Cosmic Approach: A Campaign Series

Cosmosplosion

Cosmosplosion

the ceo of antifa
Cosmic Approach: A Campaign Series
The World Assembly, Foreign Affairs, Power, Influence, and Beyond​


Through my years in NationStates, beginning in The Versutian Federation, onward to various User-Created Regions, to The Rejected Realms, and now to The North Pacific, there is an undeniable attraction I have had to the World Assembly. For years, I have seeked ways to “solve” the puzzles, ensuring proposals get passed or struck down, authorship, and so on. These problems will never have one clear solution, and “cracking the code” needs to be done on a case by case basis, using every arm in the cache carefully.

Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be releasing a meticulous and deliberately crafted plan that I believe will shift our influence in the World Assembly and beyond into the next gear. It is no secret that, while I was appointed as Minister of World Assembly Affairs for a short time, I have presented merely a fraction of what I hope that Ministry and others can accomplish. I still offer my full support for the current administration and all of the Ministers currently heading their respective areas. Simply, I believe this administration and past administrations have served the region with the utmost respect and best intentions. I would not describe our region, in any capacity, as “broken” or in need of fixing. I believe, as well, that slight changes in direction in certain areas will serve the region exceptionally well.

Each release will detail a different aspect of this vision. Now, this is where I will address why this series will be posted in the election subforum and in this thread. After much deliberation and the creation of this series, I found that much of my policy ideas touched on areas outside of the The World Assembly. In a lot of ways, it began to look like an election platform, one that I view as broadly productive and effective.

While the following weeks will prove quite non-traditional, outlining this platform over the course of several long-form posts will be the best way of presenting this vision for the region.

I am proud to declare my intention to run for the Delegacy of The North Pacific and kick off the upcoming election. I look forward to releasing and discussing each topic in-depth over the course of the next few weeks with the region. Thank you.

Part One - Structure of Government
 
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Part One - Structure of Government​

At the heart of any decent government is an efficient and effective structure of government. Ensuring that all tasks are handled in such a way that the goals of that government are not just met, but exceeded, that progress is made when they are, and that these goals take care of all duties and responsibilities of that government to its citizens, is an art. Today, I will be outlining my vision for a solid structure of government that I believe will achieve this high wire act, and best serve the region’s interests.

First, let’s start with what is remaining the same. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Home Affairs will see no changes from how they operate currently. I will be addressing both of their respective policy directives at a later date in this campaign, however it should be widely expected to hear echoes from the past on these topics, as the current policy directives of both of these Ministries have been quite effective. In particular, it should be expected that Roleplay activities will continue free of government interference. Roleplay has an important place in our community and I look forward to working to continue their work and maintain their prominence in The North Pacific.

Second, I would like to address the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Radio. One of my top domestic priorities will be the Ministry of Radio and maintaining it as a separate institution from the Ministry of Communications. The quality of work that comes from the Ministry of Radio is top notch and maintaining that separation is ultimately a positive. For several terms now we have been observing how Radio functions outside of Communications, and have tested whether or not this separation will continue to work indefinitely. As of now, I am confident that we can continue to allow them to operate separately, and I will encourage their development as two separate and distinct ministries.

Now, let’s move to what is going to be changing. Broadly speaking, cooperation between the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense is very important. I believe we can take that cooperation a step further than we have been, and ensure that all of these crucial ministries operate under common directives and achieve the same goals that can only be achieved with the immense talent we have in all three of these ministries. To accomplish this, I will create a new position under my administration, one that codifies the cooperation I wish to see take place among these ministries, the ‘Inter-Ministry Officer.’ This individual will serve alongside the Delegate to follow events in these Ministries, educate members on areas of policy and government they may not yet be familiar with, and ensure clear messages and policy directives are given to each Ministry. What I have in mind is functionally very similar to the current position of Chief of Staff, but more focused and involved in these key ministries.

During this past term I have observed an excessive number of deputy minister appointments, with some individuals serving as a deputy to several ministries at once. Sometimes this is a result of one deputy minister becoming less active, sometimes it is a result of the wrong person being chosen initially forcing a redo of sorts. Sometimes a minister simply fears backlash for removing someone who they might prefer to replace. I believe the title of deputy minister should mean something, so while I will not be placing a hard cap on how many deputy ministers may be appointed to a given ministry, I intend to direct ministers in a Cosmo Administration to limit their appointments to what is necessary and to work with them in any situation where they feel additional deputies, or continued service from deputies who may otherwise be a seemingly bad fit for the role, may be in order. Of course some ministries require greater manpower and delegation, and there may be circumstances where a poorly performing deputy should be given some consideration, which is why I will work with the minister and give them every opportunity to resolve the situation as needed, and every ministry will be evaluated on a case by case basis.

As for positions like Chief of Staff and general advisory roles, these serve an important purpose. In times of hardship and turbulence, there must be those who can be relied upon for their experience and intelligence. For the role of Chief of Staff, I have a few names already in mind for the position. This person should be someone who has served extensively throughout our region’s history and has led the pack in various ways. Someone who I know I can trust and someone that the region can trust as well. Under my administration the Chief of Staff will also serve as a primary line between the Delegate’s Office and the public, working to educate them on policy directives and government operations. Having said that, I believe that the best adviser any public servant has is the public. Listening to feedback from the citizens of The North Pacific, both through more formal forum-based discussions and more informal voice and text chats on Discord, is something I have been encouraging since becoming involved in The North Pacific, and it is something I want to strongly encourage as Delegate. The power of the people in TNP is something they too often undervalue and underestimate, and I want them to be just as involved in the decisions their government makes as the people I will call on to help manage it.

I look forward to addressing questions on topics touched on in Part One of this campaign. I will be in Voice Chat on Discord for the next few hours, as well as responding to questions here on the forums. Any questions in Voice Chat will be transcribed and their answers will be replicated here on the forums as well.
 
How many parts are you planning to release as of now?

Cosmosplosion:
At the heart of any decent government is an efficient and effective structure of government. Ensuring that all tasks are handled in such a way that the goals of that government are not just met, but exceeded, that progress is made when they are, and that these goals take care of all duties and responsibilities of that government to its citizens, is an art. Today, I will be outlining my vision for a solid structure of government that I believe will achieve this high wire act, and best serve the region’s interests.
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Lovely.

Cosmosplosion:
First, let’s start with what is remaining the same. The Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Home Affairs will see no changes from how they operate currently. I will be addressing both of their respective policy directives at a later date in this campaign, however it should be widely expected to hear echoes from the past on these topics, as the current policy directives of both of these Ministries have been quite effective. In particular, it should be expected that Roleplay activities will continue free of government interference. Roleplay has an important place in our community and I look forward to working to continue their work and maintain their prominence in The North Pacific.
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No broad changes at all? In that case, I look forward to seeing your more specific vision for both these ministries going forward.

Cosmosplosion:
Second, I would like to address the Ministry of Communications and the Ministry of Radio. One of my top domestic priorities will be the Ministry of Radio and maintaining it as a separate institution from the Ministry of Communications. The quality of work that comes from the Ministry of Radio is top notch and maintaining that separation is ultimately a positive. For several terms now we have been observing how Radio functions outside of Communications, and have tested whether or not this separation will continue to work indefinitely. As of now, I am confident that we can continue to allow them to operate separately, and I will encourage their development as two separate and distinct ministries.
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So... no major changes here, either.

Cosmosplosion:
Now, let’s move to what is going to be changing. Broadly speaking, cooperation between the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense is very important. I believe we can take that cooperation a step further than we have been, and ensure that all of these crucial ministries operate under common directives and achieve the same goals that can only be achieved with the immense talent we have in all three of these ministries. To accomplish this, I will create a new position under my administration, one that codifies the cooperation I wish to see take place among these ministries, the ‘Inter-Ministry Officer.’ This individual will serve alongside the Delegate to follow events in these Ministries, educate members on areas of policy and government they may not yet be familiar with, and ensure clear messages and policy directives are given to each Ministry. What I have in mind is functionally very similar to the current position of Chief of Staff, but more focused and involved in these key ministries.
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Could you elaborate on these specific "common directives" and "goals"? What specifically are we talking about here? Expanding WALL? Greater coordination of proposal voting? Using the NPA to push proposals to vote? What specifically do you have in mind that requires the creation of a new position? What part of your vision can't be accomplished by the Executive Council working with the Delegate as they already do? If you feel the Chief of Staff is insufficient for your vision, wouldn't the logical choice be to reexamine that position rather than creating another one?

Cosmosplosion:
During this past term I have observed an excessive number of deputy minister appointments, with some individuals serving as a deputy to several ministries at once.
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Yo.

Cosmosplosion:
Sometimes this is a result of one deputy minister becoming less active, sometimes it is a result of the wrong person being chosen initially forcing a redo of sorts. Sometimes a minister simply fears backlash for removing someone who they might prefer to replace. I believe the title of deputy minister should mean something, so while I will not be placing a hard cap on how many deputy ministers may be appointed to a given ministry, I intend to direct ministers in a Cosmo Administration to limit their appointments to what is necessary and to work with them in any situation where they feel additional deputies, or continued service from deputies who may otherwise be a seemingly bad fit for the role, may be in order. Of course some ministries require greater manpower and delegation, and there may be circumstances where a poorly performing deputy should be given some consideration, which is why I will work with the minister and give them every opportunity to resolve the situation as needed, and every ministry will be evaluated on a case by case basis.
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I highly doubt that anyone on the Executive Council believes Deputy stacking is a good idea. However, sometimes it is necessary, as you've yourself stated above. Again, what are you proposing that isn't already there?

Cosmosplosion:
As for positions like Chief of Staff and general advisory roles, these serve an important purpose. In times of hardship and turbulence, there must be those who can be relied upon for their experience and intelligence. For the role of Chief of Staff, I have a few names already in mind for the position. This person should be someone who has served extensively throughout our region’s history and has led the pack in various ways. Someone who I know I can trust and someone that the region can trust as well. Under my administration the Chief of Staff will also serve as a primary line between the Delegate’s Office and the public, working to educate them on policy directives and government operations. Having said that, I believe that the best adviser any public servant has is the public. Listening to feedback from the citizens of The North Pacific, both through more formal forum-based discussions and more informal voice and text chats on Discord, is something I have been encouraging since becoming involved in The North Pacific, and it is something I want to strongly encourage as Delegate. The power of the people in TNP is something they too often undervalue and underestimate, and I want them to be just as involved in the decisions their government makes as the people I will call on to help manage it.
Click to expand...
Sounds wonderful. How do you intend to facilitate this greater communication with the public? You're suggesting a more public role for the Chief of Staff. What would such a role look like?
 
Cosmosplosion:
Broadly speaking, cooperation between the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Defense is very important.
Click to expand...

While I don’t disagree on this statement, I would also argue that communication and coordination between Comms, Radio, HA, and Culture is also important. Have you given consideration to these ministries as well?
 
Could you elaborate on these specific "common directives" and "goals"? What specifically are we talking about here? Expanding WALL? Greater coordination of proposal voting? Using the NPA to push proposals to vote? What specifically do you have in mind that requires the creation of a new position? What part of your vision can't be accomplished by the Executive Council working with the Delegate as they already do? If you feel the Chief of Staff is insufficient for your vision, wouldn't the logical choice be to reexamine that position rather than creating another one?
Click to expand...

I intend to go into greater detail on these policy directives at a later date. This isn't to be dismissive of these questions at all, but these will be cleared up going forward. As of now, I am looking more to address the structure of government here.

I highly doubt that anyone on the Executive Council believes Deputy stacking is a good idea. However, sometimes it is necessary, as you've yourself stated above. Again, what are you proposing that isn't already there?
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I have a belief that Deputy Ministers should act as the first people I call on as Delegate to take over a ministry in the event the minister is unable to continue their duties. While there will not be any strict requirements here, I want the next crop of Deputies to be the best and the brightest. I have confidence that nudging Minister's in this direction will be taken seriously and will lead to a strong group of Deputies that I am confident enough to call upon if needed.

Sounds wonderful. How do you intend to facilitate this greater communication with the public? You're suggesting a more public role for the Chief of Staff. What would such a role look like?
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I intend to address the Chief of Staff's role, as well as the Inter-Ministry Officer's role and how they differ in a subsequent post.

While I don’t disagree on this statement, I would also argue that communication and coordination between Comms, Radio, HA, and Culture is also important. Have you given consideration to these ministries as well?
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To an extent, I understand your concern here and it is absolutely true, we need broad cooperation across the board. The truth is, much of it has to do with the divide between foreign and domestic policy. Allowing Ministries like Home Affairs and Culture to operate significantly more independently than say FA or WAA is something we can and are actively doing now. On the world stage, our message has to be clear. Domestically, this is sometimes less important and living in a world of different ideas is something to embrace. While Comms and Radio do present themselves on an international stage regularly, I am not one to expect a lack of criticism. I want them to operate as independently of my interference as possible, while also granting them ample resources to achieve their goals.
 
Cosmosplosion:
On the world stage, our message has to be clear.
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i may be really off here, but is it not the delegates responsibility to oversee the “message”? What would this person do that the delegate and advisors don’t already do?
 
BMWSurfer:
i may be really off here, but is it not the delegates responsibility to oversee the “message”? What would this person do that the delegate and advisors don’t already do?
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This position serves two primary roles. First of all, it does indeed give another advisor to the Delegate who is strictly focused in on these three areas. I feel as if having certain people tapping into a handful of ministries instead of offering advice across the board is very important. In some instances, looking specifically to the Minister and their Deputies for their area is enough to evaluate a situation and offer solutions when need be. On the other hand, I would not expect a Minister to be spending time keeping tabs on other ministries. This role gives an individual the responsibility. While it may serve as a tad redundant in nature, due to the fast-pacing of government in TNP and the sheer amount of responsibilities placed on ministries, this redundancy is indeed needed. Second, it codifies cooperation between the three ministries officially. While they already do work together in certain regards, doing so in an official capacity will allow for greater efficiency and a far lower chance of issues arising around mixed messaging.
 
Further, I am kindly asking the bird man over there to tone down on the odd, generally unrelated comments in this thread.
 
Cosmosplosion:
This position serves two primary roles. First of all, it does indeed give another advisor to the Delegate who is strictly focused in on these three areas. I feel as if having certain people tapping into a handful of ministries instead of offering advice across the board is very important. In some instances, looking specifically to the Minister and their Deputies for their area is enough to evaluate a situation and offer solutions when need be. On the other hand, I would not expect a Minister to be spending time keeping tabs on other ministries. This role gives an individual the responsibility. While it may serve as a tad redundant in nature, due to the fast-pacing of government in TNP and the sheer amount of responsibilities placed on ministries, this redundancy is indeed needed. Second, it codifies cooperation between the three ministries officially. While they already do work together in certain regards, doing so in an official capacity will allow for greater efficiency and a far lower chance of issues arising around mixed messaging.
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Isn’t it the responsibility of ministers to work together anyway? Why do you feel that there should be someone above the ministers overseeing this?
 
Comfed:
Isn’t it the responsibility of ministers to work together anyway? Why do you feel that there should be someone above the ministers overseeing this?
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Indeed, however not only do I refer you to the additional reasoning offered above for the additional capacity this role serves in, but I offer you this as well. It should be expected, as is the case under most administrations, that a handful of our ministries will see new blood. While the extent of that new blood is unclear, as the formation of my cabinet is still in its infancy, this role will also serve in a mentor capacity for any new blood in these three ministries. For both new Ministers and Deputy Ministers, the Inter-Ministry Officer will be someone for them to look up to and look for mentorship and direction. This, combined with the codification of cooperation between the three ministries and the advisory role the Inter-Ministry Officer will serve in, I believe this role is absolutely worth creating.
 
When discussing the "Access To Abortion" WA proposal, you said: "The opposition to this bill is rooted in nothing but bigotry and those in opposition simply do not deserve our time, patience, or respect."

As a Delegate, will this statement become government policy (internally and/or internationally)? More in general—will you continue to make such statements which are rightfully considered divisive?
 
El Fiji Grande:
Cosmo, is everything alright? I'll admit I'm fairly disappointed in the lack of progress with this campaign. In order for this approach to work as intended, you really would have had to consistently release new platform sections and continued answering questions. As it is, this campaign now reflects poorly on your daily activity, ability to plan in advance, and preparedness for the delegacy, especially considering your endorsement count is still so low.
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I don't think this campaign is going to continue, based on Cosmo leaving the executive staff, at least for the time being.
 
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