[center][big][big][big]The New Galactic Empire's First Foreign Update for 2014![/big][/big][/big][/center][table=2,][center]

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High Government


Emperor:HM Emperor Darth Radix II

Executor:Vacant

Praetor:Vaculatestar

Vizier:Darth Tenebris

VicereineAayla




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Moff Council


Interim Moff of War: Darth Tenebris

Moff of Foreign Affairs: Aayla

Interim Moff of Culture:Palpatine 1986

Interim Moff of Imperial Affairs: Vaculatestar


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[c][center]


Imperial Senate[/center]


[center]Chancellor:Raslexk

Vice Chancellor: Mack Lochmere

Representative:Firefighters Haven[/center]


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[center]WA Delegate: HM Emperor Darth Radix II[/center]



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[center]Galactic Court[/center]

[center]Supreme Judge:Gray Army[/center]


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While there's no regional games in here *thumbleweeds roll around like it was a ghost town* I'll make it better! In this game you will have to guess the city of a picture of that city that someone is giving you(Ex. If the picture is New York you'll have to guess it). If you get it right YOU get to post the picture of a city and make people guess that city(I picked this game up from the NS Forums and I enjoyed it).

So I'll start:
<a class="bbc_url" href="http://www.google.com/imgres?client=safari&sa=X&hl=en&biw=320&bih=366&tbm=isch&tbnid=cibf6v2BgyjSZM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FOsaka&docid=eeDIrWoXrHF2KM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fe%2Fe4%2FOsaka_Castle_02bs3200.jpg&w=4167&h=2728&ei=nGEeU9DAA8zokQf9kIBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&page=1&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=0CEAQrQMwAA">http://www.google.com/imgres?client=safari&sa=X&hl=en&biw=320&bih=366&tbm=isch&tbnid=cibf6v2BgyjSZM%3A&imgrefurl=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FOsaka&docid=eeDIrWoXrHF2KM&imgurl=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fe%2Fe4%2FOsaka_Castle_02bs3200.jpg&w=4167&h=2728&ei=nGEeU9DAA8zokQf9kIBg&zoom=1&iact=rc&page=1&start=0&ndsp=9&ved=0CEAQrQMwAA</a>

So you all see the various images on the forum and as we move forward I want to open up a chance for you to design images for use on the forums.  There are no restrictions to what you can design or choose for submitting.  If you find a neat background that you would like to see on the forums post it here.  If you want to create a new banner to show on the top of the boards feel free.  If you want to change our NS logo at the top of the forums you can.

 

Please try to keep the dimensions around the same as the current images.

Hey guys. I've been working on this today and I want to get your thoughts and input. I imagine this will sound completely foreign and wrong to some of you, but I think we've gone way too long making terms like "hostility" and "regional security" kitchen-sink terms. I want to give them meaning.

 

----

 

The Assembly has spent the last few months debating the issue of what to do with people who are “hostile” to the Coalition. Throughout the debate, it became clear that a core issue has gone unaddressed in the Coalition's foreign policy doctrine. That issue is: what does it mean to be hostile to the Coalition? This memorandum serves as a defining document for what hostility means in the context of our foreign affairs.

 
Current definition of “hostility”

 

While there is no concise written definition of what counts as “hostility” to the Coalition, there are a common set of characteristics people mention when discussing hostile persons, regions, and organizations. The following actions have at times been considered hostile:

 

- Declaring war against the Coalition

- Declaring war against our allies and strategic partners

- Engaging in espionage against the Coalition, our allies, or our strategic partners

- Engaging in heated arguments and debates, especially when one resorts to name-calling

- Being perceived as advocating for a position on the basis of how it would help foreign groups

- Engaging in (or being perceived to be engaging in) propaganda efforts, no matter how mild or severe

- Blocking or otherwise undermining the military missions of the New Southern Army or its partners

- Advocating against the Independence ideology

- Advocating for the adoption of a concrete position in NationStates military gameplay (e.g. raider, defender, imperialist)

- Harshly criticizing the members or policies of the Cabinet, especially in official documents and statements

- Encouraging members of foreign groups to vote for or against Assembly bills

- Having leadership or vocal members that dislike or hate the Coalition's leadership

- Working against “the interests” of the Coalition

- Participating in a coup d'etat of the Coalition, our allies, or our strategic partners

- Not recognizing the legitimacy of forum-based regional governance

- Being generally unpleasant to deal with

 

The list is by any means not exhaustive. Accusations and declarations of hostility have been guided by little in the way of a real doctrine. Instead, as the list above shows, hostility as a characteristic is a beast of many natures: military, political, personal. The myriad ways in which an individual or group can be labeled hostile proves that hostility has little to no meaning. There are legitimate entries on that list, but there are also activities that are not at all hostile, even though they might be annoying or harmful to diplomatic and political relations.

 

 

 
A new doctrine for hostility

 
Defining hostility

 

Going forward, the Cabinet of the Coalition will use this document when considering the label of any individual or group as hostile.

 

The basic definition of hostility is:

 

<p style="margin-left:40px;">Behavior that severely and directly threatens the territorial integrity and information security of the Coalition of The South Pacific, including the region itself and its forums.

 

To better understand the implications of this definition, consider the following breakdown of its meaning.

 

<p style="margin-left:40px;">“Severely and directly threatens”

One common mistake made when discussing hostility is the assumption that all actions are of equal hostile status. This is how a individual can go from flaming on the forums during an argument, to being labeled hostile to the Coalition. When considering if an individual or group is hostile, we must analyze their behavior in the context of not only its severity, but how it actually threatens the core security of the region. This helps prevent mistaking politics and personality for true hostility.

 

Additionally, we must consider if the severe behavior directly threatens our security. That means, for example, one group causing tensions between the Coalition and another one of our allies – causing the potential for the Coalition to lose an important security partner – does not mean the group is hostile. That is a political problem for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to handle, not a severe and direct security threat. Voting fraud is a very serious problem, but it is a criminal matter for the Assembly to deal with, and it will carry serious diplomatic repercussions if coordinated by foreign groups, but it is not a threat to the core of our regional security.

 

“Territorial integrity”

This term is borrowed from ideas of real-world national security. In the real world, one of the defining features of a state is that it has territory, and the most basic goal of a state is to maintain the integrity of that territory against foreign threats. This translates well into NationStates. The “territory” of the Coalition is the region itself within NationStates. To defend the integrity of the region, we must ensure that foreign forces and domestic rogues do not usurp control of the Delegate seat.

 

“Information security”

This term encompasses all secure communications and information produced and perused by the Coalition. Some common examples of those are: Cabinet discussions, military mission plans, Committee on State Security communications, secure IRC discussions, forum passwords, and IRC channel passwords. Maintaining information security is mostly concerned with preventing espionage, hacking, and leaking of secure communications and information.

 

To some, this may seem to leave a lot out. Certainly, it does. Redefining hostility this way ensures that the label has meaning and is not used a political bludgeon against undesirable elements in the region. However, it is important to realize that this document does not seek to define regional security in general nor how to deal with other regional security matters.

 

The limited definition of hostility does not prevent the Cabinet from issuing persona non grata status to spies found working against our allies, or condemning the violation of the sovereignty of other regions. Nor does this doctrine prevent the Assembly from declaring war on regions perceived to by hostile for reasons not within this definition. The limited definition is for the purposes of domestic policy, should the Cabinet ever be requested to review the hostile status of any individual or group.

 

However, it is the hope of myself and the Cabinet that the main thrust of this doctrine will have a normative impact on those who are all too eager to throw around accusations of hostility. We must take politics and personality out of the equation. Hostility against the Coalition is a serious security matter, and we are all done a disservice when the label is used inappropriately.

So, I've been playing around with the poll options and I believe that there is now a combination that allows for it to be used largely free from foreign interference and with a guarantee of one member, one vote. The combination is;

 

Resident: Nation must be in TSP

Native: Nation must have more influence in TSP than any other region

WA: Nation must be in the WA

Influence: Nation must have influence equaling that obtained by spending 1,000 days in TSP without WA

 

How would people feel about a Charter amendment allowing for a referendum procedure based of that? There would need to be rules regarding how a referendum can be called (prior Assembly vote/petition seems logical) and for the nature and wording of questions, but I believe it could be an interesting form of direct democracy and engage more of the regional community. Combined with the new system for attaching dispatches to the WFE we have the ability to inform and involve those residents who don't participate in the forum in ways previously impossible.

Hey everybody, I was wondering if anybody had any design abilities. I want to commission the creation of military ribbons that look like this:

 



 

I want to, at some point, introduce this system of military ribbons to reward soldiers that participate in many missions.

 

Does anybody have the ability design some of these ribbons?

Interviewer: CrimsonTideFan

Interviewee: Callistaire
 
1. How did you learn about Nation States? What enticed you to join?

 
I was doing online quizzes when I stumbled upon one about politics- it had a link to nationstates in it. I liked the general concept of what I saw so signed up.
That's how a lot of people find their way to here, which online quiz were you taking?

 
2. How long have you been in the South Pacific? Why did you decide to stay?

 
I have been here for 33 days now. I didn't get any recruitment telegrams that interested me when I first joined and after a short time I realised that TSP was the region I wanted to be in anyway. Having a sexy map to put my nation on and very welcoming people like Kringalia made the decision pretty easy.
B&N did a phenomenal job on the map.

 
3. What do you like most about being a resident of TSP?

 
The sense of community & how welcoming/friendly everyone is.
That's the same reason I stayed.

 
4. If you were delegate for a day, what would you do?

 
I would try and make it a day about learning to put aside negativity and old differences- I really believe that if everyone approached things in a calm, friendly manner without bitterness or snarkyness we could get a lot more done in TSP and the world in general.
 
5. Do you have any interests outside of Nationstates?

 
My big passion is Mental Health- I have a long history in this area both as a consumer and as a consumer representative sitting in on meetings and going to conferences, and I have always wanted to know how people think and why they do the things they do. It is my intention to study psychology and help people in their teens and 20s (the demographic with the least access to care and greatest need for it) to make it through. I am also an avid hobbyist/tabletop wargamer (i.e. assembling, painting and gaming with little plastic toy soldiers)
That is really thoughtful, I wish you luck on becoming a psychologist.

 
6. Cake or Pie? Why?

 
This is a tricky one- I love carrot cake & strawberry cheesecake, and I don't really like meat pies, but put me in front of a good apple pie and I will scarf it down quicker than you can say hot pastry. Does Apple Crumble count as pie? if so my vote is for pie. If not my vote is for cake.
Picking pie's fightin' words 'round these parts. (if you're a cake cultist)

 
7. What is your favorite book, movie, or game?

 
I read an absolute shedload of books (I probably go through about one novel every week, but would read more if I could afford to buy more books) but I don't really have a clear favourite. The same goes for video games, so I will go with my favourite movie her- which is Repo Men, a slightly obscure movie in which Jude Law is an employee of an artificial organ company with the job of repossessing said organs when people default on their payments. It is violent and bloody but has a great story and one of the best movie soundtracks I have seen. If you liked Fight Club or Kill Bill I would recommend it highly to you.
Hmm. I might have to check that out.
 
Those are all the questions we have today. This concludes our interview with Callistaire. Thank you for participating Callistaire, and good luck in the pursuit of becoming a psychologist. 

What is the etiquette around here for Cabinet members increasing their endorsements? I think I'm at the lowest endorsement level of anybody in the Cabinet, because I've never gone around exchanging endorsements. If I were to do that, should I alert the CSS? Should I get permission? What's the deal?

When it was first created the CSS Line of Succession reflected the present order of members in terms of number of WA endorsements. That is no longer the case, and one member in the current line of succession (Hileville) is no longer part of the CSS. As the number of WA endorsements varies over time the line of succession needs altering regularly, so as to prevent the legal successor being surpassed by other members. As such, I propose that we switch from a formal list of CSS members to a system where the line of succession is determined by endorsement count.

 

At the same time, I propose removing the observer status of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Army. At the time the original CSS was created it's membership was much smaller, and the Delegate did not have observer status. Since then membership has increased vastly and the Delegate has gained observer status in all CSS forums.

 

I've also tweaked the language in a few places. Removals are in red, alternations in green, additions in blue. In some places the same clause exists but has been moved to a different numerical position. These are not highlighted.

 

As such, I propose the following amendments to the Charter and Code of Laws in omnibus form;

 

Quote: 

Article 6: The Committee for State Security

<p style="font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Section 1 - Membership and Approval

<ol class="bbc bbcol decimal">[*]Membership in the Committee for State Security (CSS)
requires Citizenship in The South Pacific
, a nation with World Assembly membership in the region
and the approval of the Assembly.
[*]The Vice Delegate will serve as the Chair of the CSS.
[*]The Delegate shall serve as an observer on the CSS, with no voting rights.

[*]Citizens wishing to become members of the CSS
may submit their application for admittance to the assembly.
[*]Citizens may also be nominated for membership of the CSS by the Delegate.

[*]Applicants for the Committee for State Security require a 75% majority vote in favor of admittance by the Assembly.

[*]The Minister of the Army and Minster of Foreign Affairs will serve on the Committee for State Security but are not required to meet the requirement of holding a World Assembly nation in the Coalition.​

</ol><p style="font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;font-size:14px;">Section 2 - Regulations

<ol class="bbc bbcol decimal">[*]The Committee for State Security is responsible for the internal security of The Coalition.
[*]The Committee for State Security is responsible for establishing and and enforcing the endorsement cap.
[*]Council members must never exceed the amount of WA endorsements obtained by the legal Vice Delegate.
[*]The Vice-Delegate may grant a leave of absence from the CSS for a member on military or intelligence duty for The South Pacific. Members on leave of absence remain members of the CSS but will not be part of the line of succession to the Delegacy.

[*]The line of succession to the Delegacy is determined according to the WA endorsement levels of CSS members at the time in question, running from highest to lowest.

</ol>

Quote: 

 

Article 3: Delegate
<ol class="bbc bbcol decimal">[*]In accordance with the Charter if the Delegate resigns or is recalled or otherwise unable to carry out the duties of the Office the Vice Delegate will assume the Office of the Delegate immediately.
[*]In the event of Clause 1 of this article the next in the line of succession will then assume the Office of the Vice Delegate.
[*]The line of succession shall be updated and maintained in clause 4 of this Article and be updated immediately upon the acceptance of new members to the Committee for State Security. If a member of the Committee for State Security is the current Delegate or is unable to serve they will be skipped in the succession order.

[*]The line of succession past the Vice Delegate is as follows: Brutland and Norden, Fudgetopia, Southern Bellz, Belschaft, Hileville.

</ol>