Pollux Proclamation

The Pollux Proclamation was a policy issued by First Lord and Director-General Ian Cameron on 2 January 2575.[1][2]

Overview[edit]

The Proclamation, given before the Star League Assembly on Pollux, states First Lord Cameron's intention to extend the Star League to the entirety of human-inhabited space, either peacefully or by force of arms. At face value, the reasoning for this expansion was humanitarian—to bring education, technology, culture, and prosperity to the denizens of the Periphery, in spite of the best efforts of "a handful of rabble-rousers and metaphysicians."[3][4]

Less altruistic ulterior motivations were also at work. Following the Star League's formation in 2571, a handful of mishaps such as the Santiago Massacre and Malagrotta Affair, along with widespread faltering economies resulting from sanctions against the Periphery in March 2574 that backfired on the Inner Sphere, riled up anti-Star League resentment in the Periphery to the point that the Star League High Council saw war as inevitable. The House Lords knew that there needed to be just cause for military conflict and the Pollux Proclamation was it; if the Periphery nations refused this last chance at diplomacy, they would bear responsibility for the consequences.[5]

Grendel Roberts, ambassador of the newly formed Independent States of the Periphery, replied on 1 March 2575 with their declaration of independence and rejecting that they submit to the Star League.[1][6]

Though issued two years before military operations of the Reunification War commenced and war was not officially declared until 2578, the Proclamation really served as a de facto declaration of war and within a year, SLDF troops were already engaged in the Periphery.[1][3]

Quote[edit]

Furthermore, in consideration of the common goals we share, we must set aside our differences and pool our resources for the common good, once and for all.

The Star League stands for a unified Humanity. As First Lord of the Star League, it is my solemn responsibility to protect the welfare of that Humanity wherever it may be found, be it on Sian or Santiago, New Vandenberg or New Avalon, Andurien or Apollo, Castor or Canopus. Through me, the Star League assumes the awesome task of safeguarding the welfare of Humanity. It is a responsibility from which the League will never shrink, a responsibility it shall never lay down. The dark days of barbarism are over-we will not let them return again.

The only way to ensure equal protection for all, the only way to safeguard the liberties of each individual, is for every Human being to accept the benefits we offer, freely and openly. So long as a solitary individual of the most distant planet in the Periphery remains uneducated, impoverished, or disadvantaged, all are equally stricken.

We intend to see that the majority is not denied the benefits of culture and progress at the hands of a minority of radical isolationists. We intend to extend our benevolent protection into every corner of Human-occupied space, whatever the cost, until every man, woman, and child prospers and flourishes. Let no one stand in the way of Human progress. The time for reunification has come.

  — From The Pollux Proclamation, address to the Star League Assembly by Ian Cameron, 2575[4][5][6]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Historical: Reunification War, p. 20
  2. The Star League, p. 45
  3. 3.0 3.1 Handbook: Major Periphery States, p. 17
  4. 4.0 4.1 The Periphery, p. 26
  5. 5.0 5.1 Historical: Reunification War, pp. 19-20
  6. 6.0 6.1 The Star League, p. 46

Bibliography[edit]