View source for Great Micronational Antarctic War

{| class="infobox vevent" style="width: 315px; border-spacing: 2px; text-align: left; font-size: 90%;"
! class="summary" colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Great Micronational Antarctic War <br><small>(part of [[Black March]])</small>
|-
| colspan="2"| [[File:Image Siple Island Antarctica.png|230px|center]]
{| class="infobox" style="margin: 0pt; padding: 0pt; width: 100%;"
! style="padding-right: 1em;"|Date
|January 29, 2009 - June 1, 2009 (''de jure'')<br> January 29, 2009 - September 24, 2010 (''de facto'')
|-
! style="padding-right: 1em;"|Location
|Siple Island, West-Antarctic Sector
|-
! style="padding-right: 1em;"|Result
|
*Stalemate
*Belligerents recognize each other on September 24, 2010
*Westarctica joins the [[AMU]].
|}
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Belligerents
|-
| style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|
[[File:Vlag.jpg|border|25px]] Flandrensis Side

| style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|
[[File:Westarc.jpg|border|25px]] Westarctica Side

|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Commanders
|-
| style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|
[[File:Vlag.jpg|border|25px]] [[Niels I of Flandrensis]] <br> [[File:Finismund Flag.jpg|25px|border]] [[Finismund|Petrus Máximus of Finismund]]

| style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|
[[File:Westarc.jpg|border|25px]] [[Westarctica|Jon-Lawrence Langer]]

|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Strength
|-
| style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|N/A
| style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|N/A
|-
! colspan="2" style="background-color: rgb(176, 196, 222); text-align: center; vertical-align: middle;"|Casualties and losses
|-
| style="border-right: 1px dotted rgb(170, 170, 170); width: 50%;"|0
| style="width: 50%; padding-left: 0.25em;"|0
|}

The '''Great Micronational Antarctic War''',<ref>http://micronaciones.wikia.com/wiki/Guerra_Antartica (Spanish affilate of MicroWiki)</ref> also known as the '''Siple War '''was a micronational conflict between the [[Grand Duchy of Flandrensis]], [[Finismund]], [[Marie State]] and the [[Westarctica|Grand Duchy of Westarctica]] that began on 29 January [[2009]] and was officially ended by [[Flandrensis]] and [[Finismund]] on 1 June [[2009]]. The conflict was even mentioned in a Dutch travel [http://www.columbusmagazine.nl/special/2685/10_the_grand_duchy_of_westarctica_west-antarctica.html magazine].

The conflict was sparked by a controversy over territorial claims, with both nations claiming sovereignty over Siple Island and West-Antarctica and neither being willing to recognise the other's claims. The conflict has been characterised by the support of the [[Grand Unified Micronational]], which has lead to a massive increase in diplomatic support for Flandrensis & Finismund - despite this, GUM withdrew it's support on 27 May 2009, a few days before the conclusion of the conflict.

==History==
In January [[2008]], Westarctica appeared on the internet as an inactive micronational entity. On 4 September 2008, the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis was founded and, as it noticed that the absence of Westarctica made it's territory unclaimed, he proclamed the small antarctic island of Siple as the official territory of the Grand Duchy on November 28, 2008. Two other micronations, [[Finismund]] and [[Marie State]] claimed land in West-Antarctica earlier.

After the settlement of several new Antarctic micronations, on 31 December 2008, Westarctica came back online, a fter a long period of absence, and claimed all of its former territory, which included Flandrensis' Siple Island and the territory of [[Finismund]] and [[Marie State]]. Following this, Flandrensis' Officials tried to negotiate peace with Westartica, but were referred as ''usurpers''.

Following their statements of refusal of negotiating with Flandrensis or Finismund, the leader of the Grand Duchy, [[Niels I of Flandrensis]] requested help from the [[Grand Unified Micronational]], which at the time, already had about a dozen of members. In the beginning, the intermicronational organization became very involved in the matter, and most, if not all of its member states, started protecting Flandrensis in its symbolic war for Siple Island. This side was also known as the '''Flandrensis Side '''(including Finismund & Marie State).

==Foundation of the GAMA==
[[Flandrensis]], [[Finismund]] and [[Marie State]] formed an alliance to protect their territory better. They founded the GAMA (Grupo Del Acuerdo Micronational Antartico), also the [[FSA]] and [[Keep Watch]] joined the GAMA, now the current [[Antarctic Micronational Union]].

==Studying Maps==
Grand Duke [[Niels I of Flandrensis]], Premier Terry Schultz of [[Marie State]] and King Petrus Maximus of [[Finismund]] tried in different ways to find proof that could have lead them to victory. On 25 March 2009, Officials of Flandrensis, while observing the maps <ref>http://www.westarctica.org/aboutus.html</ref> published on Westartican websites, disovered that Siple island was not highlited in yellow, and therefore, was not officially claimed. As a way to justify this proof, Flandrensis claimed that the map was also previously used several years ago by founder and former leader of Westartica, Grand Duke Travis McHenry. Nevertheless, four days later, on 29 March 2009, Jon-Lawrence of Westartica brutally answered Flandrensis' Officials (''If your anti-social behavior stems from a medical issue, it is my sincere hope you find the treatment you need'') and definitely concluded all peace proposals by Flandrensis. Formerly, both [[Finismund]] and [[Flandrensis]] concluded that the ‘symbolic war’ against Westarctica was no longer necessary and even started discussing about the sharing of the sovereignity of Byrd’s land.

== Unilateral ceasefire ==
Because Jon-Lawrence of Westarctica indicated no desire to negotiate, there was no chance that this conflict would stop. Therefore Flandrensis and Finismund simply ignored Westarctica's territorial claim. They declared an end  to the conflict on 1 June 2009 and chose to simply ignore Westarctica, who by that point had entered another period of inactivity. Finismund and Flandrensis recognised, as sign of our good will, the sovereignty of Westarctica on Peter I Island. However, it was their intention to ignore the rest of Westarctica’s claim. They believed that micronations on Antarctica can and should live together, and Finismund has offered twice to share the territories to Westarctica. Flandrensis and Finismund asked to all micronations involved in this conflict to ignore the claim of Westarctica.

==Restarting negotiations==
In June 2010 Westarctica's Minister of Defense, the Count of Waesche, had returned to the scene after several years of confusion over how to communicate with the absentee Westarctican leadership. He contacted Grand Duke [[Niels I of Flandrensis]], who was at that moment serving as the Secretary-General of the [[Antarctic Micronational Union]]. Count Waesche and Travis McHenry overthrew Jon Lawrence as Grand Duke of Westarctica in a bloodless coup, and re-opened negotiations with Flandrensis and the [[AMU]], as Finismund had ceased operations by that time. Due to the added The negotiations were delicate because several Antarctic micronations are involved in the negotiations, but the negotiations were progressing seriously and on a respectful way.

==Final end of the conflict==
On 24 September 2010 [[Westarctica]] and the [[AMU]] reached an agreement, called the ''West-Antarctic Treaty''.

During the negotiations [[Marie State]] was declared as a defunct nation and removed from the [[AMU]], following the AMU-Treaty the territory of defunct nations goes to the AMU. The AMU offered the formal territory of [[Marie State]], togheter with the former claim of West-Antarctica to Westarctica. Count Waesche of Westarctica accept the offer and declared that Westarctica would recognize all West-Antarctic micronations and would join the [[AMU]].

==Countries Involved==

===Flandrensis side===
* [[File:Vlag.jpg|border|25px]] [[Grand Duchy of Flandrensis]]
* [[File:Flag of the Federated States of Antarctica.png|border|25px]] [[Federated States of Antarctica]]
* [[File:Imperial Flag.jpg|border|25px]] [[Ohio Empire]]
* [[File:New Scientopian Flag.png|border|25px]] [[New Scientopia]]
* [[File:Camuria land flag.png|border|25px]] [[Camuria]]
* [[File:Finismund Flag.jpg|border|25px]] [[Finismund]]
* [[File:Flag stcharlie.png|border|25px]] [[Federal Republic of St.Charlie]]
* [[File:Banderab.jpg|border|25px]] [http://micronaciones.wikia.com/wiki/Reino_de_Buenos_Aires Kingdom of Buenos Aires]
* [[File:Kaznian flag.png|border|25px]] [[Cheslovian Federation]]
* [[File:Loading.gif|border|25px]] [http://micronaciones.wikia.com/wiki/Destroy Imperio Destroy]
*Estado de Marie
*El Dorado
*Huetar de Occidente
*Valumar
*Kingdom of Cantabria
*Petrossia
*El Pueblo Simariense
*Principallity of Brisgovia
*Republic of Patetopia

===Westarctica side===
* [[File:Westarc.jpg|border|25px]] [[Westarctica]]

== Intermicronational response ==
*[[File:Flag stcharlie.png|border|25px]] '''[[Federal Republic of St.Charlie]]''': Declared as a protest against the way Westartica is dealing with the issue, to not recognize Westartican claims. Therefore, St.Charlie is the first nation that officially recognizes Siple Island as territory of Flandrensis.
*[[File:Flag of the Federated States of Antarctica.png|border|25px]] '''[[Federated States of Antarctica]]''': An ally of Flandrensis since within a week of its inception, the Federated States has always supported Flandrensis and Finismund in the conflict. President [[David Powell]] stated: "We believe that Westarctica has made an illegal claim to the territory in question based on an incorrect interpretation of the Antarctic Treaty. Much of the contention revolves around whether Westarctica became inactive, and, if so, whether this period of inactivity constitutes a relinquishment of any claims. We contend that this matter is not relevant, since Westarctica's original claim was illegal to begin with."
*[[File:Commerusia.png|border|25px]] '''[[Democratic People's Republic of Erusia]]''': Initially established complete neutrality in the matter and refused to involve itself in the affair. Since becoming elected Chair of the [[Grand Unified Micronational]], Erusia has become highly critical of the conflict and in particular the conduct of both sides. Erusia accuses Westarctica of being unprofessional and extremely offensive, but also condemns Flandrensis' side in the conflict for appearing to "''have adopted the same dictatorial territorial policies it has criticised West Acrtica of having''", asserting that neither side is acting in the interests of peace. On May 27 [[2009]], even though the war appeared to be coming to an end, the GUM Chair officially condemned the conflict and called on all GUM members to instead adopt a neutral foreign policy and work towards a balanced peace, ending nearly four months of official GUM support.
*'''Kingdom of Neutralia''' - Minister of Foreign Affairs Timmy W. Edwardson asks that the Grand Duchy of Flandrensis and Westarctica end the war and negotiate during the current session of the North American Micronational Congress (which does not only handle the affairs of North American micronations)

==Notes==
{{reflist}}
[[Category:Conflicts]]
[[Category:Flandrensis]]
[[Category:Finismund]]