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Welcome to "Conversations", the newspaper that brings the thoughts and opinions of prominent eRepublik figures to you, the people.

It seems that with every passing week, a new development surfaces in the eWorld. Just yesterday, a transfer of PEACE funds to Colombia initiated the country's brisk march up through Mexico, gaining a border with America in minutes. In fact, as I write this article, a bill is being voted on in the Colombian congress declaring war on the USA. In just hours, it will be passed. Tactically speaking, an attack of the USA by bordering country will result in the blocking of the USA's ability to attack further, opening the door for a second PEACE led invasion of America, this time from the south. Internationally, this move has the potential to sour the USA's valuable relationships with South American countries, even the AHA, who, as it appears, stood idly by.

As I write this article, the American army stands ready to fight a Colombian attack at a moment's notice. Just as the defensive push of PEACE forces out of North America started to pick up momentum, a roadblock from the south is coming into view. However, the outcome remains blurry. Maybe the offensive will be stifled. Maybe in the coming weeks there will be a significant Colombian dent in the American Southwest.

Either way, the landscape of American current affairs has come become among the most turbulent of the eWorld. Ever in flux, the past month has seen America slowly whittled down to its final state, a botched attempt at a NAP, a rapid restoration of American regions by its allies in Canada and EDEN, and most recently the re-election of American President Emerick, who garnered a landslide 79% vote, handily defeating his five challengers.

This week, I spoke with this popular American leader. I met President Emerick at 9:00 eRepublik time, day 658 via the American IRC. The conversation went as follows:


Adam Legge: Hello President Emerick. Welcome to Conversations!

Emerick: Thanks for having me. I'm a fan.

AL: Thanks and congrats on your re-election! Yesterday saw a surprise Colombian offensive up through Mexico. In minutes, a border was gained with the USA. Now, at the order of the Colombian president, America can be attacked and further blocked from attacks on other countries. What is your reaction? Are there any ideas from the American think-tank on how this plot may be thwarted?

E: My honest reaction is annoyance. I mean, the war is basically over, and this seems like a last-ditch effort to try to get something. It just shows that PEACE isn't a graceful loser. On top of that, we've been trying to build relations with Mexico and South America for the last few months. This is going to be quite a roadblock for us.

AL: Interesting that you say that "the war is basically over". A couple of weeks ago Matthieu Bonne said the same thing. How the tables have turned.

E: Well yeah, I would have agreed with him then, too. Peace's greatest mistake was letting Russia turn down our peace treaty. It still blows my mind that they would turn down a couple thousand gold. That, and wizzie_don cheating. Also not attacking Florida. I can't figure out their logic on that one.

AL: Looks like you're getting the last laugh.

E: Well, I hope so. This attack by Columbia does have the potential to turn things around. I shouldn't be too cocky.

AL: Although PEACE may be responsible for this new battlefront, do you think that the AHA was at all involved in planning this offensive?

E: From what I understand Columbia offered to make the attacks if PEACE paid for everything. I don't know if AHA was involved. However, since Mexico is part of AHA with Columbia, I think that they could have pressured Mexico not to go through with it, if they wanted to.

AL: Have you been in contact with the any South American leaders since this new development? Does this sour America's relationship with these countries?

E: My administration has been in contact with the AHA and South America as a whole for my entire tenure. It was one of my goals to reach out to countries that weren't traditional allies of ours. Unfortunately, closed-mindedness inside of PEACE makes it very hard.

AL: That's a very admirable goal.

E: A year and a half ago, we had the Pan-am, which was the entire western hemisphere. It was only six countries at the time, so it wasn't a huge alliance, like it would be now. Then Peace and Atlantis came around and screwed that up. I see it as getting back to our roots.

AL: You've just been elected to your second term as the American president. What are your plans for the following month? What new challenges does your country face?

E: You mean besides Columbia?

AL: Yes.

E: Well, I had hoped that we'd finish cleaning up and then rebuild. I might still get to do that, but now I have to sweep up Columbia too. I'm still going to try to reach out to more countries though. I've always been working on that. And also we'll have to find some way to survive without cocaine, since I'm illegalizing it to cut off Columbia's biggest customer.

AL: Hahaha! Like Canada and Spain, rebuilding America presents a tough economic challenge. How have you been dealing with this situation?

E: Personally?

AL: And fiscally.

E: Well, with California back, our economy bounced back pretty well. We lowered our war-time taxes some, and invited more Americans to come home. The military will slowly pull out of Greece, so we don't cause too much shock to their markets. Losing a few hundred workers will be hard for them.

AL: After your failed NAP with PEACE, many critics would not have banked on your re-election. What do you have to say to these critics?

E: Not much. The NAP was the best option at the time. I assumed that Peace wouldn't screw up and just stop attacking. I was wrong.

AL: I was a very gutsy move, not many politicians would sacrifice their reputation like that.

E: Thank you.

AL: Over the past weeks, the war has taken a dramatic turn in your favour. After the brink of eradication, with the help of EDEN and Canada, the USA has fought and restored the majority of the PEACE controlled regions. It is not at all a stretch to predict that all American regions could be restored within weeks. Then what? EDEN's commander Shoot, asked about the pursuit of reparations, did not deny the possibility of a future EDEN offensive. Will the USA perhaps pursue reparations on PEACE soil in the future?

E: That's a discussion for the future. Right now, all I'm thinking about is how to finish this war, and how to put my country back on track.

AL: How important have America's allies been in the swift restoration of American regions?

E: They've been super important. Since Canada has been blocking Hungary and Russia, everyone has been able to focus solely on winning our battles. We owe a great deal to our fantastic allies, who really came through in this war. During the first few days, it was just us and Canada trying to figure out what to do. We were scrambling, and everyone was f-cked. Then Durriti came along and invited us to a conference with Eden. We made plans, and followed through with them. The plan part was great, but the brotherhood that Eden had shown us was what did the most for us. Knowing that we're not alone kept me going on the hardest days.

AL: Finally, do you have a message to convey to eAmericans?

E: We will get through this, my friends, and because of it, we will be so much stronger. Not just the "whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger" thing, but seriously, we had a lot of booms during this war, and we also learned a lot. We'll be taking these lessons and applying them to our future strategy.

AL: Thanks so much for making yourself available. It's been a pleasure speaking with you. Good luck during the next month!

E: Thanks bro, and keep up the quality journalism!


The coming days hold the answers to some puzzling questions. Will the allied push continue unabated? Will it be slowed to a pause momentarily? Or will this shift in events shift also the tides of war, yet another turning point in the affairs of the eWorld? It seems the only question that can be coupled with a sure answer is "Have we seen the end of World War III?" The answer? Not on your life.

That's all for this edition of "Conversations", I hope you've enjoyed the article. If you have any comments on the interview or suggestions on who you would like to see in future editions, message me, Adam Legge. Vote, subscribe, pass it on, and keep your eye out for the next Conversation!

Adam Legge