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The Northern Lights - Issue I

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tnl-for3.png North and East Pacifics Ratify Treaty

by r3naissanc3r, Foreign Correspondent

This May saw the ratification of The North-East Pacific Security Treaty by the Regional Assembly of The North Pacific and the Magisterium of The East Pacific. The treaty, originally signed by Delegates mcmasterdonia and Bachtendekuppen for TNP and TEP respectively, creates a close bilateral alliance, including provisions for non-aggression, mutual defense, intelligence sharing, and military and diplomatic cooperation.

The alliance stems from strong communications between the governments of the two regions, especially during the terms of Delegate Bachtendekuppen. It builds on the basis of their shared commitment to the defense of sovereignty of feeder regions and promotion of peaceful relations between them. These two principles, which have jointly been dubbed "feeder unity" in the past, are key tenets of both regions' foreign policy.

For TEP, the new treaty is the first in a series with other Game-Created Regions: in addition to TNP, TEP's Magisterium is currently discussing bilateral alliances with the New Pacific Order and the Osiris Fraternal Order. The new treaties are the result of a foreign policy of active outward expansion that has been pursued by Delegate Bachtendekuppen and his government. This policy has received increased emphasis after the controversy relating to the Defender Act in February. Since then, the region has been seeking to reaffirm its diplomatic non-alignment and its position in favor of an army that can act outside military doctrines and in connection with broader diplomatic objectives.

For TNP, the new treaty brings a valuable military ally. The East Pacific Sovereign Army (EPSA) is unique among allied militaries for its regular engagement and expertise in defending operations. This diversification in the North Pacific Army's (NPA) military partners will be critical for the achievement of the NPA's goal for operational capability under both offensive and defensive conditions.

Towards this goal, new Delegate of TNP r3naissanc3r announced that the NPA will be focusing on frequent and diverse training exercises organized jointly with allied militaries. The NPA and EPSA have already initiated military cooperation, with a successful occupation of Warzone Asia and attempted liberation operations. Joint exercises with the EPSA are expected to continue to feature prominently in the operational schedule.

tnl-game2.png r3naissanc3r Elected TNP Delegate

by PaulWallLibertarian42, Game-side Reporter


If you have been paying any attention at all lately to the World Factbook Entry of The North Pacific you may have noticed something different.

mcmasterdonia, with a record-breaking reign of 237 days, was ineligible to seek a third term in office due to constitutional term limits. r3naissanc3r (HMS Unicorn) was elected delegate, with a majority of 54.3% of the vote in the May 2014 General Election. The new delegate brings a breadth of experience to the office: r3naissanc3r has played NationStates since 2005 and has held multiple offices in TNP over the last two years.

All newly-elected delegates are faced with the immediate task of securing the in-game delegacy. TNP's new delegate was no exception, having to accumulate more than 400 endorsements and more than any other nation in the game.

To assist him with this imposing task, the new delegate had the Security Council (SC), a body charged with protecting the delegacy of TNP, keeping it in safe and legal hands. "Without going into too much detail the SC has been monitoring the transition quite carefully," said new Vice Delegate Abacathea while r3naissanc3r was still gathering endorsements. "The swap in a GCR is always a lengthy process because of the vast number of endorsements involved, but there has been great work and co-operation between the new delegate, the outgoing delegate, and the council members."

In the end, four days after his election, r3naissanc3r assumed the in-game delegate seat. No administration will be entirely smooth sailing, but the ease and efficiency of this transition reflects well on the new government. The longest transition on record is 60 days, and took place in 2012 after the election of Blue Wolf II.

tnl-legb.png Army-Navy Rivalry Reaches TNP

by SillyString, Legislative Reporter

For as long as The North Pacific has had a military force, that force has been the North Pacific Army (NPA). Founded while the region was officially defender-aligned, the NPA is a widely respected institution both within TNP and abroad.

In late April, Alunya, a relatively new member of the Regional Assembly (RA), proposed a bill that would change the name of the military to the North Pacific Navy (NPN). She explained her desire to correct a thematic mismatch, citing the region's maritime name and land-based military. Alunya also pointed out that her bill "does not change the policies and procedures of our military forces," but would be solely cosmetic.

The reaction to this proposal has been a mixture of support and opposition, most of it relatively laid-back. Former Vice Delegate Democatic Donkeys called the proposal "sensible and in line with what our region is," while Kiwi, a former Minister of Defense, said that he didn't support the change in nomenclature but thanked Alunya for making the suggestion.

For some of TNP's ten-year veteran members, however, the issue is much weightier. Recalling the glory days of the NPA and TNP's prominence as a military power, their reactions to this proposal have been just as varied in sentiment, but far more passionate. Grosseschnauzer, the longest standing RA member, came out in fierce opposition to the measure, calling it a "disrespectful insult to TNP history" and demanding that the region's traditions be respected. Flemingovia disagreed, saying that such a change would free the new NPN to "build its own tradition and make a clean break from what the NPA stood for in the past." He went on to say, "I think the North Pacific Army has evolved (or devolved) to the point where a new nomenclature would actually be useful and warranted. This is not to insult what has gone before. It is to respect our history." Romanoffia, currently serving as Chief Justice, sided with Grosseschnauzer on the issue. He called the suggested name change a "feel-good measure" that would produce "no meaningful increase in efficiency or function."

The level of vitriol expressed over a name might surprise those who are unfamiliar with TNP, but the exchange between these members provoked almost no response from others in the RA - and no broader discussion whatsoever about the merits of their opinions. The bill proceeded to vote in a timely fashion, and was ultimately defeated 16-21.

tnl-sssa2.png SillyString's Silly Advice

by SillyString, Advice Columnist

This column does not represent the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

Hello, and welcome to SillyString's Silly Advice. Readers write in with questions, problems, or dilemmas, and I provide completely serious, definitely not at all silly advice. The question to kick all of this off comes from a long-time fan of the column who has only now worked up the nerve to bare their soul.

"How do I become involved in TNP's cabinet?"
-Anonymous FriarTuck

That's a great question, AFT! The political system of TNP is a morass of corruption, bribery, nepotism, and plain old confusion, so if you want to get seriously involved it's important to understand the dynamics at play. There are two powerful cliques within TNP, which are sometimes (but not always) at war with one another - the Oligarchy (sometimes affectionately called the Elugarchy) and the IRCabal.

The Oligarchy consists of those members who consistently serve in some area of the government term after term, and it frequently controls the Delegate's Cabinet Ministers. If you want to know if somebody is a member of the Oligarchy, just ask! Evasive or confused answers always mean "yes".

The IRCabal, meanwhile, consists of several (but not all) TNPers who dare to venture into that mysterious land known as IRC, and it exercises control over all voting results. Members of the IRCabal are very secretive, but some intrepid investigation by a few brave non-Cabalists who have infiltrated their ranks has revealed a growing number of names. If somebody has been publicly accused of being in the IRCabal, they probably are.

As you can see, these two cliques can be nigh unstoppable when their priorities lie in the same direction, a situation which is more common the more crossover and intermarriage there is between their memberships. At times, however, they are bitterly opposed, and will attempt to tear down the system itself just to come out on top.

To bring this back around to your question, the only people who get ahead in TNP are those who join one of these cliques and exhibit unquestioning loyalty to its goals. Both of them freely reward hard work and dedication with increasing levels of power and decreasing levels of responsibility; you just need to pick which one you think is right for you. Switching membership later on is highly frowned upon, so it's important to make the best decision that you can early on!

Seriously silly,
SillyString

The Northern Lights: Beauty in Truth
Publisher: r3naissanc3r :: Executive Editor: Crushing Our Enemies :: Managing Editor: mcmasterdonia :: Graphic Artist: SillyString

The Northern Lights is produced by the Ministry of Communications on behalf of the Government of The North Pacific and distributed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Except where otherwise indicated, all content represents the views of the Government of The North Pacific.

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