[PotUS] NewAzazel's Farewell Address

Day 2,236, 21:18 • Published in USA USA • by Azazel Romanov


I have been preparing to write this article for some time, but I decided to take a little more time to ponder it before I took to finally getting it all down. As you all know, my two term presidency will end in a few days, and I will likely be simply returning to the role of a diplomat rather than a head of state. I thought a while about what I wanted to make my farewell address, and figured who better to help me out than the first president we ever had. No, I don’t mean for the game, I am talking about our actual president George Washington, who gave a farewell address of his own, still remembered quite well in history. You all might be thinking, “what does Washington say that applies to this game?” Well, you’d be surprised.

In the execution of such a plan, nothing is more essential, than that permanent, inveterate antipathies against particular Nations, and passionate attachments for others, should be excluded; and that, in place of them, just and amicable feelings towards all should be cultivated. The Nation, which indulges towards another an habitual hatred, or an habitual fondness, is in some degree a slave. It is a slave to its animosity or to its affection, either of which is sufficient to lead it astray from its duty and its interest. Antipathy in one nation against another disposes each more readily to offer insult and injury, to lay hold of slight causes of umbrage, and to be haughty and intractable, when accidental or trifling occasions of dispute occur. Hence frequent collisions, obstinate, envenomed, and bloody contests. The Nation, prompted by ill-will and resentment, sometimes impels to war the Government, contrary to the best calculations of policy. The Government sometimes participates in the national propensity, and adopts through passion what reason would reject; at other times, it makes the animosity of the nation subservient to projects of hostility instigated by pride, ambition, and other sinister and pernicious motives. The peace often, sometimes perhaps the liberty, of Nations has been the victim.

Sound familiar? Certainly reminds me of our last world war, one that cost the eUS about 7.5 million usd, not to mention the private contributions made during the war. While I take responsibility for my role in creating that war, I have come to recognize since the need for responsibility and restraint, and to trim nationalist emotion and resentment during my presidency. While I wouldn’t say the US has had this symptom of hate as much as other nations in the game, we made our ties with countries long ago, some that several people can’t recall the origin, it just always has been. Likewise, many people view countries with hostility, simply because we always have. While some countries continue to provoke us, and intend to cause us harm, this is not necessarily true for all of our previous adversaries. For over two months, the US has seen months of peace. Our borders have become secure again, our foreign affairs are strong, and we have enjoyed a new flexibility not seen for quite some time. Remember that we have the freedom to change our ties, especially now that our alliance is dead. We are a free agent, and we have the ability to choose our next moves carefully and with consideration. Lets move on a bit further with this.

Europe has a set of primary interests, which to us have none, or a very remote relation. Hence she must be engaged in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our concerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves, by artificial ties, in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.

Hitting a bit closer to home aren’t we? While in this game it is impossible for us to disassociate from Europe, like Washington wanted, we can learn a little bit of a lesson from this. Lately, we have seen the prominence of one, and the only, alliance in Europe. Empires have been created and made stable throughout the continent, whether it is Poland, Spain, Serbia, Hungary, or pro-TWO Romania. TWO beat us, fair and square. TWO also beat all of CoT, from the USA to Indonesia. We lost, and we admitted it. Now what we are witnessing is a superpower alone on a hilltop, debating what to do with itself as the rest of us sit aside, and watch and wait. Several have wondered why we don’t take the fight to TWO, or provoke another war. Simple, why reengage someone that has already proven a victor? Even with the change in mechanics, we are still at a strong disadvantage, moreso than we were when we were a united alliance against TWO. There is no point to fighting a war you won’t win, just like there is no point to starting a war you’ve already fought. So what do we do?

The great rule of conduct for us, in regard to foreign nations, is, in extending our commercial relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. Our detached and distant situation invites and enables us to pursue a different course. If we remain one people, under an efficient government, the period is not far off, when we may defy material injury from external annoyance; when we may take such an attitude as will cause the neutrality, we may at any time resolve upon, to be scrupulously respected; when belligerent nations, under the impossibility of making acquisitions upon us, will not lightly hazard the giving us provocation; when we may choose peace or war, as our interest, guided by justice, shall counsel. Why forego the advantages of so peculiar a situation? Why quit our own to stand upon foreign ground? Why, by interweaving our destiny with that of any part of Europe, entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor, or caprice?

Thanks for the help Mr. Washington. Simple, we enjoy what we can and choose our own course. There is no need to sacrifice what we have going for us for something worth considerably less. I already started this with the Irish rental, which gives us our first 20% increase. We’ve already begun searching for new avenues to improve our situation without harming our security. Why give up what we have going for us? I have been told that an adversary can provide benefits, but what adversary can we currently match in strength that won’t cripple our chance for a better future? I pursued a policy of smart politics, of playing eRep like a game of chess rather than a social game. I get it; this is boring for some, those who like to cross swords and the thrill of pushing a wall. But I urge you to reconsider the passion of fighting an unneeded war or a battle you are not prepared for. We just recovered our treasury from the last war, let’s put it to better use than our predecessors. Let’s have a battle we need, one that will give us a victory much sweeter than battling against a continuing loss.

But there lies one black mark on my record as president. I promised you all better education and domestic focus and I failed. But do not let my failure continue. Our likely next president, my current Vice President Wild Owl, has had a history of Education. If there was one person constantly reminding me what I needed to do on the home front, it was him. I only wish I had listened to him better. At the end of my term I have righted some wrongs done here, but it is up to him to continue this and promote it to higher ground. My experiment with Human Services also went awry, but it is better to try than to do nothing. Even Washington knew this when he said. “Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.” Let give the old man some props for his guidance of us, both in real life and giving me some inspiration throughout my terms as president. And let us remember that greatness previously achieved by us is not completely in the past. While we have lost a lot of people along the way, and we aren’t quite as strong as we’d like to think we are, we still carry weight.

If I can leave one example for people in the months to come, I hope that you keep a steady hand abroad and learn to make the right decisions, which aren’t always the fun ones. Aramec once jokingly said “Azazelian Diplomacy”, so I hope I started some kind of trend for the future administrations. Remember to act with reason, not emotion. Use restraint rather than impulse. Meet insult with composure. We have a ways to go before we can call ourselves winners again. Reconstruction takes longer than some people might think.

I want to thank everyone who worked for me once again. You put up with the Holiday shift, which is always a hard one. You kept coming back every day to do your job. Special mentions to Hale26, who saved Education for me, and n0s3, who kept me better up to date on priorities. I also want to thank Josh Frost, Melissa Rose, Israel Stevens, and Artela for encouraging me to run and giving me the experience required to take the job. I wish Wild Owl and Mazzy Cat the best of luck in running January, and I will be there to assist them as best as I can.

Until next time, your favorite public servant,