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Minister of Foreign Affairs Candidate Interview
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Minister of Foreign Affairs Candidate Interview
Motivation to Run | Foreign Service and Integration | Treaties and Allies


Feirmont is the incumbent Delegate of the South Pacific and the sole candidate for Minister of Foreign Affairs in the November 2015 election. He agreed to sit with the Southern Journal to answer some questions about his motivation to run for this office and his objectives and policies regarding our foreign affairs.

Hi Feirmont. Thanks for taking the time.

Thanks for having me

I want to start with the most obvious question. Why did you choose not to run for reelection as Delegate?

There were multiple factors to why I didn't run for re-election. The major factor is that I would like to focus more on Foreign Affairs; as it is a section of NationStates that I haven't focused on previously (save for my short term last March). The idea of inter-regional communications and diplomacy has always been intriguing, and I wanted to focus my attention in that direction for the coming term.

Some have mentioned your decreasing activity during the later stages of this term. Did that influence your decision?

Only mildly. Admittedly my return to university hit me hard in the middle of my term, and I was struggling to keep up with my duties as Delegate, at least forum side. Arguably, the position of Foreign Affairs requires more activity; keeping an eye and an ear out for happenings around Nation States and bringing it to the attention of their fellow Cabinet members.

Are there any lessons from your term as Delegate that you will apply if elected?

Yes. The most importing thing I've learned about during my term as Delegate is patience. Listening to everyone and seeking all the information necessary to make a decision is something I am prepared to bring to the next Cabinet. Also, keeping an open mind when speaking with individuals from other regions, and keeping a friendly attitude during discussions.

An important topic in the previous election was the existence of the Foreign Service. Will you revive the ambassador corps or keep it disbanded?

I have an interesting idea for the Foreign Service. Integrating eager newcomers to the region has always been something I've been fond of. If someone had a question I would try to answer it to the best of my abilities. So, with that in mind I thought of a kind of individual 'hands-on' approach for the Foreign Service. I do want to continue to send monthly publications to regions we're normally in contact with, but I also want to give the chance for anybody to see what FA is all about. I decided that if I'm elected, I won't have a specific Foreign Service per-se. If somebody in the South Pacific wants to be an envoy, I'll let them be an envoy. If somebody wants to learn how to properly write a Treaty or Non-Aggression Pacts; or even just learn what it means to be in the Foreign Service. Judging by the previous amount of participants in the Foreign Service; I believe a one-on-one process would work.

Former Minister Sandaoguo once said that the nature of foreign affairs in NationStates means mentorship is possible, but more established involvement programmes as not that practical. How would you respond to that?

I think it's all about how you go about it. If you suddenly open the doors and hope everyone will understand what it means to work in foreign affairs you may (or may not) be in for quite a shock. If you lean more towards a mentorship, there's a possibility that your 'apprentice' won't pan out, and it would have been just a waste of energy. That being said, I lean more to agree with Sandaoguo's comment; but that doesn't mean we shouldn't try something anyway.

Another issue that surfaced in the previous election was cooperation with the Special Forces. Do you think this still applies today?

Communication is important for every Cabinet member; and I hope to keep communication high with everyone in the Cabinet to advance the goals of not only my ministry but most other aspects of TSP.  

Do we have adequate levels of communication and cooperation with our treaty allies?

We can never have enough communication with our allies. We can always do better. And Hileville's done a great job getting communications out and I hope to build on that. I know that if I'm elected I'll be hopping around myself, if only to say a friendly hello now and then to our allies.

What kind of communication or joint activities would you like to see with our allies?

Speaking as a former Minister of Regional Affairs; I always enjoy seeing joint festivals. Back in my campaign with Arbiter for Delegate, we spoke about War Games between allies. An idea we still have on paper and I haven't dismissed. I'd also, on top of the minimum monthly updates, like to work with the Southern Journal in a sort of International Issue to be sent at least once this term. Show what our writers, RPers and Spammers are capable of.

Is there any particular ally with whom you think more contact is needed?

I hesitate to say there is only one particular ally where more contact is needed; but I'd rather say we should have a higher amount of contact with all of our allies (at the very least the ones we have a treaty with).

Is there an ally with whom we haven't talked much in recent months?

The Rejected Realms. Although they had a Foreign Envoy sent went the program was still running this term, it has been a while since we've cooperated in an event.

What about potential friends and allies? Are there any regions that you would like to approach if elected?

There have been talks about Osiris, Albion and TWP. Taijitu is also another name that's been tossed around a fair bit

How would you describe your foreign policy?

Open. As an independent I'm not afraid to hear out most foreign bodies, while I try to keep what I believe TSP's best interests are internationally.

What do you think are our interests at this point in time?

TSP has become more and more focused on RP and Culture. We could benefit from finding regions that enjoy a cultural aspect as much as we do. This of course doesn't mean we should ignore regions that focus more on gameplay and their respective regional governments; that's just how I see TSP is right now.

Thanks again for taking the time.

Anytime! Thanks again for having me.

Disclaimer: This transcript has been edited for orthography and clarity in the flow of the conversation. While some words may have slightly different spelling and some interventions may have been placed in different order, the core content of the conversation has not been altered. A raw copy of the transcript may be provided upon request.
Former Delegate of the South Pacific
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