Re: Pirates and Privateers

On Tue, 26 Sep 2000 20:39:31 -0400, "Laserlight"
<laserlight@quixnet.net>
wrote:

>To which the proper reply is:
>"Why should non-recognition by a bunch of ignorant foreigners
>have any effect on the reality of our government?"

Because nations don't exist in a vacuum. There are treaties, there are
embassies, there is international law (maritime law being one of the
very
earliest forms of international law).

This is one area where Quebec's hypothetical separation gives Canadians
a
unique view of world affairs. If Quebec separates, for instance, is it
automatically a nation? No. The international community would have to
accept
it. Until such time, treaties with Canada would be in effect with regard
to
Quebec, and Quebec would not be able to make treaties on its own.

This was the same situation with regard to the US during their civil
war. The
only real chance the Confederacy had was recognition by Britain and
France. If
they both recognized the Confederacy, then the Confederacy could appeal
to
them for assistance and form alliances. This would allow Britain and
France to
get concessions (primarily in food and cotton exports) for military aid
(60,000 British soldiers, or the equivalent of an army, were waiting to
move
into the US from Canada). However, the problem with recognition is that
if
they recognized the Confederacy, and the Confederacy was defeated, they
would
have essentially hurt their chances with the Union (who, at the time,
were
getting closer to Russia and Prussia... as I said, countries don't exist
in a
vacuum). In the Confederacy's case, Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation
(where
all slaves, in all states -- including Rebel states -- were declared
free)
made it impossible for Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy;
their
own people wouldn't stand for a government to side with a slave state
(technically, until that point, the U.S. was still a slave state).

Now, this brings an interesting thing to mind as far as FT campaigns are
concerned. Most players tend towards military aggression when coming up
with
reasons for wars between belligerents. In fact, most real world reasons
are
political. Internal fractures within a political body can make for
interesting
scenarios. I'd like to see more of this in the official timeline.
Perhaps the
ESU splinters. Maybe a Kra'vak clan war kicks in. For that matter, even
the
Phalons might splinter. It would make for an interesting situation. You
want
to use those neat UN ships? How about putting them between two different
ESU
factions.

Allan Goodall		       awg@sympatico.ca
Goodall's Grotto:  http://www.vex.net/~agoodall

"Surprisingly, when you throw two naked women with sex
toys into a living room full of drunken men, things 
always go bad." - Kyle Baker, "You Are Here"