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Hey guys, Yui here. I’ve recently returned from a no-expenses paid trip to track down a certain member of eRepublik. I had to scour the lands to find him, as he’s trying his hardest to stay far away from us right now. But I finally caught up to him, and was able to chain him to a chair to ask him a couple of questions.

So without further ado, here’s the interview with former Pacifica SG, TheJuliusCaesar!

Yui: Introduce yourself to those who don't already know who you are

TJC: I'm a citizen of Finland in game, recently I was the SG of Pacifica for half a year. I guess that's the most relevant for this interview. I've been in FA circles for a few years now, albeit Finnish influence hasn't been too great in the grand scheme of things.

Yui: Can you summarize your SG term and the major developments that occurred therein?

TJC: During my term Pacifica managed to stabilise its FA position from the verge of annihilation in early 2017. Along the way we enhanced our own possibilities to have that limited fun that is offered still in the game, as those on the "winning" side always have more options to pursue militarily than those on the "losing" side. Understandably and rather unfortunately this caused the weakening of some other blocs' position, even to the point where Syndicate was dissolved (although it was born again with only part of the proSyndicate damage). Some win, some lose. Such goes the nature of this game. Yet things are always changing, as is the nature of this game, and certain movements could fortunately be seen already during June or so. Perhaps some nations learn from the past, hopefully

Yui: Many have accused Pacifica of being the main cause of the dissolution of Syndicate. Do you agree or disagree, and why?

TJC: I agree with it to a large extent. Although Asteria was the one keeping nations for example in South America wiped, it is possible and perhaps probable that Pacifica's change of course in FA was the final straw for Syndicate (and Adriatica). At least that's a common talking point from what I've heard and read. I, however, find it rather unfortunate that the leadership of the two alliances didn't bother to communicate or coordinate with Pacifica before, during or even a bit after Pacifica undertook some new objectives in alliance politics. When I finally received contact requests (after writing an article about the fact that no one had contacted Pacifica), Pacifica was already well on the way in the chosen path. Actions, more accurately the absence of actions, has consequences.

Similarly, it is unfortunate that at least part of the proSyndicate chose to prolong the status quo by forming a new alliance from the same ingredient pool, except with less quantity. It is also to be noted that some nations of the same bloc undertook a different approach after the dissolution of the alliance, which I find promising and welcome gladly.

Yui: So it seems that you believe that Andes is an alliance going down the same path as Syndicate, just being weaker while doing so. What advice would you give to Andes so they don't go down the beaten path?

TJC: I am indeed mostly of that opinion. I do not know how politically viable it would be to dismantle another alliance so soon, but I much more prefer certain other approaches than sticking with the same hand of cards that made you lose in the first place,or getting even a worse hand of cards. Diplomacy is the key to how most efficiently affect the framework and context in which the military module operates. Hence, a step to right direction would be to establish relations across the alliance lines and seek compromises and better relations with individual nations, gradually moving your nation and the bloc in overall to different direction than you used to go. That's when the alliance situation ultimately changes, after gradual process of realigning, if one is to seek a change.

Yui: Let's talk more about how you view your term. When comparing where Pacifica was to how it was left between the different SGs, where would you rank your term?

TJC: I'm not comfortable with ranking terms under different SG's, because of the differing contexts each SG operates in. Each situation calls for a different approach. That said, I am pretty content on how it all turned out for Pacifica. We managed to, as an alliance, to cooperate in spite of sometimes flaring differences. In fact, that is one thing I am most proud of, in my mind we were able to nurture an atmosphere where each member felt confident enough to express their dissenting opinions, regardless of sometimes pretty harsh words after the said opinions. I am always glad to challenge how I view things by bringin someone with a countering argument up, and I'm confident I managed to import at least some of this attitude and approach to the functions of the alliance.

One thing to add is that Pacifica Secretary General does not have very much powers associated with the position. Therefore all the achievements should be regarded as achievements of the alliance as a whole. SG alone cannot decide almost anything. It is the will of member nations, guided by SG, that determines what happens

Yui: You've already said what you're most proud of, so now I must ask; What was your biggest regret in your term?

TJC: Ah, I anticipated this. The biggest regrets of my tenure are twofold. First, I am disappointed and a bit sad that I wasn't able to enhance the position of Pacifica without we inevitably "killing" what the majority calls "fun" for certain alliance blocs. To enhance the situation of Pacifica is to worsen the situation of some other bloc, at least to some extent. This time it was Syndicate and its associates whose situation got bad for the reasons I have outlined both earlier in this interview as well as in my articles. Believe me, I have tried to nudge the proSyndicate bloc forwards even a bit too much by proposing ways how to change their losing hand of cards towards better, to minimize the effect. So far with no big success.

Second, I regret the tone of some of my messages in internal communication of the alliance. My temper hasn't always been on the level it should have been, namely after been confronted with identical arguments for the seventh time. Apologies for that, you know who you are.

Yui: What advice would you give to the current Pacifica SG (cough) in their quest to lead Pacifica to a better tomorrow?

TJC: Listen to your member nations, try to calculate how each decision would affect the bigger picture, weight the consequences and decide (in fact, as Pacifica SG doesn't have that much power, initiate discussion according to your judgement and bring up your arguments)

Yui: Are we going to see you return as the player in Finland, or are you going to relax a bit after these past few months?

TJC: I'm definitely going to relax (and concentrate on writing, mayhaps) for the next few months. I might be in government as an advisor to give my opinion on things, but I won't be in MoFA position for a few months at least.

Yui: Is there anything you'd like to say to the people of the eUSA?

TJC: It's a pleasure to have such an active community as a member of Pacifica, as USA is. Hopefully you'll continue to do whatever magic you do to retain players, as many nations are doing much, much worse in terms of population.

At this point, TJC managed to escape his restraints, and made his getaway in his Volkswagen Kleinbus V2.

Until we meet again TJC.