Editing Ares Convention (section)

== Impact ==
In general the Ares Convention was successful in terms of minimizing the loss of human life and reducing damage to buildings, infrastructure and so forth. On the other hand, it normalized warfare and turned it from a "last resort" in the eyes of interstellar governments into "another regular tool" in their diplomatic toolbox. A particular quirk about the Ares Convention is that it lead to the age of the [[BattleMech]] thanks to the renewed focus on dirtside forces thanks to Warships having lessened importance now that their main draw of thermonuclear table flips was largely set aside.

Additionally, while a good-intentioned attempt to keep collateral damage to a minimum, all good things inevitably came to an end. With the Reunification War launched by Ian Cameron to bring the Periphery states to heel after they refused to rejoin the Star League, he authorized the suspension of the Ares Conventions for the SLDF and allied forces to crush the Periphery States until they submitted. With exception of the Free Worlds League (where the Captain General gave explicit orders to her troops to treat their Canopian adversaries fairly), other client members were less consistent with treating their foes fairly. As a result, the Outworlds Alliance and the Taurian Concordat had both their industrial bases and militaries crippled for decades to come. This was a key reason why their descendants have very bitter memories on the Star League. Come the [[Succession Wars]] and all powers threw them out the window. Despite being rendered void, the Ares Conventions served as an idealized template for "civilized warfare" in the eyes of military figures and were succeeded by the IS "Honors of Wars" and Clan "Zellbrigan." One example being sparing support vehicles (such as Coolant Trucks) from targeting and offering downed pilots or isolated settlements a chance to surrender peacefully. On the other hand, both were partially motivated by desires for ransom, salvage, and a desire to either preserve precious [[LosTech]] or resources.



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