[DRAFT] Operation Professor Recovery

[Jim the Baptist]

Co-authored by Dabarastan

The issue
It has now been six months since highly-respected @@DEMONYM@@ academic Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@ was arrested in Brasilistan after accepting an invitation to deliver a guest lecture in the hostile state. While @@HE@@ was arrested on espionage charges, your advisors have assured you the charges are almost certainly trumped-up, and domestic pressure is now mounting for you to get @@HIM@@ home.

1. Your Minister for Education is the first to your desk. “It’s imperative we get Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@ back immediately! @@HIS@@ expertise and scientific research is the key to curing debilitating neuro disorders, and no one else in @@NAME@@ can even comprehend the complexity of his data. Find out their price for the professor, and damn-well double it! If the Brasilistanis find out what @@HE@@ knows, they could steal all our precious research!”
Effect: researchers attending international conferences usually don’t come home

2. Your Minister for Defence audibly scoffs. “And what kind of message would that send? That if any tin-pot dictatorship wants a little extra pocket money all they need to do is kidnap a @@DEMONYM@@? Get on the phone to the Brasilistanis and tell them that if the professor’s not released by tomorrow morning, we’ll be moving troops into their cities by nightfall.”
Effect: @@LEADER@@’s finger is constantly on the button

3. “I agree with the Defence guy - we need to take hard action, but um, maybe a little less aggressive,” retorts your Foreign Affairs Minister. “Just arrest a few Brasilistanis here on trumped-up charges of our own. We can use them as a bargaining tool to negotiate the professor’s release. It’ll probably set us back a few decades in diplomacy with Brasilistan, but things weren’t exactly peachy to begin with.”
Must not have No Immigration
Effect: immigrants live in constant fear of surprise arrests

4. “Why not just offer a prisoner swap?,” quietly interjects your Minister for Justice. “They’ve been begging us to release those Brasilistanis in @@CAPITAL@@ Prison arrested for that foiled terror plot a few years back. Sure, we might be releasing a few potential national security threats, but we can deal with the consequences of that later. Just offer to send them back home in exchange for the professor’s safe return to @@NAME@@.”
Must not have No Prisons
Effect: @@LEADER@@’s idea of foreign policy is ‘an eye for an eye’

5. “Why are we even having this conversation?” mutters your brother, as he polishes the new gold bust of you on display in your office. “Who cares about this nutty professor anyway? Maybe @@HE@@ shouldn’t have been poking around and rubbing shoulders with our sworn enemies. Have you seen what these academics write in their papers about our benevolent government? I say cut our losses with the professor, and while we’re at it, maybe we could arrange for a couple of other academics to mysteriously ‘go missing’.”
Effect: university lectures are taught by the most competent student in the class

The Issue
It has now been six months since highly-respected @@DEMONYM@@ academic Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@ was arrested in Brazilistan after accepting an invitation to deliver a guest lecture in the hostile state. While @@HE@@ was arrested on espionage charges, your advisors have assured you the charges are almost certainly trumped-up, and domestic pressure is now mounting for you to get @@HIM@@ home.

1. The professor’s lead co-researcher rushes into your office, hair ablaze. “Our lab is falling apart without Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@, look what happened to my hair when I tried to turn on the Blansen burner! @@HIS@@ expertise and scientific research is the key to curing dry elbow syndrome, and none of us left at the lab can even comprehend the complexity of @@HIS@@ data. You know, the Brazilistanis have been working on similar competing technology; we could share some of our findings in exchange for the professor’s swift release. They’ll probably beat us to the patent phase, but it’ll be worth it in the long-term for the professor’s irreplaceable skillset.”
Effect: Brazilistan is being lauded for their breakthroughs in treating dry elbow syndrome

2. “Who’s to say they’ll not just steal the research and renege on the deal?” the Professor’s cousin interjects. “Besides, that could take months to negotiate, and every day we sit here my cousin is being tortured by those barbaric savages! You need to find out their price, and damn-well double it! Whichever way you need to brand it to save face - call it ‘foreign aid’ if you have to - just do it quickly! Isn’t this what our taxes are for - protecting and serving our people?”
Effect: money bags are being shipped to Brazilistan by the boat-full

3. “No, that’s what the police are for,” your Minister for Defence audibly scoffs. “Anyway, what kind of message would that send? That if any tin-pot dictatorship wants a little extra pocket money all they need to do is kidnap a @@DEMONYM@@? Get on the phone to the Brazilistanis and tell them that if the professor’s not released by tomorrow morning, we’ll be moving troops into their cities by nightfall.”
Effect: @@LEADER@@’s finger is constantly on the button

4. “I agree with the Defence guy that we need to act quickly, but maybe a little less militaristic,” murmurs Shawn Shanksen, the warden of the notorious @@CAPITALCITY@@ State Prison. “Why not just offer a prisoner swap? They’ve been begging us to release those Brazilistanis arrested for that foiled terror plot a few years back. Sure, we might be unleashing a few potential national security threats, but we can deal with the consequences of that later. Just offer to send them back home in exchange for the professor’s safe return to @@NAME@@.”
Must not have No Prisons
Effect: terrorists need not dig a hole through the prison wall to escape the watchful eye of Shawn Shanksen

5. “Why are we even having this conversation?” mutters your brother, as he polishes the new gold bust of you on display in your office. “Who cares about this nutty professor anyway? Maybe @@HE@@ shouldn’t have been poking around and rubbing shoulders with our sworn enemies. Have you seen what these academics write in their papers about our benevolent government? I say cut our losses with the professor, and while we’re at it, maybe we could even arrange for a couple of other academics to mysteriously ‘go missing’.”
Effect: university lectures are left to be taught by the most competent student in the class

[Trotterdam]

3. “I agree with the Defence guy - we need to take hard action, but um, maybe a little less aggressive,” retorts your Foreign Affairs Minister. “Just arrest a few Brazilistanis here on trumped-up charges of our own. We can use them as a bargaining tool to negotiate the professor’s release. It’ll probably set us back a few decades in diplomacy with Brazilistan, but things weren’t exactly peachy to begin with.”
Must not have No Immigration
Effect: immigrants live in constant fear of surprise arrests

4. “Why not just offer a prisoner swap?,” quietly interjects your Minister for Justice. “They’ve been begging us to release those Brazilistanis in @@CAPITAL@@ Prison arrested for that foiled terror plot a few years back. Sure, we might be releasing a few potential national security threats, but we can deal with the consequences of that later. Just offer to send them back home in exchange for the professor’s safe return to @@NAME@@.”
Must not have No Prisons
Effect: @@LEADER@@’s idea of foreign policy is ‘an eye for an eye’

Aren't these the same thing? If you already have Brazilistani prisoners, you don't need to arrest new ones just to have bargaining leverage.

Well, unless you're deliberately intending to arrest people that you won't mind releasing, while being able to keep the people you really want in prison locked up. But it's likely Brasilistan would notice that ploy and not be too impressed.

[Jim the Baptist]

3. “I agree with the Defence guy - we need to take hard action, but um, maybe a little less aggressive,” retorts your Foreign Affairs Minister. “Just arrest a few Brazilistanis here on trumped-up charges of our own. We can use them as a bargaining tool to negotiate the professor’s release. It’ll probably set us back a few decades in diplomacy with Brazilistan, but things weren’t exactly peachy to begin with.”
Must not have No Immigration
Effect: immigrants live in constant fear of surprise arrests

4. “Why not just offer a prisoner swap?,” quietly interjects your Minister for Justice. “They’ve been begging us to release those Brazilistanis in @@CAPITAL@@ Prison arrested for that foiled terror plot a few years back. Sure, we might be releasing a few potential national security threats, but we can deal with the consequences of that later. Just offer to send them back home in exchange for the professor’s safe return to @@NAME@@.”
Must not have No Prisons
Effect: @@LEADER@@’s idea of foreign policy is ‘an eye for an eye’

Aren't these the same thing? If you already have Brazilistani prisoners, you don't need to arrest new ones just to have bargaining leverage.

Well, unless you're deliberately intending to arrest people that you won't mind releasing, while being able to keep the people you really want in prison locked up. But it's likely Brasilistan would notice that ploy and not be too impressed.

That's right, they're not the same thing for the reason you said - option 3 is basically implicitly saying that if possible we would rather not release those Brasilistani terrorists and just find a few other scapegoats that we don't really care about releasing. Yes Brasilistani might not be too impressed but that's the point of option 3 - following Brasilistan's backlash it will significantly set back relations with them but it also avoids having to release terrorists. If you would rather do things above board, you have option 4.

Also we like having the 2 options because some people may not get 3 while others may not get 4 and vice versa due to policy filters.

[Electrum]

Yeah, I agree, 3 and 4 are a bit duplicative. Scrap one, and make a doppelganger for the other imo.

Draft could do with a bit more humour/characterisation too.

[Jim the Baptist]

Yeah, I agree, 3 and 4 are a bit duplicative. Scrap one, and make a doppelganger for the other imo.

Draft could do with a bit more humour/characterisation too.

We have significantly altered the draft now and made a new version in light of the feedback. Also, we deleted option 3 because it was too hard to doppelgänger with all of the policy filters.

[Dabarastan]

Bumping this.

[Candlewhisper Archive]

It has now been six months since highly-respected @@DEMONYM@@ academic Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@ was arrested in Brazilistan after accepting an invitation to deliver a guest lecture in the hostile state. While @@HE@@ was arrested on espionage charges, your advisors have assured you the charges are almost certainly trumped-up, and domestic pressure is now mounting for you to get @@HIM@@ home.

This kind of reads like an issue, but isn't one. You're describing a situation where one of your citizens has been wrongfully imprisoned by a foreign power, and then discuss the best strategy to bring him home. That's almost an issue.

What you're missing here is the dilemma. Where's the conflict here? What factors are you weighing against each other?

The options read as a list of tactical approaches, but they're not really in opposition to each other, and there's no feeling of cost. It's basically as controversial as asking LEADER what his favourite sandwich is. Which, don't get me wrong, would probably be an interesting issue if done right, with an eye to allegory and symbolism. But here the blandness makes the issue weaker.

I suggest revisit the premise, and find the conflict.

[Dabarastan]

It has now been six months since highly-respected @@DEMONYM@@ academic Dr. @@RANDOMNAME@@ was arrested in Brazilistan after accepting an invitation to deliver a guest lecture in the hostile state. While @@HE@@ was arrested on espionage charges, your advisors have assured you the charges are almost certainly trumped-up, and domestic pressure is now mounting for you to get @@HIM@@ home.

This kind of reads like an issue, but isn't one. You're describing a situation where one of your citizens has been wrongfully imprisoned by a foreign power, and then discuss the best strategy to bring him home. That's almost an issue.

What you're missing here is the dilemma. Where's the conflict here? What factors are you weighing against each other?

The options read as a list of tactical approaches, but they're not really in opposition to each other, and there's no feeling of cost. It's basically as controversial as asking LEADER what his favourite sandwich is. Which, don't get me wrong, would probably be an interesting issue if done right, with an eye to allegory and symbolism. But here the blandness makes the issue weaker.

I suggest revisit the premise, and find the conflict.

Thanks. Do you think the options need any rewriting or just the premise alone needs revisiting?

[Daarwyrth]

This kind of reads like an issue, but isn't one. You're describing a situation where one of your citizens has been wrongfully imprisoned by a foreign power, and then discuss the best strategy to bring him home. That's almost an issue.

What you're missing here is the dilemma. Where's the conflict here? What factors are you weighing against each other?

The options read as a list of tactical approaches, but they're not really in opposition to each other, and there's no feeling of cost. It's basically as controversial as asking LEADER what his favourite sandwich is. Which, don't get me wrong, would probably be an interesting issue if done right, with an eye to allegory and symbolism. But here the blandness makes the issue weaker.

I suggest revisit the premise, and find the conflict.

Thanks. Do you think the options need any rewriting or just the premise alone needs revisiting?

Most likely if you rewrite the premise, you'll see you'll have to change some things in the options as well. And as Candlewhisper said, the options aren't really opposing each other, which in a dilemma they should. So, if you really want to improve upon this issue, you'll also have to rewrite parts of the issue options.