The Economist ~ ONE more for the road

Day 1,820, 12:24 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Spite313



Dear friends,


The most important role of any President, and by extension any government, is to represent the country in the international community of nations. Things like player retention schemes, information projects and even armies are important in the short term, but the long term effects of international politics on a country can be incredibly complicated and far reaching. For an example of how bad government can ruin a country, look no further than our Southern neighbours France. Almost totally without allies, they languish in near permanent occupation. And yet it wasn’t so long ago (during my Presidency) that they successfully conquered the UK. In that battle two forces came into collision- ONE and TEDEN. We won the war not because of superior strength of arms, but because of superior diplomacy and stronger bonds with our allies. When we needed help, countries helped us. That was down to our diplomatic skills and the mutual loyalty and trust we’ve built up with our closest allies.


At the beginning of this year the UK was a member of ONE, a global alliance which consisted of four core members (Poland, Spain, Serbia, Hungary) and some late comers- Slovenia, UK, Sweden and Macedonia. My party- The Unity Party- had brought us into ONE (I was the alliance leader at the time, and Thomas765 was President). The alliance was originally founded as a “superpower alliance”, and we stood out as by far the weakest country in the group militarily. What got us into the alliance was the diplomatic efforts made by the government and successive Presidents, as well as players who were involved in the alliance.





Since the end of ONE earlier this year, the political scene globally has been in turmoil. I originally ran for President in July anticipating the rise of a new alliance - CTRL - and wanting to be there to guide the UK through the inevitable turbulence this would cause. TUP as a party was divided on the CTRL issue, as was the country. However I, and other members involved in government, had our doubts about the long term chances of the alliance because of a number of structural problems. Through the Presidencies following mine, we did our best to maintain strong relations with our ex-ONE allies whilst staying neutral on the issue of CTRL. When the alliance finally officially formed, the TUP government was offered membership of the junior alliance branch, ALT. We declined, and a month later CTRL collapsed in flames. In this long drama there were many opportunities for the UK to mis-step, and when the Titans are fighting you need to be nimble or be crushed.


In foreign affairs TUP is internationally recognised as a strong, safe pair of hands. In government they can use personal contacts effectively to secure training wars, swaps and allied support in a pinch. Through careful and rational decision making, we have emerged from the turbulence in a very strong position. Our relationship with the core members of ONE is almost unblemished by the CTRL saga, and our relationship with our giant neighbour Poland is stronger than ever. Whatever EDEN might think of our relationship, Poland has always been a good friend to the UK since we joined ONE, and we’re always happy to help them out when they need it.


Now we live in a post-CTRL world, where the old ONE countries are slowly coalescing back into a working group of countries. Not yet an alliance, but a close friendship that resembles an alliance in almost every way. The UK’s position in this is as a friend, remembered by the big four countries as someone who stuck with all of them through the tough times. In a post-CTRL world there is room for ONE more dance.





As we move into the future it becomes clear that what we don’t need is leadership without foreign affairs experience. We need to make sure that our citizens from all parties are volunteering to be involved in foreign affairs. These past two months many new citizens have volunteered as ambassadors and workers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the President Talon has been doing one on one tutoring for those who have asked for extra information and guidance. The Ministry of Information has been working hard providing information, but first hand experience is necessary to build up personal contacts and relations that are essential as President.


When Talon first became CP he had already had some experience in foreign affairs, and had the backing of a number of experienced foreign affairs experts including a number of ex-Presidents from TUP and ESO. These people are a national resource- the likes of Kravenn, Thomas765, MagicHereos, Sir Marvin and so on are people who can give the President access not just to one set of contacts, but many. At the end of the day however, the President is chief diplomat and foreign affairs experience is an essential requirement in a world without formal alliances or structures to help in giving those introductions.


Whatever the future is of alliances, the core nations of ONE are getting closer day by day and the UK’s position in international affairs will depend a lot on who leads the country in the months to come. Talon and TUP have a wealth of experience in that area, and it’s experience we’re happy to share with anyone who asks. If you’re out there thinking about one day becoming President- contact Talon and ask for a chat about it. We can always find more work for people to do, and being a CP needs a run-up of months not days.


Thanks for reading!

Iain