The Democratic Union

During the last few months, The North Pacific has seen a revival in its roleplay section, with many players, old and new, contributing dozens of posts per day. A major drive for this activity has been the founding and development of the Democratic Union (DU).

The DU was founded in July 2014, and is an international institution whose members are nations within TNP, as roleplayed by their owners. It is a roleplay government within a government, of sorts, providing a formal framework for collaboration among the members on various issues of importance to them. The DU has its own charter, officials (in the form of IC representatives from selected nations), elections, legislative procedure, admissions - all the basic elements one would expect to find in a standard gameplay government. It additionally has many purely roleplay characteristics, such as a place for its own headquarters on the map of TNP.

The DU charter provides that membership is reserved for democratic nations, with the democratic tendencies of each nation being quantified using NationStates metrics such as the Diebold Election Inking Scale. A Chairman and a Deputy, elected from among national members, comprise its leadership. The government of Malvad held the inaugural Chairman, replaced in November by Scandigrad after a hotly contested election.

Since its creation, the DU has debated and enacted multiple resolutions, ranging from amendments to its charter to international agreements. These include a free trade agreement, a collective defence agreement, and measures for the regulation of weapons of mass destruction. The increased legislative activity has motivated the formation of committees, to improve the efficiency of the DU's response to specialized areas.

In addition to international legislation, the DU has been actively involved in addressing international incidents involving its members. In one instance, the DU met to discuss a political crisis in McMasterdonia, where the Monarchy decided to suspend elections and has been accused of suppressing the freedom of the press. The discussion saw the McMasterdonian ambassador accuse the then Chairman from Malvad of attempting to deflect attention from internal problems that had been plaguing Malvad in recent years. The government of Malvad eventually recalled their DU ambassador, though they denied the accusations and insisted that an investigation should be carried out in McMasterdonia. Another contentious issue has been the Cronaal Civil War. The war saw Syrixia invade the nation with a 5000 strong force, characterized as a "peacekeeper force", without proper consultation of either the DU or the government of Cronaal. The decision drew criticism from many national ambassadors to the DU, and the subsequent discussion led to the withdrawal of Syrixian forces.

With recruitment and promotional support from the Ministry of Culture of the gameplay government of TNP, the DU has quickly become a vital regional institution. Its success has lead to discussions about establishing another such body, open to nations not admissible to the DU, with an intention of creating a rival to the DU's monopoly on international power in the region. How such proposals will pan out remains to be seen. What is certain is that it is an exciting time to roleplay your nation in TNP.

Click to expand...