A YJA Moment - Special Security Zones

The Treaty of Novigrad was one of the most ambitious diplomatic undertakings in modern history.  Getting the members of the United Nations on board for a one-world government is a seemingly impossible task.  There were dozens of areas of contention between the various factions, ranging from global spanning concerns to those with a more local impact.

One of the issues was the use of Special Security Zones in order to tackle the extreme lawlessness some cities and regions were experiencing.  Proponents of the Zones argued that in order to recover from the Apokolips Invasion, radical means had to be used to restore basic order.  Its opponents had great concerns over the use of the Zones and the loss of individual rights in the process.

With a deadline looming for the Treaty to be finalized, the parties were unable to fully agree on the Zones.  A temporary measure was written into the document, with the stipulation that a series of future Summits would be held to amend the issues regarding the Treaty, including the rules regarding Zones.  After the passing of the Treaty, however, there has been so interest within the N.E.G. in scheduling any further meetings on the subject.

A Special Security Zone is a region of land where most laws and regulations are suspended in order to secure law and order.  One or more officials are designated Magistrates, who are given almost complete authority to enact laws and undertake any actions without legal or administrative oversight.  According to the Treaty, a Zone may only be set up for five years, after which it has to be renewed.

The problem was the Treaty was vague on many features of the Zone.  It did not set limits on how big a Zone could be, nor did it indicate how many (or few) Magistrates could be appointed.  In addition, the rules regarding Zones did not even guarantee citizens basic rights under the Consolidated Citizen Bill of Freedoms.  And while each Zone mandate was limited to a five-year duration, the supreme authority of the Magistrates meant they themselves could renew the measures without New Earth Government veto.

Historians would chronicle that there were no further summits regarding the Zones and that the loopholes would have devastating consequences: It enabled the Norsefire party to turn much of England into a fascist state and allowed the Corporate Council to create the Chicago Megacity which is patrolled by violent Street Judges.  

However, the most immediate result of the Security Zones was Gotham, which initiated a scandal that rocked the New Earth Government to its core, but also led to the succession of the city to the Sword Nations.