The Modern Switzerland

Day 1,758, 15:41 • Published in Switzerland USA • by Penguin4512

This article is meant as a follow-up to an earlier article I wrote. Yes... I can imagine you crying out "why the huge delay, Penguin?" as you froth at the mouth like rabid dogs. A nice explanation is that after my length of time in our modern nation I can now better analyze its characteristics. Another explanation is that I am quite lazy. I will leave you to decide which one is applicable.


I will now backtrack and before speaking about the "Modern Switzerland," go back to the past and talk about Eleriel's Switzerland. ("Oh, not this load of crap again!"). The Switzerland of those times greatly resembled today's Switzerland, most notably in the fact that one political group dominated all others.

In those times it was the Liberals (and their pawns) who handily won elections, in these times it is the Anti-Imperialist Movement. I do not wish to suggest that the two parties resemble each other in ideology or practice, since that would be untrue in many ways, but they are linked in the way that they are dominant in their own realms.

Now that we have established this, let me move on to make my next claim: Under one party rule, Switzerland has generally enjoyed greater prosperity.

Under Eleriel's Switzerland, our nation enjoyed international recognition in EDEN and we had a large, burgeoning population (I believe we once had over a thousand citizens, but... it was a long time ago). In the same way, we now enjoy greater activity and are once again involved on the international stage under the guiding hand of the AIM.

Alternatively, under the divided realm of the Shaolins and the Swiss Resistance, any attempted progress made by one party was just as quickly forgotten by the others. The same occured under the more fractured rule after the Shaolins left, where Switzerland, devastated by inactivity and lack of institutions, was unable to properly function on more than a monthly basis.

One-party rule, or at least the rule of a group of elites (in the realm of eRepublik that is... I don't want to make any conjectures about real life here... this is merely an IG musing), offers long-term stability and the ability to make goals which last longer than a month. They also offer the continuance of political institutions and practices, which depending on how you look at it can be a good or bad thing. I'd like to think that in a small country it's mostly beneficial.

The nice thing about having one dominant party in this game is that, because it is virtual, they can't reach through the screen and steal your freedoms (though they may certainly try!) The laws of the game's universe pretty much prevent any system besides democracy, except in extreme cases.

However, history suggests that one day the AIM will meet their Shaolins. Or perhaps the Shaolins were a unique circumstance, but either way, nothing can be on top forever. There will come a time when the party is matched. I know from personal experience that the decisions made at this time are long-lasting and critical.

Therefore, I suggest that when those who have different views on how the country should operate finally take their places of power, the AIM ensures that they work with, and not against. This way, we will all maintain what has been gained in the months past.

It's a simple bit of advice, but one that is so often gotten wrong.

Love one another, and here is some ice cream for your time: