain codes of conduct in times of war,

Convinced that amongst these, the duty not to commit perfidious act is one of the more pertinent and integral one,

Recognising that concerted international action is required to prevent the shirking of this duty, and that concerted international action is required to establish laws to that effect, also,

Worrying that any act of perfidy conducted by any belligerent party in a war would only undermine trust and breed mistrust towards the adversary and/or humanitarian organisations,

The World Assembly,

1. PROHIBITS combatants of member states from resorting to perfidy in order to capture, wound or kill any adversary in any war, through methods including, but not limited to,

a) falsely declaring to be a non-combatant,
b) deceiving to be in distress,
c) falsely declaring the intent to surrender or seek truce without the intention to do so;

2. FURTHER PROHIBITS combatants of member states from issuing any messages of intent (e.g. offer of surrender) that are meant to deceive, and falsely using any signs, signals, emblems and/or insignia, to seek protection and/or protected status, especially those,

a) associated with the World Assembly,
b) associated with humanitarian organisations;

3. FORBIDS combatants of member states from using any form of identification, military or otherwise, of any other sovereign state except their own during combat; of which such identification includes but is not limited to flags, coat of arms, emblems, uniforms and insignia, unless,

a) the other sovereign state has agreed to a request made by the member state to use their own identification, and,
b) the other sovereign state is an allied party participating in the conflict;

4. CLARIFIES that,

a) any violation of this resolution is to be considered war crimes for the purposes of prosecution, and,
b) member states are thus required to prosecute any non-compliant combatant;

5. FURTHER MANDATES the International Criminal Court (ICC) to try any non-compliant combatant if,

a) the member state in which the said combatant had represented had ceased to exist, or,
b) no member state is able to try the said combatant due to extenuating conditions not covered in clause 4 or sub-clause (a) of this clause, and;

6. FURTHER CLARIFIES that ruses of war are permitted as long as they do not violate any restriction enacted by this resolution. These include, but are not limited to,

a) tactics that may utilize deceit, and/or,
b) tactics that have the intent to mislead or provoke a reaction from their adversaries.

[Cormac]

Against.

[Vaculatestar]

Against.

[shetef]

Against

[Applebania]

For.

[War Wombat]

But I want to trick people in war!

Against.

[shetef]

I'll point out two reasons I'm against this:

1. I oppose any legislation classified as "Moral Decency". The morality of my nation is no business of the WA.
2. War is by nature morally indecent and deceptive. There is not any way on earth that this legislation could or would be properly enforced.