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Gaze
Special Edition: War?

Lurching Into the Future

Picture

August 22, 2003


Stonehenge, the railgun that has protected the continent from the threat of Ulysses - a massive project borne of the hopes of all mankind - is coming to the end of its former role. The political consideration which overshadowed all others associated with this project - the site of construction, the time it took to complete, capabilities, management, budgetary allocation, ratio of project member nationality - has been the apparent danger of misusing this meteor interceptor cannon as a weapon - a weapon now under Erusean control.

Erusea's Aggression

It's been four years since the impact of the Ulysses asteroid. The scars that it left on this continent have yet to heal, with each country striving to restore order and recover from the damage. Erusea grasped at a chance to do just that when it invaded San Salvacion. They have commandeered the former meteorite interceptor cannon located within that country. The failures of STN management up to this point were frequently pointed out as each nation occupied itself with domestic problems. A new international management framework was being explored, but the situation developed into a very serious state before anything was decided.

At present, most of the management and staff remain at the facility. According to an announcement from the Erusean side, they are in good health and “under the protection” of Erusean troops. Erusea has not only secured the facility, but also the knowledge and manpower to operate it. However, we have not been able to ascertain the state of the twelve aircraft under UTO command assigned to defend Stonehenge, and the welfare of security personnel is a matter of some concern.

What should concern us most is what Erusea will do now that it has possession of Stonehenge. The peak of the intense meteor showers has passed, and over the past few years the use of Stonehenge has steadily fallen. Additionally, due to the fact that one of its eight turrets received a direct meteorite hit, the attack power of the facility is unclear. However, were this facility to fire a round once again, we can be sure its target wouldn't be a meteorite.

International Opinion Plummets

In response to the Erusean invasion of San Salvacion, heads of state have issued a public declaration, stating “The symbol of our peace has been trampled. This cannot be allowed.” Their comments have all sharply criticized and protested Erusea’s invasion, and military tensions on the continent have escalated rapidly. Even the well known moderate president of the Central Usean Treaty Organization raised his voice in anger at the recent occupation of the railgun facilities.

“It’s a mistake to bring judgement on oneself. Erusea has turned the entire continent’s opinion against them. The members of the Continental Nations’ Economic Alliance have no option but to react militarily in some capacity.”

The Continental Nations’ Economic Alliance is full of small nations, but their combined military strength is numerically comparable to that of Erusea. If the continent does not intend to cede their interests to Erusea, then there must indeed be some manner of response from the alliance.

​The president of the FCU declared that in the event Erusea does not withdraw from both San Salvacion's territory and the Stonehenge facilities, the FCU and allied nations will commence retaliatory operations, setting the deadline for withdrawal to September 14th. Various FCU military units have already begun deploying to the outskirts of San Salvacion, and the possibility that this situation will lead to war has grown very large.

Friction Arises from the Refugee Crisis

Friction has arisen within the international community on the backdrop of Erusea’s reckless occupation of the meteorite interception facilities. Millions on the Usean continent had been displaced by the fall of the meteorites, and at the time the largest host country for refugees was expected to be Erusea. However, in April 2000, the Erusean Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced a sudden tightening of visa application requirements. This was a de facto rejection of refugees. According to the ministry’s explanation, 200,000 people had entered the country all at once, and the acceptance of additional refugees was impossible. The world, however, was unconvinced by this and was united in condemnation.

Even after the announcement, refugees expecting admittance to resume continued crossing the border. Erusea had called for refugees to be relocated to other countries through state owned aircraft, buses and the like, but such efforts were ignored by some NGOs and the haphazard transport of refugees continued under the guise of humanitarian airlift programs. Erusea opposed this, condemning it as grossly irresponsible manslaughter. In any case, crime and plague has begun spreading in the refugee camps due to the unceasing influx of refugees to them.

Inspecting the refugee camps formed near Erusea’s borders, Commissioner Guggenheim of the IUN [1] said “These camps are unsanitary to the extreme. We have an acute overcrowding crisis on our hands.” At this time the number of people who have crossed the border is somewhere in the range of 600,000. Food and protection from the elements were quickly obtained by way of relief supplies sent from on and off the continent, but that too has begun to dwindle. “The refugee crisis should not be left to a single nation. The international community must offer assistance to save these people who are condemned to a life of misery.” The commissioner requested that the other nations of the Usean continent expand their acceptance rates and expedite the evacuation process, but few countries answered this call.

​“We have done all we can, as a nation and as individuals.” Erusean Minister of Foreign Affairs Frederick Updike said in his interview with us. “Ten meteorites large and small fell within Erusea, tens of thousands perishing from the meteorite which fell near the capital Farbanti in particular. Our country today is not a comfortable shelter with soft beds and hot food waiting for you. I would like the people to know that our land suffered the most damage and chaos of the entire continent.”

The minister is an impressive man with a large body and gentlemanly attitude, but when the subject turned to international opinion against Erusea’s anti-refugee measures, he began to frown. “[Other nations] boycott our products in fair weather, but they always unilaterally foist the costly international problems onto our country. We absolutely cannot accept a million refugees. It's the warped perspective of the smaller nations that really deserves criticism.”

He notes that this is just his personal opinion. However, there can be no mistake that his emotional reply reflects the opinion of the Erusean people.

Nations Unite Against Erusea, ISAF is Founded

FCU president Robert Sinclair held a press conference announcing the emergence of ISAF ​(Independent States Allied Force) from the Continental Nations’ Economic Alliance, building strong military partnerships besides their economic ones.

According to his explanation, ISAF is a collective defense mechanism whose founding members are the eleven signatories of the Continental Nations’ Economic Alliance, the aim of which is to promote stability on the Usean continent, and furthermore to preserve its peace. There are currently 16 signatories. A military attack on one member state is considered an attack on all, and they will come to each others’ assistance by way of collective defense in accordance with the application of either individual or collective rights to self defense.

The need for a military alliance with the aim of collective self defense in the face of Erusean military threats has been discussed for quite some time between the FCU and its allies. However, the view that any connections more than those of the economic community would antagonize Erusea more than necessary prevailed, and while theoretical investigations continued on, concrete measures such as joint exercises had not been enacted until now.

The timing with which this multinational force has come into being can be ascribed to the FCU’s desire to integrate all the various nations under a single chain of command, preparing for the event of full scale war breaking out with retaliatory strikes against Erusea. Naturally, the core will be the FCU military.

​ISAF’s fighting strength is said to be comparable to Erusea’s. However, in the event of actual conflict, both parties must expect equal expenditures and damage. When the question was raised if ISAF truly intended to go to war with Erusea, the President said this. “We’ll be victorious. You can be as sure of that as you can that the sun will rise tomorrow.”

Translation Notes

[1] 国連 (kokuren) refers to the United Nations in real life, but it is unclear what it refers to in Strangereal. This is a matter of debate even among Japanese fans. We assume it is the same IUN mentioned in Usea Today.

Original Text

特集「戦争か」 ユリシーズの脅威から大陸を守り切ったレールガン「ストーンヘンジ」。 全人類の希望が集結した大規模プロジェクトはその役割を終えつつある。 建設地、完成時期、性能、管理、費用配分、プロジェクトメンバーの国籍の割合など、 今回の計画があらゆる面で政治的配慮を尽くされたのは、この隕石迎撃砲に兵器転用の危険性が指摘されていたからだ。 それが今、エルジアの支配下にある。

「エルジアの暴挙」

小惑星ユリシーズの衝突から4年。大陸各地に残る爪痕は今だ癒えず、 各国が秩序の回復と被害からの復興に躍起になる中、その隙をつく形でエルジア軍はサンサルバシオンに侵攻。 同国内にあるかつての隕石迎撃砲を接収してしまった。各国が自国の問題で手一杯になる余り、 管理の不履行がこれまでも度々指摘されていた。新たな国際管理の枠組み作りが模索される最中、 その結論が出る前に、状況は極めて重大な局面へと移行した。

現在、施設には運営スタッフのほぼ全員が残っている。エルジア側の発表によると、 彼らは健康な状態で軍の「保護下」にあるとのことだ。エルジアは施設とともに、 それを動かすための知識と人材も確保したことになる。しかしストーンヘンジの警備にあたったUTO指揮下の航空機12機の消息はいまだつかめず、 警備隊員らの安否が気遣われている。

最も憂慮せねばならないのは、ストーンヘンジを得たエルジアがどのような活動を行うかだ。 集中的な隕石の落下はピークを過ぎたこともあり、この4年間のストーンヘンジの稼動率はゆるやかな下降曲線を描いている。 また8つある砲塔の内の1つが隕石の直撃を受けたこともあり、施設の「攻撃力」がどれだけのものかは不明だ。 しかし次に弾が発射されることがあるならば、その標的が隕石でないことは間違いない。

「大国の評価は決定的にさがった」

「平和の象徴が踏みにじられた。許されざる行為だ」エルジアのサンサルバシオン侵攻を受け、 各国首脳は声明を発表。その全てがエルジアの暴挙を激しく非難し断固抗議する論調であり、 大陸における軍事的緊張は一気に高まった。穏健派で知られる中央ユージア条約機構(UTO)理事長でさえ、 今回のレールガン施設占拠に対しては声を荒らげる。

「自らの評価を地に落す、大きな過ちだ。エルジアは大陸の世論全てを敵に回している。大陸諸国経済同盟の加盟国は、 なんらかの軍事的リアクションを取らざるを得ないだろう」 大陸諸国経済同盟の加盟国は小さな国が多いが、しかしその軍事力の総和は数値的にはエルジアのそれに匹敵する。 大陸の権益全てをエルジアに渡すつもりがないのであれば、同盟側が何らかの報復に出ることは間違いない。

​FCU大統領は、エルジア軍がレールガン施設並びにサンサルバシオン国内から撤退しない場合、 FCU軍とその同盟国による制裁攻撃を開始すると明言、最終撤退期限を9月14日とした。 各地のFCU軍はすでにサンサルバシオン周辺への移動を開始しており、 事態が戦争に発展する可能性が一段と高くなっている。

「難民問題で表面化する軋轢」

エルジア軍が隕石迎撃砲占拠という暴挙に出た背景には、難民問題をめぐる国際社会との軋轢がある。

隕石落下により、ユージア大陸では数百万人が難民となったが、当時最大の難民受入国として期待されていたのはエルジアであった。 しかし2000年4月、エルジア外務省は突如、ビザ発給要件の引き締めを発表。これは事実上の難民受け入れ拒否であった。 同省の説明によると、すでに20万人がエルジアに入国しておりこれ以上の難民受入は不可能である、とのことだったが、 世界はこれに納得せず非難が集中した。

この発表後も、受入再開を期待して難民がエルジア国境に集まり続けた。エルジアは難民に対し他の国への移動を呼びかけ、 国営の航空機、バスなどを使った輸送を試みるものの、こうした努力を無視する形で、 一部のNGOは人道空輸計画と称する無計画な難民輸送を続けた。エルジアはこれに対し、無責任を通り越して殺人行為だと非難。 とうにキャパシティを超えていたエルジア国境の難民キャンプは、とどまることのない難民流入のため、犯罪と疫病が蔓延し始める。

国連のグッゲンハイム弁務官は、エルジア国境周辺に形成された難民キャンプを視察、 「キャンプは不衛生極まりなく、過密化が進み危機的状況だ」と語った。この時点で国境に集まった人々は約60万人。 大陸内外から寄せられた救援物資で、ようやく風雨を防ぎ糧を得る状況であったが、それもそろそろ心もとなくなり始めた。 「難民問題を1つの国に押し付けるべきではない。この悲惨な非難生活を続ける人々を救うには、国際社会の援助が必要だ」 弁務官はユージア大陸の他の国々に受入枠の拡大と避難計画の前倒し実行を要請したが、それにまともに答える国は少なかった。

「国として人として、手は尽くした。」エルジア外務大臣フレデリック・アップダイクは、我々のインタビューに応じてこう語る。 「エルジア国内にも大小合わせて10個の隕石が落下しており、特に首都ファーバンティ付近に落ちた隕石によって数万の国民が亡くなった。 今の我が国は、柔らかい寝床と暖かい食事が用意された快適なシェルターなのではなく、 大陸で最も被害を受けた苦難と混乱の土地であることを知ってほしい」

大きな身体と紳士的な態度が印象的な大臣だが、エルジアの難民対策に対する国際世論が話題にのぼると眉をひそめた。 「(他の国は)平時にはエルジア製品の不買運動をしているのに、金がかかる国際問題となると一方的に我が国を頼る。 100万人の難民受入は到底無理な話であり、批判されるべきは小国のひがみ根性だ」

個人的な意見だが、と彼は付け加える。しかしこの感情的な答弁が、エルジア国内の世論を反映したものであることは間違いなかった。

「反エルジアで諸国が結束。ISAF(独立国家連合軍)設立」

ロバート・シンクレアFCU大統領は記者会見を行い、大陸諸国経済同盟はISAF(Independent States allied Force:独立国家連合軍)へと脱皮し、 軍事面でもより親密な関係を構築していくと発表した。

説明によるとISAFとは、大陸諸国間経済同盟加盟国11カ国を原加盟国として発足した集団的防衛機構で、ユージア大陸の安定を助長し、 集団的防衛並びに平和の維持をその目的とする。現在の加盟国は16ヶ国。加盟国が武力攻撃受けた場合にはそれを全加盟国への攻撃とみなし、 個別的又は集団的自衛権の行使による集団防衛によりその国を援助する。

FCUとその同盟国の間では、エルジア軍の軍事的脅威を前に、集団的防衛を目的とした軍事同盟の必要性がずいぶん長い間議論されてきた。 しかし経済共同体として以上の結びつきはエルジアを必要以上に刺激しかねないという意見が大半で、理論的な研究は進めつつも、 これまでは共同演習などの具体策が打ち出されることはなかった。

今回このタイミングでISAFという多国籍軍が編成されたのは、エルジアに対する制裁攻撃により全面的な戦闘へと突入した場合に備え、 各国の軍隊を統合して1つの指揮系統の下にまとめたいというFCUの思惑があった。もちろんその中心となるのはFCU軍だ。

ISAFの戦力はエルジア軍に匹敵すると言う。しかし実際戦闘となれば、双方相当の消耗と被害を覚悟せねばならない。 ISAFはエルジアと本気で戦争するつもりかとの質問が上がると、大統領は答えた。

​「我々は必ず勝利する。それは明日太陽が昇るのと同じくらい確実な事だ」
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      • Genette's Memo
      • ISAF Bulletin - 24/9/2006
      • ПОСЛЕДУЙТЕ - 4/9/1991
      • Untitled Photo Selection
      • Untitled Photographs (Claus Bauer)
  • Out Of Universe
    • ACES WEB
      • AC04 World
      • AC5 Background
      • AC5 Osean Fed.
      • ACZ Belkan Power
      • AC7 World
      • AC7 Characters
      • AC3D World
      • Wallpapers
        • AC04 Wallpapers
        • AC5 Wallpapers
    • OST Liners
      • AC04 OST Liner Notes
      • AC5 OST Liner Notes
    • Perfect Guides
      • AC3 Usea Map
      • AC5 The Truth Behind the War 15 Years Ago
      • ACX Aircraft Info
    • Aces At War
      • Flags & Insignias, etc.
    • Photosphere
  • License