A Look Into Today's Politics

Day 2,900, 21:48 • Published in USA USA • by Azazel Romanov


I don't normally write articles anymore, but when I do, I'd like to make them count for something. I've been following the election on the forum and in-game taking note of everything I read because I like seeing competitive elections. In fact, one of the things I complained heavily about before I left on a sojourn was a lack of elections where it was an actual race. I was also disappointed to not be challenged myself after my first term (because I don't think I ever considered myself or any sitting president unbeatable). Right now, the election is shaking out to be a contest between Wild Owl and Jude Conners, and despite some predictions, I think it has the capacity to be a highly contested race.

A lot recently has been made out of the "Wild Owl Doctrine" of foreign policy in the campaign so far as a key issue in the race. Wild Owl wants to ensure we protect what we have and keep a steady course unless things change. Jude has stated that he'd like to see something a little less boring and dull, and that we should have a more independent foreign policy again rather than being tied down to protection. In my opinion, and from what I've seen others post/say, this has the potential to be the defining issue of the campaign since they still seem fairly close on tax policy and Jude hasn't really come out with a rapid departure from Wild Owl's desire for possible USAF/DoD reform.

But is the foreign policy really all that dull? We're still able to have some fun as seen from our wipe of Spain and the fight to maintain what we have even if we do not face a strong threat currently. We're still able to post up battles for people to fight in and we can assist our allies. Even Wild Owl has stated, "we will be keeping North Korea, and expanding outwards, outside our comfort zone, and Americanizing more regions." So our current foreign policy doesn't eliminate any possibility of war, it simply means we continue fighting in wars that we can win that won't greatly endanger us. I know something about boring foreign policy, since my approach as president was to avoid conflict and go about renting regions from countries rather than taking risks. I can tell you that having a position of strength and being able to utilize it to your gain is something to envy, and now we are in the position to take risks without worry that it will immediately come back to haunt us in a country-wide wipe.

Finally, I read a recent article from Wooky Jack about why he thinks Wild Owl is running. Wooky was someone I was in the Feds with, and he always showed a strong passion for politics and rarely backed down on the issues, and that is admirable. In the article, he focuses on a conversation from third parties to argue that Wild Owl is simply running because he was pressured to make sure Jude doesn't win. Despite Wild Owl commenting the contrary, Jude then seems to comment in agreement with Wooky's claim. This bothered me a bit and was one of the primary reasons I wanted to write the article.

I go way back with Wild Owl, and even though we've maintained friendship, we have had our share of disputes and private disagreements. One of the reasons I wanted him as my Vice President was because of his bluntness, and that I knew he would speak his mind rather than simply tow the line and play nice. In fact, Wild Owl's foreign policy immediately following my approach is something I'd consider a fairly great departure (attacking Japan for resources, invading Portugal, etc.). I was content to sit still and play it safe because I was afraid of the repercussions, but Wild Owl proved me wrong and showed that taking risks would work, and eventually America was sitting on 10/10 bonuses and enjoying a smart foreign policy at the same time. He proved himself to be a far greater president than me, and greater than anything I would have imagined.

But back to the main point. Wooky asserts that people begged Wild Owl to run, and that it is more like a chore to him than an actual desire to lead. Knowing Wild Owl, this isn't the case. If Wild Owl is doing something, it's because he wants to do it. I don't think you can pull Wild Owl to do otherwise. And I hate to say it, but if someone is running to possibly dismantle your foreign policy, that's a pretty good impetus to run. If you want this to be an actual race, something I would like to see, at least keep it to the issues rather than trying to simply bring attacks on character. I know that Jude is someone who hates the personal game that people sometimes play to get ahead in the game, so I'd like to see this race be above what Wooky has written.

So, yeah. I'm basically done writing now. Let me know what you think.