The Siamese Sentinel

A Lot of Talk ... And Little Action

Over the past two weeks, we have seen a power struggle at the top of the Sol Alliance. This struggle has mainly been between Albert Neurath (the alliance chairman) and Hektor (President of the Phillipines). Without getting into the details of the argument, I think it is important for all of us living in this little corner of the world for us to think about what Sol really is.

A Brotherhood of Peaceful Nations - No More. No Less

The countries in our part of the world are fairly peaceful. We respect each other's autonomy and borders. We want to live in harmony. Aside from Indonesia, no country in our side of the world has made any aggressive moves against another. There is something to be said about that. So. What is Sol's purpose? To protect against those who wish to interfere with our affairs? Doubtful. Sol has yet to show any strength in regards to defending any of its members, nor has it any intention to. During Indonesia's invasion of Malaysia, it wasn't Sol's resolve that helped regain Malaysia its original wargames but rather the MPP's Malaysia had gathered from its wargames. We must realize that the only way for our region to develop is to develop our nations from the inside out. Having external arguments about foreign policy issues will not help us in this regard.

Lets Be Honest With Ourselves

We know that Sol wasn't built to be a military alliance, even defensively it hasn't been effective. I say this to you, Albert and Hektor, bury the hatchet. Recognize Sol for what it is. A brotherhood of peaceful nations. Instead of putting all this effort into arguing over who has control of what, we need to be growing the strength of our countries. Where does Sol fit in in that regard? Wargames. Thats it. Lets just keep our wargames up, maintain friendly lines of communication with each other, and focus on growing our populations and social networks in game.

So thats my two cents. Thank you for reading.

Travis Byrd
The Siamese Sentinel

*The Siamese Sentinel is a Thai-based newspaper that reports exclusively on events in Southern Asia. It publishes twice. Once in Thailand. And once more in another country in the SEA region. Please subscribe if you would like to be informed of news and events in your region.