Sidewalk War
| Sidewalk War | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Belligerents | |||||||||
 Vitione | |||||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||||
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| Strength | |||||||||
| Combined force of +40 servicemembers | 3 servicemembers | ||||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||||
| None | None | ||||||||
| Nicolas Caiazzo served on both sides fo command during the war as Chancellor of Excelsior and Vice President of Vitione but declared neutrality publicly. | |||||||||
The Sidewalk War was a war fought by the United Federation of the Terra Excelsior Republic, supported by Libertas and Roscamistan against the Democratic Republic of Vitione. With the war officially beginning on 15 May 2022, a ceasefire and peace agreement, but no surrender, was reached 16 May 2022, making the conflict the shortest-lived Excelsioran War.
With no physical conflict, the war left little damage on either side, however has soured relations substantially between excelsior and Vitione. Vitione never issued a formal declaration of war against Excelsior, and refused to recognize the war's existence until 16 May 2022. After negotiations between Silas Wurnbash, President of Excelsior and Commander-General of the Excelsioran Military, and Joshua Schnurman, President of Vitione, moderated by Nicolas Caiazzo, Chancellor of Excelsior and Vice President of Vitione, a ceasefire was reached in exchange for territorial concessions. Despite no official victor, Excelsioran news sources including the ENNC and the Excelsioran tabloid claimed the war as an Excelsioran victory.
Excelsior-Vitione tensions
In the days growing up to the war, relations between Excelsior and Vitione had soured after Excelsioran citizens including President Silas Wurnbash raided the Vitionan official Discord server. Vitione was founded 22 April 2022, and President of Excelsior Silas Wurnbash had originally promised to not declare war on the new nation. Wurnbash and Joshua Schnurman, President of Vitione, were Excelsioran political rivals, with Wurnbash branding Schnurman the "#1 enemy of the Democratic Party". Some expected that due to his opposition to Schnurman, and Schnurman's dislike of Wurnbash, the conflict between them could lead to war.
In early May 2022, Wurnbash brought a resolution to the council of the Invictus Republic, one of the five Excelsioran Republics, on whether to seek a declaration of war for Vitione. The resolution passed and the Invictus Republic announced its intent to declare war on Vitione, further souring relations with Vitione. President Schnurman responded with a short video statement, in which he said "Silas, you suck." with members of the Vitionan cabinet.
Declaration of war
On the evening of 15 May 2022, President Silas Wurnbash brought a motion to the Excelsioran Senate to declare war on the Democratic Republic of Vitione, saying that "[Vitione] wronged members of Invictus". After Chancellor Nicolas Caiazzo declared opposition to the war, he debated Wurnbash on the floor of the Senate over the war and called it "stupid". Caiazzo also expressed worry over the fact that he serves as Vice PResident of Vitione, which would mean he would have to remain neutral, and Wurnbash assured him he would not be affected by the war. Caiazzo still voted nay on the motion, but after passing the Senate, Wurnbash used an executive order to pass it through the Federal assembly and signed it into law, officially declaring war on Vitione. There was no immediate reaction from Vitione, however President of Vitione Joshua Schnurman told Wurnbash on the floor of the Senate "silas what do u think ur gonna achieve".
Formation of the Excelsioran military entente
After the declaration passed, President Thomas Jacobs of Roscamistan and President Emerson Lee of Libertas, who both are citizens of Excelsior and voted aye on the motion for war, entered into negotiations over joining the war with Excelsioran President Wurnbash. President Connor Hetner of Cotter Menaceland also entered negotiations but was persuaded not to join the war by Chancellor Nicolas Caiazzo.
On 16 May 2022 Roscamistan and Libertas entered the war, with Cotter Menaceland declaring neutrality.
War and negotiations
After the formal declaration and formation of the entente, Libertas began a mobilization and enlistment campaign for their military to gain new servicemembers. The Excelsioran military was also mobilized but no orders were given. Chancellor Nicolas Caiazzo of excelsior personally travelled to Vitione to inform President Schnurman of the war, to which he responded, "Yeah, I know about the war, [Silas] sucks." Schnurman later paid very little attention to the war and the topic was not discussed by the Vitionan government for the majority of the remainder of the 16th, with Schnurman not wanting to "entertain" Silas.
After a meeting of cabinet was held, President Schnurman decided against a declaration of war and moved to ignore the war's existence. Schnurman was removed from Excelsior unconstitutionally by President Silas Wurnbash for "treason", at which point Chancellor Caiazzo began debating with Wurnbash over the war's point and effect, and asking him to end the war. The conversation eventually turned into a negotiation between Excelsior an Vitione, with Caiazzo relaying Schnurman's responses over phone.
originally, Wurnbash offerred to Caiazzo that Schnurman could return and that the war could end if Schnurman paid reparations in Excels, gave Vitionan territory to Excelsior, and surrender to Excelsior, as well as consenting to a military occupation of their Discord server. This offer was refused, and Schnurman refused to surrender as he said he "didn't want Silas to get his way and win as usual". After refusing to further negotiate the terms, Caiazzo and Wurnbash began negotiating until Wurnbash came back with a new peace deal. He asked that Vitione surrender and claim new territory, then give that new territory to Excelsior. When Schnurman once again refused, after more negotiation between Caiazzo and Wurnbash, they reached a ceasefire agreement in which a formal ceasefire with no official victor would be reached, and that Vitione would claim new territory and then transfer that territory to Excelsior to be split between the entente.
Aftermath
After the agreement was reached, Vitione claimed the sidewalk in front of its territory and then ceded it to Excelsior. The war was then dubbed the "Sidewalk War" by President Wurnbash. The sidewalk, roughly 30 square feet in area, was split between Roscamistan, Libertas, and excelsior, with the Roscami section becoming the Military Governorate of Roscami New York. The ceasefire took effect at 6:00 PM Eastern Time and the war was declared to have ended without any formal surrender shortly after by both the Excelsioran and Vitionan governments.