Statement Regarding Operation Ragnarok and Its Diplomatic Fallout

The North Pacific was disappointed to hear that the Brotherhood of Malice very poorly plotted to subvert our ally Balder through something dubbed "Operation Ragnarok." The North Pacific condemns this behavior and reaffirms our commitment to protecting and assisting our ally Balder. This, in our view, clearly crossed a rubicon that demands a more serious response, and that response cannot be thrown together in a short amount of time. There are other things that have become necessary, however, and we want to address them here separately ahead of more comprehensive remarks to come on this subject.

We can no longer ignore the pernicious effect of accepting accommodation and cooperation with the Brotherhood of Malice on the part of other prominent regions and organizations in the world. We cannot keep looking the other way, and permit some to shrug off or diminish what BoM is doing. In that vein, we cannot ignore the unacceptable posts made by some from Osiris, including their Vizier of Foreign Affairs, in response to the report that exposed this plot against Balder. We cannot ignore the unacceptable silence of their government in condemning what occurred, or at least respecting or expressing awareness of why it concerns not only us, but their now former-ally The West Pacific. The dissolution of that treaty finally makes clear what so many have long-suspected: Osiris is not a serious gameplay region.

It has chosen the Brotherhood of Malice over its long-standing amicability with large parts of this game outside of raiders. This is a sad day, not only because we have to acknowledge that fact, but also because this is the end of years of cooperation and community engagement and rising from a rocky and turbulent past to be a mainstay of NationStates Gameplay. TNP and Osiris were not always, or even often, on the same side of various issues, but Osiris was a major player and deserved every bit of credit and acknowledgement for achieving that through its diplomatic and social game. It crafted a unique identity and even now has been building on that. What we have seen as of late with this new pharaoh is an encouraging boost to the region’s tools, engagement, WA presence. With a similarly revamped and robust foreign affairs push, Osiris could have been on a serious rise. It is hard to imagine that now, given the path it has chosen to pursue. We lament that this has happened, because years of progress have been jeopardized for the sake of a fleeting, dustbin-doomed few who have burned every conceivable bridge, including the ones they build only in their heads. We hope this is a bump in the road, and that one day, hopefully soon, Osiris can put itself back on the track it had built for itself. At this time, however, we cannot continue to abide this course.

I have informed Pharaoh Malphe II (Hazel) that The North Pacific will be terminating its non-aggression pact with Osiris. The process has begun in our regional assembly, and I have ordered the closure of our in-game and offsite embassies with Osiris. I will briefly stress that this is not meant to be a pre-cursor to war, or to give ourselves the ability to launch acts of aggression on Osiris. When the NAP was drafted almost five years ago, it was intended to be the beginning of a new and more positive relationship between our regions. It was to create formal diplomatic ties that signaled we were serious about better engagement and cooperation. Sadly, this did not come to pass, and for most of this time the NAP has simply been an acknowledgement of a status quo that required no formal treaty to exist. We did not then, and we do not now, have any reason to engage in hostilities against Osiris. But we will not engage diplomatically with a region that has chosen to joke about, and even embrace, a plot to subvert the ally of their treaty ally while throwing away years of positive relations and struggle to be a major player in gameplay. We will not have even a symbolic form of diplomatic relations with a region that gives aid and comfort to those who seek to destroy our friends.