Peacekeepers of the Vast/Interstellar League/League Charter
The first article of the Charter provides for a strong central government with authority concerning Common Advancement and Defense: essentially foreign affairs, anti-piracy and disaster management, sharing of scientific discoveries, and commerce between polities. The benefits to member polities are enormous so most states are willing to give up a little sovereignty for them.
The second article concerns the organization of the many polities. A polity can be a
- Voting Member, which has full rights and responsibilities, an
- Associate Member, which means that their votes are held in trust by a sponsoring Voting Member, who is responsible for advocating for the associate polity, and a
- Protectorate, which is a polity without voting rights or obligations and is under the direct supervision of the League itself instead of a member polity.
The second article also describes the function of the League Senate and the League Counsel
- The Voting Members sit on the Senate. The Senate has the sole authority to Amend the League Charter and to allow admission of new polities. The Senate also appoints and impeaches the 13 High Councillors, and 169 Subcouncillors. In practice, subcouncillors are used to give associate member representatives in government.
- The High Councillors elect a Chair, who serves as the chief executive. The remaining 12 Councillors take on roles as Adjudicators, serving as the highest legal authority and providing some oversight for the Chair. Subcouncillorssit on various committees, subcommittees, and executive agencies, giving policy direction to the many thousand strong staff
The third article grant numerous rights and liberties to League citizens, including minimal standards of living and the right to travel and work among Voting Member worlds. However, few political rights are recognized, especially for Associate or Protectorate members.
The fourth article allows polities, through the Senate, to create binding treaties and enforce them, such as the agreement that no League world would uplift humanity. As far as any one knows, that treaty was upheld. It also provides for the Interstellar League Expeditionary Service or IsLES or "the Service" for short, its command structure, and the heavy obligations of Voting Members to sustain the IsLES with supplies, ships, and personnel.