Merlogate (Not a scandal)

Merlo · October 3, 2023, 10:28am

MERLOGATE 1.0

knock knock - is this thing on? Cool.

Hey everyone. I’m honoured and immensely grateful to accept the nominations presented to me for a delegate campaign. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time thus far in the executive, and I hope to bring more to the region through a delegacy. The following will be an overview of my goals and an outlook for the delegacy over a hypothetical four-month term.

THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH

I don’t see any compelling reasons as of yet to alter the current system in any significant fashion. I would instead, if elected like to push for several more minor changes that I believe are reasonable and already popular.

I would be in favour of abolishing the position of ‘Chief Minister of Regional Affairs’. I believe the position has served its purpose, but is currently a bit of a grey area and isn’t really utilized. I would instead shift that responsibility to the Vice-Delegate, who will act in much the same fashion, loosely overseeing ministries, ensuring things are moving as they should and acting as an authority where the delegate cannot.
While we’re at it, I would make a minor cosmetic change and remove the “Chief Minister” titles from WAA and FA, and simply replace them with simply ‘Minister’.

I will of course oversee a Cabinet shuffle in some form as all delegates do, though I have great confidence in each of the currently incumbent cabinet members. Another candidate has advocated for the removal of the Cabinet in its current form, I vehemently disagree with this idea. I am of the belief that the Cabinet is one of the Delegate’s most trusted inner circles, and firmly believe that each member of the Cabinet should continue to have an influence on the day-to-day management of the executive. If I am elected, the Cabinet will not be pushed aside and will remain the heart of the executive.

I hope to spring new life into particular ministries if elected, most notably UTEP and the Ministry of Culture, which has been a little quieter than in times past.

In the MoC I hope to engage with the wider community and figure out what sort of events they would like to see, whether that be game nights, hunger games, interregional festivals or anything suggested. Culture plays a large role in our regional identity and I hope to utilize it as a binding tool to bring each part of the community closer together.

For UTEP, I will consult with members of the executive, notably the newly formed Cabinet to discuss how we can breathe new life into the program. I believe both the RMB RP and Urth communities can provide significant additions to its libraries and we should encourage those communities to preserve their histories and stories within UTEP. UTEP can be utilized as a tool to educate the new generations of TEP, I think it simply needs both committed leadership and a kick up the butt so to speak.

Call me biased but I believe the Outreach Ministry has done really well in this previous term, especially thanks to their incredibly attractive and likeable Minister. I want to continue the path this Ministry is on currently, and hope to replace myself with another individual who is dedicated to its cause. Outreach should continue to work with modernising our dispatches, helping to boost recruitment and acting as a loudspeaker for government programs and community efforts. I would also like to ensure the Ministry of Outreach oversees the ongoing Honours Wall initiative, perhaps with some further refinement and discussion.

So too has the Ministry of News done well. EPNS is up and running once more and I hope the MoN can continue on it’s current trajectory. The MoN should work closely with the Ministry of Outreach and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to increase its reach both internally and externally.

FOREIGN AFFAIRS

While I’m certainly not a veteran of Foreign Affairs, I believe I have caught myself up to speed quickly, and have carved out my own set of beliefs regarding The East Pacific’s role in FA matters. I consider myself fairly neutral on R/D, and my allegiance is to our region (to the republic, to democracy!) only.

If and when I am elected, I will take a closer look at our current treaties and confer with the Foreign Affairs Council regarding their status and how they benefit The East Pacific. I currently have no plans to repeal or alter any treaties.

As Delegate, I will hold a zero-tolerance policy on those who seek to harm our region or our allies. We will not tolerate attacks on our allies, regardless of R/D stances and moral justification. We have a duty to uphold our treaties and stand by our allies and friends, and I will do just that.

That said, I wish to be level-headed on Foreign Affairs matters, and I rest assured that our Foreign Affairs Council is full of outstanding and capable individuals from all backgrounds. They will, as with any Delegate play an absolutely vital role in our region’s Foreign Affairs matters. Foreign Affairs should and will be handled with a level head. TEP will not resort to mud-slinging to make its points. Despite how intense things can feel and be at times, it is always best to take a deep breath and act with a clear mind. Outbursts and snap decisions often do more harm than good.

WORLD ASSEMBLY AFFAIRS

I don’t plan nor foresee any real changes to this area. If elected, I will continue the policy of democratic voting regarding resolutions. I will add that if elected, neither this region nor myself will be coerced or bullied out of following this tradition to serve the wishes or benefit of another region.

EPSA

I do not have any plans to alter the structure of the EPSA. I intend to continue our region’s involvement in operations to defend and protect our allies and to take part in operations targeting outwardly fascist regions.

THE RMB

If it wasn’t already obvious, I am a massive advocate for the RMB and RMP RP communities. Having spent the vast majority of my time in our region there, I have come to see the community as somewhat of an untapped goldmine when it comes to potential. As Delegate, I hope to ensure the RMB RP community feels heard and involved in discussions, especially those that affect them. This will be done through direct engagement, whether it be through polls, discussions or personal outreach. I believe there are dozens of individuals in the RMB community who would make outstanding members of government, and hope to recruit individuals from this area to ensure the Executive is well-staffed and represents every element of the region. This effort will not come at the expense of less attention paid to Urth or any other relevant RP subcommunities, which I hope to work closely with.

That about covers my main campaign points. If there are any questions, queries or concerns relevant to my campaign, please feel free to note them below and I’ll do my best to answer. I would appreciate your support in the coming week, and hope this finds you well.

This message was brought to you by Merlovich for Delegate. Stop saying our campaign title sounds like a political scandal. It’s not. Stop saying it please. Say it like Merlogat don’t pronounce it ‘gate’. Cut it out or I’m telling mum.

Mangegneithe · October 3, 2023, 4:57pm

Very nice to see this candidacy. However, it is my god-given duty to be harsh, and so here comes the crucible.

Criticism of the Vice Delegate position dating back to 2020 questions the implicit boost in campaign to an individual who was a “Vice Delegate” immediately prior to their campaign, which seems to offer some credence to an idea of at least partly predetermined succession, which is undemocratic. Even as a former Vice Delegate myself, I can see the point of this. What are your thoughts on this critique?
Speaking to the cabinet shuffle, how would you replace yourself and fill vacancies in general?
A not-candidate has recently advocated for re-evaluating cabinet advisors and potentially limiting them in some form or another to maintain a smaller core cabinet. Do you have any plans to pursue a similar change?
UTEP had amazingly committed and effective leadership with the biggest kick in the butt in history. And yet, when that leadership passed on the baton to a slightly less committed/effective leader, it fell apart no matter my efforts to keep it alive, and its decay continued into the terms of my successors as well. It is for this reason that I believe UTEP’s current form is in need of a systemic re-evaluation following (a) the lack of a superhero Chancellor to keep it together and (b) a rapid and monumental decline in Executive activity and engagement. What are your thoughts on this?
Adding onto the above, I’d like to ask your thoughts on both God-Emperor’s and my ideas/proposals to revitalize UTEP. If you’d like a summary: Essentially, GE argues that UTEP, as you say, is simply in desperate need of guidance and leadership. He promotes a return to the traditional classes structure of the pre-coup era. He intends to expand UTEP’s interest in IRL subjects and move past its implicit GP associations to make it serve as a tool of recruitment as well as a tool for diplomacy, as he has brought new fervor into an old question, that of cooperation with foreign universities to empower all involved institutions. I, on the other hand, believe that these plans are improbable to last in the current system of government-run UTEP. I wish to keep Sammy’s core structure of the University but transition it into an independent organization with differently-structured leadership (an oligarchic Board of Trustees). I promote the main focus on works and discussions, and I oppose the idea of classes, citing the massive failure of pre-coup UTEP under this system. I also wish to pursue IRL subjects, but largely in the form of encouraging media analysis and commentary on IRL events and subjects, such as in GE’s own papers on nuclear strategy. I support the cooperation with RMB and Forum RP communities to create both in-universe and meta commentaries/essays on the nature and evolution of world politics and worldbuilding/lore within the respective maps.
What is your response to the strong opposition to the Honors Wall initiative by Zukchiva and I within the Magisterium?
Serge likes to tout your status as a member of the supposed “Serge-Shadow School of FA”, a School which I fully intend to define in an academic manner once I have the time, but which I would currently describe as determined, unapologetic, and practical. I, personally, follow a school which would be more accurate to call Zukism of a form - favoring a strong commitment to our values and allies even when it becomes impractical to do so, as well as tempering that determined attitude with caution in regards to our allies and friends. My question is, how will you ensure that your FA ideology does not stand in the way of the tact that is necessary for a Head of State in the current regiopolitical climate.
What are your thoughts on the invasion of TNP by TCB and BOM and the subsequent invasion of WZT by TNP’s allies?
Which raider relations and which defender relations do you consider to be the most important/beneficial for TEP?
You offer a paragraph for Val but a sentence for Urth. It’s also clear that you’re more familiar with the former than the latter. As such, my question is: How do you intend to foster unity and mutual respect with FRP?
Looking forward to Merlogategate, the scandal about Merlogate.

Zukchiva · October 3, 2023, 5:18pm

Questionz:

Do you plan to do individual talent-finding on your own or have your MoO do it? (i.e. DMing people individually they believe could do well in a certain part of gov after seeing said people join TEP for a time).
Why do you wish to look through our treaties and what will be the results of such a review?
What will you do if you are somehow unable to balance your duties as Delegate and Valsora carto? (Assuming you’re still a carto - I’m outta the loop lmao)

Mangegneithe · October 3, 2023, 5:46pm

Merlo is indeed a carto - one of three. Dabir and Terabithia are the others.

Merlo · October 4, 2023, 3:43am

Criticism of the Vice Delegate position dating back to 2020 questions the implicit boost in campaign to an individual who was a “Vice Delegate” immediately prior to their campaign, which seems to offer some credence to an idea of at least partly predetermined succession, which is undemocratic. Even as a former Vice Delegate myself, I can see the point of this. What are your thoughts on this critique?

This is an understandable and natural critique to make. I believe when you become acclimatized to seeing someone in the second-highest office in the land, you naturally get a sense of how they’d perhaps act in the first. I don’t see this as undemocratic and cannot link it to succession, it’s simply that a candidate who has significant recent experience in a very similar role will generally appear to be a very safe and capable candidate to take the top job. I could only see this as undemocratic if there was evidence of the Delegate and Vice-Delegate actively conspiring to establish a succession plan.

Speaking to the cabinet shuffle, how would you replace yourself and fill vacancies in general?

As I believe is the case with most delegates, I will see who in the current cabinet is looking to resign their post, or is looking to move to another post. From there, if a current cabinet member wants to shift to either Outreach or another position, I would likely approve their move to that portfolio if they seem a reasonably good fit. I’m hoping to retain as much of the current cabinet and executive figures as possible as it’s evident our regional gov. continues to lack manpower, however if we cannot fill the necessary seats with existing members of the executive, I will look elsewhere for recruits and rising stars. In the unlikely event we find ourselves seriously struggling to fill vacancies, I will be more than happy to pick up extra work until that’s resolved.

A not-candidate has recently advocated for re-evaluating cabinet advisors and potentially limiting them in some form or another to maintain a smaller core cabinet. Do you have any plans to pursue a similar change?

No, as stated in my brief I have absolutely no plans to downsize and limit the size and role of the cabinet. I believe the cabinet is one of the delegate’s most important advisory bodies and firmly disagree with the idea of downsizing and limiting its membership and role.

UTEP had amazingly committed and effective leadership with the biggest kick in the butt in history. And yet, when that leadership passed on the baton to a slightly less committed/effective leader, it fell apart no matter my efforts to keep it alive, and its decay continued into the terms of my successors as well. It is for this reason that I believe UTEP’s current form is in need of a systemic re-evaluation following (a) the lack of a superhero Chancellor to keep it together and (b) a rapid and monumental decline in Executive activity and engagement. What are your thoughts on this?

Frankly, I am no expert on UTEP and its history and I won’t pretend to be. I understand there are significant concerns regarding its survivability and activity. While there are no pledges to rework UTEP in my campaign, if this proves to be a serious enough concern within cabinet, then I will gladly oversee a rework program. I do believe your concerns have merit, so hopefully this is something we can work together on regardless of whether I am delegate or not by month’s end.

Adding onto the above, I’d like to ask your thoughts on both God-Emperor’s and my ideas/proposals to revitalize UTEP. If you’d like a summary: Essentially, GE argues that UTEP, as you say, is simply in desperate need of guidance and leadership. He promotes a return to the traditional classes structure of the pre-coup era. He intends to expand UTEP’s interest in IRL subjects and move past its implicit GP associations to make it serve as a tool of recruitment as well as a tool for diplomacy, as he has brought new fervor into an old question, that of cooperation with foreign universities to empower all involved institutions. I, on the other hand, believe that these plans are improbable to last in the current system of government-run UTEP. I wish to keep Sammy’s core structure of the University but transition it into an independent organization with differently-structured leadership (an oligarchic Board of Trustees). I promote the main focus on works and discussions, and I oppose the idea of classes, citing the massive failure of pre-coup UTEP under this system. I also wish to pursue IRL subjects, but largely in the form of encouraging media analysis and commentary on IRL events and subjects, such as in GE’s own papers on nuclear strategy. I support the cooperation with RMB and Forum RP communities to create both in-universe and meta commentaries/essays on the nature and evolution of world politics and worldbuilding/lore within the respective maps.

I appreciate the summary. From what I can see both of your arguments have good points and I’d probably at this stage be in favour of a little bit of a mix of both. I like the idea of a mix of NS and IRL topics, which allows for no end of content to explore. I believe cooperation with foreign universities is a great idea for both engagement and diplomatic outreach. I believe I touched on RMB and Forum RP involvement in UTEP in my brief, and believe that UTEP would be the perfect place to host a great variety of information on these worlds. I look forward to working hopefully with both you and GE on this topic in the future.

What is your response to the strong opposition to the Honors Wall initiative by Zukchiva and I within the Magisterium?

I have kept an eye on these proceedings for the last fortnight, and hopefully I don’t come across as a politician by repeating this, but both sides make good arguments. I was the one who proposed this idea initially, and it has sort of been taken entirely out of my control. While Vussul’s enthusiasm is fantastic, I’m not really a fan of the way in which the idea has been put forward so quickly, and really would have preferred some further discussion on the topic before it was put to the Magisterium. I believe it’d be best to go back to the drawing board and rework the proposal with input from all sides.

Serge likes to tout your status as a member of the supposed “Serge-Shadow School of FA”, a School which I fully intend to define in an academic manner once I have the time, but which I would currently describe as determined, unapologetic, and practical. I, personally, follow a school which would be more accurate to call Zukism of a form - favoring a strong commitment to our values and allies even when it becomes impractical to do so, as well as tempering that determined attitude with caution in regards to our allies and friends. My question is, how will you ensure that your FA ideology does not stand in the way of the tact that is necessary for a Head of State in the current regiopolitical climate.

I love my Number #1 fan Serge, and he is arguably right to put me in that category, though I don’t really confine myself to any one school of thought. I would definitely consider my outlook practical and at times unapologetic, but this entirely depends on the matter at hand. I don’t believe my personal ideological beliefs will get in the way of making measured and reasonable decisions when the time comes to do so, and I believe this comes down to taking a measured approach as opposed to a reactionary one. I will greatly benefit from having a well-balanced and versatile FA Council behind me, and will no doubt make great use of them. My actions, and by extension the actions of our region will not be made in split-second decisions, but through calm and mild-mannered discussion with input from all viewpoints.

What are your thoughts on the invasion of TNP by TCB and BOM and the subsequent invasion of WZT by TNP’s allies?

I believe the operation undertaken in TNP by TCB and BoM was entirely unacceptable, and violated the sovereignty of one of our allies. It was not only unjustifiable but immature, and demonstrates exactly the kind of playground diplomacy we do not respect nor want to see carried out.

I do not believe TNP did their due diligence before invading Warzone Trinidad, this being an embassy region of The East Pacific. The fact that they requested EPSA support to secure their position, and then deployed their own endorsements elsewhere, especially to invade one of our embassy regions flew in the face of our relationship, and showcases exactly the kind of leadership I want to avoid.

Which raider relations and which defender relations do you consider to be the most important/beneficial for TEP?

Ones that demonstrate mutual respect and consistently uphold treaty obligations if applicable.

You offer a paragraph for Val but a sentence for Urth. It’s also clear that you’re more familiar with the former than the latter. As such, my question is: How do you intend to foster unity and mutual respect with FRP?

I thought this question might come up and I think it’s a very fair one. I am quite obviously very connected to the RMB community, having spent (as of tomorrow) my 5 years in TEP there. There’s no question I know the RMB community better than FRP. Regardless of whether I am elected delegate or not, I hope to get a closer insight into the Forum RP community through asking questions, talking to community members. especially stalwarts of the community, and delving into it’s history in my spare time. I have often tossed up the idea of submitting my own claim to Urth and still hope to do so someday. I intend to make sure the voices of Forum RP are just as loud as those of the RMB community. Both communities have an immense amount to learn from one another and I hope to give Forum RP the same attention as the RMB where applicable.

Merlo · October 4, 2023, 3:51am

Do you plan to do individual talent-finding on your own or have your MoO do it? (i.e. DMing people individually they believe could do well in a certain part of gov after seeing said people join TEP for a time).

I am hoping for both, if the responsibility is entirely on me to go hunting for talent, then I’m comfortable doing so. However, in the ideal scenario, I’d have input from members of Cabinet on potential candidates and their thoughts on them, as well as direct support from a committed MoO to help in the recruitment process.

Why do you wish to look through our treaties and what will be the results of such a review?

I think it’s simply the right thing to do when a new delegate takes office. Our treaties and partnerships should be subject to a look-over every once in a while to ensure they’re still benefitting our region, and to ensure treaty obligations are continuing to be upheld. I don’t know the results of a review I haven’t taken yet, but ideally there won’t be anything to note or change.

What will you do if you are somehow unable to balance your duties as Delegate and Valsora carto? (Assuming you’re still a carto - I’m outta the loop lmao)

If I cannot balance my duties as Delegate and Cartographer then I will step down from the cartography council. I don’t foresee this being the case, hence why I haven’t yet resigned from the post, however I’m content with doing so if the need arises.

Gem · October 4, 2023, 4:28pm

You have such a nice campaign banner, it’s a shame I can’t see most of it on light mode.

Jokes aside, I’m glad to see you running, and I think you have an excellent platform here. I agree with a lot; that the cabinet is an important part of government, that UTEP and the MoC need some TLC (tender loving care, not The League & Concord), and that RMB engagement is important. That said, I’d like to pose you some questions:

You say that TEP will not tolerate attacks on our allies, regardless of R/D stances and moral justification. But these things are not always so cut and dry. Over the course of the last term, The North Pacific, with whom we share the creatively named North-East Pacific Security Treaty, was del-tipped by a combined force of the Brotherhood of Malice and The Communist Bloc. Additionally, the 10,000 Islands, with whom we share the Treaty of the Waxing Moon, had their frontier region, A Taco Paradise, attacked by Lone Wolves United. Now, our treaties with these allies don’t necessarily require it, but The East Pacific did not take a strong stance pertaining to these events. If you were Delegate, how would you have responded in these situations, and how would you respond to similar ones moving forward?

For WAA, do you have any plans aside from just continuing to do what we’re doing? It’s awesome that we have WA discussions, and it’s awesome that community members can control how the delegate votes. But we, without a doubt, have a lot of room to expand. We could make IFV dispatches and telegrams like many other regions do to help encourage a WA-conscious population; we could start our own GA drafting program to encourage domestic WA authorship outside of HoV; or we could encourage and reward participation in WA discussions over on the NS forums, in order to help cement our WA influence. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

And in terms of the EPSA, how do you feel about Libcord participation? It’s an invaluable tool for staging liberations and sieges, among other ops, yet the only consistent presence we have there is one particular Sandshrew. Is Libcord something that the EPSA needs to pursue further in order to more effectively contribute to relevant ops? Is our current level of participation enough? Or is Libcord a threat to our independence (small i), our participation in which needs to be reduced? I want to hear your thoughts.

I look forward to hearing your answers, and I wish you the best of luck in the election.

Merlo · October 5, 2023, 11:32am

You say that TEP will not tolerate attacks on our allies, regardless of R/D stances and moral justification. But these things are not always so cut and dry. Over the course of the last term, The North Pacific, with whom we share the creatively named North-East Pacific Security Treaty, was del-tipped by a combined force of the Brotherhood of Malice and The Communist Bloc. Additionally, the 10,000 Islands, with whom we share the Treaty of the Waxing Moon, had their frontier region, A Taco Paradise, attacked by Lone Wolves United. Now, our treaties with these allies don’t necessarily require it, but The East Pacific did not take a strong stance pertaining to these events. If you were Delegate, how would you have responded in these situations, and how would you respond to similar ones moving forward?

Good question, firstly regarding the deletip of TNP, my actions probably would have mirrored those of the current administration, albeit with a little more support. I believe our response severely lacked any formal statements or written support for TNP, which regardless of circumstances should have been done. I believe dispatching the EPSA to provide support for TNP’s delegacy position was the correct move, we upheld our treaty obligations while avoiding unnecessary conflict. It was clear, at least to me that further involvement wasn’t necessary as evidenced by TNP’s invasion of Warzone Trinidad.

Regarding the second scenario, that is obviously a more complex situation. The Treaty of the Waxing Moon does not require or oblige us to take any action in this scenario, only engaging a mutual defence treaty should either home region be attacked. Despite this, I believe it would probably be fair to offer our written support to 10,000 Islands, and provide them with assurance of our support should hostilities continue.

In future scenarios such as these, my actions will be greatly influenced by the discussions, feedback and advice available to me via the FA Council. My personal decision-making will not necessarily be the final say, and in the ideal scenario, it will never have to be. However, if the time comes I must make a snap decision, I will always stand by the word of our region and its treaties to the best of my ability.

For WAA, do you have any plans aside from just continuing to do what we’re doing? It’s awesome that we have WA discussions, and it’s awesome that community members can control how the delegate votes. But we, without a doubt, have a lot of room to expand. We could make IFV dispatches and telegrams like many other regions do to help encourage a WA-conscious population; we could start our own GA drafting program to encourage domestic WA authorship outside of HoV; or we could encourage and reward participation in WA discussions over on the NS forums, in order to help cement our WA influence. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

While I don’t have any personal plans written into my campaign regarding expanding WAA, if there is a sufficient desire for further expansion in this ministry, then I would be more than happy to explore that idea. I believe given our size and reach, we definitely could do more to encourage domestic authorship and greater community discussion regarding GA and SC proposals, my only concern would be surrounding whether we have the manpower to do so. This is something I will definitely keep in consideration and likely raise with the Cabinet if I were to be elected.

And in terms of the EPSA, how do you feel about Libcord participation? It’s an invaluable tool for staging liberations and sieges, among other ops, yet the only consistent presence we have there is one particular Sandshrew. Is Libcord something that the EPSA needs to pursue further in order to more effectively contribute to relevant ops? Is our current level of participation enough? Or is Libcord a threat to our independence (small i), our participation in which needs to be reduced? I want to hear your thoughts.

My thoughts are mixed from what I can gather on this. I feel as if participation in Libcord is more important than simply my views, so this is something that may likely be better placed in the hands of the people to decide. Given recent polling tends to support independent thought and is drifting away from either side of R/D, I think involvement, albeit less than some others is probably the best move for us. I believe the ideals of Libcord are good, and our participation is an overall positive, however, I believe we’re certainly better in the shallow end of the pool than diving all the way into defenderism. I hope this makes as much sense to you as it does in my head, lol.

Thanks for your questions, let me know if you have any follow ups

Vussul · October 5, 2023, 7:53pm

You should alter this to something along the lines of:

“A proposal has been made for the removal of the cabinet in its current form,”

Considering I am not in fact a candidate due to a ten minute too late Citizenship.

Sammy23 · October 6, 2023, 9:11pm

Congratulations on a very detailed and convincing campaign, Merlo.

Considering you do have options to become Delegate, there is a tradition which only few Delegates have broken…

Will you take part of Urthvision at some point?

Mangegneithe · October 6, 2023, 9:20pm

Adding onto previous UTEP comments/questions I made, lemme ask you a hypothetical. Would you consider the idea of collaborating with foreign regional governments in order to see through mutual visions of expanded universities?

Dabeez · October 7, 2023, 11:42am

Dabiristan mentioned!?!?!?!?

Merlo · October 8, 2023, 2:14am

I will indeed take part, if such is tradition. Urthvision is a great highlight of our regional culture, so I’d be honoured to be involved.

Merlo · October 8, 2023, 2:17am

I don’t see why not, we’d obviously be brainstorming this further surrounding general UTEP discussions, but my current initial outlook would be that collaborating with other regions would be a big positive.

Libertanny · October 9, 2023, 8:30am

What is MGC and what does it stand for?
What alignment is Europeia?
What are TEP three closest allies as of current?
What is Frontierism?
What was the previous iteration of Carcassone and why is this region relevant to TEP history?
How does Ministry of Foreign Affairs make decisions and what is the hierarchy within that ministry?
What is cultural neutrality? Can you name any other region than TEP that supports this stance?
Which region, during TEP coup, asked all its WAs to move immediately to TEP to help save it?
Which alliance prohibits TEP from raiding allies’ embassies?
What is the most stable raider relation with TEP - which organization?

Merlo · October 10, 2023, 2:16pm

What is MGC and what does it stand for?

Modern Gameplay Compact. It’s an alliance between TNP, TWP, NPO, Balder and Europeia.

What alignment is Europeia?

Officially? Independent iirc, but they obviously lean defender nowadays.

What is Frontierism?

An ideology that advances the interests of active frontiers, going after inactive ones to serve that purpose.

What was the previous iteration of Carcassone and why is this region relevant to TEP history?

Taijitu, this is relevant due to our previously strong relationship with said region.

How does Ministry of Foreign Affairs make decisions and what is the hierarchy within that ministry?

MoFA usually makes decisions through discussions and votes within the FA Council, official statements and decisions that arise from said there are then passed on by the CMoFA or Delegate depending on context. I imagine this isn’t always the case but typically this is how I’ve seen things done.

Delegate
Vice Delegate
Chief Minister of Foreign Affairs
FA Council

What is cultural neutrality? Can you name any other region than TEP that supports this stance?

Ideology? Belief? However you want to put it, relates to separating IC politics from cultural events, hence ‘cultural’ neutrality I guess. AC is a big proponent.

Which region, during TEP coup, asked all its WAs to move immediately to TEP to help save it?

Just did about an hour’s research on this topic. Unfortunately, I wasn’t present at the time due to inactivity and every relevant historical dispatch/retelling skims over this part. From what I have found, TRR, 10000 Islands, TNP and TSP all provided pilers to assist, but I’m unsure which of these did this specifically.

Which alliance prohibits TEP from raiding allies’ embassies?

1000 Islands as per the Treaty of the Waxing Moon.

What is the most stable raider relation with TEP - which organization?

LWU

Libertanny · October 13, 2023, 6:29am

And what happened to the other 9000 islands???

Mangegneithe · October 14, 2023, 5:45am

i ate them

Dremaur · October 14, 2023, 8:08pm

Global warming and the ice caps melting is the greatest issue of our time. The sea levels rose and claimed them all!

Libertanny · October 15, 2023, 7:34am

Seeing as you mention only 1000 of Islands, do you Merlo think it is fair to say, that as a Delegate you will be aiming to destabilize defenderdom in order for the Unaligned and Lausanne regions to take the GP scene over?