Back in CN. Where is the promised Change?

[Ch33kY]

After several months absence from CN I have come back to witness the fall of the strongest alliance, the New Pacific Order. When I left CN I struck at the NPO's most loyal ally, the Grand Global Alliance, and called for a 'New Political Order' to replace the existing state of affairs which was the tight-knit One Vision and the broader coalition, the Continuum.

In my nation's final days I flew the Vox flag* and contributed my name to the cause** because I thoroughly believed in the New Political Order in a post-NPO era. That is not say I assumed the NPO would dissapear or become irrelevant - I just believed that they would be reduced to being just another alliance some what like GATO after their decline. Furthermore, I was not so naive as to believe that the new political order that would follow would be much different . Indeed, punishment and reperations are the most natural demand from the victor, just as calls of immorality and revenge are from the losing side.

What I did expect was that several particular alliances would step up and become assume a great role in CN politics. Since coming back this has been my greatest surpise. Are they hiding in the shadows, too afraid of becoming a tall-poppy like the NPO? I think this is partly so, but what I really think is that they do not know how to lead***. This is partly a reflection upon CN politics as it is on a concept seldom discussed in CN: alliance culture.

All CN alliances have a particular culture assosiated with them. Partly it is an alliance theme; partly added to and developed by its membership requirements; the character of its membership is also a defining characteristic, so much so that wars are often declared on an alliance simply because of an individual's actions. A peaking alliance culture usually tends to reflect on membership numbers and activity. An alliance at the peak of its culture generally is well represented - indeed, often over-represented*** - and considered important, integral to alliance blocs.

The lack of any single alliance taking over the reigns from the NPO shows a lack of unity from the major alliances, other than the will to overthrow the existing order, and a manifested reactionary political attitude. This we have seen by the breaking down of blocs and treaties, looking to past multilateral policy enforcement, and the continued creation of blocs, albeit smaller ones forming something like blocs of blocs. I hope the notion of 'superbloc' takes on****.

Which gets me back to the purpose of this whole essay, the feared rise of the NPO and precautions alliances are taking to allow this. The NPO seems to be the only alliance capable of leading - dominating - CN. None of the other leading alliances exuberate such cultural richness and leadership ability. While I am not calling for a return of this happening, it just feels like everyone is simply waiting to beat the NPO rather than lead onto other things - change.

* Metaphorically speaking, as there existed no in-game flag.

** Not that Vox needed any more self-important affiliates.

*** Though not in a negative way, I am refering to the Citadel alliances in particular that have large representation and respect in proportion to their membership numbers. There are obvious reasons for this which are worthy of their own thread.

**** Copyright 2009. Any further use of this term requires payment to my nation.

Edited July 3, 2009 by Candide

[Duke Nukem]

Woah this is deep man and I find myself agreeing with you on multiple parts of this.

[HalfEmpty]

You bought into the change game?

My young friend I will show you the fine Egress for 3 million and will vote you into the senate.

[lebubu]

NOTHING CHANGED

[Bob Janova]

Isn't a lack of a single main power a big change?

[A Soviet Attack]

Despite NPO's defeat and presumably their imminent surrender, they still draw more attention than any other alliance.

[Haflinger]

Isn't a lack of a single main power a big change?

Less than you'd think.

Planet Bob politics haven't been driven by a single unifying force for years, if they ever were.

[WcaesarD]

Less than you'd think.

Planet Bob politics haven't been driven by a single unifying force for years, if they ever were.

They may not have been driven by one force, but I think we can all agree that revolved around the NPO for a long time, up until very recently, and it could be said that with all the ssurrender talk, things still do, though in a much different way.

[Drostan]

Isn't a lack of a single main power a big change?

I certainly would say that not having one giant bloc that may rightfully be called 'the hegemony' is a considerable change.

You might do well to remember that this war is not yet over. It is not like people are not making plans and trying to grasp for power. They are just remaining fairly shrouded until the right moment comes. If you'll be patient I can guarantee that we will have plenty more drama and peril even without the NPO leading the charge. Haven't you heard about the recent NSO exploits? Chin up, war-mongering is alive and well on Planet Bob.

[Prime minister Johns]

I certainly would say that not having one giant bloc that may rightfully be called 'the hegemony' is a considerable change.

You might do well to remember that this war is not yet over. It is not like people are not making plans and trying to grasp for power. They are just remaining fairly shrouded until the right moment comes. If you'll be patient I can guarantee that we will have plenty more drama and peril even without the NPO leading the charge. Haven't you heard about the recent NSO exploits? Chin up, war-mongering is alive and well on Planet Bob.

Give it a couple of months for the situation to stabilise and there will be a Hegemony v2.0.

And people will complain about it and how unfair they are.

It is the nature of politics, right now we have a power vacuum and politics like nature arbours a vacuum so some group will move in and fill the Hegemony shaped vacuum we have now and nothing will change and the balance will be restored.

My bet is that several alliances will form into a bloc, and eliminate the other alliances that object and take up the role of hegemon.

[Doitzel]

I confess that I'm disappointed by some of the pioneers of our brave new world. Everyone seems to have become so accustomed to being reactionary that they've forgotten how to be revolutionary. They've shot the captain and instead of scuttling the ship everyone is screaming "not it!" as they try to decide who should be behind the wheel.

[janax]

Taking up the mantle as "world leader" sounds a lot more like putting a bullseye on your back than anything else.

And if the world doesn't have one power anymore, Haf...why are "politics on hold until NPO is released"?, to paraphrase.

[Gurney Halleck]

I confess that I'm disappointed by some of the pioneers of our brave new world. Everyone seems to have become so accustomed to being reactionary that they've forgotten how to be revolutionary. They've shot the captain and instead of scuttling the ship everyone is screaming "not it!" as they try to decide who should be behind the wheel.

Taking up the mantle as "world leader" sounds a lot more like putting a bullseye on your back than anything else.

Exactly, Janax. Everyone saw what happened to the captain on Doitzel's boat. (on behalf of The Order of the Paradox: "NOT IT!" )

[cookavich]

You know what I'm tired of? Hearing people say things like "nothing changed" or my favorite "you're just as bad as the NPO!" Give me a break. Everything has changed.

[Haflinger]

Taking up the mantle as "world leader" sounds a lot more like putting a bullseye on your back than anything else.

And if the world doesn't have one power anymore, Haf...why are "politics on hold until NPO is released"?, to paraphrase.

Because you, like the majority of the people in that thread, fail to understand the point I was trying to make, jump to conclusions, and decide that since you can't figure out what I mean, it's a fun time to put words in my mouth instead.

I've since installed more or less a moratorium on speaking about myself on these forums. If you want to figure out what's really happening, you should pay attention more, jump to conclusions less.

[Vhalen]

You know what I'm tired of? Hearing people say things like "nothing changed" or my favorite "you're just as bad as the NPO!" Give me a break. Everything has changed.

While we're on the subject, you know what I'm tired of? Hearing people who aren't making an effort to change things complain about a lack of change.

Look, right now we're in a transition period. If you want things to be a certain way, go try to make changes in that direction. Work within your alliance. Start a new one. Start an old one. All these things have been and are being done right now, but the people whining about "no change" aren't the ones doing them.

Right now, we see old alliances who were tied down or forced away resurfacing. We see massive upheaval in the treaty web, with old treaties snapping and new ones forming. Yes, nobody's stepped up and said, "We're in charge," but you know what? I like it that way. I don't need someone to be "in charge" of me. I don't need someone to rule the world. I'd like to see wars where the winner and loser aren't predetermined. That might be a bit of optimistic hopefulness, but I see a world in flux as a world where one can hope.

[Poobah]

Because you, like the majority of the people in that thread, fail to understand the point I was trying to make, jump to conclusions, and decide that since you can't figure out what I mean, it's a fun time to put words in my mouth instead.

If the majority of people don't understand the point you're making, maybe you could try rephrasing it in a way more people understand. This way they can't jump to conclusions and put words in your mouth.

[kitex]

Isn't a lack of a single main power a big change?

Well kind of because there is no one alliance anymore with overwhelming power. The Verse needs an alliance with overwhelming power because then things can be kept in line and sorted out in an orderly fashion instead of alliances going at each others throat for regional power.

OOC: Also this NPO downfall think makes me think a lot about what might happen when the USA loses its status as the world's only superpower.

Edited July 4, 2009 by kitex

[Corinan]

Haven't you heard about the recent NSO exploits? Chin up, war-mongering is alive and well on Planet Bob.

What have we done that could be considered war-mongering?

Everyone seems to have become so accustomed to being reactionary that they've forgotten how to be revolutionary.

Not everyone.

[Sal Paradise]

Such indolence.

[enderland]

You know what I'm tired of? Hearing people say things like "nothing changed" or my favorite "you're just as bad as the NPO!" Give me a break. Everything has changed.

I think people get frustrated by others asking what are honestly obvious questions (to say nothing changed in CN in the past few months is simply laughable).

[Alterego]

I cant remember who said it at the time but big names in multiple alliances all said they weren't going to be some shining light after the war, they just wanted to topple what was already there and punish NPO. The change you were hoping for may have been implied in the beginning but never promised by anyone.

edit: After the fact NPO are painted as this uber powerful stand alone super power. It was their allies that gave them power without them they could not have become what they did. Nothing has changed or will change except the names at the top and the NPO is no longer there to blame.

Edited July 5, 2009 by Alterego

[NoFish]

So, Alterego, who are the new names at the top?

[shahenshah]

After several months absence from CN I have come back to witness the fall of the strongest alliance, the New Pacific Order. When I left CN I struck at the NPO's most loyal ally, the Grand Global Alliance, and called for a 'New Political Order' to replace the existing state of affairs which was the tight-knit One Vision and the broader coalition, the Continuum.

In my nation's final days I flew the Vox flag* and contributed my name to the cause** because I thoroughly believed in the New Political Order in a post-NPO era. That is not say I assumed the NPO would dissapear or become irrelevant - I just believed that they would be reduced to being just another alliance some what like GATO after their decline. Furthermore, I was not so naive as to believe that the new political order that would follow would be much different . Indeed, punishment and reperations are the most natural demand from the victor, just as calls of immorality and revenge are from the losing side.

What I did expect was that several particular alliances would step up and become assume a great role in CN politics. Since coming back this has been my greatest surpise. Are they hiding in the shadows, too afraid of becoming a tall-poppy like the NPO? I think this is partly so, but what I really think is that they do not know how to lead***. This is partly a reflection upon CN politics as it is on a concept seldom discussed in CN: alliance culture.

All CN alliances have a particular culture assosiated with them. Partly it is an alliance theme; partly added to and developed by its membership requirements; the character of its membership is also a defining characteristic, so much so that wars are often declared on an alliance simply because of an individual's actions. A peaking alliance culture usually tends to reflect on membership numbers and activity. An alliance at the peak of its culture generally is well represented - indeed, often over-represented*** - and considered important, integral to alliance blocs.

The lack of any single alliance taking over the reigns from the NPO shows a lack of unity from the major alliances, other than the will to overthrow the existing order, and a manifested reactionary political attitude. This we have seen by the breaking down of blocs and treaties, looking to past multilateral policy enforcement, and the continued creation of blocs, albeit smaller ones forming something like blocs of blocs. I hope the notion of 'superbloc' takes on****.

Which gets me back to the purpose of this whole essay, the feared rise of the NPO and precautions alliances are taking to allow this. The NPO seems to be the only alliance capable of leading - dominating - CN. None of the other leading alliances exuberate such cultural richness and leadership ability. While I am not calling for a return of this happening, it just feels like everyone is simply waiting to beat the NPO rather than lead onto other things - change.

* Metaphorically speaking, as there existed no in-game flag.

** Not that Vox needed any more self-important affiliates.

*** Though not in a negative way, I am refering to the Citadel alliances in particular that have large representation and respect in proportion to their membership numbers. There are obvious reasons for this which are worthy of their own thread.

**** Copyright 2009. Any further use of this term requires payment to my nation.

Victors dominating? They still cant get past NPO, they're still stuck in the same old fear...fear that cannot be realized even 1 year from now if NPO gets white peace today . Other victors have experienced so much political power for the first time and are focused on consuming it all on vengeance. Some though, it seems have maintained their principles to large extent...you can find such good alliances across the spectrum..from Citadel to SF and vice versa.

Right now, formally there isn't one hegemony and formally there wont be one for sometime, as the present culture is to 'hate Hegemony' regardless of deeds, good or bad. New Extremes of Good and Bad Reps have already been set for future fortunately and unfortunately. Also Some would argue that an informal hegemony exists to some extent right now. Only the passage of time will tell how that goes.

Edited July 5, 2009 by shahenshah

[Nizzle]

Victors dominating? They still cant get past NPO, they're still stuck in the same old fear...fear that cannot be realized even 1 year from now if NPO gets white peace today . Other victors have experienced so much political power for the first time and are focused on consuming it all on vengeance. Some though, it seems have maintained their principles to large extent...you can find such good alliances across the spectrum..from Citadel to SF and vice versa.

Right now, formally there isn't one hegemony and formally there wont be one for sometime, as the present culture is to 'hate Hegemony' regardless of deeds, good or bad. New Extremes of Good and Bad Reps have already been set for future fortunately and unfortunately. Also Some would argue that an informal hegemony exists to some extent right now. Only the passage of time will tell how that goes.

Well said.