Pick a Cause, Any Cause
Sophia Forrester
Since my last article, we have allied with Bulgaria, fighting for them in wars against both the longtime aggressor state of Turkey, and their new ally of Macedonia. The wars have helped us train our military and build our reputation overseas. I was as relieved as anyone that Australia was able to earn peace on their own, without our help needed. And this alliance seemed like a good way to "stretch our legs," testing our military for future defensive wars.
Bulgarians are thankful to have eJapan on their side
I am a bit less comfortable with a newer proposal in the Imperial Diet to add another training war while the old wars still rage on. This has been pushed through at a quick pace since the first suggestion two days ago. We have already opened an in-game Congress vote on whether or not to go to war. In the meantime, though, Bulgaria is still under threat and the United States has even opened a new front. It is almost as if war is being treated as a game, where any war will be okay as long as it scores enough points.
If this is how we want to treat our wars, does it matter how many wars we pick?
The problem with this attitude is that not everyone takes it so unseriously. In a game like eRepublik, one side winning means that another country is losing territory, with citizens uprooted from their virtual homes. Maybe it is as simple as a moving ticket back home... and maybe not. Myself, I find it hard to tell a refugee from a threatened land, that they should play the game and swallow their worries.
Just like anime catgirls, people can get vicious when forced from their homes. Wouldn't you?
The intent of the training war is not to attack South Korea. We still have close ties to their government and to most groups of the community there. But much like ourselves one month ago, they have barely been warned and may not be all that happy about a war. I hope that whatever happens, we can keep the friendships we have built up over the past two years.
Comments
voted.
There really isn't the need for a training war atm.
Agreed
>There really isn't the need for a training war atm.
They key there is "at the moment". You have to think beyond the moment, my friend. You have to see what a successful training war can bring to Japan, both domestically and internationally.
Don't let Sophia's roleplaying of a timid, limp-wristed little girl cloud the obvious economic, martial, and existential benefits that come from a reason d'etre on the world stage. Japan needs a purpose, and giving the world a war without real-life hate as its basis is one that our nation can be proud of.
Last time I checked the maxihellas stats site, eJapan was 9th in the world in average strength, and 49th in avg. experience. This means you have all been doing a lot of training but not enough actual fighting. You should be fighting every day somewhere and not just once or twice!
Anyway I am glad to see a war with eSK on the horizon. eBulgaria means nothing to me quite frankly, and the eUS is in no danger at the moment. However eSK grain is something worth fighting for.
I appreciate the attention given to the topic by member of the Imperial Diet, Sophia Forrester, and I would like to address a few things for clarification.
If you will remember before the eBulgarian MPP, eJapan went through around 5 days of "no battles." It is not usually even this long before the "where's the battles?" crowd starts to pop-up in the media, and I understand the need for battles to boost our experience, rank, and economy.
More importantly, I also saw it as a chance to prove eJapan's worth to the emerging PANAM alliance at a time when many critics were saying "you're adding eJapan...? :rolls eyes:" We have proven our worth to such an extent that eTurkish and eMacedonian (eFYROM) multis are starting to pop up as "new citizens" in our population. (I will post a report in the forums later)
Ironically, it is rumored that eTurkey may also join PANAM while eBulgaria will not, and so we may find ourselves "on the wrong side of the war" with not-so-polite cease and desist requests from potential eTurkish allies. The battle lines and alliances in eRepublik sometimes move quickly, and the opening of a training war with eSK serves to keep our population "entertained" while giving us another option besides the ongoing eBulgarian conflict.
As for eSKers "not being informed," we opened the war at eSK CP rythemdj's request, and he has released an article explaining it:
http://www.erepublik.com/en/article/-tw-in-japen-tw--1636232/1/20
(look at the eRomanian PTOers complaining in the comments section)
Appreciate the comments, Mr. President. You show that lot of thought did go into this, even if the Diet only had a short time to consider.
To stimulate debate, I do sometimes take a contrarian perspective on things. Otherwise, sometimes only one side gets represented. A diversity of opinions can only strengthen our country, as long as when the chips are down, we unite.
That's why I always vote your articles and encourage others to read them. 🙂