Official TSP Consulate of Europeia

~ Aumeltopia ~

Raccoons are bandits! First they steal your food . . . and then your heart/identity!

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Produced By: JayDee​

In a special edition from the Europeian Letter, we have a full feature from the EBC and an interview of Cormac, former Pharaoh of Osiris, by Minister HEM.

With the entire world descending into chaos with declarations of war flying left and right, our very own Vice President decided to take the time to sit down and discuss his own personal opinion on the future of foreign policy. With the abolition of the IJCC, there is much uncertainty in the Independent Sphere of who drives the reins anymore.

Europeia itself has almost always found itself involved in multiple foreign fiascos. From the recent threat of Francoism from NPO to the 2016 and even earlier 2013 coup of Osiris. To talk about some of Europeia’s foreign past foreign policy decisions and recent gameplay changes is Cormac. A traditional adversary of Europeia who still finds room for agreement on a regular basis.

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Where To Go From Here​

Written By: Pierce​

After the disbanding of the IJCC, foreign policy experts and citizens alike are left wondering what’s next for Europeia’s foreign policy, and may be concerned on what changes Europeia should make to expand its foreign affairs. Those worried over these concerns should set their minds at ease.

The idea to expand our foreign affairs portfolio is not a new one. Last term, former Minister of Foreign Affairs Rach announced intentions to build ties with The Communist Bloc and Forest, and former President Drexlore proposed a Pact of Non-aggression to the Senate for consideration, which has since been revised with Attorney General Drecq to develop its language after former Speaker Pichtonia raised concerns that the first draft was “not within our standards”; the legislation has since passed. When Europeia’s foreign affairs became somewhat strained after the dereliction of the duties to head of state by previous Presidents, the controversies surrounding the IJCC, and the backlash revolving around the acceptance of Mare Nostrum’s ambassador from our allies, experts began to look at other rising powers in NationStates in the event that the IJCC did disband.

Those paying attention to Gameplay have noticed that there has been a new generation of growing and promising regions that are separate from the cliques of the big UCRs and GCRs of the game. With large and active populations and diversely structured governments, these rising regions have brought the attention of experts within the spheres of UCRs and GCRs. Such realignments are nothing new to NS foreign affairs. There are many that remember a time in which monarchist UCRs led by Cobi Grey, Neisse, Onder, and others became prominent in NSGP, giving way to many large British regions such as the Kingdom of Great Britain, the British Isles, and the other British-themed precursors of those regions. Those regions are no longer powerbrokers as they once were, although the Land of Kings and Emperors remains relevant on the NSGP stage arguably thanks to Onder’s influence behind the scenes. Among the successors to those regions are Pax Britannia and the Empire of Mare Nostrum.

Pax Britannia was a region that separated from the British Isles after a disagreement on having the elections of the region’s leaders and regional business based on the forum, so the founders of Pax Britannia separated with their own region. The region was active based on the NS site for some time, and remains as such. While it doesn’t have a population over 100, its participants did seem more active in the region than the British Isles did at the time with over 100 nations. The British Isles is now dead with their former King John now reigning over the Kingdom of Great Britain, and its last King influential in EMN (and formerly in LKE).

In the Land of Kings and Emperors, the former PM known as Mega, had a falling out with their Imperial Family after falsely accusing the former Emperor Onder of allegedly importing citizens to influence another candidate against him, and essentially broke away from LKE, moving to his region of Mare Nostrum which had been founded earlier. Since splintering from the LKE, its growth has been impressive. Since the fourth of August this year, its population grew to a height of 239 nations on the 27th of September, and has conducted regular missions. While it’s uncertain how many of those nations are actually puppets, the region has had an active forum community and recently conducted raids with Osiris. While former President Drexlore did issue a statement from Goldenblock banning the ERN from working with EMN, the recent decision to accept Thomas Insaniac, Legatus Prefect of EMN, as their ambassador shows that the Administration is open to working with new and rising regions.

There are some in foreign affairs circles abroad that believe that Europeia is too close to the “Ondersphere”, a term used to describe the sphere of influence by former LKE Emperor Onder as a respected raider, who remains influential in LKE policymaking and serves as Europeia’s Chief Justice. It has been suggested by those watching the Sopo Administration that allowing an ambassador from EMN is a signal that Europeia is distancing itself from the so-called “Ondersphere” as the IJCC’s future became uncertain.

Those that are worried about such challenges and obstacles should set their minds at ease. President Sopo and Minister of Foreign Affairs HEM made it clear in a recent statement from the Goldenblock that enabling dialogue with new and rising regions with similar ideologies does not necessarily mean that we are turning our backs on our allies; and the recent discussions on the NSGP forums regarding the Balder leaks (the report of which only served to stir the pot) have highlighted that while the allied regions do have disagreements with one another, all parties will and have always had frank and open dialogues within and among each other. It is unlikely that the traditional establishments of Europeian foreign policy buckle since we have always been able to have those open and honest disagreements with our allies, but if they do, the Sopo Administration’s aim to “refine our independence” by building bridges and new dialogues will ensure that Europeia remains a leading UCR for the Independent ideology. If anything, these bold new steps should serve as an assurance that Europeia is able to look after its own interests while working with its valuable allies rather than being directly under the influence of an individual. It should be noted that even though the IJCC has officially disbanded its structure and despite certain recent strains, Europeia will continue to hold close ties and cooperation with Balder and the Land of Kings and Emperors.

In addition to the worries that revolved around IJCC, the WALL organization may also be facing competition from a rising WA organization known as the Interregional Legislative Coalition (ILC) formed by former Delegate Courelli of the Social Liberal Union (population of 116 nations, 480 at its height) and President Ivory Rhodes of the Democratic Socialist Assembly (population of 348 nations). Its membership is mainly composed of ideologically leftist or liberal regions including SLU, DSA, The Internationale, The Versutian Federation, and most recently The Communist Bloc (whom of which some foreign policy experts last term hoped would have entered WALL). According to its Charter, its purpose is to “promote our shared values of unity, fundamental equality, democracy, and internationalism within the World Assembly”. When I was Delegate of the Social Liberal Union before the ILC came into existence, it was a goal for the region to expand its FA and political portfolio to draw attention from the big regions through such an alliance. While they don’t have nearly as many votes in the WA (the WALL has about 2,179 votes compared the ILC’s 535), as an outsider, the SLU and DSA have achieved the expansion of their portfolio and TCB’s membership further legitimizes the organization as it grows. In order to counter this rising competition, the Europeia’s Ministry of World Assembly Affairs should work with the WALL organization to seek out other regions to absorb into the organization to maintain its place on the WA stage.

It is also worth noting that the war against NPO presents a unique opportunity for Europeia to build stronger bonds with regions that also oppose the NPO and its Francoist ideology. The ideology itself is, in the words of President Sopo, “at the very core… an ideology that demeans our stature as a region and questions our very right to exist, let alone co-exist”. With NPO being an existential threat to all UCRs and with other UCRs following our lead already in pushing for war against their ideology, all UCRs in NationStates now have a common enemy to fight. Having this common enemy presents us the opportunity to continue taking the lead through the ERN with TBH in the fight against Francoism, and to build new ties with other regions to take our place once again as the UCR of UCRs.

While we should not abandon our allies, Europeia must continue to network and seek out new friendships and alliances to increase its influence as a prominent Independent and political UCR; having dialogue with new regions does not necessarily mean that we are turning our backs on our allies, but it means that we do not hold ourselves exclusive to the established orders and that we’re able to make proactive foreign policy decisions ourselves. If any of our current allies find this problematic, then we must begin to question exactly what sort of relationship we have with allied regions and the influential policymakers behind them. By networking with these new and rising regions, we expand our prominence beyond simply the old powers and cliques of already powerful GCRs and UCRs, some of which such as Osiris who have taken note. By opening the necessary dialogue to expand our prominence and taking a lead in the War on Francoism, we will be able to take the mantle in order to become a leading region with a powerful voice at the table, a similar vision that we had at the beginnings of the IJCC.

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Interview with Cormac​

Interview By: HEM​

HEM:

Hey Cormac, thanks for agreeing to this interview! A little context for you and the readers: I'm looking on doing a series of interviews with traditional "adversaries" of Europeia as an opportunity to both create dialogue and hopefully exchange ideas between folks who don't always get to have civil discourse that often!

For you, particularly, I'd be interested in starting at the beginning. The wayyyy beginning, you were actually a Senator in Europeia. In broad strokes, could you take us from your journey of being a officeholder in Europeia to being a little more Euro-skeptical (lol) over the years?

Cormac:

Happy to participate! Sure. Well, I should start by saying despite being an adversary there are still many things I respect about Europeia. That doesn't always come across in the heat of the moment. But I did have some very nice things to say about Europeia in a newspaper article I wrote quite some time ago, and I stand by those.

That said, I think the beginning of my issues with Europeia was after I made a decision years ago to become a defender. Despite the region billing itself as an independent region, my experience of that was Europeia was incredibly hostile to defenders even if defenders weren't particularly hostile to Europeia. I think over time that just spiraled into noticing more inconsistencies about Europeia's approach, particularly in foreign affairs but internally as well. It bothers me when people say they're about one thing but turn out to be about something else entirely, and I feel like there are elements of that in Europeia.

HEM:

Well, I'm not sure there is any person or ideology in Nationstates that has ever been perfectly consistent. I remember not so long ago writing a series of articles that laid out occasions in which the Founderless Region Alliance (FRA) invaded regions. I'm wondering if you'd be willing to be a little more specific on the inconsistencies so we might be able to talk through some of them?

Cormac:

Well, I should note when I talk about inconsistency I don't just mean changing one's mind about something. I would be the last one to be critical of that. [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img] I just mean inconsistency in the sense of there being a divide between the message and the action, if that makes sense.

Some other examples of inconsistency include Europeia's opposition to interregional organizations in its treaties, which at one point nearly became an issue for regions that joined Sovereign Confederation, but not having any issue with the UIAF, the ISRA, or more recently, the IJCC which Europeia itself joined. There were also the times that Europeia first supported a coup of Osiris in 2013, then opposed one in 2016 despite the reasoning behind them being broadly similar. It has always seemed to me that Europeia's standards shift and are very situational. But that is somewhat to be expected in a democracy where leadership changes and maybe perspectives change over time. The issue in Europeia is it seems like no one wants to acknowledge there has been any change and wants to pretend everything is still consistent with past actions and philosophies.

Another recent example is of course the issue with Osiris, where we saw inconsistencies in Europeia's stance on maintaining sovereignty over its military, and its moderate raiding principles and when those principles apply and don't apply.

HEM:

In regards to the Osiris situation, having a sheer three years between two events can make it pretty difficult to be fully consistent haha. I mean our leadership turned over, there are different actors involved, and things might've changed. EDIT: I wasn't fully active in 2013, so I don't know the full particulars of that situation, but I think it's a bit unfair comparing events that far apart

With the IJCC I think the fact that we specifically revised past agreements to emphasize ultimate sovereignty with the respective regions would show folks our commitment to regional sovereignty. We ensured that it was possible for friends to deal with Europeia and not with the IJCC if they chose, and ensured that we had the ultimate say in whatever our troops did or did not do. Maybe that could've been communicated more proactively? I definitely agree that there's been some communication problem in that regards.

Cormac:

It's true that the passage of time definitely makes a comparison of Europeia's differing responses to the two coups in Osiris complicated. To be fair, there were also key differences that likely contributed to a differing response, but the difference in approach was so night and day that it was jarring. Is it really relevant now? Not particularly, except in response to how my own history of an adversarial relationship with Europeia came about.

I do think sometimes the biggest problem for Europeia is a lack of communication, which again, I do think is somewhat owed to the frequent changes in leadership resulting from your democratic system. It can be hard to always keep straight who has communicated what and with whom. Communication definitely seemed to play a role in the IJCC problem with Osiris, and I think it has at other times as well. Communication is obviously a two-way street, but sometimes other regions don't know what they should be communicating with Europeia about until a contentious issue has already developed. I think particularly at a time Europeia is considering reforms, it may want to look at making sure there is more institutional continuity in terms of foreign affairs, so communication can be improved.

HEM:

I don't disagree there. Pivoting to a new topic, how do you see a region like Europeia which has been predominately political fitting into a Nationstates that seems to be tilting a bit more toward casual, social activities rather than hardcore political ones. Even more broadly speaking, what do you see the game as a whole looking like?

Cormac:

That tilt has been bad for gameplay, in my view. It has made everything more personal, far too often these days even on an OOC level, and it has really dragged down the game. I would ideally like to see Europeia resisting that trend, as Europeia has always been one of the more politically oriented regions. That said, I'm not sure anyone can really resist it. Sometimes cultural change is so strong that you just have to adapt to it, and I interpret your question as being more how can we adapt to this change than stop it.

I don't really know the answer to that. I think it has to involve finding some aspect of the game that can interest people politically, but without personal toxicity entering into it. The old gameplay interests aren't doing that anymore. I think the key might be in focusing more on the World Assembly, because I think there is still enough distance between what the WA does and the social aspects of gameplay that there is room for political intrigue there without a lot of hurt feelings and OOC toxicity. I definitely think regions are going to have to find a way to move past old ways of doing things though, because those just aren't working with the new social media-like environment.

HEM:

I definitely agree that the increased OOC-ness of the game has led to more nastiness, and quite frankly a game that resembles more of a high school cafeteria that a political simulation game. What do you think has led to some of these changes? I know someone people (me) have placed some blame on the proliferation of Discord, but I'm also sure it's more complicated than just that.

Cormac:

I think it's a broader trend on the internet. Everything has become so much more personal now compared to several years ago. You often can't get in a RL political debate with people without them getting personally offended and thinking you're a terrible person either. I do think Discord has contributed to the problem, in that it has become a medium for NS that is similar to the role played by Facebook and Twitter in RL. It has brought everyone together more, which is good, but it has also contributed to everyone being everyone's friend and feeling close with them, which can make politics quite difficult. It's much easier to separate being political rivals with someone from any personal feelings when they're not telling you their life story like a friend would in RL.

We've always had communication mediums, like IRC and Skype, but they weren't as accessible and user-friendly as Discord. So everyone wasn't using them constantly, and more time was spent on the actual game. That has changed thanks to Discord, in my view.

HEM:

Pivoting back to gameplay, how would you go about describing the current geopolitical situation of NS? There has clearly been a bit of a shift over the past few years, and I'm interested to know who you see as key players and key regions.

Cormac:

The GCRs are really dominating the geopolitical scene. I think you still have spheres of influence that go back quite a long time, even though the more traditional R/D dichotomy has mostly broken down by now. For example, in TSP and TRR, which I would identify as key players for their sphere, you have many of the same people you had in the FRA and UDL or people who think broadly like them. And then on the other side of the coin you have Balder, Europeia, and The LKE. So there are a bit of the old rivalries, transferred to new regions. But a lot has changed too. I think you see regions like TEP, TWP, and Osiris occupying a middle ground that makes them more interesting than they have been in a while, because they could determine who ends up being able to wield geopolitical power to their benefit.

HEM:

Yeah, I broadly agree with that assessment. Speaking of some of those regions, you and others have launched a lot of accusations about the Europeia-Balder-LKE sphere, often claiming that certain regions control the others. Would you still say that's true today, and if so, would you elaborate?

Cormac:

That's a tough answer to pin down, honestly, because I think it's a fluid situation. There's a lot of overlap between those three regions, and I think you end up with different players having more influence at different times. Right now, it seems like The LKE's interests are moving more to the forefront, because the emphasis on power projection through the IJCC and exclusionary policies like the many PNGs in Balder are much more The LKE's M.O. It's unusual to see Europeia participating in an interregional organization at all, as it was skeptical of them for years. And Balder used to be a much more open region, and I'm not even talking about the distant past -- this has been a change that's happened just over the past year or two. So I think The LKE is definitely in the driver's seat, to a degree.

That said, I don't think it's totally accurate to ever say one region controls the others. It's more that there's so much overlap that a particular culture and way of thinking becomes dominant in all three regions. Right now, it seems like that's The LKE's culture and way of thinking, but in the past I've seen Europeia play a bigger role. Oddly, I've never really observed Balder having much of that influence over the other two regions.

HEM:

Your analysis above seems like an even-keeled and thoughtful response regardless of if I totally agree or not. But it seems like some of the public rhetoric is much more explosive, openly calling for couping Balder and overthrowing it's userrite captors. Do you think people are just being dramatic, or do folks believe that?

Cormac:

Public rhetoric often tends to happen in the heat of the moment these days. I do think a lot of people do see UCRs exerting a lot of influence over a Sinker, and that bothers them, primarily because they've never seen it reciprocated. As I mentioned, I can't think of a time I've seen Balder influencing the other two regions the same way they sometimes influence Balder and each other. I think there's a general feeling that Balder should be more than it is, and that it's being held back from its full potential. So I think that part is real. Some of the rhetoric I think is hyperbole. I think many people wish Balderans themselves, including the Queen, would do more to shake things up in Balder and wield more influence. We want to see Balder reach its real potential.

I also think there are many people who believe Solorni simply isn't going to do that, and that others are either incapable of doing it because Onder and NES exercise so much political power there, or are in league with them and don't want to try to make changes. So I think that's why you see people wanting Balder to be "couped," or "liberated" as some have put it. Because they think there is no hope for meaningful change through any peaceful means.

HEM:

Yeah, I just think it's very difficult to have reasonable discourse about Balder. I know I made a few posts during one of the more explosive arguments and I basically got ignored. Specifically, I responded to Altino's assertions that multiple natives have gone to her saying that their region is under siege from the LKE — which I found pretty implausible.

I guess I'm skeptical of Balder being worse off than most generic feeders/sinkers and see this more as pointed criticism toward players who just aren't "popular" in the public sphere. Honestly speaking, in the long arc of history, most feeders/sinkers have been inactive most of the time.

Cormac:

That's true. The natural state of Sinkers, in particular, is to be inactive -- I'm convinced of that. Sinker communities are always struggling against that natural tendency toward inactivity. That isn't just true of Balder, by any means.

I think a lot of the issue with Balder is seeing people at the top who are so strongly connected to The LKE and Europeia. Although we've seen that in other Feeders and Sinkers in the past, we don't see it much anymore. We don't see people who are prominent and very involved in UCRs at the top of Feeders and Sinkers much these days. So I think when people see that, and maybe see them doing more in those UCRs than they're doing in Balder, it leads to frustration that they should get out of the way and let people who are exclusively - or at least primarily - involved in Balder take the reins. And people can start to feel like it's a bit malicious when some of the same people are in the legislature over and over again, rotating the office of Statsminister between them. So there is a lot of frustration about Balder, and when frustration grows it can be hard for reasonable conversations to happen.
For what it's worth, there are natives of Balder who complain about it, and especially people who were once in Balder and have since moved on to other regions. There is a feeling among some that if they speak out about their dissatisfaction with Balder they will be pushed out. That has happened before, with Ikania and others.

HEM:

I mean, I think it's a fine line? Because people can have dual citizenship, and the natural state of gameplay is for people to join multiple regions and get involved. Indeed, it seems to me that that's true in this age of Discord more than ever. From my perspective, it seems like some are being selectively outraged about this in regards to Balder in part because of personal unpopularity of the players involved.

Cormac:

There could be a bit of that going on. There is also some resentment on the part of longtime players who were once targeted by people like Onder and NES for being involved elsewhere and being "insufficiently loyal." For example, NES was one of the people who helped drive that narrative about the UDL in TNP back in 2013. So there has always been this pushback against cosmopolitanism in the GCRs, and sometimes that has been driven by people in the independent and imperialist sphere. So I think now there's a bit of payback going on. People who have been targeted with questions and insinuations about their loyalties are returning that in kind now that Balder's leadership is comprised of so many people prominent in UCRs.

HEM:

Yeah, that's why I find the whole situation really difficult to resolve, but ultimately so long as Balder is a democracy it's really tough to argue that the region isn't pursuing the destiny it wants. That's where I usually settle it in my mind, at least.

Cormac:

I think it would be very helpful if their democracy was more open. Not to the outside world, to the people in Balder. It would improve perceptions a lot, I think. But that is ultimately something they'll have to decide for themselves, at least until some external force causes change, if that ever happens.

HEM:

Yeah, I mean I'm not an expert on Balder's government but I know there are elections and the people keep returning the same folks to government. Unless there's like a wide range of people disenfranchised from citizenship or voting, I'm not sure how an unpopular cabal is staying in power [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img]

Cormac:

Well, I think certain things can discourage participation. The Statsminister being elected only by the very small legislature, the same people running for and being elected to the legislature, etc. It's true voters are choosing them, but one wonders how many more voters there might be, and how much more participation there might be, with a system more open to participation. Even Europeia's system is more open, despite having an elected legislature as well. So it need not mean getting rid of the elected legislature, but more could be done to encourage participation, in my view.

HEM:

Fair enough, fair enough.

Cormac:

But, as I said, I think ultimately that's going to be up to Balder. As much as some may wish to see change through other means, it's probably not going to happen any way but internally through their own processes.

HEM:

I know I've brought up my feeling that "personal unpopularity" rather than strategic decisions or ideology is driving a lot of gameplay today. Would you agree with that, or push back?

Cormac:

I agree that has a lot to do with it. I think the new emphasis on socializing that we talked about earlier has a lot to do with it. I also think it has a lot to do with the staleness of gameplay. In many cases the ideologies are the same, the decisions made are unsurprising, the blocs that form are exactly what one would predict. That leads to boredom, and boredom leads to more interpersonal conflict, and more of gameplay being based on popularity and unpopularity. We need something to breathe new life into gameplay. I really feel that needs to be top-down technical change, but that's unlikely, so another idea I've had is to focus more on the World Assembly, including the General Assembly, as I briefly touched on earlier. I think that could lead to more interest in real gameplay again, and start moving us away from popularity and interpersonal conflict.

HEM:

Phew, okay well this has been really interesting. I'm going to end with a softball (for me!!) that I'm going to ask all participants of this interview series.

What is one piece of advice you would give us Europeians on improving our region?

AND

What is one piece of advice you'd give a new player in general who just joined the game and is looking at getting involved in gameplay?

Cormac:

My advice is to really shake things up! I know you've been having a debate lately about reform, and while I don't know all the details of what you're considering, I think drastic reform is exactly what Europeia needs - and what most regions need. Things have become too stale and predictable. We need to liven things up with changes that will bring people's interest back to gameplay, and make people who are bored with the game think maybe there's something new here instead of just the same old, same old. I think major reforms will not only help Europeia, but by helping Europeia and getting it focused more on gameplay again, help gameplay overall.

My advice for a new player is not to be timid. This is supposed to be a game, and people should play it like a game. Don't be afraid to have fun with it because that's what we're supposed to be doing here. And if you're not having fun doing what you're doing, do something else! Don't be discouraged by people telling you that you can't or shouldn't. As long as it's within the bounds of OOC rules and whatnot, go for it. You decide how you play the game.

HEM:

Love it! Thanks for your time Cormac, and I'm sure we'll be sniping at each other in the NSGP forum v soon

Cormac:
Probably! Thanks for interviewing me, it's been fun.

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Produced By: JayDee​

With the approval of the Senate, Europeia officially declared war against the New Pacific Order (NPO) on November 26, 2018. A war in NS is very different in comparison to their RL counterparts. There’s a lot less bloodshed and a lot more words flung around at the opposition. To get a better idea of the future of this war, Rachael sat down with Altino and Sopo, Pharaoh of Osiris and President of Europeia respectively, and two major leaders of the war against NPO.

More than anything, this is a war of ideologies. The ideology of Francoism, which labels UCRs as inferior to GCRs and a stain on the NS world. Francoism is the governing ideology of NPO and they have used this ideology to justify their sabotage of regional stability in UCRs and GCRs alike. To give a better insight on Francoism and it’s dangers to NS is Johnny Costello.

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What the Hell is a War?​

Interview By: Rachael​

Rachael: For newer players to the game, what are NS Wars like?

Altino: Well, this is my first NS War! I've only been playing NS for a couple of years, I think your guess is as good as mine. Osiris and Antipac are handling this war in particular on a few levels, but the most important one has been the PR stage, which on a forum based game is I think the loudest stage we have to offer. Are there WA shenanigans and military plans going on? Yes, of course. But the part of this war that's been the most consuming is in informational integrity while fighting an enemy that is not concerned about what is true. Antipac is spending time trying to get the truest version of this story out to Pacific natives so that they can decide their own loyalties and respond to their governments' actions in the way that they deem most appropriate. That's a bit of a grind, but we're doing it. [img]data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7[/img] It's sad to see natives being banned from their own region for asking the wrong questions, but they were only going to be NPO indoctrinated anyway. Better to go ahead and ask their questions now, then move on to regions that handle their business with a bit more integrity.

Rachael: What's more important in an NS war? Pen or sword?

Altino: That depends on the War. Take TBH's attempt to return Topid to St Abbaddon, for example. The Pen was certainly important, and TGs sent out by both NPO and Topid brought in a few extra pilers for both sides to subsidize their holds - and had TBH taken St Abbaddon, the Pen would have been their weapon of choice when the battle was inevitably brought to the World Assembly. At the end of the day, though, that was a pile-off. No amount of screaming on either side would amount to anything if they didn't have the numbers. Our current situation, however, began with information, and information is our greatest weapon in it.

Rachael: What do you expect from this war?

Altino: I expect NPO to either realize that it cannot exist as a deceitful, subversive state with its hands in everyone's cookie jars anymore or die trying. NPO has thought itself invincible for over a decade and spent years infiltrating our regions, getting caught, saying sorry, and hitting the refresh button on their whole routine. No one in their government should be trusted. They treat their citizens as expendable, while at the same time pressing NPO loyalty into all of their minds. They preach about the superiority of GCRs and danger that Userites pose to us, while infiltrating and attempting to control the GCRs themselves. If we gain nothing else from this war, I hope to create a NS where this kind of destructive duality can no longer exist and that all GCRs will unite together against it.

Rachael: Why did you feel it was important to bring Osiris into this war?

Altino: Osiris had to be brought into the war to protect itself. As long as NPO is allowed to go on believing that it's entitled to the Sinkers - that we are property of the Feeders - we will never be safe. NPO has abused every GCR in the game, and for our own independence and in support of the sovereignty of our fellow GCRs, neutrality wasn't an option. Sitting idly by will only allow NPO's cycle to continue. We cannot let that happen.

Rachael: What was the biggest event that led you to believe going to war was best?

Altino: If NPO had been more inclined to honesty, I would not have bothered them. Frankly I'm an easygoing person, I prefer to work within my own borders, and with so many friends in NPO, I would like to be able to take the path to forgiveness. When pressed, though, NPO has spouted a constant stream of lies and misdirections. You can't convince me that you won't be dangerous to my region in the future if you won't admit that you were dangerous in the first place. They just kept telling lies, and then more evidence would come out to refute what they were saying, and at a certain point the lies themselves became aggressions that had to be reacted to.

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Rachael: For newer players to the game, what are NS Wars like?

Sopo: Honestly? This is the first one I've really been involved with. The last war that I really recall even thinking about was between The New Inquisition and The Founderless Regions Alliance, where TNI essentially just raided FRA-associated regions. I've never seen anything like this particular conflict, and the various avenues in which it has been fought this far have already surprised me. We've seen a lot of commitment from multiple regions now against the NPO and because of the passion behind it, I don't expect this war to be like any of its predecessors.

Rachael: What's more important in an NS war? Pen or sword?

Sopo: In this case especially, I would say the pen. We can't reasonably raid the NPO. A lot of this war will be fought by informing NPO citizens of what their government has done and convincing them to leave. The propaganda coming out of the NPO thus far has been strong, and they've avoided putting it in places easily accessible to the NS community at-large, making it harder to counter. We have to convince everyone, whether it be NPO citizens or people who doubt the justness of this war, that we are in the right and that the NPO can't be allowed to move past this without serious concessions.

Rachael: What do you expect from this war?

Sopo: I expect a lot of proxy battles over regions such as St. Abbaddon and other regions that might be important to the NPO. I expect a condemnation of The Pacific and other WA/SC moves to name and shame the NPO. I expect continued diplomatic pressure on the NPO, not only from regions at war, but also from regions who have made demands that have not yet been met, such as Lazarus and The North Pacific. Many regions not actively engaged in war have nonetheless decried the actions of the NPO and canceled treaties or closed embassies. We need to continue to build the pressure. I expect a lot of scapegoating and insincere apologies from the new NPO emperor and his government as the citizens of NPO and high ranking officials continue to shirk any responsibility and blame us for finally calling out their insidious behavior.

Rachael: Why did you feel it was important to bring Europeia into this war?

Europeia is a strong, democratic UCR at the forefront of Independence. We are exactly the kind of region that the NPO wants to bring down and subjugate. We've seen how they've treated our friends and allies, such as The North Pacific and The Black Hawks. While empowering Francoist rhetoric and labeling us as "userite subversives," they have been the true subversives all along. They have weaponized their Francoist ideology against UCRs and GCRs alike. I couldn't sit idly by and allow their behavior to go unpunished when it is clear threat to our region and all we hold dear.

Rachael: What was the biggest event that led you to believe going to war was best?

The discussion of war began with the NPO's declaration of war against The Black Hawks, as it put us directly into their line of fire. While that along with their past behavior and continued anti-UCR rhetoric and actions was enough on its own, we had no choice when the subversives in Osiris were revealed. That was the real nail in the coffin, and, as it turns out, was only the first in a deluge of revealed misdeeds. Though our treaty with Osiris ended earlier this year, the NPO's actions there proved what a real and present danger they are to NationStates.

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Why the Hell is a War?​

Written By: Johnny Costello​

The Political ideology we all love to hate, hate to love and my word is it mind control if I ever saw it. Corrupt classlessness and this idea of revolution can all spark this notion in most minds that dunk their toes into political debacles.This ideology is known as Francoism, the founding political belief that now runs the New Pacific Order. Francoism is the belief that User created regions exist solely to exploit the Game created regions of natural resources, better known as nations, or actual people who play Nationstates with all of you. The August Revolution, the pivotal turning point in the NPO founding of the political belief system know exclusively as Francoism. While we now know Francoism by the terms; feederites, userites and…. circle jerk?

While circle jerk may be a laughable term now used by former Consul Pergamon, a leader in The Pacific; it may not be the term intended to describe Francoism. Francoism is, contrary to the idea of saving the feeder regions, a toxic and spiraling ideal that could change the fate of gameplay as we know it. The Pacific says that we as opposers to their beliefs are a danger to their survival, and consequently we are; but no doubt is Francoism a danger to our survival as well. If The Pacific has their way we'll have no userites left to explore interregional political simulation and will consequently hold any upward movement in creating your own dream here in Nationstates to a solid halt before even reaching the planning stages.

The Pacific further has held no dignity in supporting their ideals on the world stage. This is proven by the Pathos flooded statement given by Pergamon who said, “I do not want to save any PR, I do not want to save any face. Go dancing in circles and continue to masturbate like you would do anyways.” Not many logical arguments have this emotional driven explosion from a regional leader which only suggests the fundamentals of this ideology is a hindrance to the growth of the Nationstates community and a net loss to the community this game intends to create.

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This is a good read

Thanks for the update.

Ps. Your image code is broken (in Altino's first response)

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​
The last term in Europeia has been dominated by political excitement and intrigue as our region has grand debates over reform and our future. Change is in the air as President Sopo has committed to not serving a third term, and the Senate seems on the precipice of passing comprehensive legislation that will reshape the executive branch structure that has stood largely unchanged for over eleven years.

Much of that is in the future, however, and we have just as much going on in the present (or very recent past). Here's some updates, hope you enjoy! 

Thrilling Senate By-Election Delivers Decisive Results​
Written by HEM​
Europeia recently held a by-election for a vacant Senate seat which attracted significant competition and attention.

The three candidates were former Senate Speaker Aexnidaral Seymour, recently returned veteran (redacted PII), and rising star newcomer Lloenflys. The by-election was dominated by the topic of reform, and what positions each of the candidates held on the long-running effort to shake up the Europeian political system.

(redacted PII) campaigned largely on his past experience as a former President and as a Senator during the most recent overall of Europeia's legal system.

"In backing me for this vacant seat, you are getting someone who was involved in the last major update of our entire legislation. That experience, is something that will be invaluable in trying to get the job done - getting at least the Executive Split achieved, or significantly worked on, in what remains of this term."

Lloenflys joined the race late, saying that he ordinarily wouldn't run with so little experience, but believed his voice could be important during the reform process. He also said that while he didn't have much in-game experience, he loved reading court cases and legislative law, and is "a hard worker who generally has time on my hands to do work in the region and who sticks with tasks once I'm assigned them. Accomplishing tasks is something I enjoy, and the bigger and thornier the problems associated with those tasks, the more I enjoy solving them."

The ultimate victor of the election, however, was Aexnidaral Seymour, who ran as an unapologetic advocate for reform—specifically, the executive split proposal that would have the duties of the Presidency split between two offices:

"I want to be a straight shooter here: my #1 focus is on the Executive Split and trying to facilitate it's passing. I'm not really sure how to expand on that beyond saying that, because outside of putting in the work that's been described (esp. re: President/PM rewritings), it's pretty straightforward. I'm willing to hunker down. I've done it before."

Aexnidaral won the election with nearly 70% of the vote, though citizens alike congratulated the other candidates on strong campaigns. Aexnidaral's success may have come down to his popular term as Senate Speaker last term, and his general reputation as a hard worker.

This competitive by-election is a strong sign for politics in Europeia, which many people have considered less dynamic over the past year. With the reform movement starting to wrap up into a conclusion it will be interested to see how new changes could add even more spice to the Europeian political process.

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War with New Pacific Order Driving Increase in Force Strength​
Written by Pichtonia & Deepest House​
On November 23, 2018, President Sopo asked the Senate for a declaration of war against the New Pacific Order due to threats arising from its Francoist ideology. Three days later, the Senate unanimously approved President Sopo’s request. Immediately, Europeian citizens heeded the call of duty to join the Europeian Republican Navy (ERN) in numbers not seen in months.

“President Sopo’s request served as a call to arms for the region,” said Europeian Grand Admiral Writinglegend. “Since his request and the declaration of war, the Europeian Republican Navy’s strength and power have increased substantially.”

Since the declaration of war on November 22, the ERN has added 22 sailors to its ranks. The Navy has also significantly increased force projection, nearly quadrupling the number of pilers to almost 20. The ERN also continues to increase capabilities of its sailors while developing leaders, with the completion of triggering seminar increasing force readiness. Reserve pilers have also seen a substantial increase.

Several citizens have expressed their desire to serve Europeia during a time of war. “"I see the NPO as a threat to all regions wishing to self-govern themselves, and believe that I should do what I can to stop that threat becoming realized,” said GVH about his enlistment in the ERN.

JayDee also expressed the reasoning for his service. “Personally, I've always felt that you should only support a war if you're willing to fight in it yourself, so I simply consider this my way of contributing to the cause. Even if it's something as simple and small as being a sailor in the ERN."

The increased size and strength of the ERN has led to its resurgence as a powerful military force in NationStates. Most recently, the ERN joined an operation against Azhukali, an NPO-linked region. “We are proud to stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in arms in continuing to bring the fight to the NPO and Francoism,” Grand Admiral Writinglegend said after completing the operation. During the operation, the ERN flexed its strength, sending a total of 18 officers and sailors to support the mission.

“This operation demonstrates the strength of the ERN,” Writinglegend continued. “Europeia and her allies remain steadfast in the fight against the thrice-cursed Francoist ideology and will continue to defeat NPO forces across the globe.”

(This post was last modified: 01-20-2022, 04:53 PM by Roavin. Edit Reason: (redacted PII) )

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Thanks!

~ Aumeltopia ~

Raccoons are bandits! First they steal your food . . . and then your heart/identity!

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Former President Writinglegend Retires from Public Service

Former Europeian President Writinglegend retired from public service on Sunday, March 17, in an announcement made in Europeia’s Grand Hall. Writinglegend served Europeia as president more than any citizen in history, as a wartime grand admiral, and he held a slew of minister positions throughout the government over the nearly five years of active government service.

“I am content with the mark I have left on this community,” Writinglegend said as made the announcement to a stunned crowd gathered in the Grand Hall. “I have enjoyed it all – from my nearly 500 days in the presidency, to running our Navy, to growing our regional culture. For now, however, it is time to wave goodbye and set things on auto-pilot.”

Writinglegend likened his retirement to that of a professional athlete who hangs up the cleats when performance begins to dip.

“Much like when veterans in professional sports see a noticeable decrease in their productivity, I too am slipping and notice this change.”

Immediately citizens offered an outpouring of support and thanks to Writinglegend for his years of service.

“There have been few public servants as impactful and passionate as you, Writinglegend,” said Europeia founder HEM. “I hate this, but you have earned this right. I can only hope this marks your transition into an elder statesman role, and not the start of a long (or not so long) goodbye.”

Former president Sopo also offered high praise of Writinglegend’s record of public service in the region. “You are likely the most influential public servant in Europeian history, having served in nearly every position with consistently solid performance,” he said. “You’ve given so much time and energy to this region—if the time has come to step away, you’ve more than earned it.”

Internationally, Writinglegend is well-known as a multiple term president, minister of foreign affairs, and grand admiral. His accomplishments in both the foreign and domestic spheres, where he has served as minister of culture, minister of communications, and minister of interior, have permanently influenced Europeia and the larger NationStates community.

First Minister Rand Settles Into Office

Several weeks after taking office as Europeia’s inaugural first minister, Rand continues to become more comfortable in office. With GraVandius as deputy first minister, Rand is ready to set the path forward for the region.

“With a strong background in our domestic government, I feel well prepared to lead,” Rand said. “I'm familiar with what all the various Ministries are working on, and I feel well-prepared to direct the implementation of our intrepid "Progress People" vision.”

Progress People was the pair’s campaign slogan, and promised to bring the region through the era of reform successfully. Rand’s also feels strongly that his partnership with GranVandius is the right fit for the region.

“GraV and I have worked together in the past, and recently he's proven himself as one of our Republic's respected, younger leaders,” he said. “I'm really glad to have GraV on my team this term, and I think everyone will agree he's the right guy for the job.

As Rand has settled into office as first minister, he has had to work alongside Europeia’s first modern chief of state, Kuramia. As first minister, Rand is the chief of the domestic-focused half of the executive branch. Kuramia serves as the region’s first chief of state, and her portfolio includes the external-facing governmental departments, such as foreign affairs and the Europeian Republican Navy.

Rand already knows how he wants to evaluate his time in office.

“For me, a successful term is just what I outlined in my platform. I want to continue our region's brilliant growth and progress, and set up our future leaders for success.”

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In this issue of the Letter, we announce Deepest House's appointment as Councillor of Foreign Affairs, and discuss a very controversial topic of debate in Europeia and abroad

Deepest House Confirmed as Europeian Councillor of Foreign Affairs

​The Europeian Senate confirmed Deepest House to serve as Councillor of Foreign Affairs in a vote that concluded Sunday, April 7. Prior to ascending to the senior foreign affairs posting in Europeia, Deepest House served as senior deputy councillor for foreign affairs for two terms. The seat became vacant when Sopo, the previous councillor, resigned his position.

“I am extremely proud to serve as Europeia’s councillor of foreign affairs,” Deepest House said in an exclusive statement to the EBC. “There is a lot of work to be done, and I look forward to reaching out to my peers across NationStates and working together on issues where we have shared interests.”

Upon his confirmation, Deepest House appointed Common-Sense Politics to serve as deputy councillor of foreign affairs for outreach. That position had remained vacant since its previous incumbent, Old Delaware, resigned due to real life circumstances. In addition to serving as deputy councillor for outreach, Common-Sense Politics also serves as the Speaker of the Senate and grand admiral of the Europeian Republican Navy.
 

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Controversial Debate Rages Over Whether Pineapple Belongs on Pizza - Europeian Civil War Imminent​

On April 5 Recombis shocked the region when he opened a poll on whether pineapple belonged on pizza. It was clear that the author was in favour of such a culinary combination, but things quickly got heated. As opposing factions banded together, one Europeian stated "Pineapple belongs on pizza like anthrax in envelopes." Long time member, and President of the HEM fan club, Lethen, came out adamantly in favour of pineapple on pizza. At one point it was suggested that admins should like BAN-ana peppers, which just makes sense when you really think about it.

Discussions about pizza on pineapple (yes, you read that correctly) were met with Filthy Frank memes (rip Papa Franku) and finally Swedish Banana Curry pizza was proposed as a solution to end all fighting. While the thread has gone quiet, it is expected that Grand Admiral Common-Sense Politics will use the situation to stage a coup and form a military junta. While the coup forces will likely round up all of the pineapple in the region for mass burning, it is anticipated that allied regions will air-drop pineapple rations into Europeia to aid resistance groups.

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Pretty

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