Article
Most of you are members of a Political Party. A large number of you actively participate in a Military Unit. Every single one of you is a resident of an individual nation.
Each nation has it's own sovereignty.
Or does it?
We live in a world where alliances are rife, friends and foes must be defined, battle lines must be drawn. Everything must be 'black and white'.
Why is that?
Alliances have always been a key player in games of this ilk. We see them rise and fall as a collective, we see nations be accused of treachery when they go against the alliance's general view; or rather, the view of the most prominent country within the alliance; we see pacts form within alliances--some last, others collapse. Everything must come to an end at some stage. They are supposed to be democratic affairs, where every nation is equal; every nation has its own voice; every nation is worth something. This rarely, if ever, the case. Instead what we witness is the stripping of sovereignty, the belittling of the small and the weak, the dominance of the aggressive, over-vocal and often entirely wrong, leading nations.
Once your nation involves itself in an alliance it loses its focus and nationalistic goals. Some would say that this is for the greater good of the alliance. I would ask, "what good is that?". I would argue that you become nought but a pawn in a war which is not of your choosing nor creation, often fighting for nations which are not your friends. All because you have united under the banner of a single alliance. You are tied down and forced to believe in what you are being fed by the alliance leaders. You are forced to act in a manner which does not befit your views. Your nation must follow else it is punished. To speak out, to utter negative comments on the direction, the plan and the alliance-standing is wrong in the eyes of most. You act like an animal being lead to slaughter; blind, dumb, unaware of your end destination and just following the tail in front.
Any plans which your nation has, anything at all, must go through the alliance headquarters. It apparently must be discussed by those who are of no relation to your nation. Those who have no legitimate say in how your country is governed. Yet, apparently they feel they do. It is actions such as this that reduce nations to nothing more than a playing piece on a board. Their individual control is removed, they are governed by an elite few.
Your nation holds no sovereignty.
Now, onto the some of the different flawed viewpoints regarding alliances and their meanings to an individual nation.
Firstly, "Every member in your alliance is your friend". Wrong. They are not, and often will never be, your 'friend'. You may share mutual enemies, may even have similar ideals, but they are rarely there for you. They either follow you, or you them. There is no need to sign Mutual Protection Pacts as a symbol of unity, often these are just a complete waste of gold and therefore national resources. All for what? To show that you are related to a nation, to show that you are sympathetic to their plight or one with their expansionist goals? Please. It is nought but a fake showing of unity. It means nothing in terms of your relationship.
Secondly, we have the reciprocation of aid. You may give or receive damage or monetary support from members of your alliance in times of need, but there is no feeling behind it. Only necessity. Now, this need for offering or receiving aid is twofold. One, if you offer aid you are, effectively, trying to posit the position of: "I've helped you, now I expect you to return the favour in our time of need". This delayed-reciprocation approach does not benefit your nation, only that of the one which you have helped. Most of the time you will see nothing in return. Two, there is an undercurrent of refused support in the future if you do not help 'core' allies. This being the case, your alliance will hang you out to dry if you do not support them every step of the way. Only if you offer up your unbending support for their cause will they ever consider to reciprocate the help which they have received.
Thirdly, there must always be an enemy. In a past discussion within Omega HQ, the topic of 'friend and foe' was broached. Below you can see a snippet of what happened:
[18:46] <~bonob[FR]> first question, do everyone agree that g7 is our ennemy and unico our friend?
[18:46] <Lynky2> yes
[18:46] <Ranflax> No comment.
[18:47] <~bonob[FR]> you don't agree Ranflax?
[18:47] <@[SWE]Ceasar_Augustus> Ranflax: Is there any nation in G7 that you like or what?
[18:47] <Ranflax> Okay, I'll elaborate.
[18:47] <Ranflax> In terms of where we stand currently, yes, G7 is an enemy to Omega.
[18:47] <Ranflax> In terms of my personal views on alliances and the like, no they are not an enemy. They are just another alliance.
[18:48] <Ranflax> Likewise to Unico. In terms of where Omega stands, they are friends.
As should be evident by now, I am anti- hard-drawn lines. By this I mean I do not conform to relationships being set in stone; they are dynamic, free flowing and open, always open, to negotiations. Who is to say that because a member of your alliance is at war with that of another that you should then take part? Maybe you might feel a sense of honour or compassion. Maybe you just like to help--which is a rarity in itself. But in reality, you do it because you know that the rest of the alliance, who often so blindly follow suit, would start to ignore you. You are forced to act in a manor which doesn't befit your nation in order to keep up these false relationships with alliance members.
Do not fall for these misconceptions. Hold onto your sovereignty! Make a stand and make your voice heard.
Fight against the menace that is alliances. Make it known that you do not agree with policies.
And never, ever, be cowed into pure submission.
Yours always,
~
Ranflax
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About the game:
USA as a world power? In E-Sim it is possible!
In E-Sim we have a huge, living world, which is a mirror copy of the Earth. Well, maybe not completely mirrored, because the balance of power in this virtual world looks a bit different than in real life. In E-Sim, USA does not have to be a world superpower, It can be efficiently managed as a much smaller country that has entrepreneurial citizens that support it's foundation. Everything depends on the players themselves and how they decide to shape the political map of the game.
Work for the good of your country and see it rise to an empire.
Activities in this game are divided into several modules. First is the economy as a citizen in a country of your choice you must work to earn money, which you will get to spend for example, on food or purchase of weapons which are critical for your progress as a fighter. You will work in either private companies which are owned by players or government companies which are owned by the state. After progressing in the game you will finally get the opportunity to set up your own business and hire other players. If it prospers, we can even change it into a joint-stock company and enter the stock market and get even more money in this way.
In E-Sim, international wars are nothing out of the ordinary.
Become an influential politician.
The second module is a politics. Just like in real life politics in E-Sim are an extremely powerful tool that can be used for your own purposes. From time to time there are elections in the game in which you will not only vote, but also have the ability to run for the head of the party you're in. You can also apply for congress, where once elected you will be given the right to vote on laws proposed by your fellow congress members or your president and propose laws yourself. Voting on laws is important for your country as it can shape the lives of those around you. You can also try to become the head of a given party, and even take part in presidential elections and decide on the shape of the foreign policy of a given state (for example, who to declare war on). Career in politics is obviously not easy and in order to succeed in it, you have to have a good plan and compete for the votes of voters.
You can go bankrupt or become a rich man while playing the stock market.
The international war.
The last and probably the most important module is military. In E-Sim, countries are constantly fighting each other for control over territories which in return grant them access to more valuable raw materials. For this purpose, they form alliances, they fight international wars, but they also have to deal with, for example, uprisings in conquered countries or civil wars, which may explode on their territory. You can also take part in these clashes, although you are also given the opportunity to lead a life as a pacifist who focuses on other activities in the game (for example, running a successful newspaper or selling products).
At the auction you can sell or buy your dream inventory.
E-Sim is a unique browser game. It's creators ensured realistic representation of the mechanisms present in the real world and gave all power to the players who shape the image of the virtual Earth according to their own. So come and join them and help your country achieve its full potential.
Invest, produce and sell - be an entrepreneur in E-Sim.
Take part in numerous events for the E-Sim community.
