Second War of the Roach

Second War of the Roach
Dates: late 2004 - early 2005
Nations Militarily Involved: Sarzonia, Artitsa, Praetonia, Roach-Busters, Generia, Parthia
Nations Diplomatically Involved: Pacitalia, Sanctaphrax
Other Nations Minorly Involved: MassPwnage, RedTide2

The Second War of the Roach, also referred to a lesser extent as the Capheratic War, the War of Sarzonian Aggression and the War of Redemption, refers to the conflict between the nations of Roach-Busters and Sarzonia that started in late 2004 and extended into early 2005. The war was fought over civil rights issues in Roach-Busters and the treatment of citizens by the Roach-Busterian leader, Generalissimo J.L. This war, although small in relative scale, would change the structure of politics in more than one country, would indirectly result in the death of a leader and directly result in the near-death of two more, and would change the face of international diplomacy for many years to come.

The War's Title(s)

The Second War of the Roach

The Second War of the Roach is a derivative name created by Sarzonia which has a small reference to the First War of the Roach, in which Sarzonia defended a fledgling Roach-Busters from an attack by Socialist_Cockroaches.

The Capheratic War

The Capheratic War is the Pacitalian name for the conflict. Capheratic comes from the Pacitalian word capherà, or freedom, which in turn refers to the basis on which this war was fought.

The War of Sarzonian Aggression

This is the Generic Empire's term for this conflict. It is based almost certainly on the fact that Generia is Sarzonia's enemy in the war. It is also used by Roach-Busters and Parthia.

The War of Redemption

This is Artitsa's name for the conflict. It refers, like the Pacitalian version, to the cause for this fight of international superpowers. It also may, to a lesser extent refer to Artitsa's positive, truthful strive to revive its reputation after certain events that were frowned upon by the international community (such as the maintenance of a storefront for terrorists - now closed - and the carpet nuking of Feazanthia).

Pre-War History / Causes of the Conflict

Before the conflict erupted, Roach-Busters and Sarzonia were extremely strong allies, siding together and aiding each other in times of conflict. However, this relationship began to fizzle when Roach-Busterian domestic policy changed from democratic, freedom-loving constitutionalism to a more authoritarian, restrictive dictatorship. The change was most evident in the leader, J.L., who changed his title from President to Generalissimo.

The most obvious cause of the war in that regard was the abuse of civil rights in Roach-Busters as a result of this policy change. Events like the execution of those RB citizens disapproving of eggnog and the sham of a trial and subsequent execution of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter were major factors in President Mike Sarzo's decision to declare war on Roach-Busters.

The fact that the war was fought on civil rights policies is probably best represented by the two sides of the fight - it was the democratic, libertarian nations (Sarzonia, Artitsa and Praetonia) pitted against the non-democratic, authoritarian nations (Roach-Busters, Parthia and Generia).

Start of the Conflict

The conflict began when Sarzonia declared war on Roach-Busters two days before Christmas, 2004. A resolution was brought to senate to approve the war declaration, but it tied 26-26. This tie was subsequently broken by Senior Vice President for Internal Affairs Nicole Lewis and was enacted.

The Sarzonian Resolution (23 December 2004)

WHEREAS The nation of Roach-Busters has shown an appalling lack of regard for human rights, as documented herein;

WHEREAS The nation of Roach-Busters has just concluded a mockery of a 'trial' for former U.S. President James Earl Carter;

WHEREAS Roach-Busters has ignored our attempt to call upon them to rescind their barbaric policies

WHEREAS Roach-Busters has shown an appalling propensity to ally itself with some of the world's worst threats to humanity, in particular The Parthians and Generic Empire;

THEREFORE The Incorporated States of Sarzonia announces that it is severing all diplomatic and economic relations with Roach-Busters;

FURTHERMORE The Incorporated States of Sarzonia hereby withdraws its agreement to any non-aggression pact or alliances previously approved between both countries

FURTHERMORE The Incorporated States of Sarzonia gives Roach-Busters Ambassador Terry Sarzo 72 hours notice to vacate the Roach-Busterian embassy or be arrested;

We enact these measures with some regret, but we can no longer abide by those ill-conceived policies.

The Allies Come Into Play

In response, Praetonia immediately sided with Sarzonia and declared war on Roach-Busters. Roach-Busters' response was seen after the Praetonian declaration. St. John Hospitaller also joined on the side of Sarzonia, but was replaced by Artitsa less than a week later. Eventually, RB received support in the form of a stout declaration of war on Sarzonia and her allies by Generic Empire. Parthia followed soon after with a declaration by Shah Khosru III.

The nations of Pacitalia and Sanctaphrax were brought in as mediators to this conflict to attempt to find a peaceful solution and end the mass murders brought by the major military offences.

Red_Tide2 secretly supplied incendiaries to Roach-Busters to hunt out Sarzonian naval craft - in that respect, Red_Tide2 was a destabiliser for the war and attempted peace talks.

Further Flame To The Fire

Roach-Busterian naval soldiers were said to add "fuel to the fire of war" when they threw Sarzonian expatriates that were to be sent back to Sarzonia before the start of conflict overboard, resulting in mass casualties. It is believed that had President Sarzo had reservations about fighting his now former ally, this was the point where those reservations disappeared.

The War Begins (27 December 2004)

A state of war was officially said to exist between the six militarily-involved nations (see above) on December 27, 2004.

Stage One: The RB Theatre (December-January 2004/05)

Immediately it was clear that Roach-Busters was not as strong as it professed itself to be. Despite large numbers in its military, it could not respond properly to well-planned attacks by the experienced navies of Sarzonia and Praetonia.