Chapter 42: A Proclamation

Jon’a-ren arrived at the Swiss Embassy alone, a few moments before his appointment. This was official business. As the representative of the Masi’shen home world to Earth, he sought to schedule a formal meeting with the president of the Swiss Federal Council, Jonas Kopp, and his fellow council member, Karl Hauser, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs.

The Masi’shen felt a great appreciation and respect for the Swiss government; it was their open and welcoming embrace which provided a home on Earth for the Masi’shen mission.

The following Tuesday he was meeting the Swiss officials at their nation’s government palace in Bern. He carried printed and bound copies of a formal declaration which he wished to present to the United Nations General Assembly in New York. As a representative of an alien world, his mission had no standing with the UN. They were not an Earth nation and had little chance of being granted non-member observer status. He was keenly aware that neither China nor Russia would allow it. As members of the Veto Five, either could and probably would block Masi’shen observer participation.

“President Kopp, Councilor Hauser, how good of you to agree to this meeting. Sirs, I brought the Declaration for your review and, respectfully, for consideration by your Council to sponsor our presentation of the document to the UN General Assembly.”

“Welcome, Ambassador Jon’a-ren. It is our pleasure, sir. Please, join us in my office,” Councilor Hauser replied.

The meeting was brief. The Swiss officials were shocked by the message but after Jon’a-ren explained the purpose and inevitable necessity of it, they began to see far more advantage for the Swiss confederation and very little possible harm in it.

“You are serious about the prohibition of not only nuclear weapons, in particular, but of weapons of mass destruction as well? And your world is ready to assist our world to not only eliminate the stockpiles of weapons, but to help implement inspections and safeguards?

“Yes, of course, gladly and willingly. We hope to assist the establishment of appropriate United Nations inspection and disposal protocols, to assist the teams, and to provide a means for safe and trusted disposal. This would also include the delivery missiles. We also hope to include all chemical, biological, and radiological weapons of mass destruction in this program. It all depends, of course, on the willingness and ability of the one hundred ninety-three nations, the member states of the UN General Assembly, to uphold a majority vote to override possible objections of the permanent members of the Security Council.”

“Of course,” President Kopp replied. “Ambassador, you must realize that no one living expected that we might see such a day; a day where we would live free of the shadow of thermonuclear destruction. And to also banish the poisons, the nerve agents, the plagues—my friend, I fear to dare. It still seems so impossibly remote!”

The following day, the regular weekly meeting day of the seven-member Federal Council, Jon’a-ren was startled to receive a standing ovation and deafening cheers and applause from the normally reserved and august governing body. Some shouted praise; others clapped their aides on the back and waved copies of the Masi’shen Proclamation in the air, celebrating the import and its promise of an end to the threat of global destruction.

The Swiss Ambassador to the United Nations was pleased to be instructed to sponsor the Masi’shen Ambassador to address the UN General Assembly. A communique went immediately from his office to Sugiarto Kusnadi, Secretary-General of the UN, seeking immediate scheduling for Jon’a-ren’s appearance.

Sugiarto of course knew the message, and he shared the Swiss reaction. He and his wife Farida, a renowned physician who dedicated her life to combatting childhood diseases, especially in war-torn developing nations, had never dared to believe a near-miraculous force could bring such hope.

He also knew that his good friend, US President Bronstein, held far greater fears about the Proclamation. The United States remained bitterly and obstinately divided by political factions that had renounced reason in favor of partisan struggle for dominance. Any chance of getting a nuclear disarmament agreement through the US Congress was slim to none as Aaron Bronstein phrased it.

Any guesses concerning other nations that held nuclear stockpiles were even less optimistic. The US was among the five nuclear non-proliferation treaty nations, with the UK, France, the Russian Federation, and China.

China and Russia had rebuffed the Masi’shen requests for meetings of either an informal or ambassadorial level. In the absence of any dialog, it seemed likely neither country would willingly discuss their weapons stockpiles. He held much greater hope for France and the UK; he believed both would respect world majority opinion.

World opinion was not lightly dismissed. Global fears had already pushed a general reduction in arms. From a high of 68,000 nukes at the height of the Cold War years, peaking in 1985, the total had dropped to a little more than 4,000 active warheads. The world total stood at 10,300 warheads if the decommissioned but not yet destroyed weapons were included.

Of course, there was much guesswork involved in the inventory, as a number of nations concealed their numbers. Israel, in particular, refused to confirm or deny possession but it was a thinly veiled stratagem. Others generally suspected Israel held at least sixty active warheads, and possibly several times that number.

Another concern was the current race to enhance the delivery of existing weapons. The most recent Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists warned, “the United States and Russia have embarked on massive programs to modernize their nuclear triads’ thereby undermining existing nuclear weapons treaties.” The “nuclear triad” concept includes land, air, and undersea delivery systems. Nations possessing nuclear-fueled submarines effectively maintain a constant roving threat, able to launch strikes from hidden offshore locations.

“Switzerland is not a member of the Security Council, but their request to sponsor your appearance before the General Assembly has been expedited most vigorously!” Sugiarto told Jon’a-ren as they relaxed after a private dinner at the Kusnadi’s New York apartment. Lyn’na-ra and Farida were off in the dining room, chatting while staff cleared the table.

“What I expect to see, and hope to facilitate,” he explained, “is a motion to immediately forward your Proclamation to the fifteen-member Security Council for immediate study. There is already behind-the-scenes maneuvering for the United Kingdom and France to introduce an immediate resolution calling for world compliance. Frankly, my friend, I expect the other ten non-permanent members to support such a resolution. After all, they are not members of the nuclear club, so they have much to gain and little to lose.

“You realize, of course, that any such resolution will never see the light of day; China and Russia will never vote for it, and I fear that the US Congress will never permit a vote, so it’s as good as vetoed before it begins!”

“So why are you smiling, Sugiarto?” Jon’a-ren asked?

“Because, my friend, the true power of the UN rests with the one hundred ninety-three member nations, if they choose to exercise it!

“Early in our history, in 1950, while the UN was in its infancy, the Assembly passed Resolution 377, Uniting for Peace. The member nations declared that if the Security Council fails to act, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member, in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, or breach of the peace, or a major act of aggression, the Assembly may take action. The Assembly can consider the matter immediately, and make recommendations for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security,” Sugiarto recited from memory.

“That sounds very reassuring,” Jon’a-ren said, “but is it something likely to happen? Forgive me, but everything I read informs me that the UN is typically ponderous, slow-moving, and frequently ineffective.”

“Sadly, yes. But never underestimate the power of FUD, coupled with enlightened self-interest where human affairs are concerned,” Sugiarto smiled.

“FUD?”

“Yes. A most powerful motivation when applied liberally and enthusiastically. FUD means fear, uncertainty, and doubt! In this case, fear of the global nuclear threat, uncertainty about the future in the face of such a threat, and doubt that anything will ever change. Self-interest evolves when the small nations, the great majority, suddenly see freedom from FUD presented as a choice! Oh, my friend, they’ll rush the agenda to get to the vote!

“And best of all, your world has the technology and the ability to be a neutral party in monitoring and policing the program! With proper UN oversight and participation, of course. Oh, my dear friend, this is perfect!

The Masi’shen Proclamation contained essentially what Jon’a-ren had told Aaron, Jacques, and Sugiarto during their earlier, private meeting. It was a richly bound and printed document, of course, and couched in appropriately respectful, diplomatic terms, but the message was quite simple and very straight forward: children should not play with dangerous weapons. If they refuse to give them up, they’ll not be allowed to run loose in the public square with them. The message was as simple as that.

China and Russia vetoed it, of course, and formalized their rebuff of the Masi’shen by issuing statements that their borders were closed to any off-world creature, overture, or influence. Don’t even ask for diplomatic relations or a Visa to visit, the message was made clear. Private messages from both countries also warned that any visible over-flight or trespass by any off-world creature or craft would be met with overwhelming deadly force.

The Republic of China (Taiwan) immediately and very publicly issued a press statement inviting full diplomatic, cultural, scientific and economic exchange missions with the Masi’shen to any extent the Masi’shen wished. The Peoples Republic of China UN Representative responded that Taiwan was well within range of mainland Chinese naval forces, aircraft, and missiles, and demanded that the invitation be withdrawn. In keeping with normal ROC-PRC relations, Taiwan ignored the threat.

The US Congress immediately grid-locked. Rage, hysteria, and political chest-beating filled the hallowed halls of both the House and Senate, and spilled over to all network, cable, and internet news channels. As expected, President Bronstein and his UN Ambassador were blocked. A bill to forbid any UN approval, or any US participation in any form of nuclear disarmament or CBW stockpile reductions finally emerged from Congress, and although threatened with immediate impeachment, President Bronstein vetoed it. But he did instruct his UN representative to abstain from voting for the Security Council resolution.

The ball was now back in the General Assembly’s court where the world’s nations, the majority of them small non-nuclear states, eagerly waited their chance to force an end to thermonuclear tyranny.

Jon’a-ren and Michael Hawthorne followed the proceedings with great interest. All of this was relatively new to Jon’a-ren, although he was proving to be an exceptional student of Earth’s history and political affairs. For Michael it was the same-old, same-old bullshit he’d cynically grown to expect as a native of Earth.

He kept his private thoughts to himself. Three nations will require extreme pressure of world opinion to yield their stockpiles. Probably a long, protracted process of sanctions, condemnations, and demands from the world community of nations. And then, at the end, my ass and those of our Rangers will be on the line to go in, find ‘em, and snatch ‘em away.

And then, how the hell do we keep ‘em from building new ones?

A Plea for Aid

“Mr. President, allow me to say...”

“No, Michael, my good friend,” Aaron Bronstein interrupted. “First, as your friend, when we are alone among other friends, humor me and drop the Mr. President honorifics. I’d be truly honored if you would call me Aaron. And I’d enjoy the honor of calling you by your given name. And as for what you were about to say, let me guess. You are pleased with our accomplishments over these past few days. We, and our teams have made strides, great strides, towards our mutual goals. I can return to that stinking swamp called our nation’s capitol with the satisfaction of real progress!”

“I’m delighted as well, Aaron,” Michael replied. “But that’s not quite what I needed to say. I think I’m about to impose upon your generous nature and your good will with a request that I carry from our ladies. You know, Those Who Must be Obeyed?“ Michael grinned.

“Oh, good Lord in Heaven,” Aaron frowned. “The ladies? And everything was going so very well right up until this moment!” he grinned.

“Wait until you hear what they have to say, and I think that grin on your face will vanish as fast as my objection to their asking in the first place!” Michael answered. If you will indulge me, they’ve asked for a brief teleconference to state their concerns. Will you link with us in the video room?”

“President Bronstein, thank you for allowing this meeting,” Lyn’na-ra began their video conference. “Here with me in our Geneva Embassy are my good friends and associates. If you have not before been introduced, on my right is Farida Kusnadi, wife of United Nations Secretary-General Sugiardo Kusnadi. Farida is an accomplished physician and is very involved with UN medical relief efforts globally. On my left is Julie Tibbets and JoAnne Briggs. They are the wives of two of our American flight officers who joined us after the Canadian border tragedy. Julie and JoAnne lead our children’s relief efforts. Seated on the other side of Farida Kusnadi is Marie Wapato, wife of Michael’s long-time friend and partner in adventure, who joined in the Antarctic rescue of the stranded Masi’shen ship. And I think you’ll recognize my daughter-in-law, Michael’s mate Dee’rah who has agreed to join us.”

“Ladies, I am humbled to meet all of you. This is a rare honor for me. My time is yours. How may I help?” Aaron responded.

“We are a self-appointed working group. We have tasked ourselves to address the bleeding sore that is Central Africa. Despite all the best intentions and efforts of the United Nations relief agencies and the brave but inadequate peace-keeping forces assigned to the area, the tyrants and warlords, the barbaric hordes of rebels and militias. are killing and raping, over-running and destroying with genocidal effect huge swathes of innocents in their sweep. There are few nights when Farida Kusnadi is able to sleep for her grieving and weeping. Her husband lies beside her, sick at heart with his frustration for he is fettered, chained and immobilized by a nightmare of political and logistical restraints that make it impossible to bring any meaningful relief to the region,” Lyn’na-ra explained.

“We have consulted together and sought input from our husbands and the Masi’shen ships’ captains and their science and technical departments. We have been assured that a means to intercede in that region with relief forces is both workable, practicable and, most importantly, can be accomplished with little to no casualties. Mr. President, if we present a brief outline of our thinking, will you consider it while we continue to develop it, to flesh it out with a complete action plan?”

“Dear God!” Aaron blurted, in spite of himself. Then, red-faced, he apologized. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to sound disrespectful. But, madam Lyn’na-ra, surely you realize the near-impossible import of what you suggest?”

“Of course, Mr. President. We’re not hopelessly idealistic or naive innocents. If the solution were easy, the on-going horrors would have been dealt with long ago. But allow us to explain. I’m positive you’ll never have heard this before. May I continue?”