Finding Foreign Affairs:
Hurry Up and Wait
Written by Istillian
"The art of war is simple enough. Find out where your enemy is. Get at him as soon as you can. Strike him as hard as you can, and keep moving on." - Ulysses S. Grant
Participating in NationStates (NS) warfare, while daunting for some, is a considerable skill that hones your technical speed, your accuracy, and importantly provides you with a useful networking tool for understanding and engaging with the greater NS world.
We've talked about foreign affairs experience quite a bit in recent times, particularly with a trend of mentioning the region (hopefully not) becoming insular or completely internally focused. So it is interesting that, regardless of what titles our future Executive Modernisation plan leads to our upper leadership having, our Chief's of State have all had some military background or exposure in their time – leading to a development in their understanding and experience in foreign affairs.
Based on our foreign affairs experts having, at the very bare minimum, a participatory glance into NS military gameplay, I'd argue that involvement in the Europeian Republican Navy (ERN), or at least having experience in NS raiding and defending, is an almost essential requirement to leading in the upper ranks of foreign affairs in our region - particularly if one were to have a platform to be chief of state. More than this, engaging in cross-regional military operations provides a snapshot of other players in our world. So while you can certainly become an ambassador, and get involved with another region through diplomatic relations and involvement in other region's Discord groups; involving yourself in a completely different culture can be hard when you're "going at it alone." Many have explored and discussed the concept that "foreign affairs is not hard," but it can be hard to find a clear direction on where you should involve yourself first and foremost. Having a military attachment, when being on a cross regional operation, provides a way of involving yourself in foreign affairs, without the difficulty of trying to find where you fit in to another region as a diplomat, or even having to be a part of another region at all.
The unique thing about this too, is that there is always room for conversations, the building of camaraderie, and the celebrating of shared experiences in victory or defeat – nothing could be as unifying as this. While there may only be some glimpses into the culture of whatever region the military forces you may be working alongside are from, it does provide a deeper look into of the type of personalities that dominate other regions.
This isn’t a promise to say that military operations are easy, in fact there’s quite a lot of work and planning that goes into them for those just starting out. But what can be promised is training and guidance in developing a unique skillset, the potential for career advancement and leadership opportunities regardless of your political achievements or prior experience in Europeia, and a respect and recognition for service to your region that crosses borders. Whether you're a Private First Class in The Black Hawks, a Lieutenant Commander in the ERN, or just casually helping out piling a nation somewhere without being embedded into a military organisation - there is always a mutual respect in foreign affairs when having joined in a battle together.
The difficulty with this argument is a clear one - an active standing military force is not easy to hold, and even harder to keep engaged when we are found wanting of an experienced Grand Admiral to serve us. To grievously use a phrase originating in the United States military, "hurry up and wait”, is the best advice that can be given at this point in time; or in a slightly more refined way, to quote prolific writer Leo Tolstoy, “Time and patience are the strongest warriors.”
When an energetic leader takes on the helm of our Naval forces, we are at the best we can be in our foreign affairs. We are engaged, we are strong, and we are recognised across borders for our activity – and our councils are the strongest they ever can be in those moments. Right now we are questioning foreign affairs experiences and exposure significantly, but we should focus on how to get people involved at the base level, so that the concept of jumping into something without any guidance isn’t as daunting as it seems from the outside. Our military affects our World Assembly affairs, restores regions, helps our allies in their times of need, and importantly it promotes leadership development internally.
This review is not saying that you can't be an effective leader in Europeia without NS military experience, but it is saying that foreign affairs is not as hard when you are guided and engaged with others, and that by joining the ERN you might just find an entry point that leads to a greater understanding of why foreign affairs is a tool for our political and regional development, why our Councils are so important, and how joining the external facing side of our government or our military forces will allow you to have a deeper effect on the world beyond our own borders.
