Ares Conventions

The Ares Conventions were a treaty signed in New Olympia on the planet Ares during the Age of War, aiming to reduce the loss of civilian life by establishing a code of conduct during warfare. Compliance was almost universal and reduced both the human and economic costs of war, unfortunately also enshrining it as a means of solving even the slightest disputes.

The Conventions were upheld until rescission during the military buildup leading to the Reunification War and formally renouncement at the beginning of the First Succession War. Despite no longer part of a binding treaty, the Ares Convention continue to be seen as the guide for civilized warfare.

Background

Instigation

In 2412, the forces of Captain-General Peter Marik invaded the Capellan world of Tintavel. While at first a traditional assault, the defenders had resorted to hit-and-run tactics and hiding in cities. After the conflicts had already badly damaged the planetary infrastructure and tens of thousands of civilians were causalities of the urban combat, both commanders resorted to using strategical ABC weapons. In the end, both Captain-General and Capellan Chancellor Aleisha Liao ordered their forces to withdraw, the planet was subsequently abandoned.

The conflict so appalled Aleisha Liao that she began a campaign of aggressive diplomacy, succeeding in establishing a conclave of diplomats and House leaders - the Ares Conference, which was tasked with creating rules of war which would reduce civilian losses. While the Conference was initially in favor of Aleisha's proposal, the face-to-face meeting between the national leaders revived simmering rivalries and a desire to ensure that no one could claim "misunderstanding" the Conventions caused the original draft of 80 pages to bloat up.

In the end, the Ares Conference drew up a massive treaty consisting of 6 articles and 18 appendices, with 320 pages in total. This treaty was signed on the 13th June of 2412. The Ares Conventions were signed by eight of the ten great nations (the Terran Hegemony, Capellan Confederation, Free Worlds League, Rim Worlds Republic, Federated Suns, Principality of Rasalhague, Lyran Commonwealth, and Draconis Combine) on the 13th June of 2412.

While even some signatories were critical towards the Conventions, the Taurian Concordat and the United Hindu Collective, outright refused to sign them. The Concordat was distrustful of the Capellans in general and considered the Conventions hypocritical, having been in a border conflict with the Confederation for several years, with Liao forces conducting massacres similar in scale to Tintavel before, during, and after the Conference. The Collective meanwhile feared the Conventions would legitimize and trivialize warfare.

Implementation

Although noble in intention, the spirit of the Conventions was violated within a decade.

When the Capellan/Taurian border conflict escalated into the Rim War under Aleisha's successor Arden Baxter, the Confederation liberally used nuclear and chemical weapons against Concordat worlds, as Baxter considered the Conventions non-binding when applied to a non-signatory nation. Similarly, civil wars were not covered.

Nevertheless, the Conventions were by and large upheld, with no little success: less people died in all conflicts between parties who adhered to the Conventions than during the Fourth Succession War. However, proving the fears of the Hindu Collective right, the Conventions had now legitimized warfare. Soon, petty grievances were fought out on battlefields and wars that had begun dying down lit up again. The now constantly shifting political borders necessitated additional legislation building on the spirit of the Conventions. Soon, laws were drafted which made the population of newly conquered worlds automatically eligible for citizenship in the state of their conquerors. Among the first those laws was the Liberation Act of 2448, enacted by the Free Worlds League.

Acting in accordance to the Conventions, the Terran Hegemony was regularly asked to participate as neutral party in observatory boards and inquiry commissions, a position which would lay the groundwork for Ian Cameron to begin work on the Star League Accords. On the flipside of the coin, once the Star League had been established, disarmament of militaries which had not been off war footing for more than a century left millions of soldiers disenfranchised and restless. Staving off the economic problems of sudden peacetime economies and preventing armed conflicts between the former soldiers and the SLDF were one of the reasons for the Reunification War.

Legacy

In 2579, as part of Ian Cameron's declaration of war, the Star League unilaterally passed Addendum II, rescinding the Conventions. Despite protests and the strict adherence of the Free Worlds League to the Conventions during the conflict, they were never reinstated. The many conflicts the SLDF participated in - such as the Hidden Wars or the Amaris Civil War were fought as total wars.

Finally, at the beginning of the First Succession War, Captain-General Kenyon Marik formally renounced the Conventions, with the other Successor Lords following suit.

In the centuries after the Fall of the Star League, the articles of the Ares Conventions were used as shorthand for "civilized warfare", while two different codes of conduct replaced them.

Sheer necessity caused the development of an informal code called "Honors of War" during the Third Succession War. This code, based on the Ares Conventions, was created in an age of ever decreasing technological knowledge and manufacturing capability, necessitating a code of conduct which would ensure the survival of both knowledge, as well as the increasingly irreplaceable 'Mechs and Jumpships. While created in different aims and lacking in means for oversight and less violent conflict resolution, both were successful in preventing further massive civilian death tolls.

The Clans, meanwhile, developed Zellbrigen, an honor system which is similar to the Conventions in many ways, especially by emphasizing ritualized, sanitized warfare up to the point of conflict resolution by personal combat. However, Zellbrigen differs from the convention in the casual disregard of infrastructure and non-military personnel: they are seen as resources not to be wasted, as opposed to civilians who need to be protected.

Overview

Articles

Preamble

We, the undersigned, on this 13th day of June, 2412, in accordance with our commitment to preserving human life, do solemnly pledge to prevent the loss of civilian life in war. Let this document testify to our desire to end the senseless atrocities attendant upon human conflict and our pledge to uphold the ideals contained with these Convention or suffer the harshest consequences.

Article I -- Nuclear Arms

The use of any nuclear device or variant thereof on a planetary surface or against any commercial vessel is prohibited. This prohibition extends to tactical nuclear blasts against the aforementioned targets. Controlled nuclear attacks in space against military targets are prohibited unless they occur at a minimum of 75,000 kilometers from the surface of any inhabited world in a star system.

Article II -- Orbital Bombardment

The use of orbital assets to bombard stationary targets (as defined in Appendix B, Section 4) on a planetary surface with the single exception of a valid military objective whose destruction the attacker deems necessary to ensure the survival of his own troops, is prohibited. In no case may any orbital attack take place in or near any heavily populated area, and any orbital attack is subject to ex post facto review by a duly appointed council from the signatory states.

Article III -- Surrender

To lessen the human cost of warfare, all combatants must accept the surrender of any unit that offers it. A white flag adorned with a red S will represent the universal surrender standard, so that any unit unable to communicate by conventional means may still surrender fairly. The universal surrender guidelines in Appendix E outline the provisions for the treatment of prisoners and fair compensation for the capturing forces upon the release of war prisoners to their native realms.

Article IV -- Safe Passage

The governments and military commands of the undersigned agree to recognize the aforementioned white flag as a symbol of truce. Any vessel, or vehicle, or person bearing such a truce flag shall be granted safe passage through any place, insofar as the bearer breaks no laws pertaining to that place, or initiates no hostile activity of any kind. Should the bearer of a truce flag engage in hostile activity as defined in Appendix F, the truce flag shall be deemed invalid, and any action taken against such an individual or individuals becomes the responsibility of those suffering said hostile action. Harassment of a truce flag bearer without provocation will be investigated by a duly appointed board of inquiry from the signatory states.

Article V -- Urban Warfare Restrictions

No battle shall be waged in an urban area except under extreme circumstances. If the military objective of an assault lies in a city center, attacking troops must ensure that any hostile action taken causes the least possible amount of collateral damage. No attack may be made against any civilian target, for any reason. Civilian targets shall be deemed to include such life-supporting equipment such as water and air purifiers, agricultural assets, or any other item that enables a planet's population to continue their existence.

Article VI -- Chemical and Biological Weapons

Because chemical and biological agents kill human life indiscriminately and often permanently damage the biosphere of any world suffering such as attack, the use, further development, and production of such agents is strictly prohibited.

Appendices

Appendix A

This appendix comprised of the definition of combat forces, ranging from definitions of infantry to aerospace forces. Since the Conventions were supposed to be followed by uniformed combatants, extensive definitions of uniforms were also part of this section.

Appendix B

This appendix defined what an acceptable target during warfare was.

Appendices C and D

These appendices defined civilians and civilian assets. Notable for their ridigy, these appendices created the modern definition of a pirate merely by omission, as a pirate was someone fitting neither a military personnel or a civilian.

Appendix E

A clarification for Article III, this appendix defined the rules for surrender and treatment of surrendered forces, as well as safe passage for humanitarians, noncombatants, and civilians through hostile territory.

Appendices F through H

These three appendices defined the nature of military force and hostile action. Aside from seeking to limit open conflicts, these appendices introduced the idea of conducting proxy battles via sports matches, simulation games, or duels.

Appendices I through L

Each of these appendices defined weapons of mass destructions. The restrictions for their use were so strict that not even tear gas could be used against foreign troops.

Appendices M through O

These appendices defined boards of inquiry and investigative commissions for violations of the Ares Conventions. In practice, the neutral party required for investigations turned out to be the Terran Hegemony, which would eventually use its diplomatic influence and prestige to gain support for the Star League.

Appendices P and Q

Essentiall the Conventions' glossaries, these two appendices were filled with both definitions of terms used thorough the Conventions, as well as direct translations into languages other than English. Notably for its miserable Hindi translation, which rendered large sections of the translated text incomprehensible.

Appendix R

A short appendix, defining the allowable uses of espionage and intelligence operations. Unlike the rest of the Conventions, this appendix was far less restrictive and only banned outright assassination.

Addendums

Addendum I

The Addendum of 2465 was proposed by the Terran Hegemony and added definitions for BattleMechs to Appendix I. This Addendum was last signed in 2472, by the Draconis Combine.

Addendum II

The Addendum of 2579 was passed unilaterally by the Star League and rescinded the Ares Conventions.

Bibliography

• Era Digest: Age of War
• Handbook: House Liao
• Handbook: House Marik
• Historical: Reunification War
• Mercenary's Handbook 3055
• Strategic Operations
• The Periphery
• The Star League