Interview with The Honorable Onderkelkia

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Olde Delaware

Honos Habet Onus
Deputy Minister
Citizen
Pronouns
He/Him

The Nationstates Series
Part I: An interview with The Honorable Onderkelkia
By Olde Delaware



Onderkelkia.

A name that inspires many thoughts depending on how the name is spoken.

If you speak to those who support him, often the raiding sphere, Onder is the pinnacle of success. Nearly 15 years of service across many of Nationstates's premier regions such as the Lands of Kings and Emperors, The New Inquisition, Great Britain and Ireland, Balder and here in Europeia has left him with an endless supply of contacts and no shortage of allies. Onder possesses an encyclopedic knowledge of his past successes and even the very few failures he has had to endure has left him stronger and even more dominate with no end in sight. One of the game's last few statesmen who can remember the way we were and where we may be heading.

To those who oppose him, he is all that is wrong with the game. His tactics, while always legal and within the rules of the game itself causing them headaches at nearly every turn. His cold attitude while describing all of the reasons your argument is wrong, the way he seems to act without a hint of arrogance unlike his contemporaries who have long since left the game. You couldn't win this man over with kindness and you couldn't browbeat him down. He wouldn't back down and more often than not he was right. Some offered him respect, others offered nothing but he treated each person the same, even when they were screaming, he would not lower himself to their level.

I've had the pleasure of serving with Onder, in both camps.

We've definitely had our share of arguments and disagreements over the last decade but when I decided to take on this project of interviewing those who have helped shape the military aspect of the game, I could think of no one else more qualified than him. Onder has graciously accepted my invitation to interview him on a subject that he could realistically be called the definitive expert on and I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did.

Military Times: You've been a Nationstates Player for over a decade, what first attracted you to the raiding/military aspect of it?

OnderKelkia: From a practical perspective, I initially became involved in military gameplay as an extension of membership in the Red Liberty Alliance, a socialist defender organisation in 2004-2006. I and my original region did not join the RLA due to any interest in military gameplay politics or even NationStates politics more widely. I was instead invited by EuroSoviets to join what was presented as a forum for the politics of the left on United Nations resolutions (even though I was never remotely as left-wing as nearly all its other members). The United Nations was the predecessor body to the World Assembly. Ultimately, the role of the RLA in representing a power bloc within the defender sphere was more important than its real-life ideology.

Particularly for a User-Created Region, maintaining substantial military power is a pre-requisite to holding and exercising geopolitical power in a broader sense. This meant that even after I left the defender world, I recognised the importance of military operations and conflict as a source of inter-regional strength. It also meant that the political and military power of the defender world represented a serious threat to the sovereignty of regions who did not wish to use their military in service of an abstract ideological agenda. The dividing lines of military conflict, and the related question of which regions possess sovereign military autonomy, has generally been integral to NationStates politics. In 2006, when I first became active in Gameplay, the Alliance Defence Network and the Red Liberty Alliances were defender organisations, but they were also centres of world politics. At its height, the ADN in particular was the most powerful inter-regional alliance ever to have existed in NationStates. The defender political establishment today retains the same mindset and domineering ambitions as their more illustrious predecessors. Raiding is a necessary tool for combating the malign influence of defender politicians in this game.

MT: Do you remember the first mission you participated in and were you successful?

Onder: Yes, the invasion and occupation of Knittyland by Lone Wolves United in April 2006. I was LWU's delegate/point nation for the mission, though I was in fact spying on LWU for the RLA at the time (as indeed I was spying for the RLA when I first joined the LKE).

MT: Did you have anyone who mentored you or helped you to rise through the ranks either in the LKE or in any of the other regions you have served in?

Onder: I was originally selected as Heir Apparent to the LKE throne by its founder Lucius Magnus Rex and that was essential to my rise. I would not say that he mentored me, as my background in the RLA gave me greater experience of world politics and military matters than he did. However, it could be said that Lucius, and the other players who formed the initial leading group within the LKE, introduced me to a new way of thinking about NationStates politics. It was the imperialist invasion and occupation of Munster in March 2006 which brought the RLA (and me) into contact with the leadership of the LKE initially. I was inspired by its ambition, determination and independence of mind in defiance of the commands of the decaying defender alliances.

Beyond the core membership of the early LKE, I have benefited from the advice of North East Somerset throughout most of my NationStates career (though prior to the end of the early LKE period in January 2008, we were more often rivals than allies within the internal politics of the LKE and the imperialist sphere). It could also be said that he helped my rise in TNI by recommending my appointment as its head of intelligence in May 2008. Prior to that point, following the early LKE's fall, it was equally possible that I could have dedicated greater time to serving as a politician in GB&I or indeed Europeia, but the offer of a permanent senior role with operational autonomy entrenched me in TNI as well as its inherent ideological compatibility. While I was very familiar with leading figures in TNI before May 2008, from their involvement in LKE and TNI's interactions with the LKE, it was by virtue of becoming TNI head of intelligence that TNI became my second region after the LKE and I ultimately rose to become Crown Prince of TNI after committing to the region.

MT: You've spent a good chunk of your career as titular head of the Lands of Kings and Emperors Military while serving as its Emperor and now Emperor Emeritus. The LKE is arguably one of the finest fighting forces in the game's history. A leader is only as good as the men that serves under him, in that spirit do you have any soldiers that stick out to you in your memory even today for their duties to the LKE?

Onder: The main name I would highlight for individual commendation is SenatorTC in respect of his contribution to the invasion of Marxist Leninist Party on 20th June 2007. Marxist Leninist Party was a member-region of the RLA, though by that point the RLA itself was completely inactive. When the LKE attempted to invade it, a siege battle commenced between ourselves and the forces of the Defender Security Alliance (the successor organisation to the ADN). The LKE prevailed by 89 endorsements to 82. The LKE's victory in Marxist Leninist Party remains to this day the largest-ever siege battle in a UCR where defender forces were defeated. While I commanded the operation and served as point nation, SenatorTC played a vital role in gathering the necessary endorsements for our triumph. Motivating pilers and maximising reinforcements to military operations is perhaps the most important attribute one can ask for in a NationStates military commander.

The most important attribute that a region can ask for in a NationStates soldier is that they promptly and reliably deploy their WA unit for piling purposes when they are ordered to do so. The soldiers who have made the greatest contribution to the military success of the LKE (and TNI) are those who have regularly and consistently piled when commanded to do so. These pilers make a direct contribution not just to the military resources of a region, but also to its political and diplomatic position. For the LKE, there are too many to mention all of them, but individuals such as Theoden Sebastian, Valfor LeGrand, Edward Fairmont, Kurogane Wolram Grey, Edward Epistre, Hobgoblin of Redpathia, Simeon Barret, Gavin Novawk, Nick Powell, Kaiserholt, Akillian Talleyrand and Vedant Madan consistently discharged piling orders quickly and without complaint during their service to the LKE military, which in some of their cases continues to this day. They each have my utmost gratitude for their contribution this regard.

MT: You also served as Director of Intelligence in TNI, would you say that your role in the military, both TNI and abroad led to your successes in this role?

Onder: I would say that the relationship ran the other way round. Rather than my military experience benefiting my role as Director of Intelligence, I would say that it was TNI's intelligence capability which improved the performance of TNI's military and provided greater clarity to our political objectives. Our knowledge of the FRA's own intelligence-led efforts to destroy TNI and our allies gave us every reason to wage war upon them. Without compromising operational security, I think it is reasonable to observe that intelligence operations in a military target work best when the spy learns military skills and thinking from the practices and culture of the target region itself rather than revealing prior knowledge of military tactics from their home region. It was therefore my intelligence background which supported my military role, rather than the other way round. In particular, when serving as Commander of The New Inquisition Armed Forces in 2010-12, my intelligence background gave me a critical sense of the threat posed by the Founderless Regions Alliance, its motivations and the need to counter the threat. TNI and the FRA were at war from 2006 to 2016, but it was the FRA's espionage activities (and its concomitant efforts to sabotage TNI internally) in 2008-10 which escalated tensions. This incentivised us to seek a military response, ultimately leading to the invasion of The Rejected Realms I commanded in February 2012.

MT: At the end of TNI's position as a superpower, the Intelligence Service backed by then Kaiser Harshhaven released a statement, a final play by play of an operation named 'Operation Biscuit' which was a deep cover mission by TNI's long time Chief Justice Jet Black as a mole inside of the FRA. This operation would have spanned both yours and former head of Intelligence Alarm Siren's tenure. While we know most of the story, I was wondering if there was ever a time during the operation where there were 'close calls' or other problems that arose that called for quick thinking or something along those lines that you could share with us?

Onder: No. The cautiousness with which the mission was approached in the period from throughout 2009 to 2015, especially in the earlier period from 2009 to 2013, meant that there was little risk of suspicion falling on Jet Black. As such, there were no situations which could genuinely be described as 'close calls' where the mission was at risk of being jeopardised or Jet Black/Wibblefeet was at risk of discovery. The first lesson that Blackbird, the former Director of RLA Intelligence, instilled in his agents was that the most successful missions were those which lasted a long time; not merely months but years. I ensured that this was the philosophy which TNI Intelligence and other agencies adopted. Jet Black took his time and all progression within the FRA came naturally from that.

MT: You've continued your long career by serving as Statsminister in Balder, for those who may not know you or of Balder, could you explain your role a little bit?

Onder: As the majority of your readers will be aware, Balder is one of the three Game-Created Regions in which revived nations re-enter the game. The other two such regions are Lazarus and Osiris. Balder currently has 6,120 nations. Both Balder and Osiris were added to the game in October 2011. When Balder was newly created in October 2011, the United Defenders League attempted to seize control, but were countered by the military forces of TNI and Europeia. The ensuing compromise gave rise to a mature democracy. Two days after the formation of Balder, TNI and Europeia signed the Pact of Friendship committing to uphold the security of Balder, and they were shortly after joined as signatories by the LKE and The United States of Europe. Particularly as TNI and The United States of Europe are no longer active forces in gameplay politics, there is accordingly a deep and special relationship between Balder and each of the LKE and Europeia. This is presently manifested in the Independent Joint Command Coalition, but pre-existed that treaty by many years.

Balder enjoys both the largest WA population and endorsement count of the four sinker regions. It has the highest forum post count of the four sinker regions. With the arguable exception of The Pacific, it is the Game-Created Region which has the least vulnerability to a coup. Whereas Lazarus and Osiris, the regions which share Balder's game mechanics, have experienced coups and instability throughout their history, Balder has enjoyed a continuous period of growth, prosperity and expansion since 2011. It enjoys alliances with a number of regions with whom we have a relationship of mutual trust and respect, including The North Pacific, The West Pacific, the LKE, Europeia and United Kingdom. Through the World Assembly Legislative League and the Independent Joint Command Coalition, it is a key contributor to important multilateral initiatives. It has a stable and happy community in a secure and powerful region. Much of this is owed to the long-standing dedication and personal efforts of Rach (Solorni) as Queen and North East Somerset as Crown Prince since their involvement in Balder began in 2011. 19th October 2018 will mark the seventh anniversary of Balder's creation.

The Statsminister is the head of government and can be translated into English as Prime Minister. The Statsminister is nominated once every two months by the Storting, Balder's elected legislature, immediately following the elections to the Storting itself. The Queen, who serves as World Assembly Delegate and constitutional monarch, then appoints the person nominated by the Storting as the Statsminister. The Statsminister is responsible for leading the Statsraadet (Cabinet) and appointing/dismissing the other members of the Statsraadet. The Stastraadet is charged with 'enforcing the regional laws and mandates from the Storting, representing the executive branch in court, maintaining a regional military and gathering intelligence, conducting diplomacy and handling foreign affairs, promoting culture and activity, directing non governmental regional events, granting and managing Citizenship, and welcoming new nations to Balder'. I have served as Statsminister from August 2016 to February 2017, then June 2017 to February 2018, and now August 2018 to the present. The Queen is the pivotal figure in the region as head of state and WA Delegate, while the Statsminister is responsible for the day-to-day conduct of government business.

MT: Currently, your role in Europeia is that of the Chief Justice, with all of of your experience abroad do you see yourself in the future accepting the role of Grand Admiral if it were offered to you?

Onder: I would not rule it out, but I have no desire to regularly attend update operations again. Europeia ultimately deserves a Grand Admiral who can be present to direct and oversee update operations, even if they are not personally triggering a mission. From 2006 to 2012, I was the main operational commander for the LKE and from 2009 to 2012 for TNI as well. Since then, I have largely confined my military role to providing advice at more convenient times, only providing advice The major update, during which most operations occur, is inconveniently timed for those in my timezone, starting at 5am, which inevitably requires one to be online at least half an hour or so beforehand if one is actually coordinating a large-scale operation. More generally, I have never particularly enjoyed updating. From a personal perspective, military action at update times is a necessity to be endured to advance a region's political power rather than a positive end in its own right.

If I was Grand Admiral, my main objectives would be to: (1) ensure that large-scale occupations, of the kind I commanded in TNI during 2011-12 and oversaw in the United Imperial Armed Forces during 2013-15, are regularly conducted, preferably in targets of the utmost political relevance and sensitivity; (2) establish and implement a points system to recognise updating and piling service from sailors and volunteers, linking the accumulation of service points to a series of graduated meritorious military promotions and wider regional benefits, similar to the system I employed with much success in TNI during 2011-12. Both (1) and (2) would require a huge personal time commitment from the Grand Admiral if they were to work effectively, which is why I would not feel comfortable taking the role on, particularly as (1) would mean regular attendance at updates, not only for operations but while acting as (or supervising) a delegate of an occupied region.

I would also abolish all internal ERN rules on so-called "ethical" raiding restricting native ejections and the passwording of regions. The entire idea of "ethical" raiding a ludicrous and ill-thought-out conception which is total anathema to the bias against universal moralistic rules on military tactics inherent in the doctrine of Independence. Independent militaries should be free to employ the full range of rule-compliant military tactics according to their military objectives guided by the sovereign political interests of their region. That does not mean that we should randomly eject and password regions for personal enjoyment, but we should reserve the sovereign right to take any military action wherever we see fit. To do otherwise is to make a concession to the logic of defender moralists who despise and seek to destroy us.

MT: If you had a chance to raid one region right now, regardless if it were founded or unfounded, which would you choose and why?

Onder: Neither of the regions in which I hold high executive office, the LKE and Balder, are presently in a state of war with any active gameplay entity. We do not restrict invasions to regions with which we have a declared state of war, but a declaration of war is the LKE's normal course of action if we wish to declare in advance that we are in a formal state of hostilities with a given region. Beyond that, it is not the LKE or Balder's normal practice to disclose future targets or potential targets, whether presently founded or unfounded. You will not see members of Balder copying the members of The South Pacific, led by Roavin, who openly and irresponsibly declare their intention to coup Balder at the first opportunity available to them.

MT: If you could change one thing about raiding today (Major/Minor times, etc), what would you change?

Onder: From a personal convenience point of view, I would abolish the minor update and move the major update to around 8 hours earlier than it presently is, which I would find vastly more convenient. From an objective standpoint, thinking about the interests of military gameplay, I would leave things as they are.

MT: Lastly, if you had the chance to sit down to dinner with three figures from history, living or deceased, who would you choose and why?

Onder: This is too difficult a question to answer properly as an addendum to an interview focused largely on NationStates military and political matters. While I do not subscribe to the great man theory of history, my preference would be to select three individuals with whom conversations would be most valuable for gaining insights into significant decisions and events in world history. From that perspective, one would want to systematically evaluate a wide array of candidates before making the most fitting selection. Employing a more frivolous perspective, if I was asked to choose in the instant moment with whom I would instinctively like to speak with among living and deceased figures in history, I suppose I would probably choose William Gladstone, Montagu Norman and Nigel Lawson for the opportunity to discuss (or rather criticise) their handling of British economic policy.
 
This is objectively a fascinating interview with a storied NS-er. Great work!
 
Great interview. :)



Ps.: Fwiw, Onder, as Chief Justice, is The Right Honourable.
 
This looks daunting but I'll definitely read it later!
 
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