The Importance of Establishing War Goals
By Thatcher Whitehall
From the Europeian discord server to the many threads of the gameplay forum, the phrase “NPO Delenda Est” has become the rallying cry of those who thirst for the annihilation of the New Pacific Order. Enlistment in the Europeia Republican Navy has soared as volunteers line up to fight; Europeia now finds herself flanked by allies, GCR and UCR alike, and solemnly stands at the precipice of a conflict. Now that public opinion appears to be in support of a war against the New Pacific Order, it is now perintent to ask what war really entails; the government must set smart objectives for the upcoming conflict.
Setting objectives limits the scale of the conflict. The ongoing rhetoric by both the government and the citizens has primarily been focused on the ideological differences between the New Pacific Order and our republic. In his address to the region calling for a state of war between Europeia and the New Pacific Order, President Sopo stated, “at the very core of our enemy is an ideology that demeans our stature as a region and questions our very right to exist…Therefore, I am formally seeking a Declaration of War…which will enshrine in our region what we already know to be true: that the New Pacific Order and its dangerous ideology is a threat to not only our community and our fundamental values but to regions of all stripes.” Although well-meaning, the government cannot solely rely on emotions to fight this conflict. Ideologies, however flawed, can never be killed. Debate has already exposed the flaws of francoism. Factors such as influence and nation count, on the other hand, can change and must become the foundation of this war.
Setting objectives will allow for meaningful progress. A complete victory in this conflict is unrealistic as the Pacific has several active experienced gameplayers as regional officers with border control which can swiftly ban attackers, a large mobile piling force, and roughly 2,100,000 influence concentrated on a single delegate. Plainly accepting this reality and setting reasonable goals will focus the immense amount of energy and enthusiasm that the populace has shown on attainable objectives, rather than vague lofty idealistic aims. Specific objectives will allow the people to hold the government to account and monitor the overall progress of the war. Progress, however difficult, is certainly possible, with specific smart objectives.
Goals must be measurable, feasibly, and timely. War goals must, above all else, be concrete—they cannot be vague or subject to interpretation; they need to be specific and technical. War goals for Europeia might involve sending a certain amount of telegrams or reducing a certain amount of influence. War goals must also be realistic and tangible, meaning they cannot succumb to idealism. If the government wishes for the conflict to be a short one, as they have recently stated, the object of the war cannot be to reduce all of the endorsements of the delegate, for such an aim is unrealistic. War goals must contain time limits, as to avoid a prolonged conflict which will inevitably erode the confidence of the people in the government. Time and time again, the government of Euroepia has committed itself to just endeavors without, among other things, properly setting a timetable, leading to a slow prolonged decline in activity.
Energy will be lost and the populace will give into hopelessness if war goals are not established at the onset of this conflict. President Sopo stated, “I believe we are firmly on the right side of history and this conflict should be shortlived. That said, I will see it through to either tangible concessions from the NPO or a severe reduction of their power.” If the government wishes for a short consequential conflict, it is imperative that sensible goals are established outright, otherwise the government runs the risk of needlessly drawing out the conflict and inevitably failing in their task. Time will erode the will of the people and an aimless government will fail to do any harm to the New Pacific Order.
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