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I was recently interviewed from South Africa by ndvanderhoofven in his upstart newspaper, Escher's Logic. Go there. Vote and subscribe.

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ndvanderhoofven: What caused you to turn against the eUSA and become such an avid supporter of eIndonesia? Was there some event that soured you on the eUSA or was it a process?
Longbaugh: What soured me was the national reaction to an article I wrote regarding Robert S. Miller’s attempted theft from the Federal Reserve. I typed seven words: “Thanks to the UIP for Robert S. Miller.”

I figured it was necessary to not let people forget that he was endorsed by the UIP. What was essentially a half-joke exploded into a firestorm where everyone and their grandmother was slinging insults at me. All I did—all I ever do—was demand transparency. Ansen was the PP at the time and decided to specifically up the ante on the attacks. Though, the UIP did in fact end up making a statement regarding Miller—but only after my prodding had forced them to. When the statement was made, I updated my article and declared the issue to be dead. Ansen refused to accept the fact that my efforts paid off. Likely, he felt defeated that he was forced to capitulate to my demands.

My article was deleted by admin because I had folks telling me some wild stuff via PM and I wasn’t yet aware that posting private conversations was against eRep law. It can still be found on the eUS forum here.

For the following week or so, the insults and attacks didn’t stop. I also had a conversation with the banned Miller that completely disintegrated my loyalty to the country so I left.

So, to summarize, it was a process of events and people.

ndvanderhoofven: Do you speak any Indonesian?
Longbaugh: No.

ndvanderhoofven: What other e-countries have you lived in?
Longbaugh: I lived in Ireland for a few weeks until WWIII began. I moved to Indonesia to get involved in the fight and I’ve been here ever since. I’ve also noticed that Ireland is more-or-less going the way of the United States—societally, not in terms of might.

ndvanderhoofven: Why is it necessary to wipe out the US? Do you think that PEACE GC can win Florida? As a strategic move, wouldn't it be smarter to trap the eUS in one state and lay seige against it as it wouldn't be economically viable for it to exist in that condition?
Longbaugh: First of all, I know PEACE GC can win in Florida. We absolutely barraged the self-proclaimed “greatest nation in the New World.” They knew we were coming and we just steamrolled across the entire country. They only had two Q5 states; the other one was New Jersey. Needless to say, we took New Jersey.

Strategically, it would be better to leave Florida be. However, that is precisely what we did. What happened was it allowed the United States to turn the tables on us and now they’re nearly fully reconstructed—though not nearly as reconstructed as they were when we started kicking their ass... despite the recent Colombian invasion.

The reason I advocate for the annihilation of the United States is because if you leave them with one state then they have a firmer footing to rebuild. Let me be clear. The United States will never be permanently eliminated. We (as I’m a RL American) have too many people and this game has too many roots in RL America. The best we can hope for is to eliminate them and take a desktop capture of the world map to remind them. My advocation can best be described by the statement itself: Wipe the eUSA from the map. Humble their hubris. Let’s get real, the United States is very popular in Indonesia and Hungary (though our last RL president has caused that recede greatly). So, though I’ve said it numerous times before, I’ll go ahead and say it again: The eUS needs to be crucified, if it is ever going to live up to its name.

ndvanderhoofven: What do you think is wrong with the eUS?
Longbaugh: It’s largely run by obtuse children. They also dictate the social structure and the tone of the country. They have managed to surreptitiously poison the culture to a near-unbearable degree. They also are extremely arrogant. Many citizens take the RL egotist culture of constantly asserting that “we’re #1” and bring it into eRepublik. The intellectual hubris is off the charts. They also have very weak foresight (again, because of the hubris). And, they’re extremely partisan. Scrabman—maybe the best president of V1—came into office with a terrible economy and a plummeting dollar and managed to bring us out of the dump that Uncle Sam—maybe the worst president of V1—had left us in. Yet, all he ever got was endless derision from anyone that wasn’t in the USWP. They hated him because they like to hate. They feed off of division.

ndvanderhoofven: Is there any way of fixing the problems there short of trying to wipe the eUS out?
Longbaugh: Simply put, no. Taking their country away from them, if only for a short while, is the only way to force them to grow up.

ndvanderhoofven: Do you think that Indonesia was tricked into signing the treaty with the US that ended its alliances? Does Indonesia hold a grudge because of treaty?
Longbaugh: That is still a very confusing mess. I know that Emerick is a veritable god in eRepublik; having been born on Day 83. Consequently, I wouldn’t be surprised if he has tentacles in various enemy governments. I talked with then-president of Indonesia wizzie_don about the treaty while it was being voted on. Wizzie had nothing to do with it. He was extremely angry and felt that his congress had betrayed him and his country. The result was that Russia refused to sign and the eUS rebounded. Wizzie was right. I was right. Then… he got perma-banned.

ndvanderhoofven: You are apparently something of an expert on Dioism, which is the state religion of Pakistan. Are the Theocrats a different sect? I have never met a Dioist before and I am curious as to why they felt it necessary to have their own country in Switzerland and now South Korea when they already had Pakistan. Also, the Theocrats are fighting against PEACE, yet you are for PEACE. Can you explain this?
Longbaugh: I don’t consider myself an expert on Dioism. I studied it before I converted but I am still very much a baby Dioist. The Theocracy—started by Dio Akira and Dio Maksas—is essentially a denomination of Dioism. Dio Brando is the principle deity, and Dioism is the father religion, however Theocrats practice faith through politics. Think of Dioism like the hub and Theocracy as its long, strong arm. Many of the principle figures in Dioism have considerably low XP and strength because they frankly don’t have to work or train to be successful in the New World. Theocrats, on the other hand, are extremely strong and have loads of XP. Generally speaking, Theocrats “spread the faith.”

The Theocracy conquered Switzerland (through politics) back in February and Dio Brando was installed as the first president of the Theocratic Nation of Switzerland. Now, the Theocracy is in South Korea with the mighty Colinar as president. We are simply spreading the faith. South Koreans have no reason to fear the Theocracy. Having Dioism in power can only improve the eRepublik experience in South Korea. Follow and profit.

Regarding Dioist/Theocratic alliances, it should be noted that AgentChieftain is currently logged on the PEACE IRC channel as the owner. Arthk, another high-level Dioist, is also a mod. There have been numerous times in the past where Dioism was anti-American—and it puzzled me that Americans would be so enthusiastic about electing a Dioist president (Emerick). The simple fact is that Dioists fight for Dio. Everything else is after-the-fact. With that said, I’d say that Dioism is far more oriented toward PEACE than any other alliance. The Theocracy is currently doing what is in the best interest of the Theocracy.

ndvanderhoofven: Indonesia is in control of several regions of South Africa which have little or no strategic value (other than Northern Cape which has high diamonds). South Africa is willing to buy these back for gold yet the new president of Indonesia, 8uj3l, refuses to negotiate. I realize you are not in the government, but can you explain the thinking?
Longbaugh: South Africa is Indonesia’s bridge to South America. Though I haven’t talked to 8uj3l about it, I understand the strategy to keeping the Western and Northern Capes simply for keeping a gateway open to South America. With that said, I don’t see any reason why we shouldn’t allow South Africa to purchase the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal (for the right price). However, much can be said for protecting Western Australia and its ridiculous abundance of raw materials.

Also, South Africa is sort of a hotbed for American patriots and e😜atriots. Much can also be said for keeping Western Australia’s bordering regions out of the hands of anything or anyone American.

ndvanderhoofven: Do you think the new president, Gaius Julius, will do a better job?
Longbaugh: Yes, Gaius is extremely efficient and knows what he’s doing. He’s also trustworthy; which goes a long way in eRepublik.

ndvanderhoofven: What do you like about Indonesia?
Longbaugh: I like that the wages are higher, the wars are nonstop, and the market is regulated. I can work for more money and fight for more damage points. Not to mention that the culture is very interesting to me. I recently wrote an article regarding their cultural tendency to not re-elect presidents, which I think is a very efficient way to govern. The political tone here is also much more evolved than either nation I’ve lived in. The vitriol is turned down and there’s a national unification in Indonesia that certainly trumps the unity lip service you see all across the eUS.

ndvanderhoofven: What do you think of the Sol alliance? Right now it seems like it is just a war-game association, but do you think that could change with China becoming a superpower since it has 2 high iron regions? Japan has lots of game players, if this eRepublik ever catches on there they could be dominant. And of course Pakistan is a member.
Longbaugh: Sol is largely a war-game association. Australia, China, Japan, Malaysia, Pakistan (Dioist), the Philippines, Singapore (Dioist), and South Africa deserve an alliance and I’m glad they have it. China could very well become a powerhouse. I’m not all too sure how eRepublik is allowed/monitored by the RL Chinese government. The online population is certainly frightening on its own. China could very quickly become the #1 nation in eRepublik. The same goes for Japan, where eRepublik is certainly allowed. Japan could rock the New World—especially if admin took the initiative and translated the game into Japanese. Considering how tech-savvy Japan is, and how many people would likely join eRepublik, I think translating the game into Japanese is a bigger priority than translating it into French.

ndvanderhoofven: Do you think that Indonesia will be able to hold on to the West Siberian Region of Russia forever? Same question about Western Australia.
Longbaugh: To go back to your question about South African territories, I think protecting Western Australia must be of the highest priority and I definitely believe that Indonesia is up to that task. The same can be said for Western Siberia, arguably the most valuable region in all of the New World. Keeping up positive diplomatic relations with Russia is the best way to ensure Western Siberia stays red and white.

As for Western Australia, it’s a cornerstone of Indonesian might. I don’t necessarily see how Indonesia could ever lose the region as Australia poses no threat. Considering Australia’s corner-of-the-world position, in order for Western Australia to fall numerous other Indonesian regions would have to fall as well.

ndvanderhoofven: What are your long-term aspirations in eRepublik? Become a tank as Field Marshall, or maybe president?
Longbaugh: I plan on doing it all.

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End of interview.