So I was watching episode 4 of RE:0096 and I realized something. By all legal rights, Mineva Lao Zabi really is the true ruler of the Seven Sides and the Moon. While it is true that the Earth Federation Forces won the One Year War, they lost the colonies as pieces of territory to the Principality of Zeon. Remember, the colonies are basically under EFSF occupation until further notice. It's just like when Germany and Japan and their respective territories were occupied by the Allied forces after World War II. When Mineva returned in U.C. 0087, she hand full legal rights to the occupied territories and there was nothing that the Federation could do. This is what happened in U.C. 0088 when Haman Karn launched the First Neo Zeon War; once the Federation surrendered to Haman, they reclaimed the colonies. After the First Neo Zeon war, the colonies were once again under EFSF occupation.