- Pronouns
- He/Him/His
- TNP Nation
- Boston Castle
- Discord
- seathestarlesssky
My fellow North Pacificans,
New opportunities are always great. New things to do, new buttons to push, new people to interact with: it is hard to say that the new is not, in some sense, good. And, in essence, every new term in The North Pacific’s Government is like that.
However, we are new in every other sense of the word: the people in the Ministry are different, the contenders for our favor are different, and, of course, the world itself is remarkably different. If anything, this term may be the most critical in my time here, and potentially in the last several years, in preserving not only the order we have built but the order we strive to build. Our missteps this term will reverberate down the years in this game because we alone have the power to either add fuel to the flames of our nascent enemies or else stifle them and snuff them out once and for all.
During the remainder of this speech, I plan to accomplish three tasks: (1) introducing myself as a person to the Ministry, explaining to you perhaps why I was the pick over more experienced individuals in this field, (2) establishing the philosophy of action I imbue and what my particular policy goals are this term in the Ministry, before lastly (3) tapping my first Deputies for the term and announcing some structural shifts in the Ministry.
Who Am I?
A great question, especially for those of you who perhaps don’t pay attention to the wonderful world of World Assembly Affairs. I am Hulldom, popularly known as Hull, Inish, Blank, or Boston, but mostly as “Hull” or “Hulldom”. I was the Minister of World Assembly Affairs for the last eight and a half months, first under Robespierre and later under Madjack. I was the originator of policy shifts that have increased our maneuver room significantly in those months: the “merits over morals” policy in the Security Council, the rapprochement with Europeia and Balder via Heroes of Valhalla, and the successful execution of a World Assembly Symposium unlike any other.
I have been active behind the layperson’s curtain with WALL, facilitating discussions on pretty much everything, and ensuring that our web of partners in that alliance speak with (mostly) one voice on matters before the World Assembly. I also have utilized my relationships to get things important to TNP and our partners to pass, making it clear to movers and shakers what we would be doing and why we might be doing it. I treated my job as Minister of WA Affairs as a more limited vein of what we’re doing here: projecting our power and using it as a warm, inviting blanket rather than a cudgel, winning friends by winning friends and not by simply defining enemies.
I also have experience with tremendously difficult jobs, serving as the functional Minister of Foreign Affairs in other places, albeit with fairly limited scope of action. However, I would state that I think those terms were successes. They enabled me to formulate an administrative course of action I plan to implement here and they enabled me to realize, a little cynically, what the modern Minister of Foreign Affairs requires.
Who Will We Be?
We will continue to be Independent, letting our interests dictate what we do, who we work with, and why we’ll be doing it. We will look to strengthen our existing partnerships with old friends and close friends, while we seek to construct new relationships with potential partners.
I made a point of reaching out to the accredited Foreign Minister of every region (where said office exists) that we have embassies with today, seeking out what they’d like to do, what they want, what they need, and what they might want to see change from The North. In opening dialogue early and directly, I hope to find avenues toward constructive growth and to be proactive in our abilities to counter threats, take advantage of opportunities, and exploit the bounty of diplomatic riches at our disposal.
We will fully embrace a policy that combines the core tenets of optimistic diplomacy with the core tenet of my own philosophy, which I leave up to the reader to either derisively sneer at or applaud. I firmly believe that the goal of the modern diplomat is not just the creation of alliances or the deepening of camaraderie but the creation of a series of friendships which are not just predicated on standing by each other but active and willing participation in the common aspirations of the other, each lending a hand when necessary and making clear the common bond that ties them.
Simply put, I intend to have this Ministry continue its tireless work. I, of course, intend to put the North first, but not by attempting to export the North’s hard power, but rather to export the soft power we have with the hard as only a last resort.
Compared to other terms, I do not intend to have this Ministry to be a soft flexor of the soft power we’ve accrued but rather a bespoke one. We will be the eyes that grant our beloved home a view into the darkness, we will be the beating heart of a region intent on reclaiming fully its rightful place at the very top. Our goals are not necessarily nebulous, in that there are tangible benchmarks for what I want to accomplish, but unlike with World Assembly Affairs, my goals can’t be, and aren’t, statistical in nature, nor are they necessarily measurable.
What Will We Do?
Lastly, I want to cover the what we’ll be doing this term, as you hopefully understand why we’re doing what we’re doing and who your new chief is. The first thing to cover are my Deputies, the two people whom I believe represent institutional knowledge of the NationStates world and the most insightfully analytical mind I have ever worked with on this game. I do not intend to carry more than two Deputies at this time due to the lack of day-to-day, update-to-update activity this Ministry requires.
My first Deputy is Cretox. Cretox needs no introduction to anyone who’s been around The North for longer than a year. He is one of the of the most successful Ministers of World Assembly Affairs in recent memory (and arguably the most successful), served as Vice Delegate for almost two terms, and, of course, was a Deputy Minister practically everywhere. He’s also been quick shot up the North Pacific Army, achieving the rank of Minister within months of joining the NPA’s ranks. Now that he is Minister of Defense, this is not a back-scratching position (we will work closely regardless), but rather a recognition of the keen eye that Cretox provides and has provided.
My second Deputy is a name that’s new to the North, but someone who I believe more than has the chops to step up right away, and that’s Wymondham. He is someone who has maintained my immense respect during the time I’ve come to know them on NationStates through my interactions with him as an occasional region mate to my interactions with him now as a friend. His knowledge of the rest of the world is invaluable and they will assist me in managing the finer, more delicate aspects of this job. I trust that his sage advice will help the Foreign Affairs Ministry, and the North, prosper.
Now, for what truly what we will do this term, we will:
- Undertake a thorough review of our Diplomatic assignments and re-assign diplomats to achieve effective representation in our many embassy partners.
- Continue to pursue our goals in the Security Council, albeit more aggressively, with myself and the Delegate cooperating with the Ministry of World Assembly Affairs and other partners to pursue advantageous resolutions and recognize further nominees as part of the Heroes of Valhalla program.
- Pursue proactive discussions at the highest levels on matters of strategic interest including the problems, and opportunities, with certain raider/defender groups.
Wishing you all the best,
~~Hulldom
Minister of Foreign Affairs
