Europeia Embassy

[Consol Energy]

Glad we could assist. Will you be visiting?

What if I'm already there

[Anumia]

Supreme Chancellors

• HEM
• Lethen
• Mousebumples (Vice-Chancellor)

World Assembly Delegate

• Mousebumples
• Rylian (Deputy-Delegate)

Executive

• President- Writinglegend
• Vice President - Calvin Coolidge
• Grand Admiral - Kraketopia
• Foreign Affairs - Anumia
• Citizenship Integration - Shadowlurker
• Regional Recruitment - Erebos
• Culture - CptCarrot
• Communications - Rylian
• Attorney General - Malashaan

Legislative

• Speaker - HEM
• Senators - Brunhilde, Kraketopia, Drecq, Rylian, Shadowlurker
• Citizens' Assembly Chair - Calvin Coolidge

Judicial

• Chief Justice - Drecq
• Associate Justices - Kraketopia, Jusduckria

Writing His Own Legend

Europeians line up to vote for their next President

Europeia reelected Writinglegend and his running mate Calvin Coolidge to the Presidency and Vice Presidency, respectively, in the presidential election held on July 17. The Writinglegend/Calvin Coolidge ticket garnered 77 percent of the vote, while the challenger ticket of Haley Anumia/Sopo won 23 percent.


There had been little doubt from the moment Writinglegend announced his intention to run for a second term that he was likely to cruise to an easy victory. For the majority of the standing period, Writinglegend remained unopposed. It was only at the eleventh hour that Haley Anumia and former three-term President and retiring citizen Sopo launched a campaign to provide some form of competition to the race. While the Haley Anumia/Sopo ticket did promise sloths and snails for everyone, they failed to truly capture the support of the citizenry.


Writinglegend announced his Cabinet nominations shortly after the election, shaking up the cabinet significantly. The Senate quickly confirmed the president's cabinet:


Grand Admiral: Kraketopia
Foreign Affairs: Anumia
Regional Recruitment: Erebos
Citizen Integration: Shadowlurker
Culture: CptCarrot
Communications: Rylian
Attorney General: Malashaan


"Last term was more-so focused on recovery as I took this office in a Europeia that was unsure of the future direction it was heading, struggling as older and more seasoned veterans were retiring," President Writinglegend said. "This term, though, we are focused on growth and sustaining that growth that we have built up last term: exploring and innovating our future to grow as a region. That is what makes this term a new ball game - at least to me."


In addition to Writinglegend's election as President on July 17, Europeia held a Senate by-election on July 8 after a resignation by former-Senator zapper. Eight citizens ran for the Senate seat with newcomer Rylian elected with 60 percent of the vote.


Summer Carnival Results in Clowning Around
On July 8th, 2015, Europeia opened up the NationStates Summer Carnival to a flock of foreign visitors and citizens who were ready to clown around. Over the spam of the ten day festival, the Summer Carnival saw a plethora of activity, generated from tons of contests, games, and radio. During the event, our very own EBC Radio hosted a Game of Correlations, among other things.


"Everyone had a great time and the event generated a plethora of activity," Minister of Culture CptCarrot said when discussing the Summer Carnival. "We've seen international events hosted by Europeia work very well before, and it is further evidenced by the Summer Carnival. It's something we need to do more of to showcase our unique culture."


Europeian Broadcasting Corporation Presents...
Each report we file will feature at least one article from Europeia's state run media, the EBC, or from our private media center, the LethoMonarchy.

(Image)

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Reform Lacking Form

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(Europeia - July 14, 2015) On July 9th, the gavel came down and the 2015 Constitutional Convention began. Europeia waits with bated breath to see what, if any, changes may be coming over the horizon.


Now that a few days have passed, a few of those hypothetical future changes have begun to show over that possible horizon. As of July 14, 2015, the discussion on the possible expansion of power for the Citizen's Assembly is the most commented and viewed topic, with 35 comments and 321 views. The discussion on the proposal of a self-electing Senate takes the second-place spot with 23 comments and 204 views. With both topics being under the Legislative umbrella, does this mean that citizens feel like this is where Europeia needs reform the most, or is it that citizens are more vocal on changes that would affect such a fundamental aspect of how the government operates? In truth, it is a bit of both.


The Citizen's Assembly, which has undergone a number of changes of its own over the years, was founded with the purpose to "serve the Europeian region by encouraging the development of legislative writing of the Citizens of Europeia.". It has flourished, diminished, had bouts of intense activity, and times of where it was essentially a barren wasteland. So the debate becomes, what is to be done with this sometimes useful, sometimes neglected, aspect of Europeia? Do we give it the power of the veto as Fortunado was the first to formally propose in thread? Or as World Assembly Delegate Mousebumples listed in her first post in the discussion, possibly give the Chair of the Citizen's Assembly a vote in the Senate? Other suggestions have been presented, some have been quickly shot down, while others have met with a lukewarm reception. As of yet, nothing seems to have really caught the support of the convention. The debate only seems to agree that something needs to be done with the Assembly, but exactly as to what, it is much less clear.


Meanwhile, in the second-most discussed convention topic on a self-electing Senate, two camps have emerged: Supreme Chancellor HEM Tiberius and Senator Rylian in support of a self-electing system, with almost all others being much more pragmatic and cautious of such a change. Where this debate progresses to depends on HEM and Rylian being able to lay out a constructive argument of pros and cons of such a system, which as of this writing has not occurred. Without a way to showcase the benefits to Europeia or its Citizens, they will be hard-pressed to bring more supporters to their way of thinking.


Elsewhere in the Convention, some proposals have met with almost unanimous dissent. Of particular note is the proposed change to having Justices elected which has met with a resounding "No." from almost all that have commented in the debate. The only point raised which has gained any sort of traction is the possibility of the election of the Chief Justice from the pool of Justices, which is something Europeia has had in the past. The presiding view however is that the region is best served by a Judiciary that is not beholden to an election cycle for any aspect of it.


So we stand almost a week into the Convention and focal points are beginning to coalesce. We have yet to see any strong movement for reform under any of the main umbrellas of discussion but as time goes on, and once we're past the upcoming Presidential Election, people may turn their focus back to the Convention to continue planning Europeia's future. Will HEM manage to sway people into pushing for a reformation of the government, will the status quo stay in place, or we will end up with some mix of the two? It's still too early to say for sure, but we can at least hope it will be a vigourous and lively debate had by all.


Written by Rylian
Edited by Sopo and Writinglegend

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This has been a production of the Ministries of Communications and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Europeia. Thank you for reading!

[Anumia]

Government Officials
Supreme Chancellors

• HEM
• Lethen
• Mousebumples (Vice-Chancellor)

World Assembly Delegate

• Mousebumples
• Trinnien (Deputy-Delegate)

Executive

• President- Writinglegend
• Vice President - Calvin Coolidge
• Grand Admiral - Kraketopia
• Foreign Affairs - Anumia
• Citizenship Integration - Shadowlurker
• Regional Recruitment - Erebos
• Culture - CptCarrot
• Communications - Trinnien
• Attorney General - Malashaan

Legislative

• Speaker - Malashaan
• Senators - Anumia, Common-Sense Politics, Drecq, Trinnien
• Citizens' Assembly Chair - Kuramia

Judicial

• Chief Justice - Drecq
• Associate Justices - Kraketopia, Jusduckria, TAC Saxton

Senate Elections Seek New Direction

The region of Europeia held mid-term Senatorial elections August 21-22, 2015 for a term of 70 days. Eleven candidates ran for a total of five seats. The current Senate is the 51st in Europiea's history.

The following candidates were elected to the Senate: Common-Sense Politics, Trinnien, Malashaan, Drecq, and Anumia. The remaining candidates that ran for the Senate were: Cool Spring, Kaboomlandia, Starstream Tribe, Phazon Winter, GraVandius, and Chateaublanc.

Nearly every candidate that ran for the 51st Senate campaigned on being more active and involved following a promising, but ultimately lackluster, term from the 50th Senate.

Upon taking office, the Senate elected Malashaan as Speaker. This is Senator Malashaan's ninth term as Speaker. Speaker Malashaan then named Common-Sense Politics as his Deputy Speaker.

The next Europeian election will held on September 25th, 2015 and is the Presidential Election.

Judicial Minds Meet

Current Europeian Chief Justice Drecq along with notable Europeian past and present jurists: Common-Sense Politics, Malashaan, Notolecta, Hyanygo, and Kraketopia, led a recent Judicial Conference where they discussed the current state of the Judiciary in Europeia, and also answered a series of submitted questions to their discussion panel. Highlights include insight into how one might best become a future jurist, the reasons why Europeia doesn't use a jury system, the benefits and cons of expanding the Judiciary in Europeia into a more activist branch of government, and debates on terminology and the use of legal terms in the space of NationStates vs. reality. The Judiciary, along with the Attorney General's Office, have been undergoing a process of reviewing Europeian law and case work to make sure everything is up-to-date and relevant for current Europeian needs. The Justices and the Attorney General have forwarded the legal work they have found to be reviewed on to the Citizen's Assembly, Europeia's lay-legislature, and the Senate for any needed revision and legislative approval.

ERN Continues Dominance

Grand Admiral Kraketopia has continued to lead the Europeian Republican Navy (ERN) to continued success abroad and at home. A recent operation completed by the ERN and allied regions was a resounding success even if short-lived due to the eventual intervention by the region founder. Grand Admiral Kraketopia and the ERN are also still committed to increased tactical and strategic operational interaction between it and its closest allies, such as The Communist Bloc which signed a Status of Forces Agreement with Europeia earlier in the summer of 2015. Finally, the members of the ERN continued to lead in distinguished service with Midshipman Starstream Tribe earning special recognition for being first in his class of the completion of his practical on triggering operations.

The ERN also just successfully completed a mission in the region of Japan along with numerous allies and aligned independent powers. At least 78 nations were involved in the coordinated military operation and was never successfully countered by defender actions, even though multiple attempts were made. The conquest held for a week's time before the operation ended, and the aligned powers set off to other tasks.

Whitehall Accord Ratification

Europeia's 51st Senate, led by Speaker Malashaan, ratified the Whitehall Accord presented for their consideration by President WritingLegend, which is yet another substantial diplomatic success for the President following on last term's Status of Forces Agreement with The Communist Bloc. The Whitehall Accord is an agreement between signatory regions to develop, promote, and encourage educational institutions in NationStates. The Whitehall Accord also sets into motion the ability of the signatory members to exchange lectures and staff to further enrich the associated citizens among each other. The Whitehall Accord was drafted by delegates from the Land of Kings and Emperors (LKE), the Kingdom of Great Britain (KoGB), and Europeia (Euro).

The Europeian Broadcast Corporation Presents...
Each report we file will feature at least one article from Europeia's state run media, the EBC, or from our private media center, the LethoMonarchy.

The Innovator-in-Chief Speaks

EBC In The Loop - Inside The Goldenblock

Interview conducted by Kuramia

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What do you envision when you imagine a Vice President. Do you see pictures of the greats Lyndon Johnson and Theodore Roosevelt standing opposite the not-so-greats Aaron Burr and Dan Quayle? Do you imagine the Vice Presidents of West Wing with their need to become the next President, their want for power that ultimately is their downfall, or the ones of House of Cards with all its backbiting and dramatic scheming?

Do any of these visions match Europeia?

We've had some great Vice Presidents to be sure, and all of them had to have ambition to place themselves on a ticket with the President, to campaign and then run their full term with all the promises they had made. Even if eventually that energy would wane, or real life would consume them, they still had to have that inner spark we often see in real life and media-inspired Vice Presidents that enable them to take a second seat to the lead player in the orchestra.

Europeia's Vice President works in slightly different ways than any real life or imagined Vice President (VP), if not just for the fact that there are limits to what a forum-run government and its citizens can do. While they maintain the same Line Succession that is normal for a VP, in Europeia they are also the voice of the Civil Service Officium and assist the Ministers in their own duties.

Our current VP, Calvin Coolidge, joined the region in July of 2014. That was merely a year ago, and yet, along with Writinglegend, he's managed to rise to Vice President and get re-elected to a second term. He's also been heavily involved with the Citizens' Assembly, works with the Ministry of Communications, and was the Minister of Foreign Affairs. From all of that experience, he worked hand-in-hand with Writinglegend to come up with a winning dual platform that won them the ticket two times in a row.

So we sat down with the re-elected Vice President Calvin Coolidge to discuss the state of Europeia, his feelings on his role in the region, and where he believes the Vice Presidency can develop.

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Thank you for joining us, Calvin! Congratulations on getting a second term!

Let's break right into it! What made you join Europeia and become so involved in its politics?

I had been a member of Europeia, solely through NationStates, for about a year before coming on to the forum. I had just finished high school, and was looking for something to fill my time with, and figured I would check out this forum that I had heard so much about. Once I got here I was overjoyed by the amount of things to do, and the quality of all the different areas and contributors.

How did you and Writinglegend join forces for your first term?

Writinglegend and I have always been close, since we joined the forum at roughly the same time we essentially grew up together in Europeia. We've previously worked together in the Senate and in various Cabinets, so when Writinglegend told me he was running for President, his next statement was that he wanted me to run with him. I was happy to accept, and the rest is history.

Your platform for last term included goals aimed at invigorating the region. What area do you believe was most successful in doing that?

I think the area that got most invigorated (at least from my efforts) last term would have to be Culture. I worked with Cassy a lot on some Weekend Games early in the term, helping her and Carrot test them, and planning with the various festivals, including the cross-regional Murder Mystery one that I set up with Albion.

What was your greatest accomplishment last term with the CSO?

Last term the CSO saw a large number of applicants, with a burst of newcomers coming to our region and staying. I think the regional outreach we did, via dispatches, polls, and AMAs got enough people interested that we could build up the admirable crowd of newcomers that we have today.

What projects did you plan last term that you never completed and why?

I had a lot of activity problems last term due to illness and periods of change in RL. Due to that, there are a lot of areas I feel I could have helped more last term, but I think the one I'm most upset about would have to be an Ambassador Academy lesson that I was working on with Starstream for Foreign Affairs. It hasn't really seen the light of day, and with the new term coming around, it just sort of got dropped. If I could have done one more thing last term, it would be that.

What projects, for CSO and otherwise, do you want to accomplish most this term?

This term we've shifted the CSO to Citizen Integration, so I'm not as intimately involved there as the VP traditionally has been. This term I've been trying to be the best super AM that I can be, and when I look back on this term I want to be able to say that I've helped as many Ministries complete their projects as I can. I think I've made good progress so far, but I know there's more that I can do, so I hope the rest of the term sees this goal come to fruition.

There are some that say the Vice President's position and what it entails lacks visibility. Do you agree?

I definitely agree.

How would you want that visibility to be clarified?

I think the easiest way to lose sight of the VP is to just focus on what the Ministries are doing, and not see the VP's work in the finished product. That comes with the territory, and I've pretty much come to accept that. If people really want to know what I've been up to, they can just see what our Cabinet is doing, and know that I'm right there with them. That's why I find it hard to release traditional updates like I did when I was a Minister, because the work I do is different now, and not really something that can be reported on, since I'm mostly just an AM. Not that I'm complaining, but it's just something I find interesting.

You've been in Europeia for a year now. What are some of your best memories of your time here?

I really enjoyed my time as Minister of Communications, which I got into about a month after my arrival to the forum. Kraken had just had a string of inactive Communications Ministers, so for him to entrust me with that responsibility, to build the Ministry back up, was a very big moment for me. My two terms there taught me a lot about how this region operates, the people, and the sort of issues we deal with.

You came up with term "Innovator-in-Chief" in your platform for this year. What inspired that term and where do you intend to go forward with it?

That term was inspired by Malashaan's Ministry of Innovation, used when he was President a few terms back. I intend to go use the title to supplement my role as an AM when working with the Ministers, to see if there's a problem that they have, and the solution isn't forthcoming, what I can do, in my role as VP and as a citizen, to fix that problem.

How is the testing going on festivals, weekend games, recruitment/integration review, and mixlr?

A lot of the festival and weekend games work has been done masterfully by Carrot this term, and the same can be said for recruitment and Erebos. I've been involved in an unfortunately minor role in both of those so far, but there hasn't been a great need for assistance, either, since we have such capable Ministers. With mixlr I've been doing some work on my own to prepare some shows, and test a few things, but I haven't really talked about them, since I haven't really reached any firm conclusions yet. I hope to be involved in more mixlr as the term goes on, because we have great power in that medium, and I would hate to see it wasted.

You've stated that a weakness in your last term was not properly communicating what you were doing. How have you made moves to rectify this?

Unfortunately, there's not much I've done differently in terms of communicating with the citizens this term. My workload has increased since last term, but as I mentioned earlier, a lot of what I do is AM work, which I don't really feel mertis its own update. Regardless, I'll be releasing an update within the next week, and also hosting an IRC live chat shortly after, as promised in the platform.

There's been some great RMB activity given your polls and games game-side. Will this trend continue throughout your term?

I certainly hope so, and I've got a more polls coming up for this month (well, at least one ), so I hope that the RMB will continue to respond in the fantastic way that it has so far, and continues to make me look good.

If President Writinglegend's seat suddenly vacated, what would be the first thing you'd do/say?

I'd probably talk to all the members of the Cabinet before making any sort of announcement on what my plans are. I assume the plans we currently have in motion would continue to stay in motion, because of the wonderful Cabinet we have, but any shock like this would likely require some discussion. I know that Writinglegend is a supremely active and dedicated individual, and his departure would greatly impact this region, and that I would be a poor substitute for the remainder of the term, but I'd keep what we have going, and finish what we set out to do in the platform, guaranteed.

Thank you again, Calvin! We look forward to seeing the Innovation you've promised us in the coming term!

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This has been a production of the Ministries of Communications and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Europeia. Thank you for reading!

[Anumia]

Supreme Chancellors

• HEM
• Lethen
• Mousebumples (Vice-Chancellor)

World Assembly Delegate

• Mousebumples
• Trinnien (Deputy-Delegate)

Executive

• President- Writinglegend
• Vice President - Calvin Coolidge
• Grand Admiral - Kraketopia
• Foreign Affairs - Trinnien
• Interior - Rand
• External Communications - Starstream Tribe
• Culture - Netz
• Communications - Kuramia
• Attorney General - Malashaan

Legislative

• Speaker - Malashaan
• Senators - Anumia, Common-Sense Politics, Drecq, Trinnien
• Citizens' Assembly Chair - Ninja Kittens

Judicial

• Chief Justice - Drecq
• Associate Justices - Kraketopia, Jusduckria, TAC Saxton

Writinglegend Wins Third Term

The citizens of Europeia reelected Writinglegend to the office of President for a third term in an election held September 26, 2015. Calvin Coolidge joined Writinglegend on the ticket as the candidate for Vice President. Writinglegend and Calvin Coolidge won in a landslide, collecting 72 percent of the vote. The election featured a pair of competitor tickets. Kaboomlandia and GraVandius, both independents, teamed up to collect 21 percent of the vote. Crysanthemum and Sopo ran the third ticket, collecting a mere 7 percent.

“It is a true honor to, once again, hold the prestigious office of the Presidency for a third time in a row,” said President Writinglegend. “What Europeia does not need is a President who orates. What it needs is a President who sets clear and defined goals, and meets those goals with both accuracy and timeliness.”

Voter turnout surpassed the previous two presidential elections, with a total of 57 votes cast. “I cannot help but to congratulate ourselves for a great turnout of 57 people to vote in this election, which is a whopping number compared to the 39 total votes when I originally took office,” Writinglegend said. “It’s a very good amount, and one we should all be proud of.”

ERN Protects GCR Sovereignty in TWP

TWP was recently raided by DEN. TWP's elected Delegate decided to retire with a bang, declaring the region couped and handing control over to a third party. The security system put in place to handle such coups, known as the Guardian system, now had to deal with the large threat of a rogue Delegate backed by DEN forces. Europeia and other regions were called in to assist with the defence and liberation of TWP. In a battle that lasted before and throughout the update, numerous waves of liberators were banjected. The ERN provided multiple strafing runs, helping soak up the Delegate's influence. Finally, the Delegate was able to remove the primary Guardian, Elegarth, as well as all others but one. Shortly thereafter, the login details of URA's nation was handed over to Cormac. Control was shortly handed to the natives of TWP. TWP is currently in native hands, and Europeia is proud to have played its part in coming to their aid. If Cormac had not gone rogue, we are confident TWP would have been returned to native hands within the next major or two regardless.

Grand Admiral Kraketopia, Volunteer Commodore Anumia, Captain Writinglegend, Lt. Commander Calvin Coolidge, Lt. Commander Notolecta, Volunteer Lt. Commander Lethen, Ensign Drummer Cpt.Carrot, Midshipman Netz, Midshipman Ninja Kittens, Midshipman prometheus32, and Volunteer Midshipman Fortunado all participated in this operation.

Europeia has always been committed to the sovereignty of GCR's, which is a fundamental ideal in Independence. Europeia's recent participation in the liberation of TWP is, thus, just another example of the long track-record the ERN has in protecting that sovereignty.

Fighting Nazis: Greater German Reich Falls

The ERN joined with a large collaboration of allies, led by Misley of The Red Fleet, to take over the famed Nazi region The Greater German Reich. A large force of over 40 updaters amassed within mere hours, and the ERN is proud to have played a role in toppling a bastion of Nazi strength in NationStates.

Grand Admiral Kraketopia, Volunteer Commodore Anumia, Captain Writinglegend, Captain Drecq, Lt. Commander Calvin Coolidge, Volunteer Lt. Commander Lethen, Ensign Drummer Cpt.Carrot, Midshipman Ninja Kittens, Midshipman Netz, Midshipman Starstream Tribe, Midshipman prometheus32, Midshipman stupid3700, Midshipman Rand, and Volunteer Midshipman Fortunado all participated in this operation. Europeian citizen Phazon participated as well.

Europeia has long been against Nazism within NationStates, as well as other forms of in-game fascism. Over the past several years, the ERN have participated in a variety of operation's concerning stomping out Nazism within NationStates. With the fall of Greater German Reich, another step was taken in getting rid of Nazism in-game.

The Europeian Broadcast Corporation Presents...
Each report we file will feature at least one article from Europeia's state run media, the EBC, or from our private media center, the LethoMonarchy.

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Regional Relationships
Being a Foreign Affairs Expert
Written by Kuramia

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"One of the most complicated parts of foreign affairs is understanding and articulating what is in a region's interest, and how to achieve those ends – with military power or without it," says Cerian Quilor, a former citizen who was charged by the then President of Europeia, Mousebumples, to define Independence as it correlates to Europeia. This is not only one of the most complicated parts of foreign affairs, it also the core of why foreign affairs exists. Ignorance of another region's best interests causes a foreign affairs system to crumble, leaving a region like Europeia isolated. Without a solid foreign affairs system, Europeia is a region whose ideologies are narcissistic, whose military is neutered, and whose future is implosion.

The question of why a region should even have a foreign affairs systems is one asked constantly. One reason is more philosophical than anything else: the simple fact that nothing truly alone can exist to its fullest potential. Indeed, this is the main argument against xenophobia in real life governments. As Pascal Salin states in his book Competition, Coordination and Diversity, "Whenever two individuals are different, trade between them is possible and profitable. By 'different', one means either that their abilities[...]or their tastes and preferences[...]are different." It should be obvious that the trade of what one region is lacking with what another region excels at is only going to benefit both regions. Without a foreign affairs system, Europeia, and any region, lacks the means in which to conduct such trade. Not only can foreign affairs be profitable for our region, it can also mimic real life politics and be fun. Perusing the Gameside forums on NationStates is an entertaining way to pass the time by learning the ins and outs of some of the more infamous nations and regions in the game. It is also a great way to take regional pride in not only our military aiding our allies, but also in the World Assembly clout we have developed after much time building power as a region. Europeia could be xenophobic, but it would not profit us and just not be as fun as being a xenophile. Rach, the Queen of Balder, states that Europeia "...will strive to be open to discussion and diplomacy with any reasonable region, be they invader, defender, independent, or any other applicable descriptor."

When it comes to ideologies, Europeia has taken the solid stance of Independence. While the meaning of this word is clear, the use of it when it concerns NationStates lends a different weight. Independence in NationStates terms means taking neither a Raider or Defender stance. While a region can raid or defend as an Independent, they do not do such with a moral stance or act for the sake of acting or for fun. Being an Independent means that no region, even Europeia, can or will dictate how another region governs itself. It sets the military slightly apart to work on its own terms, separate from any ideologies and yet still connected. Cerian Quilor explains that the Independent region doesn't "[...]want to defend out of some grand moral reason, nor do they want to raid for its own sake, or for fun." Being an Independent region also means that regions are free to govern themselves as they see fit. We can ally with a Raider, Defender, or Imperialist region and conduct reasonable relations with them on the terms that they respect our own freedom to govern ourselves as we see fit. Cerian rightly points out that we "...do not support strong-arm tactics to either keep or force regions into any alliance or organization." Stating this, we also believe in being a Defender of Sovereignty. We will use our military to defend others of their sovereign right to govern themselves if required. Rach further states that we "...make stands and take risks where necessary to promote and defend the Europeian interest."

We make those stands and take those risks with our military, which is only made powerful through the use of our alliances. We have a strong military and a wise leader, but we are truly made more powerless by any loss of our allies. Without all of our militaries working together, the regions that are solely created to be Raider and Defender, whose entire member-base consists of Nations that work the gameside of NationStates, we would find ourselves sorely outnumbered in little time. We would be unable to offer anything substantial to potential allies and would be forced to live alone in our ideological bubble, making it largely ineffective. Our ideology would become merely words on the screen, and nothing we could prove was worthy of becoming a shared experience with other regions in NationStates. Those who disagreed with our ideologies, who wished to play the game by breaking forums or condoned hate speech would only grow stronger without our voice to fight against their flawed beliefs. Our military is truly necessary to the NationStates spectrum as a whole, policing it and keeping the game fun and a little more drama-free.

In the end, the future of Europeia depends on our foreign affairs system being in place, let alone being comprehensive, with knowledgeable people ready to make key decisions and maintain the ever-important aspect of communication with our allies. It is important that we understand when we must speak up because they are allied with us and our militaries are their militaries and vice versa, and when to become silent because "We simply do not know what is going on in that region." as Notolecta stated in Notty Talk 11. We cannot do nothing however. Even if we decide to take no stance, in stating that we take no stance we have done something. We are creating ripples in the surface of our foreign affairs system, and indeed in all of the NationStates gameside. As we look at our allies to see what they are saying and doing, so they look at us and might become influenced by our decisions or lack thereof. If we stated nothing, we would cause our allies and the rest of NationStates to wonder if we are even still active. We would certainly enter the drama-filled rumor mill of the gameside forums of NationStates as infamous and famous nations tried to infer what our silence could possibly mean. While such an action might benefit us if we had a reason, Europeia should not make a habit of keeping silent during every bustle of activity that happens with our allied regions. As Common Sense Politics commented on his own Mixlr chat, "We haven't done enough."

As a region, Europeia needs to not only maintain its foreign affairs system, but we need to expand it. We need to understand our allies, to know their needs and desires so that we can not only reach to them in their time or needs, but know what we can offer them in our times of need. The trade of information, tactics, policies and procedures, and even governmental structure can only lend new ideas into our own system. Even portions or pieces of an ally's own systems may spark a new resurgence of activity and passion in our own system, foreign affairs or otherwise. Without our foreign affairs experts, Europeia will fail as a region that can impact the NationStates gameside with force of ideology, military might, or even World Assembly power. Now, more than ever, it is important that we acknowledge the tantamount role foreign affairs has on our region and on all of NationStates, and indeed even on us as individuals.

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In Other News
- Elections for the Europeian Senate have begun.
- Europeia has recently participated in the raid of Asia supplying 14 endorsers. Huzzah!
- Europeia is currently hosting the Dose of Reality festival, which contains a simulated Hunger Games event as well as a live and interactive Survivor game.
- Zombies are coming. Factions within Europeia are rising.
- Hunger Games is becoming a popular trend within Europeia. Europeia being pacifists? I think not!

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This has been a production of the Ministries of External Communications and Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Europeia. Thank you for reading!

[Writinglegend]

Anarchy Seized!

On the most recent major, the Europeian Republican Navy led a large joint operation upon the region Anarchy, a User-Created Region that contains a population of 100 nations and a native delegate with 12 endorsements. With a swift major update, Europeia, with the valuable support of the Land of Kings and Emperors, Albion, Balder, The Black Hawks, and Auralia seized control of the delegacy. The original raid consisted of 22 participants ranging from these several regions, and currently the World Assembly Delegate stands at an endorsement count of 25 (which will only rise by tomorrow!).

The raid on Anarchy led by Europeia represents an increased focus on military leadership abroad in large operations, as well as military cooperation with varying allies and partners. The raid also displays the true might of Europeia's military, showing that we can bring together friends, allies, and partners alike while deploying a dozen of our own to yield fruitful results.

Grand Admiral Writinglegend led and triggered the operation with Vice Admiral Kraketopia, Lt Commander CptCarrot, Mate Prometheus, Midshipman Netz, Midshipman Cool Spring, Midshipman JGlenn, and Midshipman Shufordbrian all participated in the original raid on Anarchy under the ERN banner.

HUZZAH TO THE ERN!

[Natapoc]

(Image)

Anarchy Seized!

On the most recent major, the Europeian Republican Navy led a large joint operation upon the region Anarchy, a User-Created Region that contains a population of 100 nations and a native delegate with 12 endorsements. With a swift major update, Europeia, with the valuable support of the Land of Kings and Emperors, Albion, Balder, The Black Hawks, and Auralia seized control of the delegacy. The original raid consisted of 22 participants ranging from these several regions, and currently the World Assembly Delegate stands at an endorsement count of 25 (which will only rise by tomorrow!).

The raid on Anarchy led by Europeia represents an increased focus on military leadership abroad in large operations, as well as military cooperation with varying allies and partners. The raid also displays the true might of Europeia's military, showing that we can bring together friends, allies, and partners alike while deploying a dozen of our own to yield fruitful results.

Grand Admiral Writinglegend led and triggered the operation with Vice Admiral Kraketopia, Lt Commander CptCarrot, Mate Prometheus, Midshipman Netz, Midshipman Cool Spring, Midshipman JGlenn, and Midshipman Shufordbrian all participated in the original raid on Anarchy under the ERN banner.

HUZZAH TO THE ERN!

(Image)

So we've been raided again. Every 2 years or so someone comes to join us in celebrating Anarchy by moving all their WA nations over.

How long do you all plan to stay?

And is it true that this is in retaliation for the AI coexistence protocol which our delegate authored ?

http://www.nationstates.net/page=WA_pas ... /start=353

[RiderSyl]

Ah, Anarchy. The region that can't stop being occupied.
Here's hoping your fellow natives are a little more rule-abiding this time around, Natapoc.

[Natapoc]

Ah, Anarchy. The region that can't stop being occupied.
Here's hoping your fellow natives are a little more rule-abiding this time around, Natapoc.

Anarchists are not always known for following rules... Especially not rules that we had no part in creating...

Still, I have no expectations that anyone will break the rules. It's been a while since we've been occupied. Luckily we're still liberated from when the black riders paid us a visit so it's not possible to impose a password and we've got even more influence than two years ago so any attempt at holding us long term will be somewhat annoying for anyone who would intend to do such a thing.

I'm hoping that Europeia will kindly declare victory and move on to other things. If not, we have shown that we can resist occupations for months and it gets quite tedious (and boring) for any raider imposed delegates after a while.

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

So you could say.....The Europeian Republican Navy has fallen into Anarchy!?!?!?

Would you say that, by disrupting the normal procedures, and invasions adds anarchy to anarchy, or that by bringing in an organized force with a chain of command taking over the region, invasions lessen the anarchy present in anarchy?

[Natapoc]

So you could say.....The Europeian Republican Navy has fallen into Anarchy!?!?!?

Would you say that, by disrupting the normal procedures, and invasions adds anarchy to anarchy, or that by bringing in an organized force with a chain of command taking over the region, invasions lessen the anarchy present in anarchy?

Generally speaking, anarchy has no rules about who can join and who can become delegate.

It is only when someone has delegate and then acts in an non-anarchist way that it becomes less anarchist. The current delegate of Anarchy can therefore be seen as counter anarchy but this does not reflect the region or the people in it.

Each person is responsible for their own behavior. In this sense we have exactly as much anarchy as we had before.

[YoriZ]

Ah, Anarchy. The region that can't stop being occupied.
Here's hoping your fellow natives are a little more rule-abiding this time around, Natapoc.

Good old Ridersyl, former TBR lieutenant, teaching Anrchy's natives moral lessons on being more rule-abiding .

[Writinglegend]

How long do you all plan to stay?

Not too long, we don't have time to stay in Anarchy for weeks on end.

And is it true that this is in retaliation for the AI coexistence protocol which our delegate authored ?

No, this is merely a show of strength on the international stage by the ERN and its friends and allies. This was not in retaliation for any AI Coexistance Protocal in the GA, nor was it for past WA resolutions your native delegate may have written, but for the purpose of beneficially progressing our foreign policy.

[Natapoc]

How long do you all plan to stay?

Not too long, we don't have time to stay in Anarchy for weeks on end.

And is it true that this is in retaliation for the AI coexistence protocol which our delegate authored ?

No, this is merely a show of strength on the international stage by the ERN and its friends and allies. This was not in retaliation for any AI Coexistance Protocal in the GA, nor was it for past WA resolutions your native delegate may have written, but for the purpose of beneficially progressing our foreign policy.

Thank you for clearing that up.

By apparent coincidence, our delegate received a telegram declaring "war" in retaliation for the AI Coexistence Protocol shortly before the delegate was seized. We were not sure if it was related or just bad timing.

Anarchy is a peaceful region which prefers not to play the "R/D" game. I wish there was a way to opt out. Some have suggested abandoning anarchy and creating a region with founders. But the Anarchy region has existed since may 2003 and most of the time we're unoccupied and free to do as we wish.

[Flanderlion]

Not too long, we don't have time to stay in Anarchy for weeks on end.


No, this is merely a show of strength on the international stage by the ERN and its friends and allies. This was not in retaliation for any AI Coexistance Protocal in the GA, nor was it for past WA resolutions your native delegate may have written, but for the purpose of beneficially progressing our foreign policy.

Thank you for clearing that up.

By apparent coincidence, our delegate received a telegram declaring "war" in retaliation for the AI Coexistence Protocol shortly before the delegate was seized. We were not sure if it was related or just bad timing.

Anarchy is a peaceful region which prefers not to play the "R/D" game. I wish there was a way to opt out. Some have suggested abandoning anarchy and creating a region with founders. But the Anarchy region has existed since may 2003 and most of the time we're unoccupied and free to do as we wish.

The opt out for R/D is a region with an active founder (who isn't sharing his nation for some strange reason), who does not have any BC RO's and a non-executive delegacy is in place. Even with that, if your delegate has had a few years at the helm, you are still vulnerable without endorsements on the delegate.

As a founderless region, as long as you have 10 or so endos on the delegate, and a good number of high influence nations, you will be safe from all bar the largest tag raid, and occupations will last long enough to reap the activity boost, but not long enough for the region to be destroyed.

As much as I'd love to think the telegram was related, it likely wasn't. The choice of region might have been enough to choose you from the shortlist, but I think it was just dumb luck.

[Marselesk]

Congratulations on the raid

[RiderSyl]

Ah, Anarchy. The region that can't stop being occupied.
Here's hoping your fellow natives are a little more rule-abiding this time around, Natapoc.

Good old Ridersyl, former TBR lieutenant, teaching Anrchy's natives moral lessons on being more rule-abiding .

I should know, I was there when you guys were puppet-spamming and flaming through nation titles...

[Natapoc]

Good old Ridersyl, former TBR lieutenant, teaching Anrchy's natives moral lessons on being more rule-abiding .

I should know, I was there when you guys were puppet-spamming and flaming through nation titles...

To be fair, how were we to even know that was against the rules?

The average person on nationstates does not know what puppet-spamming is (I don't think I understand it still... What is the difference between making a puppet and moving it to a region and puppet spamming?). The average player has no idea how "raiding" works and it is reasonable that they would not know that some of the few things natives could do to fight against a raider are actually against the rules.

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying. It used to be called griefing and it was a bannable offense when I made my nation. I realize it's accepted now but it's poorly implemented from a design perspective and my personal opinion is that such raiding should not be allowed.

I'm not really all that upset with how Europeia is doing it. They are at least polite raiders.

edit: I just looked up puppet flooding and I don't see how what anyone was doing even qualified as that. I can see how what you were doing probably did since your intent was clearly to annoy the residents but I don't think making duck puns was annoying. It was funny! And I'm pretty sure all the actual residents felt so as well.

[RiderSyl]

I should know, I was there when you guys were puppet-spamming and flaming through nation titles...

To be fair, how were we to even know that was against the rules?

The game moderators posted alerts on the RMB to knock it off before they actually started punishing Anarchy natives for the behavior. Except for the long-time native who decided it was a good idea to flame via his nation title. If you claim ignorance of the rules for him, then I have nothing to offer but a laugh.

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying. It used to be called griefing and it was a bannable offense when I made my nation. I realize it's accepted now but it's poorly implemented from a design perspective and my personal opinion is that such raiding should not be allowed.

Most users simply don't care about R/D. And no, invading was never illegal. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=275968&p=18114629#p18114629

I'm not really all that upset with how Europeia is doing it. They are at least polite raiders.

Like I said originally, I hope your community doesn't act up like it did last time.

edit: I just looked up puppet flooding and I don't see how what anyone was doing even qualified as that. I can see how what you were doing probably did since your intent was clearly to annoy the residents but I don't think making duck puns was annoying. It was funny! And I'm pretty sure all the actual residents felt so as well.

Thankfully, this was sorted out at the time, and you're still wrong. The moderators ruled the multiple reports against me and other TBR pilers as inactionable, except for a warning I received for spamming the same message repeatedly under 'Super Yoko' (which I then stopped doing).

The 'duck pun' guy had his nations deleted for puppet-flooding, still came back to do the same thing, got in further trouble, and he is now Delete-on-Sight.

But sure, take that side. I guess even a DOS player is better than a dirty old raider.

[Cormac Stark]

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying. It used to be called griefing and it was a bannable offense when I made my nation. I realize it's accepted now but it's poorly implemented from a design perspective and my personal opinion is that such raiding should not be allowed.

Raiding was always legal. Only the ejection of natives was referred to as "region griefing," which was against site rules until the creation of regional influence, because prior to regional influence there was nothing besides the rules to offer natives any kind of protection or stop raiders from ejecting an entire native population in one update cycle. But just raiding a region without ejecting any natives has been legal since the site was created.

[Natapoc]

To be fair, how were we to even know that was against the rules?

The game moderators posted alerts on the RMB to knock it off before they actually started punishing Anarchy natives for the behavior. Except for the long-time native who decided it was a good idea to flame via his nation title. If you claim ignorance of the rules for him, then I have nothing to offer but a laugh.

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying. It used to be called griefing and it was a bannable offense when I made my nation. I realize it's accepted now but it's poorly implemented from a design perspective and my personal opinion is that such raiding should not be allowed.

Most users simply don't care about R/D. And no, invading was never illegal. viewtopic.php?f=15&t=275968&p=18114629#p18114629

I'm not really all that upset with how Europeia is doing it. They are at least polite raiders.

Like I said originally, I hope your community doesn't act up like it did last time.

edit: I just looked up puppet flooding and I don't see how what anyone was doing even qualified as that. I can see how what you were doing probably did since your intent was clearly to annoy the residents but I don't think making duck puns was annoying. It was funny! And I'm pretty sure all the actual residents felt so as well.

Thankfully, this was sorted out at the time, and you're still wrong. The moderators ruled the multiple reports against me and other TBR pilers as inactionable, except for a warning I received for spamming the same message repeatedly under 'Super Yoko' (which I then stopped doing).

The 'duck pun' guy had his nations deleted for puppet-flooding, still came back to do the same thing, got in further trouble, and he is now Delete-on-Sight.

But sure, take that side. I guess even a DOS player is better than a dirty old raider.

I'm not claiming ignorance on anyone's behalf except my own. I have some of the same confusions that unibot expressed here: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=295109

If a seasoned R/D player could be confused, surely you can see how someone with no experience in R/D who was simply minding their own business when some bullies arrived and sent everyone threatening messages would not be aware of the subtleties?

Your team was clearly using the moderators to try to harm us. Someone even decided to report my sig because they thought the link in it somehow could make me money (it could not). It was ridiculous.

[Natapoc]

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying. It used to be called griefing and it was a bannable offense when I made my nation. I realize it's accepted now but it's poorly implemented from a design perspective and my personal opinion is that such raiding should not be allowed.

Raiding was always legal. Only the ejection of natives was referred to as "region griefing," which was against site rules until the creation of regional influence, because prior to regional influence there was nothing besides the rules to offer natives any kind of protection or stop raiders from ejecting an entire native population in one update cycle. But just raiding a region without ejecting any natives has been legal since the site was created.

Right. Apologies, I'm not a raider so I don't always understand the distinctions. The other times anarchy was raided, removing the natives was an essential component.

[RiderSyl]

I'm not claiming ignorance on anyone's behalf except my own. I have some of the same confusions that unibot expressed here: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=295109

If a seasoned R/D player could be confused, surely you can see how someone with no experience in R/D who was simply minding their own business when some bullies arrived and sent everyone threatening messages would not be aware of the subtleties?

Using Unibot as your reference isn't helping your case.

also "when some bullies arrived and sent everyone threatening messages"

What threatening messages? Did you guys report these threats to the moderators? Oh wait, no, because you were and are still crying wolf about how TBR behaved in your region.

Your team was clearly using the moderators to try to harm us. Someone even decided to report my sig because they thought the link in it somehow could make me money (it could not). It was ridiculous

The "mods as weapons" reports from your side were tossed out too. Mainly because you guys were breaking rules and skirting the lines. As for your signature being reported... when you guys flood the mods with frivolous reports, I don't think you have the right to complain about one questionable report. (If that report was even submitted by a TBR member, and not someone unassociated.)

By the way, you harmed yourselves using the moderators just fine, without TBR's help.

[RiderSyl]

Anyway, congratulations to Europeia on a successful operation. Thank your lucky stars that Nova Castlemilk is inactive and Andyl is DOS in your Anarchy occupation. Those two were massive headaches during the 2014 Anarchy occupation.

Have fun talking to Nata and YoriZ on the RMB.

[The Violet Carson]

How long do you all plan to stay?

Not long. In the face of the resolve of Anarchy and its allies, the raiders have already slinked away.

No, this is merely a show of strength on the international stage by the ERN and its friends and allies.

What kind of "strength" does it take to momentarily occupy a founderless region?

I know you think raiding is fun, but to most users it's nothing less than bullying.

Not "bullying."

Picking fights with easy targets is, apparently, "a show of strength on the international stage."

[Ever-Wandering Souls]

How long do you all plan to stay?

Not long. In the face of the resolve of Anarchy and its allies, the raiders have already slinked away.

The Black Hawks were informed by their Europeian military contacts of the three-day scope of this mission upon the initial request for assistance, prior to the initial assault even taking place. No actions by the native populace affected this.