The Big Ol 'What Zog Thinks of You' List - Part I
Entry posted by Ashoka the Great
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One of the funny things about coming back to CN right before a war starts is that if one has prior high-level government experience, then one is considered to be some sort of expert filled with valuable insight into world affairs.
Anyway, as this war began and then expanded, I found myself being asked what I thought about one alliance or another. Finally I thought to myself, "Hey, Self. Why not just put down what you think and then let it be?" And so that's what I'm doing.
Here's the really fun part. You don't have to agree with my completely subjective analysis, which is based on my personal experiences. See? I underlined that last part so that nobody will miss it.
Today, I will begin with those alliances I once called home. I shall even try to present them in chronological order, although there's a very real possibility I'll screw it up somehow.
Legion - When I signed up for CN back in '06, I picked Purple as my nation's color because it was my ex-wife's favorite color, it was the first color I thought of and I had to pick something. That's how I ended up in the Legion. I was there until the end of GW3. I have no particularly fond memories of my time there, but nothing really bad to say about them, either, apart from the whole 'deer in the headlights' expression the entire government seemed to assume during that war. (Which, to be fair, was three years ago.)
Green Protection Agency - Want to know what happens in an alliance that tries to avoid war and navigate a path of peace and neutrality? I'll tell you what happens. People get antsy. They complain over nothing, niggle over meaningless details and are friendly while engaging in bureaucratic intrigue against each other.
That was my one month in the GPA, during which time there were at least two (possibly more) impeachment votes put up against various government members. Seriously....in a month.
Norden Verein - I helped to split NoV, a decision I continue to regret 2-1/2 years later.
The Norden Verein was a great alliance. Good activity, great people. But it had the fatal flaw of wanting to be Nordreich without being allowed to be Nordreich. While the alliance itself had identity issues, it was nevertheless true to those it called friends and allies. That it was ultimately stabbed in the back by these people is a sorry chapter in CN's history.
As to the ultimate end of NoV, the beginning of the war against Norden Verein meant the death of the IC/OOC line. The terms they were subjected to -- including the disposition of RL property -- were appalling. People who could have done something about it sat by and did nothing, heralding a new low in the history of CN.
Sons of Muspel - R.I.P.
Grand Global Alliance - Little forum activity. Little IRC activity. And Bilrow told me he was frankly surprised that people showed up when the GGA declared war on someone because the alliance seemed comatose much of the time. I don't think this has changed.
The Templar Knights - The TTK as it is now is not the TTK I belonged to. Most of the higher-ups have left, but before they did they managed to completely change the alliance for the worse, in terms of foreign relations. TTK used to be one of my favorite alliances, too. Their push for 'Maroonity' -- which started under Bud -- was the start of the decline, I believe. It led to unnatural, conflicting, friendships.
New Pacific Order - Quite simply the most unfriendly, unwelcoming alliance I have ever belonged to. There is a very small group of great people, a larger group of power-tripping snakes, and an even larger group of people who have no idea what's going on outside the NPO. The second group hold most of the government positions and, unsurprisingly, tend not to like each other very much. The same basic group of people still runs the show.
Nueva Vida - I never really warmed to the theme. I tried. Really, I did. Instead, it was the people I warmed to. Other alliances may be 'friendly' or even allies but, owing to a very long and personal association with many of NV's leading members, Nueva Vida is the only alliance that I think of as a personal 'friend'.
Vox Populi - Mission accomplished. I may disagree (from time to time) with what former Vox members/leaders may say or do, but that does not diminish my respect for them one iota.
Siberian Tiger Alliance - An alliance that enjoys a well-deserved good reputation, largely as a result of one individual. This is ultimately quite dangerous, but I don't think Tyga is going anywhere anytime soon. The only really negative thing I can say about the STA is that during my time there it didn't seem to be very active, but that seems to change quite a lot during war.
Nordreich - It's home. In terms of the makeup of its (active) membership, with people hailing from every continent except Antarctica, Nordreich is quite simply the most diverse alliance I have ever belonged to. To borrow from a current member, if one begins a story with, "a Jew, a Boer and a Pakistani walk into a bar" then one could very well be talking about three Nordreich members.
Unity in diversity is something that's lost on many people. Not us.
Coming up next: Zog's views on sanctioned alliances, or at least those that are sanctioned right now. (A lot of movement in that list recently.)
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