Join the new world

Greetings everyone.

Let me preface this article by saying that creativity, nor writing, are close to being my strong points.
I also must state, that I am not interested in trying to shift blame. I make my decisions, which I am perfectly happy to back-up and defend.

Firstly, Arjay is quite correct, I have not put out an article since being elected. The simple fact of the matter is that being President is very taxing. There are horror stories relating to the time-consuming nature of this job, all of which I can confirm. I am not stating this to garner pity, I'm simply saying that for someone who finds writing very boring, it comes very low on the priority list of someone trying to establish an economy, a military and foreign relations with other countries amongst two *very* different perspectives making up two halves of a newly established nation.

It is for this reason that Fionia, Wahoobob and others have been asked to give overviews on what has been happening in our nation. You'll find that I am active on the Forums and IRC, and will for the most part, respond to any and all PMs sent my way.

The biggest issue I find with myself however, is that I am very much a responder. For those with an interest in debating, I am always in the third chair. I am not extremely good at developing my own personal arguments, but I can develope those of others and meld them myself, as well as having a particular knack for destroying an opposing argument. For this reason, you will normally find me responding to claims in the comments of an article, or on the forums, rather than writing up articles of my own. I apologise for those for whom this irks them, but this is me.


“Of course, if this were a training war, I’m waiting for national leadership to explain that it is what it is. Where is the grand statement, either at the Forum or in the newspapers, that states what this damn thing is?”
This is the declaration, this is a training war.

“he’s not going to step up and explain”
Who are you to say that? I am explaining and I always had every intention of explaining. Frankly, more interest is garnered by letting the people come to their own conclusions, before giving the official word. By giving this time to circulate, the population is far more interested in this move than it would have been if I had said “this is what will happen in 24 hours, so be ready”.

As I'm sure you are all aware, we've taken an active stance on maintaining our neutrality/non-alignment. Part of that was dealt with and accepted by both sides, in taking MPPs with two "opposing" nations. Those being Serbia and the United States of America. Recently however, a faction of our citizenry have approached the CP of France offering an MPP with us. This was a deal made without the knowledge of either myself, the majority of my cabinet, or congress. This MPP, coupled with the knowledge of the USA’s plans, mean that one of our MPPs gets negated.

Added to this has been our inability to maintain control over our treasury. A significant proportion of this countries wealth is tied up in the treasury, allowing things like MPPs with France, or Declarations of War, to go through without the knowledge or consent of the congress. Yes, I accept that the DoW is on my head, an I am quite happy to accept that, but I remain firm in my belief that it is a good move for a number of reasons which I will lay out now.

1. We DO NOT have control over our own treasury. We have control over the majority of the countries funds through the reserve bank, but there was still a large portion of the nations funds tied up in the treasury. This presented itself as an opportunity to reduce the potential damage done by any hostile party that gets into power in the next congressional elections. by taking a quarter of the funds out through a DoW, we begin to minimise the potential hazards presented by the upcoming congress elections.
2. We need war. We've gone 4 days without a battle, and everyone, myself included, has been getting sick of not having an opportunity to stretch their legs on the battlefield.
3. The French MPP will negate the existing eUSA MPP.
4. eAustralian CP Wally Wilson approached me with this proposal. As an opportunity for war games had presented itself, with a close nation that has a very effective military, it made sense for us to test ourselves against some strong citizens
5. This gives us consistant battles and solidifies our position with nearby neighbours in light of Mr. Lassans proposal of a South Pacific Alliance. With eAus onboard as a willing participant - a result of these games - we strengthen our defensive capabilities in our home regions.

Now a little bit of information regarding the way in which this war was first thought up.
Wally Wilson, a long time friend of mine from my time in eAustralia, approached me with the concept of a training war as both nations were becoming restless. I initially liked the idea and said that it would be an issue due to the MPP we had with the USA. This point of reference was quickly dismissed as the MPP with France was announced. There has long been talk on the forums about the potential for eNZ to begin war games with eAustralia. Now Wally was initially happy to declare war himself seeing the potential benefits of Australia beginning the war. He attempted to propose it earlier on, but found that the eRep system had failed and thought that eAustralia had been wiped out by eIndonesia, meaning he couldn't declare war on anyone. I noticed the fact that our MPP with France was going to make the USA MPP null, so I said that I instead would declare war. If everything had gone as it was initially going to, we wouldn’t even have this issue, we'd be focusing on the Australian invasion.
The other factor is the lack of battles for us to participate in. Due to the lack of anything to do military wise for a number of days, it became apparent that there was a need for a steady flow of battles to participate in. With Australia happy to participate, it was a golden opportunity.

"My big peeve in all this, regardless of the reasoning for or against the war (training or otherwise), is the inherent lack of discussion on the matter, the absence of transparency, and no show of leadership whatsoever."

The lack of discussion is the first point I will address. To be absolutely frank, what is the point of a discussion? Whilst I agree, it would have been a nice gesture, what would it have accomplished?
I am not indifferent to the needs of the congress, I have served a number of terms in congress, including the infamous reign of Cozza in eAustralia. However, how would a discussion, with a minority of the congress who can only manage to pull together 6 votes vs 14 (half the initial congress) on a tax proposal that severely handicaps our nations growth, benefit us when the majority of the congress have been calling out for war for more than half a week?
When one only has the ability to converse with a minority of congress, there is not much that can be done regardless.

The second major point, being that of a "lack of leadership". Well, I believe that this is an inherently faulty statement. I have led the country to the best of my ability. We have a steadily growing economy in light of the constantly lowering economic peg. We have a military that is just about to spread its wings and take off. We have a constant supply of all necessities for our citizens, and we have a training war which allows our citizenry to gain experience, invest in our economy, and hone their battle skills. I do not like to play myself up, and the majority of what has been done in this initial term has been thanks to the hard work of an entire fantastic cabinet. However the game dictates the need for a hard-working Country President, and I stepped up.
Additionally, it takes a good leader to accept and own up to their mistakes. Whilst I do not consider the training war a mistake, the method taken around it were not clear nor well executed.

Arjay claims that I was not elected "because he was the best or most qualified among us."
No, perhaps not. I believe however, that I was the perfect candidate to ensure that eNZ had any chance whatsoever. I have managed to negotiate some very difficult situations with regard to our very peculiar situation in eNew Zealand. We have two distinct populations of whom I have been trying to encourage integration, collusion and cooperation. This has not worked to the extent I first hoped, but I am an optimist. There remains time. We have managed a lot in this nation that is divided on most, if not all, issues. Without a good diplomatic person in charge, nothing would have been done, and we'd be in a far worse position than we are now.

“I have no problem acting by my own conscience. I didn’t come here to be part of a country wanting to bully its neighbors, because, in all honesty, if this is what New Zealand reaps, it is also what it will sow, and when it gets overrun by superalliance powers and becomes a failed state, forever manipulated by EDEN and Phoenix back and forth, it will have no one to blame but itself.”
As has been previously stated, I am not Bullying our neighbours. This act solidifies our position as a neutral country. We are not acting as a result of a directive from either super-alliance. I have given us an opportunity to fight, without having to align us with either EDEN or Phoenix. This single act assists us with any further intention to look at the potential of a South Pacific Alliance, one which I would be far more interested in being a part of than either EDEN or Phoenix. The nations closest to us are the ones far more likely to defend us. We have an opportunity here to develop a relationship that could become a very necessary one in the time to come. We are sowing stronger relationships, and if that is what we will reap, then I consider my term to be a resounding success.

“All this, I plop in Calbe’s lap. Don’t blame the Serbs, don’t blame any warmongering faction in this country. Calbe pressed the button, this is on him, completely.”
And I am happy to have it there. This is an event that has been reached by an inter-mingling of a number of different factors, but yes, I pressed the button.
An interesting side note however. I may have proposed it, but I have only one vote either for or against. I proposed the law, but it was congress that voted it through. If the representatives of our nation didn’t want to go to war, they could have voted it down and I would have walked merrily on.

“But if you’re about democracy, if you’re looking for signs of real leadership, if you care about what New Zealand stands for, then you have to look at Calbe and wonder, is this the best we can do?”
Perhaps not. But credit where credit is due. I brought two waring factions, of similar size and number, together to vote for a unity candidate. I have prevented the country from falling into civil war and manged to hold off the invasions of EDEN or Phoenix forces seeking to “liberate” either side. If you feel that I am not the best person to lead, then so be it. You are very much entitled to your opinion. However, if you believe that I would make this move irrationally and without considering the potential consequences, you are very wrong. This is a political move, for reasons mentioned above. If you consider developing a stronger bond with the nation most likely to come to our aid if we ever requested it a showing of poor leadership, then I wonder how you define good leadership.

William S. Frank described 10 core qualities that make a good leader:
1. Visionary
I want to see eNZ as a strong political player on the world stage. I wish to develop ties with other nations that will outlive my presidency and ensure the long term freedom and stability of this nation.
2. Inspirational
I would hope that the ability of the cabinet surrounding me and their hard work would show that I am in some way inspirational. I care about eNZ. Much more than many realise.
3. Strategic
On must admit, the simple fact that I attained the Presidency of eNZ shows some strategic ability. Not only that but being able to begin a war game with our nearest neighbour and develop bonds with nations around the eWorld shows some strategic proficiency. Also the ability to maintain a non-alligned foreign policy in a world dominated by super-alliances has some weight.
4. Tactical
Frankly, It means nigh on the same as strategic to me. I have brought in war games which will benefit the entire population of eNZ, and I’ve done it with those most likely to wish to see eNZ free. We’re not fun to them it we aren’t.
5. Focused
One needs to maintain focus when dealing with the numerous issues and requests pop up for a Country President. The ultimate goal is a New Zealand that can punch above its weight, much like RL New Zealand. I am focused on and committed to that goal. We have enormous potential, let’s make the most of it.
6. Persuasive
Meh, I’ll let the public decide if I am persuasive or not.
7. Decisive
You cannot deny that in the latest instance, I have certainly been decisive.
8. Ethical
Every decision I make is about the good of eNZ. Whether or not you believe me or my actions to be so is a personal opinion. However, I must emphatically state that every decision I make is for a reason, and that reason is something that will benefit our nation.
9. Likeable
I do tend to think that I am a reasonable and likeable guy. I may be wrong, but this isn’t a factor that can be self-assessed.
10. Open to Feedback.
I am certainly open to feedback. That is very much a reason as to why I have written such a long article responding to the qualms raised by many patriotic and concerned members of the populace.

I hope this has eased the minds of the eNew Zealand populace. I will make a more concerted effort to ensure that everyone is up with the play on any future decisions made by the cabinet.

Sincerely yours


Calbe
eNew Zealand CP

tl:dr, just read it.