For a New Britannia

For a New Britannia by''' Justin and Leonardo'''

~Preamble~
T hroughout the various epochs of the NationStates world, regimes have risen and fallen. From the rise of the Francoist New Pacific Order to their collapse into corruption. From the ushering in of the Aprilist revolution in Unknown to its withering and decay into a paradoxical version of its former self. From the triumphs of the ADN and FRA in their respective eras to their fall into petty factionalism and self destruction. From the glory days of Gatesville, the champion of anti-WA resistance, to its self-obliteration. From the ascension of the Commonwealth to its pitiful shattering. All of these powers were, officially or not, great empires, powerhouses not to be trifled with in their heydays. Now they are dead or otherwise reduced to petty shadows of their former selves. Scorn not their memories, learn from them. While many other factors can come into play, a reliable, highly poisonous three are the dominate sources of misery: Division, Apathy and Foreign interference.

~Division~
A brutal factor of destruction and destroyer of great regimes, it can take the form of a power hungry politician to a rivalry long past friendly plains. It showed itself here in New Britannia in many ways. From the self-serving politics of those like William Bettingham and South Boston Irishmen to the ageist complacency of the old guard, New Britannia found itself with many wounds, made gaping from the ravenous hungers of division and its tearing claws. New Britannia bled greatly over its divided self, and it was not until a purge of division, itself a brutally hard and risky choice to make, that the region resumed some unity. At the time this was inscribed, elements of the past divisions remain and are being combated, but a lesson must be learned and such issues must be further prevented as best as possible.

As could be witnessed in the Commonwealth, though not without foreign influences, the divisions, turned to schisms, utterly broke the grand collection of regions, at the time of this inscription the last great multiregional empire in NationStates' history. Concurrently, in the ADN and FRA, we could witness the ravages of rivalries, mistrust, greed for power and other forms of division ravaging once great alliances capable of striking far more than just fear in the hearts of their raider foes.

Division spreads like wildfire, a malignant cancer, a brutal infestation.

"Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot." - Niccolo Machiavelli

In a region ruled by a just, wise and lasting regime, the above shall be taken to heart. Respect toward fellow members must always be maintained, loyalty always enforced and kindness relentlessly encouraged. When it comes time to punish a transgression, one must decide, based on the given circumstances, what is to be done. Mercy must entail a wise, positive nudge in the right direction. Bitterness breeds itself otherwise. Should the punishment warrant anything harsher, a wise regime shall not hesitate to strike with full and utter force and tear the person of division from the lands. Love must be used to gain enthusiasm and loyalty. Fear must be used to suppress that which would dampen enthusiasm and to annihilate disloyalty within the region. As was learned by the Laurentians through the sad trials of fire, one must act fast and crush an issue, if one is allowed to arise, before it can take root and spread discord.

~Apathy~
A pathy, manifested either as the cessation of care (the traditional definition) or laziness "inspired" by things akin the the former. Apathy has brought great regions to their knees for it is one of the truest banes of success. It is not malicious, but it is deeply destructive. Look at the waned New Pacific Order, a shriveled ruin in comparison to what it once was. Its people care little anymore and its leaders are apathetic dullards who merely fantasize about a "return" without ever actually achieving it due to their own laziness. They once held the world in their grip, fathered a great power in both NationStates and a game called Cybernations. They were worth respecting, worth serving, worth being. Now they are a pathetic joke in the eyes of some, an historic but faded power in the eyes of others. They achieved a timeless, historic status, an honorable end if it were intended to be such.

A more tragic example is with the region of Unknown. Aside from their own, deep divisions (ironic for a group founded as a brotherhood) and the ravaging foreign powers harming them further, they are broken by apathy. After their golden age in their "5th era", they declined steadily, their membership forgetting itself, caring nothing for what made the region worth being in. Their military groaned to a halt, operating as a dim shadow of its former self, their leader alternately resigning himself to his fate and making attempts to rebuild the region in unconventional manners, a trait also common to the region's exiled founder. Their inability to work where work was needed coupled with their other problems broke them, and unlike the NPO, they do not have the grace of having an at least quasi-respected legacy outside of a few, equally spent circles, many of whom ironically exiles from their homeland.

And what of New Britannia? We were ravaged and beaten down by apathy. Our elite circles filled with lazy dullards and general apathy about fixing any real issue rampant. The monarchs themselves had to rebuild the region, effectively overthrow the government that was meant to serve them and the region and reform the region in order to undergo a partial escape from the bad name the apathetic curs gave us.

"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal, with takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice." - Arnold J. Toynbee

Apathy must be rooted out through dismissing those resting on their laurels too much and through recreating a reason to care and be active for the population, which itself may need to be supplemented or even pushed aside by a new generation. Upheaval is a great kindling device for activity. Reward those who care, punish those who do not have the grace to retire or step aside themselves when they cease to care, and always seek to innovate, always strive to increase the glory of the region even when happy with the status quo. Be satisfied enough to be happy and be proud, but never so much that you see no reason to keep progressing. By never giving in in that regard, one can make the region strong, inspire others and fend off apathy whenever possible.

~Foreign Influences~
T he outsider. Sometimes the bearer of gifts, sometimes a curse. Xenophobia is not to be encouraged, but Foreign Influences and interferences have harmed regions greatly over the years. Spies from abroad as well peoples and governments that put other lands above their own are the most common manifestation. We return once more to the region of Unknown for an example of the consequences of these factors. Unknown, in its early days, had various spy issues. One of its allies, Folsom, was nearly destroyed by them, and Unknown, both in its current incarnation and as The Brotherhood of Blood, suffered greatly at the hands of the FRA, prompting them to create what was once one of the raider world's greatest intelligence forces. Their resistance to spies was one of their great strengths and they themselves used the power of foreign intelligence (not to mention internal intelligence) to secure themselves from threats and ravage their foes. However, they faltered in the face of other foreign interferences. They were tied down to the whims of The New Inquisition, the Land of Kings and Emperors and Europeia, a trinity of like minded regions with deep divisions and a meddling attitude. Unknown and other regions surrendered and surrenders to their whims, desperate to appease them when they are angry, coddle them when they are friendly and earn their respect whenever possible. Both where those regions themselves set out to meddle and where regions actually go out of their way to serve their interests shows precisely why foreign interference can be deeply dangerous. At times, such as in New Britannia when it benefited from the patronages of Unknown and IGD, it can be good, but a government should never, ever bend to the whims of another region if it seeks to retain its sovereignty. The mighty Unknown made itself into all but a vassal of the trinity it sought to appease and they repaid it with disrespect and harmful interference. The trinity specifically and interferences like this in general must be avoided and pushed away in no uncertain terms.

Looking to the Commonwealth, while most of its issues were internal, the Aeazen Combine chose to interfere in their troubles, aggravating things further. When they came to New Britannia, they brought about chaos and near-schisms. While their legend is far overstated, they are a prime example of foreign interference on our own soil. As mentioned before, Unknown and IGD both assisted New Britannia at different times. Unknown came to New Britannia seeking to both uplift it and render it a vassal or a close ally. Unknown ultimately never achieved this and its aid greatly assisted the region without the downsides, but one must even be weary of close allies and must always avoid tying the region to the foreign policies of another. IGD, once, amusingly, a foe of New Britannia as a result of the latter's incompetent junta and the former's former Crown Prince's power aspirations, has proven an accidental interference, serving as a direct source of inspiration for many regional reforms without actually engaging in true interference attempts like New Britannia's previous "patron". The benefits of this relationship have greatly assisted New Britannia, and due to our adherence to sovereignty we have avoided, at least thus far, the pitfalls of foreign cooperation, a generally acceptable practice. However, we suffered at the hands of Prime Minister South Boston Irishmen, who sought to destroy our sovereignty through signing us to a thankfully failed multilateral treaty. Our strength in rejecting this action led to his much welcomed departure from office and the upholding of New Britannia's outer strength and inner sovereignty. It is in this capacity that we must always stand, rejecting the machinations of those foreigners who plot against us, fending off the evils of spies and working with a small few with true intentions in a loose but warm partnership. To not do so is to resign ourselves to either xenophobia or globalist slavery, the latter admittedly being worse than the former.

~A Strong Region~
A strong region stands strong against the triumvirate of troubles while encouraging true innovation. A meritocratic region dedicated to rewarding those worth rewarding guided by the steady hand of an enlightened ruler capable of listening to, but not being bound by, the people ultimately shows itself to be among the greatest. A New Britannia dedicated to self improvement, new ideas and strong sovereignty is a New Britannia worth living in for those worth having in the region. A cultured, merited land of glory and pride, but also of humbleness and respect, is a land cultivated properly, led properly. Differences must be respected but also not allowed to turn into dissent and strength must come through unity and sensibility. A New Britannia capable of remembering its past without being bound by it and capable of looking to the future without forgetting to the present is a New Britannia led with proper virtue. Enthusiasm ascendant, might in quality and innovation in abundance will guide our region, its monarchs and our destiny forward.

For New Britannia, let us never forget greatness.