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[img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16293499/tnl-for3.png[/img][size=14] Contemplations on Nazi Europe[/size]
[right][i]by r3naissanc3r, Foreign Correspondent[/i][/right]
On July 14th, the North Pacific Army and the United Imperial Armed Forces refounded the region of Nazi Europe (NE), successfully concluding an occupation that had been ongoing for six weeks. The operation involved a coalition of militaries from Osiris, Balder, Equilism, Europeia, The East Pacific, Lone Wolves United, The Black Hawks, The Red Fleet, Unknown, The Kingdom of Great Britain, Sicarius, Mazeria, The MT Army, Kantrias and North Korea; and was one of the largest in recent gameplay history, with an endorsement count exceeding 80 at its peak. As the seemingly last in a series of high-profile interregional incidents involving NE, the refounding provides an opportunity to look back at the events that lead to this conclusion.
In February 2013, representatives from game-created regions participated in a summit organized by the New Pacific Order, with the purpose of coordinating their efforts against Nazism in NationStates. The summit produced and successfully passed a Security Council liberation proposal targeting the notorious, but also founderless and password-protected, region of NE, with the explicit intent of opening it up for invasion. Several attacks against NE took place afterwards, though none of them were successful. The SC eventually repealed the NE liberation in February 2014, and the region was passworded once more. However, the reuse of an older password by the NE delegate meant that invasion was feasible once more, leading to the eventual refounding.
Both the NE liberation and offensive military action against NE, as well as Nazi regions in general, have been the subject of considerable controversy. Those opposing anti-Nazi aggression have argued that it has the opposite of the intended effect, in a twofold manner: First, rather than demoralize those espousing Nazi beliefs, counterintuitively it increases their resolve and their dedication towards spreading their ideology. Second, it unnecessarily draws attention to Nazi regions, offering them a convenient means for recruitment - essentially an "any PR is good PR" argument.[sup][1][/sup]
To support these arguments, commentators have offered data showing an increase in the total population of a number of Nazi regions starting in February 2013 and persisting until 2014. The coincidence of the beginning of this rise with the passage of the NE liberation is evidence, they argue, that the liberation and subsequent attacks made Nazi players more determined to grow their regions and benefitted their recruitment efforts. This, however, is a very weak causal link. The rise of these regions’ populations can be easily attributed to another development: the release, in February 2013, of the Telegram API and legalisation of telegramming scripts for recruitment. Indeed, this author has received automated recruitment telegrams from many of these Nazi regions as soon as March 2013 - and notably none of those telegrams made reference or even alluded to either the NE liberation or any of the other SC resolutions condemning Nazi regions. The positive effects such scripts had on the population of small- and mid-size regions, especially before the introduction of stamps in August 2013, is well-documented. The fact that the population data can be trivially explained by the introduction of recruitment scripts means that this data has very little, if any, persuasive force for the commentators’ arguments.
A data point more relevant for evaluating the effects of anti-Nazi aggression would be the following: For the 12 months the liberation of NE was in effect, the region was protected by a strong garrison of more than 20 WA units. With perhaps the majority of their troops stuck inside NE for a whole year, the offensive operational capability of Nazi regions was crippled. In turn, this resulted in a reduction of destructive Nazi attacks against regions, with most of their operations limited to tag raids of few units. Unsurprisingly, the repeal of the liberation also saw the return of large-scale Nazi deployments, for instance in Liberal Haven in March 2014. A similar effect was observed in June 2014, when a coalition of Nazi regions abandoned their occupation of Hell to protect NE. What these two cases highlight is that the creation of credible threats through anti-Nazi aggression is tremendously effective in halting the forceful expansion of the Nazi ideology in other regions.
The publicity Nazi regions get from aggression against them should likewise be evaluated with respect to the objective of halting the spread of the Nazi ideology in NationStates. It has been documented, in the past and also in this article, that Nazi regions systematically attempt to recruit new nations, and through that process expose new players to their hateful message. Consider, then, a naive new player who is a considering a recruitment offer from a Nazi region; the presence of WA documents condemning it and the conspicuous mobilization of some of the most important regions in the game against it both serve as educational resources informing the player not to accept the offer. They also serve as strong warnings for regions considering associating themselves with Nazi regions. In their absence, and in an era where everyone can easily reach every new nation, or even every nation, in the game, Nazi regions would be completely unimpeded to expand their recruitment efforts, with the rest of the world watching in apathy. It is important to caution against turning these actions of anti-Nazi aggression into celebrations of notoriety, which indeed can be exploited for recruitment purposes. However, systematic and carefully crafted messages opposing Nazism, broadcasted to the NS world by its major regions, can only help to defeat the spread of this ideology in NationStates.
The coordinated action by gameplay regions against Nazi regions has been dubbed by commentators the "War on Nazis". In many ways this is an inaccurate designation: It is not a war in the usual diplomatic sense used in NS Gameplay. It is certainly not analogous to the real War against Nazism, and to liken our inconsequential gameplay to that War is an offensive trivialization. What it actually is is a cause: against the celebration of a horrendous ideology, against the proliferation of this ideology within the NS community, and against the exploitation of this community to proselytize people to this ideology. What the efforts against Nazi Europe have shown is that anti-Nazi aggression from gameplay regions can be of immense utility to this cause. For this reason, The North Pacific is elated to have led and successfully concluded these efforts, and remains committed to the cause against Nazism in NationStates.
[sup][1][/sup]Another source of opposition is from players, primarily defender-leaning, who oppose all kinds of invading activity - but this line of reasoning is unrelated to this article and will not be discussed here.
[hr][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16293499/tnl-wa2.png[/img][size=14] A Chat with Moderators Mall and Mousebumples[/size]
[right][i]by Treize_Dreizehn, WA Correspondent[/i][/right]
Recently, we sat down with recently appointed NationStates moderators Mall and Mousebumples, to talk about their experience as moderators and their thoughts on the various happenings in the World Assembly.
[color=#2f74b7][b]Treize_Dreizehn (TD):[/b][/color] Hey everybody, this is Treize Dreizehn for the Northern Lights. I'd like to introduce you to a friend of mine, NationStates moderator Mousebumples. Mall, also a NationStates moderator, will be joining us shortly.
I think we're all busy folks so we'll dive right into the questions. What was the process that lead to your becoming a moderator?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mousebumples (Mouse):[/b][/color] In the spring, there was some talk on the NS forums that more GA mods might be helpful - in part because of absences that some GA mods had coming up for the summer, in part because of the inactivity of a previous mod who tended to cover the GA (Flib), and in part because of the need for new voices after the GA#2 repeal controversy.
The mods/admins put out a call - specifically looking for players to suggest GA mods - and both Mall and I were nominated. I'm sure others were nominated too, but when the final decision was made, Mall and I were both invited to join the mod team.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] So. After becoming moderators, you encountered some... resentment towards your selection, can you go into a little detail about that?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] Moderating the site/GA isn't necessarily an easy position as you can't be everyone's friend all the time. There will always inevitably be players that disagree with rulings and decisions that are made, so I don't know that any of the discord that we've experienced has been overly unexpected, I don't think.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Though, it appears intense, from an outside observer's perspective. Is it different from yours?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] It's all relative. As I've been playing NS for almost 11 years, I saw plenty of disagreements and challenges to moderator rulings of all sorts prior to being modded. It's unreasonable to expect players to always calmly accept all rulings that don't go their way, I think.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Which ruling or rulings of yours have brought the most controversy?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] I'd probably defer to the general public that's more impacted by such rulings. GA rulings are made collaboratively, so we don't really have any mod controversy about the rulings that we've made since being modded and that's more my frame of reference now.
[b][i]** At this point Mall joined our chat, claiming to still be hungover after celebrating a raucous minor update.[/i][/b]
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Wooooo.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Haha! Just in time man, we're going to shift gears a bit to GA proposals.
What has been your favorite proposal to make it to vote so far? Not counting ones you authored.
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Hmmmm that's tough. I'd have to say that the Clean Prostitute Act will always hold a special place in my heart because of how bafflingly simple it was and how easily it was passed.
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] I'll vote for one of yours - Repeal "Dignified End of Life Choices" because that was one I wanted to see repealed for awhile. I don't love the replacement, but ... that's a project for a later date.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] And what's your favorites proposals to make it to vote since you became mods?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Eh since modship I don't have any favorites. Nothing has really jumped out at me as being particularly outrageous or inspiring competition.
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] Since modship, I'll vote for Sanctaria's "Child Welfare in Adoption" - Adoption is a topic that I've wanted to see added to the annals of WA law for awhile, but I never felt strong enough in that area to want to cover it myself. So, I'm glad to Sanctaria do so - and to avoid doing so in a micromanagey way, too!
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Haha. That actually brings me to a common topic for all of us. In a recent TRT article, Gruenberg opined that that "Natsov is dead". Do you agree with that sentiment?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] As long as there are nations there will be a NatSov movement. From an IC perspective obviously I disagree, from an OOC perspective I'd say that it's an incredibly bold claim that I don't think is backed by any hard evidence.
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] I agree that that's Gruenberg's opinion. I don't agree with the statement since I have plenty of players that oppose intensive WA intervention into member states.
So long as the GA exists, NatSov will always be chipped away at with new legislation; however, I think that there are still plenty of players that are opposed to excessive GA intervention and are not afraid to vote down legislation that they feel is overly invasive on those grounds.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Does it seem that there is more of a trend of repeals recently?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] it goes in cycles
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] I'd agree. We're not at where we were a few weeks or months ago when we were passing six repeals in a row.
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] I don't know that there are currently any repeals at quorum, but, there obviously have been a bunch recently. I think some voters (and authors) get tired of drafting and submitting repeals endlessly - some being the keyword, as I know you like to repeal lots of things ... Although even you have submitted New Legislation now.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Shocking I know.
Last question then I'll let you guys get back to work. If you had a chance right now to repeal a resolution and be sure it'd pass, which one would you choose, and why?
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] I'd love to repeal all the WA legislation and start over - in part because it's getting difficult to legislate on a lot of things because of all the legislation that's already been passed. But ... one thing to repeal, hrm.
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Personally I'd like to take out NAPA just so that Flib would be woken from his slumber and whack us with his longstanding threat to pass a replacement.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Haha. Mouse, I'm holding you to a specific answer here.
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] Convention on Execution. Because if the GA is going to have a resolution on the death penalty it should be more NatSov'y than that resolution is.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Fair enough!
It was great talking to you two, and good luck with the unwashed masses of diplomats and bureaucrats.
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] It has been our pleasure I'm sure ;)
[color=#ff7532][b]Mouse:[/b][/color] What Mall said. Thanks for the interview. :)
[b][i]** Post interview, we decided to do a small chat with Mall on his recent "Liberate Haven" proposal.[/i][/b]
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Thanks for sticking around. Can you walk us through the events of the Liberate Haven proposal?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Sure! I knew that I was going to attempt to utilize the SC in that manner for awhile, the question was which region to target. I was torn between The Proletariat Coalition and Haven. Both regions had ties to past events which might make them open to criticism, and I basically flipped a coin and it came up Haven.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] And which manner is that?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] An outright attempt to open up a region for invasion. Traditionally of course the SC has been used to open up regions so that defenders can save it. After that I threw the draft together, posted it, and managed the thread as best I could for the dozens of pages it went on.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] It didn't go quite as you expected though?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Nothing in gameplay really ever goes according to plan, especially not when you get the SC involved. Obviously there was significant opposition which negated any chance of getting the proposal to pass so that was abandoned after the proposal failed to reach quorum.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Do you believe that the RPers of NS deserve a right to Opt Out of R/D?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] I think the more important question is whether or not an "opt out" from "r/d" is ever really possible... as long as there is a player with power in a region or system then there is the potential for them to use it nefariously. I really haven't seen a proposal so far that can't be worked around. But they are more than welcome to keep coming up with suggestions.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] And what do you say to some of your allies(former or otherwise) who believe this proposal has resulted in a political environment that is more hostile to raiding and imperialists?
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] I don't think there has been any political shift. Raiders keep raiding, the Imperialists keep pursuing their interests, we generally get along well, and the world keeps on spinning.
[color=#2f74b7][b]TD:[/b][/color] Alright. Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions. I'm sure there's plenty of folks that'll be interested in your responses on this issue.
[color=#a68310][b]Mall:[/b][/color] Oh there always are.
[hr][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16293499/tnl-jud4.png[/img][size=14] Exciting times in TNP's Court[/size][right][i]by punk d, Judicial Reporter[/i][/right]
The court of The North Pacific finds itself in a curious situation. Following the resignation of former Chief Justice Romanoffia, his successor Chief Justice SillyString has, along with Justices Kiwi and Ator People, conducted the business of the court in a more reserved manner than under Chief Justice Romanoffia. Romanoffia was wont to react to the crowd with proclamations that would not come to fruition and it appears that SillyString and her fellow justices are taking an opposite approach to the bench.
With this backdrop, I asked SillyString what is the major concern facing the court in the wake of Romanoffia's resignation. She replied, "There are two concerns facing the court. One, any open issues to be resolved (of which there is currently one), and two, I think it's well past time that the Court went through its archives and released old discussions into the public eye. There is no obligation for this kind of transparency, but in my opinion it would be highly beneficial. I hope the Court will pursue this second one in the upcoming term, no matter who sits on it."
Readers will certainly find SillyString's second pressing issue of interest as it begs the question - what court secrets will be revealed? Will SillyString reveal the deliberations of the region's most controversial rulings? In the event that SillyString wins reelection and is selected as chief justice, we'll have to see what she really means by "transparency".
Following the resignation of Romanoffia, the three justices agreed upon and published a revised version of the court rules, the set of procedures the court uses for all cases before it. I asked SillyString how the new court rules improve upon the old rules. She said, "I think the rule changes have two primary benefits. First, they clarify and simplify procedures, particularly the rules of evidence (which were absurdly complicated before). This will allow trials and hearings to run more smoothly, and I believe will make things easier on people with less experience in NS or TNP courts. Second, they add guidelines where none existed with respect to the conduct of justices and other participants and the level of discretion an individual justice has as compared to the full bench. I think this additional structure is also a good thing, and will hopefully help avoid any future situations from devolving into nonsense as the trial of JAL did."
Simplifying and adding guidelines sound good to this writer. Under the old rules there were complaints that one needed to be a real-life lawyer to maneuver through court proceedings. It appears that the new rules address this issue.
The recently concluded judicial elections have seen SillyString and Kiwi remain as chief justice and justice respectively, and Blue Wolf II replace Ator People on the bench. How will the new court navigate the numerous questions before it and will the justices be able to keep the often volatile RA satisfied with their rulings? These questions are yet to be answered, but we'll soon find out if the new court will permanently depart from the circumstances of Romanoffia's chaotic term. It's certainly an exciting time within TNP's judicial landscape.
[hr][img]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/16293499/tnl-sssa2.png[/img][size=14] SillyString's Silly Advice[/size][right][i]by SillyString, Advice Columnist[/i][/right][center][b]This column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.[/b][/center]
"Dear SillyString, how do I get to be as good as you at saying things like 'accusative interrogative personal pronoun' and actually know what that means? How did you get so good at words?"
- Mysterious Monkfish
Well, MM, first you need to find the biggest, heaviest, most uncomfortable dictionary that you can find and use it as a pillow for at least three months. This will allow most of the words it contains to osmose into your brain while you sleep. It's even better if you can take frequent naps during this time it'll work even better!
Then what you want to do is take your friendly dictionary pillow and start to tear the pages out one by one, fry them up in some butter, and eat them. You should only tear out what you need for any given meal, though, because the flavor degrades rapidly, and always use butter to preserve the educational value. Continue to use your dictionary as a pillow until you have eaten the entire thing, minus the covers. These can be composted and used in your garden.
Once you have followed these steps, you should be just as good at words as I am!
"Dear SillyString, Please tell me why I shouldn't have a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch."
- Hungry Hungry Hippo
Oh, there are all kinds of reasons not to have a peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch. If you're allergic to peanuts, for example, you probably shouldn't eat one[sup][1][/sup], and if you don't have any milk to wash it down, you might not feel very refreshed afterwards. Alternatively, if you happen to have some delicious Fluff, you would be better off making a fluffernutter and banana sandwich as that is much tastier. And if you really want to get fancy, a fluffernutella sandwich is really to die for, with or without banana slices.
But if you don't have fluff, or nutella, and you've got plenty of milk, and you're not allergic to peanuts, well, I can't think of a single reason why not.
"Dear Silly String, I like this girl. I think she likes me. Wat do?"
-Confused
Aww, Confused, didn't you learn this one in middle school? Stick gum in her hair and push her when you pass each other in the hallway. This will show her how you feel! If she hits you back, you're officially going out!
[i]Seriously Silly,
SillyString[/i]
[sup][1][/sup]Though you could, of course, if you're only a little allergic.
[hr][center][small][u][b]The Northern Lights[/b][/u][b]:[/b] [i]Beauty in Truth[/i]
Publisher: r3naissanc3r :: Executive Editor: Crushing Our Enemies :: Managing Editor: mcmasterdonia :: Graphic Artist: SillyString
[i]The Northern Lights is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.[/i][/small][/center]
