Join the new world

In my 16 months of being an eRepublikan and experiencing this social experiment at many different levels, I am 100% certain that no nation in the eWorld will be safe from being overcome, either militarily or politically, without the strong support of allies. This includes Hungary, Indonesia, Romania, the Philippines and yes, USA too! Although we need not rush in to bite the hook of the first alliance's fishing line that is dangled in front of us, we do need to consider what kind of alliance we will have in the near future to bring about not only security but also prosperity.

Many of the alliance ideas I have heard recently revolve solely around the idea of a military alliance to guard against attack from enemies. While that is a valid reason for having an alliance, I propose that more be done to strengthen such an alliance and hold its members together. If the only thing that keeps a nation in an alliance is the prospect of security from attack, then nations are just as likely to jump to whatever alliance of the day appears to offer the most military protection.

For everyone out there who thinks their country will "win" by conquering the world, I assure you that you will never see that day come about. Alliances can beat alliances, but no one country will ever beat the world. If we are anti-Phoenix or anti-EDEN, we would not simply be against the imperialistic tendencies of one nation; we would be against ALL of the nations under Phoenix's/EDEN's protection. We will not win a war against a Phoenix/EDEN alliance by pure military force. The way to change the dynamics of the situation is by a change in ideology. Whatever imperialistic alliance that is formed automatically becomes an enemy to the other alliance(s) and strengthens their cause.

I hear some people saying "But we need to expand! We need those high-iron territories! And what about making sure we have titanium?" You know what? You're right! But why does that have to involve conquering other countries? All of the resources - the iron, diamonds and eventually titanium will give strength to our military capabilities (as cheaper resources for weapons and gifts). A way to do this would be through trade.

I hear more of you saying "Trade...pff...that's boring! We want WAR!" There will still be plenty of wars in the world to participate in, especially the liberation kinds.

In order to have a strong alliance, the alliance must respect the sovereignty of all of the nations involved. It must also benefit every member of the alliance (big and small) and not be simply for the support of it's strongest 1 or 2 nations. The alliance members must be able to think in terms of "we" and "our" and not just "me". To give strength to such a group it should also work toward the prosperity of each member involved.

Some may see what I propose to be idealistic, but everything starts out as an idea. Ideas that are fueled with passion and moved by action can make them reality. So, I will start with an idea. Those who add to these thoughts will help turn a good idea into a great one.

I propose the creation of an alliance that has all of these aspects:

1. Centered around raw materials. Of high importance (and these areas should have higher populations to build higher walls) would be territories with high resources in all of the raw materials. These resources should be made available in free trade to all members of the alliance. The alliance is not only a military alliance, but also a trade alliance, to promote prosperity of all of the nations involved. Nations within the alliance will have 1-5% maximum import taxes on all high resources that the alliance has secured. Non-alliance nations may be embargoed, but not nations within the alliance. The nations within the alliance are free to adjust their income taxes and VATs (sales taxes) how each nation sees fit according to their respective congresses, but will not raise import taxes.

2. Organized military. Each nation must have an organized military that will be required to come to the defense of members of the alliance that are being attacked on their home soil. Members will not be required to assist in offensive operations, only defensive ones. However, the nations are allowed to coordinate in offensive operations if they wish to.

3. Respect of Allies. Members must respect the sovereignty of member nations unless agreement has been made between attacking and defending nations to do otherwise.

4. Collective Embargo. To protect the military/trade alliance from nations with unfair trade practices that do not allow foreign competition, those nations would be embargoed by ALL nations within the alliance unless they agree to allow Indian companies (along with the other allied nations) to sell to them by eradicating prohibitive trade barriers.

With the above type of alliance, each nation will benefit from military support of all nations involved in the event of attack and would also all share in growth of prosperity, all having adequate, inexpensive access to high-resource-producing regions and being able to trade among member nations without barriers of high tariffs. You ask "What would keep the countries from raising their tariffs?" Well, the loss of trade and military partners in what could be the most economically beneficial alliance in the world, of course!

A change of thinking is necessary in a changing world. It was said that the definition of insanity is to do the same thing over and over again, expecting different results. We cannot create a second EDEN or a second Phoenix and expect it to work better than the first one. We need a completely different ideology. The pen is mightier than the sword because the written words and thoughts that are in the minds of soldiers and citizens are what hold them together in times of crisis. Brute force alone only works when you're ahead, but falls apart when you're not. But the proper mindset together with action are what create phenomenal explosions into possibilities that beforehand may never have existed.

We are at an important crossroads, Philippines. We can continue with doing things as they've always been done and getting the results we've always gotten. Or we can step out of the box and dare to create something fantastic. Nothing was ever accomplished by those who have said "we can't do that". All of the great things have been created by those who say "we can".

I'll leave you with a final thought:

"Whatever the human mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve." - Napoleon Hill

For the past year, I have been long at work trying to bring this mindset to USA and I am continuing to try to bring this mindset to like-minded people around the world. If the people continue to have an open mind and speak up instead of accept the status quo, then our leaders will eventually listen!

Interest is growing in this type of alliance worldwide. Join the discussion with like-minded people around the world who are interested in the Trade And Military Alliance on IRC in [url=irc://irc.rizon.net/TAMA]#TAMA[/url].

Have fun and enjoy another day in eRepublik!

mjdiv,
TAMA founder