Why I’m Running

I care deeply about The South Pacific, our community, and its future. I started my career of public service to TSP nearly six years ago, serving as Chair of the Assembly. Since 2013, I’ve dedicated my time to making our community better and our government stronger, either in elected roles as a minister, or as an advisor to future members of the Cabinet from generations that sprouted up through the hard work of their predecessors. And I’m running again this February in hopes that my ardent commitment to TSP has shown you -- our community -- that electing me Minister of Foreign Affairs will reinvigorate our government.

Those old members TSP know the history of my service, and thus my principles and values. To those of you who find yourselves just joining our extraordinary region, let me lay bare those values:

Democracy- I don’t believe in the idea that democracy is unworkable in NationStates. I believe it’s difficult and frustrating, but it’s rewarding in ways that non-democratic Game Created Regions will never understand. Democracy ensures open debate and votes in which every voice is heard. That extends to how I believe the Cabinet should function. I’ve seen ministers want fiefdoms and I’ve seen Cabinets keep so many secrets to their own ultimate detriment. Our Cabinet must encourage debate and dissent, every minister must have a vote, and at the end of the day the will of the majority should hold.

Transparency- We elect Cabinet ministers based on the promises they make in their political campaigns and the agenda they put forth. All too often, ministers don’t keep their promises and the region is left in the dark on what exactly the Cabinet is doing. We saw this during Tim’s tenure as Minister of Foreign Affairs. And based on Chair Amerion’s recent polling, the Ministry hasn’t improved in transparency this term. Not many people can say exactly what the Ministry is up to. Can the average TSPer name all the regions currently being courted by the Ministry today? Would they be the ones they expect? Likely not. I’ve long argued that the region deserves to know what foreign policy it has, and as Minister I would not keep the region in the dark. I would not negotiate treaties and keep them secret until the very last second. I would ensure the region is aware of our strategy, what partnerships we’re developing, and I would always be honest about our place in NationStates.

Autonomy- I believe that TSP is at its zenith when our government acts independently, or rather autonomously, of what the Gameplay community says. Ministers often believe that being criticized in the Gameplay forum or Discord is embarrassing and detrimental to our community. This often manifests in the belief that a good Minister of Foreign Affairs is saccharinely polite and “positive”-- one who offends nobody and earns plaudits for their agreeableness. Ministers who believe this tend to be ineffectual at promoting our interests and protecting those interests from our enemies. They tend to believe that no response is the best response to aggression, when in reality that means they’re letting others define who we are in the game. They tend to strategize through the lens of “good PR” rather than “best for our strategic interests,” which usually ends up meaning “what will please our detractors most.” A good Minister fosters good will with our allies and partners and earns scorn from our foes. An independent and autonomous foreign policy will, by definition, make our enemies angry, because it means they cannot use the Gameplay pulpit to bully us into thinking we’re wrong.

Those three values have guided everything I’ve done in my nearly six years in TSP, and will guide everything I do in the future. If you bestow upon me the great honor of being your Minister of Foreign Affairs, here is what you can expect me to work towards:
 

Building New Partnerships

Our alliance network has remained largely unchanged for a while now, with the exception of the treaty (and then dissolution of the treaty) with the New Pacific Order. Having a small network of really great allies is very important, but we ended up in the situation we did with the NPO because that Cabinet didn’t see many other options. But the region has spoken and the Assembly has given the names of many regions it wants to explore relations with: South Pacific, Europe, 10000 Islands, just to name a few. As Minister, I would work towards fostering partnerships with as many of these regions as we can.

Additionally, this past term I have been in talks with our allies about cooperation in the World Assembly. Right now, a group called the World Assembly Legislative League (WALL) dominates, and we have a real opportunity to chip at their influence. Antagonist regions like Europeia and Balder are signatories of WALL, which harms our interests in the World Assembly. If elected, I would work towards moving forward with cooperation and coordination, and hopefully create an organization that can equal or best WALL’s power.
 

Involving the Community

Like I said, I believe the region deserves to know what its foreign policy is. As Minister, I would communicate the Cabinet’s foreign policy strategy with the Assembly. I would ask for the Assembly’s opinion and really involve the community in its own foreign affairs. All too often, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs operates from an ivory tower. I have a history, in my past services in the ministry, with including the Assembly in these discussions. For example, when imperialists in Europeia, Balder, and other regions tried to bully us into snubbing our defender allies, I went to the Assembly and started a debate in how we should respond. The Assembly provided a lot of input, and ultimately the region as a whole came to a consensus to stand up to our bullies.

Part of involving you in your own foreign affairs is, well, making sure you’re told about it. Amerion’s polling shows that many of you feel as if there’s no communication at all from the Ministry: “They do not tell us anything, so we cannot say how they are going.” This is unacceptable. As the Prime Minister’s security advisor, I know what the Ministry has been up to this term, but you shouldn’t have to be an advisor to have that knowledge. The Minister of Foreign Affairs shouldn’t be crafting agreements with other regions without the Assembly’s foreknowledge, especially when the Assembly would likely have some serious things to say about it.

I would work towards establishing a regular community bulletin, where the Ministry keeps the region apprised of what we are doing. The Cabinet has attempted this with the “Cabinet Tweets” idea, but the Ministry hasn’t fully utilized it. I would change that. While I don’t believe that the Assembly should be micromanaging foreign affairs, working in the dark has become a common practice even today that wouldn’t be acceptable under my tenure.
 

Training Future Generations

I can’t say with any certainty that I’ll still be playing NationStates by the time I’m 30 or 40 or 50 (dear god). Our region will eventually roll over into new generations, and those of us who join in the 2010s will become part of our history. The Ministry has not done a good job, for a long time now, in ensuring the evolving community is well-equipped to take the reins. The renewed ambassador corp, if we’re being honest, hasn’t really trained any of its members. Giving informational updates in the MoFA Discord isn’t preparing anybody for the real work of being the next Minister. To do that, we need to get deputies in the negotiation rooms.

With the Assembly wanting us to explore relations with so many regions, the next Ministry has a great opportunity to take our ambassadors and empower them to forge the bonds we need. Having overseen new alliances and written many treaties myself, I know that I can help all the TSPers who joined the ambassador program develop these partnerships themselves.
 

Conflict of Interest Statement

 

I hold 3 current positions of power in TSP:

- Forum Administrator

- Member of the Council on Regional Security

- Associate Justice of the High Court

Of these, sitting on the High Court would be a conflict with our separation of powers. I would resign as Associate Justice upon election.
I do not hold any positions of power outside of TSP, nor membership or citizenship in any foreign region or organization.

Reply

Called it ;p

Glen, I am very excited to see you running for MoFA again. As far as I’m concerned in terms of knowledge you are the most qualified for the office and your time as security advisor was a great boon to the last Cabinet.

Your approach this time around has been redefined to focus on the alliances TSP wants and I appreciate that. My biggest question for you is:

How do you, if at all, plan to tackle your biggest weakness as a choice for FA, that being the negative reception you often get from foreign governments?

Greetings, I am The Serres Republic.

Currently 'The Future Greatest and Most Splendid General of All TSP.'

I know you all look forward to when I complete my grand quest ;P.

Official ‘Most Dedicated Raider’ in all of TSP. Look at me all evil and shtuff ;P

Heck I was MoFA, Now Im PM. I must be loved owo

Reply

It is a well-thought-out campaign and you touched on many of the issues I would have otherwise had questions on.

I am curious if your previous vow to disengage with GP is still your position. While the current Minister, Somyrion, has posted occasional statements on the NSGP embassy thread, these have been very rare. If I was a new and promising UCR looking for allies, I may very well think TSP perished with the zombie apocalypse. If you do indeed intend on maintaining a distance from GP, may I know how, if at all, do you plan on engaging with new regions?

Reply

As it is known, we and TNP share a years-old alliance. However, you are proposing to challenge them (and Europe, in addition) by opposing WALL. How will you reconcile this fact and the preservation of friendly relations with our ally?

Deputy Regional Minister of the Planning and Development Agency(March 8-May 19, 2014)

Local Council Member(April 24-August 11)

Court Justice of TSP(August 15-December 7)

Quotes

"The 1% is like a 1% battery charge. It will die out if it is not charged(the charge is the 99%). But if you don't charge it, it will die for sure, sooner or later"
- Me (2001- Present)

"Change is the world's blood"
- Me (2001-Present)

[Image: 9ehfkQV.png]

Reply

To follow up with my previous query, I have a number of other questions.

... Democracy ensures open debate and votes in which every voice is heard. That extends to how I believe the Cabinet should function. I’ve seen ministers want fiefdoms and I’ve seen Cabinets keep so many secrets to their own ultimate detriment. Our Cabinet must encourage debate and dissent, every minister must have a vote, and at the end of the day the will of the majority should hold.

The statement bolded in the above quote interests me. Are you saying that current Cabinet Ministers have operated in such a way?

... Additionally, this past term I have been in talks with our allies about cooperation in the World Assembly.

I assume this was at the behest of the Minister of Foreign Affairs?

... Right now, a group called the World Assembly Legislative League (WALL) dominates, and we have a real opportunity to chip at their influence. Antagonist regions like Europeia and Balder are signatories of WALL, which harms our interests in the World Assembly. If elected, I would work towards moving forward with cooperation and coordination, and hopefully create an organization that can equal or best WALL’s power.

I share Ryccia's interest in knowing what you feel about WALL given TNP's involvement in the intiative.

If anything, I don't believe it is conducive — to think of such matters as purely black and white. Given our ally's participation in WALL, we should aim not to reduce their influence with a direct challenge to their authority but rather, an expansion of our own through partnerships with regions who would otherwise play no part in the WA and yet whose influence would benefit our own.

Reply

- Both of your opponents have expressed an interest in getting closer in some fashion to TWP and Lazarus. How do you stand on each of these?
- Can you explain why you think TSP and TWP are not close at this time?
- In which way do you think we should be involved in the APC-NPO war?
- Is there anything in the campaigns for Prime Minister candidates over which you expect there to be conflict should both of you get elected?

Reply

It is a well-thought-out campaign and you touched on many of the issues I would have otherwise had questions on.

I am curious if your previous vow to disengage with GP is still your position. While the current Minister, Somyrion, has posted occasional statements on the NSGP embassy thread, these have been very rare. If I was a new and promising UCR looking for allies, I may very well think TSP perished with the zombie apocalypse. If you do indeed intend on maintaining a distance from GP, may I know how, if at all, do you plan on engaging with new regions?

I believe you're referring to my October 2018 campaign, where I said we should disengage with NSGP because of the vitriol we were having to deal. That was right around when the "Timscade" brouhaha happened, and I think it did do us well to decrease our participation there. The topic did die out, as I predicted it would if we stopped responding to all of the bad faith posts. I know that I personally cut down my posting there by a lot. My last post was over a month ago. And in the past 3 months, I've made a whole 8 posts in the NSGP forum.

Moving forwarding, I do think we should be writing more formal foreign policy statements. You're right that too much disengagement can read as being inactive. TSP used to put out a lot of statements. For whatever reason, we've stopped. It hampers our ability to run an effective FA, though, so we should get back into the habit of expressing ourselves formally. It shows we're alive, but it also signals what we stand for, what our values as a community are.

As for engaging with new regions, that doesn't have much to do with NSGP. We engage with new regions through the RMB, their forums, and a lot through Discord. The MoFA Discord is great for introducing new regions to our FA, especially since they get their own dedicated channel. And inviting them to our main Discord lets them interact with our whole region.

As it is known, we and TNP share a years-old alliance. However, you are proposing to challenge them (and Europe, in addition) by opposing WALL. How will you reconcile this fact and the preservation of friendly relations with our ally?

You're right that it would be a point of contention. I think this also answers Amerion's question about WALL. I would ask this: why is the onus on us? Why doesn't TNP have to grapple with being in an influential alliance with Balder and Europeia, two regions that openly consider TSP an enemy? Sure, it's a tough needle to thread. But at the end of the day, TSP's MoFA needs to stand up for TSP's interests. We shouldn't dismiss an opportunity to form our own WA alliance. WALL does act against our interests. TNP may be the bulk of their voting power, but Balder and Europeia are still influential, and they are not our friends. If we have the opportunity to protect ourselves and help secure our own influence in the WA, why shouldn't we grasp it? Why must we be the ones to let great opportunities go?

 

To follow up with my previous query, I have a number of other questions.

... Democracy ensures open debate and votes in which every voice is heard. That extends to how I believe the Cabinet should function. I’ve seen ministers want fiefdoms and I’ve seen Cabinets keep so many secrets to their own ultimate detriment. Our Cabinet must encourage debate and dissent, every minister must have a vote, and at the end of the day the will of the majority should hold.

The statement bolded in the above quote interests me. Are you saying that current Cabinet Ministers have operated in such a way?   

I wrote that with a few different previous Cabinets in mind. (Reminder that I've been dedicating myself to TSP for a long time now ) But I do think Somyrion has been less than communicative about the Ministry's activities. There is a penchant for secrecy when it comes to certain agenda items. The great polling you did reflects that. The comments for the Ministry included calls for more communication. Respondents said they didn't know what was going on, didn't know what the FA vision was, and that the Ministry wasn't visible. Other ministries also had communication problems, as said in that poll. So, each ministry has work to do, but the Cabinet as a whole has work to do as well. It's hard and that's why we have such a problem with it. But it's a lot easier to be communicative if we include the Assembly in foreign policy debates. A Cabinet twitter thread is easy to let fall to the wayside. But if you're seeking input from the Assembly before embarking on a big FA agenda item, it's harder to just let that go nowhere.

I think it's important for the average TSPer to know what our foreign policy actually is. When I was MoFA back in 2014, I would gladly chat with people for hours about our goals, our values, our interests, and what we had planned to work towards. I consulted the Assembly on foreign affairs moves. Nobody was left surprised by a treaty that, for all they knew, appeared out of nowhere overnight. I made it a point to clearly articulate what our foreign affairs strategy was. And since then, I've always been a vocal proponent of having a clear, values-driven FA. As Minister, that's what TSP could expect from me. For once, we would have a clearly outlined vision of what TSP stands for.
 

... Additionally, this past term I have been in talks with our allies about cooperation in the World Assembly.

I assume this was at the behest of the Minister of Foreign Affairs?   

I was involved in the discussions under Serres' tenure as MoFA, and kept on during Somyrion's. The talks met a roadblock when the NPO imploded. But there's a lot of interest in pushing forward. It would definitely be one of my top agenda items and I think I would see it to personally. I want some deputies, or ambassadors if they show the promise, to work on forging relations with UCRs like 10000 Islands and Europe. Each project needs someone dedicated to it, and a big multilateral agreement deserves the attention of the Minister themselves.

At this point, we aren't anywhere but in the "talking" stage. We're not the only region that finds it a tough needle to thread. So we're taking it slow and ironing things out. And in keeping with everything I've said, I would like to start an Assembly discussion on how we'd go about WA cooperation. As far as I'm aware, it's no secret that a "second WALL" has been in the works.

- Both of your opponents have expressed an interest in getting closer in some fashion to TWP and Lazarus. How do you stand on each of these?

I think it's important to realize why we're not close in the first place, which is also your second question here, before discussing the strategic problems with their proposals.

TWP and TSP have been distant for... ever, really. The last time we were friends was before I joined TSP. The biggest contention preventing better relations has been TWP's penchant for recognizing coups. For a very long time, they believed that forum governments weren't legitimate, and if someone happened to take the Delegate position, the region was theirs by right. That was a big problem because our treaties were always about agreeing to defend each other against coups, to not recognize illegitimate governments, etc.

But that's not the sole reason for the distance between our regions. One other element has been Empire presence in TWP. For those who aren't aware, Empire was formal group of players who infiltrated, subverted, and then couped several regions in NationStates history. They're less of a formalized group now, and more of a RP family/social club. But the core players never really stopped the subversion. That's why they're prohibited in TSP and quite a few other regions in NS. They're simply not trustworthy players, unless you're part of their inner circle. Those regions that allow them tend to have been controlled by them at one point, and in TWP's case, have had them in high government for a long time.

Aside from those two issues, TWP has also been on the opposite side of us in Gameplay. They've always been raider-friendly, whereas TSP is more defender-friendly. That's led to us bumping heads a couple times. But as moved away from being an "Independent" region, and more friendly towards defenders, our blocs simply diverged. It's like they're in a separate clique, which naturally makes our relationship distant.

With that history in mind, if you want to propose renewing relations with TWP, you have to answer some questions. The first is, "Why?" The second is, "Does this align with our values and interests?" The 'why' question hasn't really been answered by my competitors. The answer they've settled on seems to be, "Because we just should." There tends to be a belief that we should maximize our friendships in the game, no matter what. There's no obstacle a festival can't overcome. But that's where the second question comes in. How does renewing relations with TWP serve our interests? Narrowly, it might be that we shift our reputation from "that defender cabal" to something more neutral. But I don't think that's really the case.

When you look at who TWP's allies are, you see Balder, Europeia, and imperialists like LKE (which gave us the likes of OnderKelkia and the United Imperial Armed Forces). Going back to what I said previously about the purposes of our alliances, a large part of it is our security. We want allies who will come to our defense. But who are our enemies right now? Balder, Europeia, and whatever remains of imperialists. If we're going to broach relations with TWP, we have to ask this supremely important question: "How likely is it that TWP goes against its more senior allies, if they attack us, subvert us, spy on us, etc?" History aside, personality aside, that is a huge hurdle of a question. And I don't think the Ministry has grappled with it yet. If we put in a lot of work on renewing relations, only for there to be a flashpoint involving Balder or Europeia, all of that work can be flushed down the toilet in an instant if the answer to that question is, "Not likely." The truthful answer here is that just because they're a GCR doesn't mean that they can or should be our friends. We have so many other opportunities to grab with regions that aren't allied with our enemies.

Now on the Lazarus!

I'm not going to beat around the bush here. Imki being the Delegate for Life of Lazarus is a hurdle. She couped our region. She banned 2/3 of our admin team. She took it upon herself to take power, unabashedly, and spread lies about Kris and myself. To this day, she has never really apologized for it. There will always be a question of trustworthiness in Lazarus's Delegate as long as that Delegate is Imki. She's not the only worrying person in the region, either. Wolf is on her security council, and he has a long history of hostility to TSP, not just to me.

There's also quite a lot of anti-TSP sentiment in Lazarus. There are Lazarenes that advocate for our overthrow, for banning me and others they think are "destroying TSP." I don't mistake those people's bluster for the official position of Lazarus. But the sentiment is worrying. To be frank, even if the next MoFA wanted to improve relations, I'm not sure they could with the current population of Lazarus.

That being said, I have been involved in cordial and professional talks with Imki before, and I'd be able to do it again. At this juncture, though, I think the best strategy with regards to Lazarus is to give it time. Let Lazarus grow, and hopefully the hardcore anti-TSP sentiment will die out. Then we can look at cultural cooperation, military cooperation, and then eventually formal relations.

On a side note, let's please not diminish the seriousness of foreign regions advocating for the banning of certain TSPers. I've seen too much thinking along the lines of, "Well, it's Glen they want to ban. That shouldn't stop us from being friends." It's deeply unfair and incredibly against TSP values. We believe in democracy and we believe in the rights of our players. We shouldn't give any region or group a pass when they say a TSPer should be unlawfully banned because they don't like them. It's just not acceptable. As TSPers, we need to stick up for each other. Minimizing it is tantamount to saying, "Yes, banning them is an acceptable cost for having relations."
 

- In which way do you think we should be involved in the APC-NPO war?

I think it would be folly to get involved in this war. NPO is not our enemy. Pergamon used TSP inappropriately in an attempt to find a leak, without our knowledge, and for that I supported ending the alliance. I was never particularly invested in it, as you know from professional experience when I served as your Cabinet's advisor. But I don't think NPO did anything to us that deserves war. And in my dealings with Xoriet, they've been working on righting their wrongs. I certainly don't think we should rush into renewed relations with them. They need to really change, and I recognize that they are. At this point, we should coexist but keep our distance.

- Is there anything in the campaigns for Prime Minister candidates over which you expect there to be conflict should both of you get elected?

I've read the PM campaigns and I don't think there's really anything in conflict. I know for a fact that you and I get along great and we have a long history of working together. Rebeltopia seems to share my desire to spread TSP's influence, and I like that he recognizes FA as a weakness of his. It's better to do that than to pretend otherwise. As for Fox, I'm not sure what their FA views are. But there's nothing in their campaign that screams "conflict! conflict! conflict!" to me.

Reply

Conflict of Interest Statement

I hold 3 current positions of power in TSP:

- Forum Administrator

- Member of the Council on Regional Security

- Associate Justice of the High Court

Of these, sitting on the High Court would be a conflict with our separation of powers. I would resign as Associate Justice upon election.
I do not hold any positions of power outside of TSP, nor membership or citizenship in any foreign region or organization.

Emphasis mine.
The fact that it took prior cabinets almost forever (a really long time) to appoint both you and Bels after what we were told was an extensive search... Do you think that it would be an issue to find someone qualified to replace yourself?

"...if you're normal, the crowd will accept you. But if you're deranged, the crowd will make you their leader." - Christopher Titus
Deranged in NS since 2011

One and ONLY minion of LadyRebels 
The OUTRAGEOUS CRAZY other half of LadyElysium

POSITIONS! POSITIONS, EVERYONE!!

TSP Forum & Discord Mod (4/19-Present)
Niagara Founder (2018-Present)

TSP MoRA (6/19-10/19)
TSP Asso. Justice (4/19-3/20)
TSP Deputy CoA (8/18 - 4/19)
TSP CSS (2/14-10/14)
TSP High Court Justice (4/14 - 5/14)
TSP CoA (12/13 - 3/14)
TSP Vice Delegate (8/13 - 12/13)
TSP MoS (9/12 - 12/12)
TSP MoFA (5/12 - 9/12)
TSP Forum Admin (2014)
TSP Craziest (12/12 - 3/13 -- 8/13 - 10/14 -- 2/15 - 6/17 -- 2/18 - 6/19)
Former Founder of Richmond
Former something in Europia
Former something in Balder

Quotes

5:19PM, 3/25/12
Hileville - LR and Rebel-topia are going to break the forum. 103 posts between the two of them so far today
LadyRebels - Yes we are implementing our evil plan to take over, just wanted ya'll to know that

---

[1:22 PM] Rebeltopia: *beats up the Polandar Bear*
[1:22 PM] Polandar Bear: :dizzy_face:
[1:23 PM] Polandar Bear: I'm endangered!
[1:23 PM] Rebeltopia: Endangered of being beated up!
[1:23 PM] Polander Bear: "Beated up" - Rebeltopia, 2018

---

[6:09 PM] Seraph: Who knew ORCS could be so informative?
[6:10 PM] Nakari: ORCS is truly ORChestral to our understanding of law.
[6:11 PM] Seraph: It's the ORCSue of all our legal knowledge.
[6:11 PM] Nakari: its magical. must have been created with sORCSery.

---

Nakarisaurus: islands are you just jealous of the boots
Roavin: islands is jealous of the entire package
Satan: ^ this
Islands of Unakarity: Im jealous of the wife, and that mora election a while back
Roavin: punnuendo both intended and not intended

Reply

No, I don’t think so. The last time a justice needed to be appointed, I think a big part of what took so long was just trying to get everybody to respond. This was the same Cabinet that included Tim and Escade.

I would support holding applications again, but I would push for the whole process to take no more than 2 weeks at most to get a nominee before the Assembly.

Reply

Since it's currently relevant, Glen has a record of consulting the Assembly on big FA moves. See here.

Reply