Babylon Treaty Organization

The Babylon Treaty Organization (BTO) was an intergovernmental interstellar organization founded in the Local Cluster after the Minbari War, whose principal mission was to maintain interstellar peace. It was founded in 2520 by the Babylon Peace Conference between the belligerent United Systems Federation and Minbari Federation, as well as the Narn Regime, Centauri Republic and Vorlon Empire. The main organization ceased operations in 2533, when many of its components were relocated into the new Interstellar Alliance.

Though originally a covenant of diplomacy between the five main powers of the Local Cluster, it would soon expand to include the members of the League of Non-Aligned Worlds and become a developed, if flawed, framework of interstellar diplomacy.

The BTO is headquartered in Starbase Babylon 5, a USF-owned space station in the neutral Epsilon Eridani system. Despite being officially a USF territory, the agencies located in Babylon 5 enjoy many extraterritorial rights, and much of Earth's sovereignty over the station is limited by the Babylon Treaty. The BTO has other offices on Earth, Minbar, Centauri Prime, Narn, and Zhabar.

## History

Originally, the Babylon Treaty was signed by only the five main powers of the United Systems Federation, the Minbari Federation, the Centauri Republic, the Narn Regime, and the Vorlon Empire. It was meant to be an instrument of dialogue, a peace between those five powers only. However, other smaller states from the League of Non-Aligned Worlds soon expressed interest to join. Despite Earth's openness and Vorlon Prime's indifference, Minbar, Centauri Prime, and Narn opposed the perceived dilution of their influence within the organization by adding over a dozen new governments. In order to fix that problem, Centauri ambassador Vius Corvan proposed the Corvan Amendment, which was accepted by the other members of the Treaty.

The Corvan Amendment accepted the League nations' petition to sign the treaty and participate in the Babylon Treaty Organization. However, they would always be represented as a group, giving the entire League of Non-Aligned Worlds the right of one vote in the Advisory Council.

Despite protests from many governments, the compromise was ultimatelyaccepted. It would bring some problems in the future, however. A non-member state could only become a signatory of the treaty by either joining the League and being represented by it, or by becoming a main power after a unanimous vote from the five main members of the Advisory Council. Small non-League powers like the Sh'lassen Triumvirate and even larger powers like the Orieni Empire could petition the Advisory Council and other Babylon Treaty agencies like the Court of Arbitration, but could not be represented. This would not be a problem for a while, as initially the only significant power outside Babylon Treaty jurisdiction were the isolationist and xenophobic Orieni. This would change with the gradual diplomatic reopening of the Dilgar. With the end of the Starfleet Occupation in 2528, the Dilgar Constitutional Union would push for a place at the table. However, the League would never accept Dilgar membership, and the Dilgar themselves would want to be represented as one of the great powers, a position they believe their small but advanced military, as well as economic and technological might warranted.

## Structure

Central to the Babylon Treaty Organization are four principal organs established by the Babylon Treaty: the Advisory Council, the Interstellar Court of Arbitration, the Directive Office, and the Commission of Standards and Interstellar Regulation. Below those four institutions, there is a plethora of other agencies independent of each other, such as the Interstellar Trade Organization, under the Commission of Standards and Interstellar Regulation.

### Advisory Council

The Babylon 5 Advisory Council serves as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the Babylon Treaty Organization. Charged with ensuring international peace and security and aprovin any changes to the Babylon Treaty. Its powers as outlined in the Treaty include establishing peacekeeping operations, enacting interstellar sanctions, authorizing military action, approving the BTO budget, appointing the BTO Directive Officer, receiving reports from other parts of the Babylon Treaty system, and making recommendations through resolutions. It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate, such as the Interstellar Trade and Exchange Authority.

The Advisory Council is formed by over a dozen members. Most matters are decided in the General Assembly by a simple majority. As the Babylon Treaty was, originally, an agreement between only the five great powers of the Local Cluster, it outlined that each member country has one vote. However, the League of Non-Aligned Worlds, which was not originally part of the Treaty, has the right to a single vote, despite representing many nations. This was the compromise struck by the Corvan Amendment. Instead of individual members being signatories of the Babylon Treaty, as it is with the five great powers, the League is, as a whole, the signatory instead, and membership into the organization is dependent on being a member of the League. Joining the League means automatic admission into the Babylon Treaty System under the League, the opposite also being true.

A majority vote would be necessary to admit new members into the Babylon Treaty the conventional way. However, because that could cause League members to try and join the conventional way, there is a disincentive for the great powers to do so. This became clear after the five-to-one loss of a vote to admit the Onteen as an independent signatory to the Babylon Treaty in 2528. The Onteen would be forced to join the League in 2529 in order to gain any semblance of representation.