The Economist ~ Bulgaria one year on

Day 1,488, 14:08 • Published in Sweden United Kingdom • by Spite313


Dear friends,

On day 1107, some one year and two weeks ago, I said goodbye to Bulgaria. I did it not as SG of Phoenix, but as one friend to another.

From the day Phoenix was founded all that time ago, Bulgaria was a close friend to me. A small country at a time, you have grown strong since. When we first met, the Bulgarian official army consisted of one super-elite unit, the Balkan Squadron. I remember so many of my friends from that unit, which acted almost as a Praetorian Guard to the Phoenix HQ for months. Wherever we needed help, they were the first to arrive. In the days before mega-tanking, they were the Romper of the battlefield.

When irreconcilable differences appeared between the new baby boom generation in Bulgaria, and the baby boom generation in Macedonia, we parted ways. But now both countries have grown up, and grown wiser. We see open NAP between Bulgaria and virtually every ONE country. In the few occasions where EDEN demands Bulgaria attack a ONE member, like Poland, we see them give you no support. Despite the massive effort made to conquer Little Poland (well done for that achievement) Bulgaria got little or no support to continue the fight.

As a result they are facing a difficult time ahead of them. Yet there is no obvious reason for Bulgaria to fight ONE. Nearly all of Bulgaria’s ambitions- in Ukraine, Russia and Turkey- coincide with ours. In fact, most of the time it is EDEN and not ONE who cause Bulgaria to lose regions and spend damage. Despite being one of the strongest countries in EDEN, and having the most consistent record of supporting allies, Bulgaria herself often finds that she has to fight her battles alone.



I am not writing this as SG of ONE, just like long ago I was not writing as SG of Phoenix. I am just writing as someone who has seen it all before. All alliances have problems, I accept that. When we decided to part ways we did it not because EDEN offered a better deal, we did it because of problems in Phoenix that made it impossible for you to stay. Countries voted, and the Bulgarian government saw decisions as being an insult. In the modern day, those decisions don’t seem half as bad I bet.

The future is impossible to predict. Bulgaria has proven itself a loyal ally to EDEN just as it was a loyal ally to Phoenix when we fought together. But how much does Bulgaria have to give before EDEN starts giving back? At what point is loyalty stretched to breaking? Is it when Bulgaria loses to Poland? Or when they lose their resources because of no EDEN support? Or when Turkey is accepted into the EDEN circle despite fighting Bulgaria for so long, and over your objections? Or perhaps it is when you see all of these things coming, and make a new decision for yourselves, to make a future for Bulgaria and not just for Croatia and Romania.

It is something, perhaps, to think about.

Iain

“So as you leave Phoenix, go with my friendship and my blessing. I hope that one day we may fight on the same side once again, but that is a decision for the Bulgarian people not for me.” - Iain Keers, day 1107