On the Record w/ CSP

Common-Sense Politics

Audentes Fortuna Juvat
Deputy Minister
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Welcome to On the Record with...well, me. Last night I sat down with prominent administration official Sopo to discuss foreign policy related topics. Here's what he had to say.

CSP: Sopo! Welcome to the first in a series of interviews focused on foreign policy here at the Europeian Citizen.
Sopo: Thanks for having me.

CSP: Let's start with a softer topic. How do you feel about the effectiveness of our current Foreign Affairs infrastructure (i.e. Deputies, EAAC, Navy)? Should any alterations be made?
Sopo: As most people know, I brought up some concerns about the EAAC back in early December in my article, "The State of Our Foreign Policy." Now that the GH is viewable by citizens only, it's easier to discuss foreign policy a little bit more openly. Mouse also added me to the EAAC this term, and I'm hoping to compile a report before the end of the term outlining EAAC discussions and where those discussions have led to public action. The Navy has been functioning well under Kraken, and I don't see the need for any more major changes, but I appreciate his focus on training the next generation of Navy leaders. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs as a whole could use some healthy discussion. The remnants of the GAP linger, and we need to figure out what our remaining responsibilities are so we can phase it out completely. There has also been confusion over the past couple of terms as to where EON and/or an international paper stand. That needs to be clarified and sorted out as soon as possible. Finally, we've just seen our second update this term. I don't expect we'll see another one, but we certainly need to be considering how effective our current updates are and how we can improve them. We're a fluorishing region, and our updates need to convey that vibrancy, both in frequency and content.

CSP: I'm glad you brought up a number of points we'll cover in more detail. As a follow up, do you see the deputy scheme we currently have as being optimal?
Sopo: No, though I'm not sure if it's a systemic problem or one related to people in the respective roles. In Culture, I found it useful to delegate specific projects to "directors," but FA really requires someone knowledgable at the top with a clear strategy to be followed by those in the middle and at the bottom. We've seen great successes in the recent past in a number of areas, but I would like to see more emphasis on foreign policy and grand strategy, rather than individual incidences. We've sort of been riding the wave of the Independence Conference, but we need a new long-term project or vision to keep us on track. The GAP, EON, etc, it's not clear how these pieces fit into the puzzle, and without mapping it out first its hard to expect outstanding results from deputies.

CSP: What is Europeia’s role in NationStates? What do we stand for? Is that good enough?
Sopo: We're the preiminent UCR. We got here by earning the respect of raiders and defenders alike through years of shrewd diplomacy and meticulous region-building. More recently, we've become the face of Independence, an ideology that Europeia has embodied nearly since its founding. We've led the fight against Nazis, expressing a willingness to build consensus around issues that the entire gameplay community can get behind. We're uniquely positioned to take on that role, and it's one I hope to see us step into once again in the coming months. Is that good enough? Simply put, no. We can't allow ourselves to become complacent. We always need to strive for the next goal.

CSP: The EAAC has been a hot topic since its inception. As the newest member of that body, what's your opinion of its composition and function? Is the membership representative of the region? Has your opinion of it changed since being admitted?
Sopo: I've always been a supporter of the EAAC, but it's a delicate balance to strike between the President's need for candid advice and keeping the people engaged and informed. The EAAC contains some of the best and brightest foreign policy minds in Europeia, whose insights would likely go to waste if the EAAC did not exist as an institution. As for "representative," it depends what you mean. The typical EAAC member has been in Europeia since the dawn of time and has served in multiple capacities at home and abroad related to foreign affairs. So no, they are not "representative" of the average Europeian, but that's why they're there. They have the specialized experience the President wants in advisors. The last question is difficult to answer. My opnion hasn't really changed, because I do think it's important to make sure that the EAAC doesn't become more than it was set out to be: an advisory body. However, I don't think it's moved outside that role since I was included. Like I mentioned, I do hope to release a thorough report on behalf of the EAAC before the end of the term.

CSP: The EON has been a slow starter. What's your assessment of this initiative at present? Can it yield results? What should our goals be going forward with this program and how do we get there?
Sopo: I can't really answer this question, because I don't think the EON actually exists as such, or, if it does, it exists differently than originally described. It's a project in flux.

CSP: Fair enough. Has the Ambassador Academy come along the way we hoped it would? Should it have taken this long into the term to get off the ground? Has the PR effort been sufficient to this point?
Sopo: The Ambassador Academy is one of the things I'm most excited about as we approach the end of the term, and one of the things I'm most interested in working on as Vice President. It was a recent addition to the Cabinet's agenda, and I think it's shaping up well so far. We have a number of new members interested in learning about foreign policy. One key here is the structure. The Academy will not be boring lessons, but engaging games where we take realistic diplomatic incidents and let the students choose their path, then explaining what the different results would be and why. I'm currently working on a region-wide TG featuring the work of the various Ministries which will certainly include the Ambassador Academy, and I hope as it develops we continue a solid PR effort.

CSP: It will be interesting to see that kind of interactive method. We've become so very fond of subjecting pupils to massive essays. Has the Navy functioned as an effective foreign policy tool? Why or why not?
Sopo: I believe it has. One of the reasons that the Navy has appeared less active is because we've been busy with large, long-term operations. Anne Frank near the start of the term was a huge victory against Nazism and hate-based raiding in NS. We also helped our allies in TNP assist their allies in Stargate, further demonstrating our commitment to allied cooperation. The Navy has been doing exactly as it should, and I'm proud to be a part of it.

CSP: Just a few more questions. I know it's late. Who do you see as being Europeia's most vital partners at this point and in the coming months?
Sopo: All of our allies are valuable, but our increased focus on GCR relations has certainly paid off when it comes to TNP and TSP, both of which we have been active with militarily and/or culturally this term. The GCRs are where nations first enter the game and where our name recognition is most valuable, so I would consider those especially important relationships that we should be sure to maintain and further develop.

CSP: Interesting second half there. The President didn't campaign on much in terms of foreign affairs. Do you observe a coherent strategy or method being applied? What's the Mouse Doctrine?
Sopo: Mouse would certainly admit that foreign affairs are not her strength. In that regard, I don't think there is a "Mouse Doctrine." The focus has been much more on gameside integration, mentoring, and training. If anything, the "Mouse Doctrine" is constant education and betterment. I'm grateful to have been a part of this government as Minister of Culture and soon as VP, but my main involvement to date has not been in matters of foreign affairs.

CSP: Any other comments, thoughts, gripes?
Sopo: I look forward to the remainder of the term as VP where I hope I will be able to make an impact in the remaining couple of weeks.

CSP: Good stuff. Congratulations on the nomination and thank you for taking the time to gab with me. Hopefully some healthy discussion will follow from others.
Sopo: Indeed, thanks for inviting me to talk.
 
So, Sopo, what would you like the EON to be then? It needs to be clarified, so can you provide clarification?
 
hyanygo said:
So, Sopo, what would you like the EON to be then? It needs to be clarified, so can you provide clarification?
At this point, I would eliminate EON. The mixlr channel would be rebranded as EBC and our foreign update would begin to transition into a more newspaper-like format, eventually absorbing EON's content distribution goals. I think the latter may already be happening. We've been working on the foreign update throughout the term. Most importantly, we need to be clear about what our goals are. Coherent branding will help with that. Right now, EON is only mixlr, and that's still confusing to people.
 
This was pretty good. The only thing is that I don't think this administration has had a GCR focus this term.
 
Which is bad, why? the 'GCRs' cannot be treated with a monolithic policy, and they're not the be-all or the end all of the NS world. Some of us would love a term with no GCR-related drama.
 
Cerian Quilor said:
Which is bad, why? the 'GCRs' cannot be treated with a monolithic policy, and they're not the be-all or the end all of the NS world. Some of us would love a term with no GCR-related drama.
Where did I state it is bad?
 
Cerian Quilor said:
Which is bad, why? the 'GCRs' cannot be treated with a monolithic policy, and they're not the be-all or the end all of the NS world. Some of us would love a term with no GCR-related drama.
The drama is an occupational hazard, the nature of the game and it's not going anywhere. The bigger thing to take from Rach's post, I think, is that there should be some kind of overreaching, one-size-fits-all policy for the entirety of GCR communities. There isn't and shouldn't be a 'GCR policy'. There should be a TNP policy, and a TSP policy, and a TRR policy. These are different place with (mostly) different people with different traditions and worldviews. We should approach our relations with them as such just as we would any UCR.

Getting back to the original subject, is anybody willing to contend that TNP and UIAF member regions aren't Europeia's most vital partners due to their military assets?
 
That isn't what I meant either, I just don't think the administration has focused on any of the GCRs very much with the exception of potentially TNP and TSP as a reaction to the crap from last term.
 
Common-Sense Politics said:
Cerian Quilor said:
Which is bad, why? the 'GCRs' cannot be treated with a monolithic policy, and they're not the be-all or the end all of the NS world. Some of us would love a term with no GCR-related drama.
The drama is an occupational hazard, the nature of the game and it's not going anywhere.
I don't think it is either, but I'd love it to not happen for a term. It was not fun to have my entire presidency overtaken by Osiris. :p

Getting back to the original subject, is anybody willing to contend that TNP and UIAF member regions aren't Europeia's most vital partners due to their military assets?
No, I'm not going to argue with that point. UIAF and TNP are, militarily, our greatest allies. Culturally, we have more ties with UIAF members (overall), but the longer we stay aligned with TNP, the more cultural ties we'll have with them, I imagine.
 
Rach said:
TNP is also one of the most similar GCRs to Europeia culturally which helps.
People have said it, but I admit I never saw that. I mean, they have a common legislature and so on, which seems to make them more akin to the standard GCR model in that sense.

I'm not intimately familiar with TNP, so perhaps you could elaborate?
 
It is the biggest political region an the most active in the GCRs by far and tends to have a wide range of viewpoints. So I think culturally it is more similar to Europeia in this way although it leans less towards doing raids than Europeia does and is likely more similar to an older version of Europeia. TNP also has the most robust military by far whereas every other GCR struggles with their armies. TNP also has a long politically established political oldies whereas many other GCRs comparable to Europea do not have this. For example, only TWP is best known for having a well established old guard that is still active.

Military wise, Europeia is most similar to Balder and Osiris in term of function. But Osiris is quite different and I would say that Osiris has a very different dynamic with the most raiders amongst the GCRs yet it has tended to vote for defender leaning delegates. Balder and Europeia are very similar but lacks the same sort of political culture and dynamics. FA, ideologically wise Balder is the closest fit but in terms of political dynamics and military activity as well as standing it would be TNP.

Regions like TWP, TRR, Lazarus and the Pacific are nothing like Europeia as all are very inactive and tend to not be very democratic. This leaves TEP and TSP. While both of those regions are fairly similar, when compared to TNP it is clear that TNP is more Euro-like than those ones. Idk, these are my brief thoughts on the matter :p
 
Damn, this looks great. I'll settle down and read it tonight when I'm on my laptop again.
 
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