A House Divided
Grand Century
MetroForge
Verdigris
Electioneer
Desktop clientInternational Organizations
International Organizations are multilateral bodies that countries can join, lead, and use to coordinate foreign policy, pass bloc-level legislation, and establish free trade agreements. The system ships with 7 built-in organizations (EU, NATO, UN, Commonwealth, Warsaw Pact, Non-Aligned, COMECON) and also allows players to create custom organizations.
Built-in organizations#
| Organization | Description |
|---|---|
| EU (European Union) | A political and economic union of European member states pursuing deep integration, a common market, and coordinated foreign policy. |
| NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) | A transatlantic military alliance founded on the principle of collective defense: an attack on one is an attack on all. |
| UN (United Nations) | The premier global forum for diplomacy, peacekeeping, humanitarian coordination, and international law. |
| Commonwealth (Commonwealth of Nations) | A voluntary association of sovereign states bound by shared history, language, and institutions, coordinating on development, trade, and diplomacy. |
| Warsaw Pact (Warsaw Pact) | The collective-defense alliance of the socialist states, binding its members under a unified military command. |
| Non-Aligned (Non-Aligned Movement) | A movement of states that decline alliance with either bloc, coordinating through periodic summits under a rotating chair rather than a permanent secretariat. |
| COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance) | The economic coordination body of the socialist states, organising planned trade, specialisation, and technical cooperation among members. |
These 7 are defined in the catalogue; era founding and dissolution years decide which exist in a given world. Players can also create custom organizations.
Organization structure#
Every organization, built-in or custom, has the following components:
Founding members#
Each org is created with a list of founding member countries that defines the initial membership. Additional countries can join later through the membership proposal process (see below).
Leadership office#
Each org has a leadership office with:
- A title (e.g., Secretary-General, Secretary General, President of the Council)
- A termTurns of 96 turns (approximately 2 game years)
Leadership elections are held when the term expires, and the office confers authority over the org's agenda and legislation.
Charter#
Each org has a charter: a text document describing its purpose, rules, and governance principles. The charter is set at creation and can be amended through org legislation.
Membership proposals#
New countries join an org through a membership proposal, which is voted on by existing members for 24 turns. Admission is unanimous: every member entitled to vote must cast a "yes" within the window. If the proposal falls short or expires, the country is not admitted.
Leadership elections#
When a leadership term (96 turns) expires, the org holds a leadership election. A candidate is seated by a majority of the members entitled to vote. Eligible candidates compete for the leadership office, and the winner serves the next full term. Holding leadership of a major org like the EU or NATO is a significant source of political influence on the international stage.
Organization legislation#
International organizations can pass legislation that binds their members. Key legislation types include:
- Withdrawal bills: a member-state's exit from the organization
- FTA legislation: establishing a free trade agreement between members (see International Trade)
Org legislation is voted on by members, typically over the same 24-turn voting window used for membership proposals.
Only members a player can act for hold a ballot. Client states are bound by whatever their bloc decides, but they do not vote on it.
Two thresholds apply, and both are measured against the members entitled to vote rather than against turnout. Abstaining, or never voting at all, withholds consent exactly as a "no" does.
- Unanimous: entering a conflict at the bloc's call, free trade agreements, and admitting a new member. Any one member can refuse simply by declining to consent.
- Majority: everything else, including sanctions, directives, aid packages, dues, posture, agency funding and joint statements. More than half the voting members must vote "yes".
Custom organizations#
Players can create their own international organizations with arbitrary parameters:
- A player-chosen name: the org is identified by a unique short name
- A player-created flag: marks the org as player-created (as opposed to built-in)
- Player-defined founding members, leadership office, and charter
Custom orgs function identically to built-in ones for membership, leadership, and legislation purposes. The primary difference is provenance: they did not exist at game start.
Organization pages#
Each organization has a dedicated page at the route:
/international/[orgId]
This page displays the org's membership, current leadership, active legislation, charter, and proposal history. Both built-in and custom orgs are accessible this way.
Strategic notes#
- Joining an org grants bloc benefits. Countries that share an org membership receive a trade affinity bonus (see International Trade).
- Leading an org amplifies your voice. The leadership office gives you agenda-setting power and political influence.
- FTAs are the most impactful org legislation. A free trade agreement between two members eliminates bilateral tariffs and boosts trade affinity, a major economic lever.
- Custom orgs are flexible. You can create a bloc tailored to your diplomatic strategy, inviting only aligned countries.
Related systems#
- International Trade: how org membership and FTAs affect trade affinity
- Tariffs: how FTAs override bilateral tariffs
- Foreign Policy: international standing and its domestic effects