cthia wrote:Capturing an enemy system involves unconditional surrender. Like the RMN's capture of Masada. Another example is the unconditional surrender of Japan to America. Though that was referred to as an unconditional surrender, it wasn't. It included a proviso that the Emperor would retain his power and be unharmed.
I suppose unconditional surrender guarantees the conquering side unlimited access to all technologies of the conquered, for starters. Which may be how the US found out about the specially developed torpedoes engineered to work in the shallow waters of Pearl Harbor.
Would it include an acceptance of the conquered to never wage war against the conquerors again? Where, a failure to comply with this condition even in the far future should make it unnecessary for a formal declaration of war before retaliating?
In the Honorverse, how would this apply to capturing an enemy's Home System? Like if the RMN had driven straight to Nouveau Paris and controlled the orbitals.
What comprises an unconditional surrender in the Honorverse?
You seem to be questioning your own statement that conquering a system involves unconditional surrender.
I doubt that a surrender in one war can be taken to meant anything about a future war. Anyway only an act of war would be a failure to comply and then the right to self-defense would cover most reactions: such as the SLN claimed. As with the Solarians, a declaration of war may still be needed internally to activate certain war powers: another example is Manticore during Field of Dishonor. Note that after WW1 the Allies tried to create the situation that Germany would never again have the ability to start a war, but lacked to will to enforce that even 20 years later.
I think the important point about conquering the home planet, is that you have captured the government. Any unit, which refuses to cease action when the government orders surrender, can then be treated as an outlaw. Only a surrender by the government ends a war. If Manticore captured Haven, but the government escaped to Bolthole; then the war would continue. Clearly a single system polity does not have that ability.