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Greetings, America.

I couldn't help but notice, and maybe you have too, that a certain subset of Omegaco has taken the track of the Bush Administration, famously summarized 'If you're not with us, you're against us.'

I have no doubt that their reply to this would be, 'Well, Mexico is in our alliance. It's our duty to defend them.'

In my mind, this sudden concern with Mexican interests comes at an odd time. Not when they're being invaded, but two months later, when they seek to gain support against their rivals.

Let's put that aside for the moment and, if you'll pardon my tendency to go on at length, I'd like to share a conversation I had early this morning with a member of the Greek Government.

He approached me on matters of American Foreign Policy, which I cannot speak to in any official capacity and was very clear to him about this. None the less, while I do not hold any elected or appointed office, it wouldn't be honest to say I am a stranger to the corridors of power nor disconnected from the pulse of the American people.

His first question to me, his very introduction, was very telling in my mind.

'Are you G7 or Anti-G7?'

This is an understandable question and, in the highly polarized confines of this game, a very critical one. Many of us hold many varying opinions and others would not even be sure how to answer. Most would probably say, 'Neutral', but what does that really mean? We have interests. Other countries have interests. We, if we are doing our jobs correctly, should pursue and expand our interests. So, how can we really be Neutral when we have an agenda?

Neutral is a simple answer to a complex question that is cast in very simple terms. The complex answer to the implicit complex question (Being, 'How does America view other nations of the world in their approach to global foreign policy?') is that we have time and again been burned by alliances. We've been wiped three times as a result of them and, despite having once held a Top 5 population for many months, have never really tasted the spoils that one imagines should come with such a status.

But why is this and what have we learned? What makes this the path we choose?

That is really a very simple question to answer.

We have learned that people who are not our friends, but are allies, really don't work particularly well with us. More poignantly, with regard to us, we've done our fair share of alliance switching and are known to go a bit rogue. Many nations on either side are weary of us and believe we do not show up in force to fights that aren't about us. Perhaps it's deserved and perhaps it is not.

What strikes me is that is frequently people who are our Allies but have never bothered to be our friends that hold this opinion.

And, to make a long story short, that's exactly what I told him.

We're not looking for Allies, we're looking for friends and we're looking to grow relationships. As much as I appreciate your immediate needs, coming to us and saying 'Hey, we'd like to be friends. You should join our Alliance and, oh yeah, we need you to leave Mexico too' isn't the way to do it.

I like to argue. I've done it a lot and one thing I've learned from arguing with many-a-stranger ferociously, you can't build a friendship by first trying to resolve your differences. You must understand and, indeed, can even argue those differences. But, at the end of the day, if what you want is friendship, you must first respect those differences and learn how you can resolve them from each other.

He and I went on to discuss at length the social dynamics at play within the US and Greece and meandered off into discussions of other games we enjoy. And I believe I made a new friend.

We did this by openly and honestly discussing our differences, without ultimatums, recognizing and respecting them, then putting them aside and learning where we have common ground.

I have this to say to you, Omegaco.

If what you want is to gain us as allies, the way to do that is not and never will be to attempt to force us into a corner. When ultimatums are put to us, explicit or implicit, I will always decide to cast my lot in which ever party did not attempt to force my hand. And, in that regard, I think I am a pretty typical American.

If you wish to liberate Mexico as your ally, that's of course fine, but understand this doesn't lead to friendship nor trust. Mexico is your ally and, I'm afraid, that will have to be a ethical problem that you must come to terms with before you can hope to set terms upon us.

If what you want is our Friendship, the one and only way to achieve this is for your members to individually engage us. To see where they can be of help to us, and where we can be of help to them and how we can work to help each other. Slowly and painstakingly are relationships built. They cannot be formed overnight by the votes of a few representative bodies and access to IRC channels.

Our nation's population has been halved. I know of no nation who was so decimated by the introduction of Secura. We have been wiped time and again, always when we joined an Alliance.

Many distrust us.

Many feel we are poor allies.

Well, the feeling is mutual.

It is, ultimately, up to your collective wisdom as to if we will be enemies or friends, because of that.

Because we've been through it all.

And, frankly, I think we just don't give a damn.

Signed,

His Holiness; Hentai Christ, the Loli Drama.
Equus Maximo of All Ponydom and just some guy shooting his mouth off.

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