UN Government

Created by: Canon Macross

Maintained by: Mr. Sketchley / http://www.macrossrpg.com/~archers/Images/StudioOtaking.gif

Placeholder until further details are posted.

Why United Nations (UN)?

Alternate translations of the original Japanese text occasionally list UN (United Nations) as Unity Government. (Note the capitalization.)

History

• 2001, January

Establishment of Earth U.N. Forces. Inauguration of Earth U.N. Government. Founding Prime Minister, Harlan J. Niven [Niiben (sic)].

• 2005, April 14

Founding Earth U.N. Government Prime Minister [representative] Harlan J. Niven [Niiben (sic)] is assassinated. Robert A. Rhysnink [Rhysling] is installed as his successor.

• 2009, February 11

Earth's annihilation. UNG primarily destroyed.

• 2009, March

Conclusion of Space <Stellar> War I. Earth atmospheric purification operation begins. A total of several hundred thousand <to approximately one million> survivors confirmed in the Grand Cannons (I) III and V, the Lunar surface's Apollo Base, and the space colony clusters [bunches]. UN Spacy assists in reconstruction of the civilian UNG.

• 2010, April

Establishment of new U.N. Government Education programs for Zentraedi begin. Miclone processing of Zentraedi applicants begins.

• 2030, April

Dancing Skulls Squadron was sent on a mission to rescue "the UN Chairperson" Lawrence Yun Kemal.

Organization

The UNG is loosely based on the real UN general assembly. The difference is that as a leadership body, it is lead by a Prime Minister.

Though the actual political economy, government organization and other details of the UNG are unknown, speculation leads one to believe that the UNG has something akin to the galactic senate in ‘Star Wars.’ Each member colony has a representative (which may or may not have been elected) in the General Assembly.

Speculative Organization

Prime Minister (Leader of the GA)
      |
UN General Assembly
      |
UN Chairperson (Chair of the UNAFC)
      |
UN Armed Forces Committee (leadership body in charge of the UN Armed Forces)

Though the general assembly is supposed to have control of the UN Armed Forces, due to history, politics and other circumstances, it is often the opposite way around. This is one of the prime motivations that the (various) Anti-UN groups have towards their disagreement(s) with the UNG.

There are varying theories amongst the GMs in the MRC regarding the relationship of the UNG and non-allied colonies. However, as the savior and protector of humankind, all non-allied colonies and agencies do show some manner of respect to the UNG and its mandates and the UNG shows the non-allied colonies and agencies a similar respect (even if it is only to respect the border and leave each other alone.) In this case, one can consider the UNG to have two roles: governing (even if it is only indirectly) those allied to it, and making sure that things remain congenial for colonies and agencies non-aligned with the UNG. Thus the UNG is somewhat of a cross between a modern bicameral parliamentary democracy and the real United Nations.

Noteable Members/Historical Figures

Prime Minister

• Harlan J. Niven <Niiben (sic)>; founding Prime Minister. 2001, January to 2005, April 14
• Robert A. Rhysnink <Rhysling>; 2005, April 14 ~ ?

UN Chairperson

• Lawrence Yun Kemal; in the 2030s.

UNG of the early 2050

?

Speculation

Post SWI, a need for a strong leadership was needed. Strong leadership doesn’t come from councils that negotiate, bicker and drag their feet before a decision gets tabled. Therefore, lines of leadership would most likely have followed that of the military (strict chains of command, some decisions made via consensus at a ‘board meeting,’ but final decisions usually falling to one person.) This would’ve made the UNG into the well-oiled machine that it needed to be to undertake the megaprojects seen post-SWI (mass cloning of humanity, (re)building of the Earth Defenses and UNS Fleet, and creating the colonization fleets.)

However, with this type of power comes entrenchment – people in leadership rolls would not want to give them up easily. In addition, problems emerged as elections became based on cults of personality more then of capability. The basic result is that at the end of every governmental term, a partial or completely whole new batch of department/ministry heads would arrive, all of them being fairly clueless to the decisions that they have to start making from the word ‘go.’ The problem is that the “true” leadership would then fall to the non-elected department/ministry heads who would only give the elected department/ministry head the ‘right’ information to make the ‘right’ decision.

How does the Anti-UN fit into all of this? They are the Anti-UN because they are protesting something about the UN. Historically, what have a lot of people protested their (former) governments about? Lack of representation. Therefore, if the UNG is an authoritarian, pseudo-dictatorship in the guise of a ‘guided democracy’, then we arrive at a very big motivation for the Anti-UN.

This adds to our RPG as it creates the options of: a wicked leader pretending to be good only to further his/her personal goals (or the opposite, a good leader fighting off the wicked), surrounded by ‘yes-men,’ back stabbers toeing the line until they can strike and/or leadership officials that don’t give a damn because in toeing the line they meet achieve their personal ambitions (or get the keys to fulfilling them.)

Let’s be honest, having an oppressive, authoritarian regime (which imprisons/executes those who are outspoken against its policies) as the leadership core of the UNG makes for much more interesting storytelling then an unwieldy, slow democratic parliamentarian democracy (akin to the ruling council in Star Wars Eps I & II.)