I do not think we should go to war.
Let me try to explain the reasons I think this.
A war against the Pacific would not achieve anything. The Pacific is a fortress state and, no matter how many regions align against it, it will not fall to military force.
That's not to say the NPO is undefeatable -- but the only way that regime will fall is from within. If we want to work towards that goal, that's a possibility, but that's a different conversation entirely, and it doesn't require a state of war nor the mustering of a militia. (Going down this line slightly further -- I'm not implying infiltration by us. There are pieces already in place, we just have to push in the right direction I think.)
Declaring a state of war would be a whole lot of blustering, it might involve invading a few irrelevant backwaters like St Abaddon or whatever, but it won't achieve it's stated goal of destroying the NPO. It'll be all talk -- and there's nothing that irks me more than that, all the politicians moving their mouths when they know full well they aren't actually going to do anything.
The odds of a military campaign actually doing anything meaningful are very low, and I wouldn't gamble on that one personally.
And it is a gamble. It involves us either declaring war and doing nothing afterwards, or mustering a militia and attempting to actually fight that war. The first is just an embarrassment, the second is something we need to consider carefully.
Do we want to militarise Lazarus again? I know the Mandate leaves open the possibility for us to create a military. But I personally am against it. Militaries are distractions -- I don't think they contribute an awful lot to a community, and I think they have the potential to create significant internal conflict. We've seen this before of course -- internal conflict over alignment.
You can argue the military be constitutionally neutral. But you have two choices; either the military does not regularly engage in operations because of entrenched neutrality, in which case its members will be amateurs, or the military does engage in regular operations, in which case those operations will be the subject of criticism and disagreement. A military which only practices in the warzones will rapidly become bored.
This is the gamble at play. A military has notable diplomatic benefits in allowing us to actively provide assistance for our allies, and it provides an opportunity for our citizens to become involved and have fun. But will these benefits outweigh the accompanying potential for sectarian conflict?
I think an ally that is only interested in what we have to offer, namely military assistance, is not much of a friend anyway, so I don't put too much weight on the first point. Sure, we get assistance in return, but quite frankly if we are in a position where we have to ask for that help, we've already failed and they are unlikely to save us.
Our allies should be friends, not business deals. This also touches on the point that going to war would net us a haul of allies. They would be allies of convenience with a mutual enemy, and I wouldn't put too much stock in their support. And like I just said, I don't think they would provide any substantial bolster to our security. We and we alone are responsible for protecting the region, and if we fail there isn't overly much other regions will be able to do to help us.
Perhaps the most practical point is that I think we simply do not have the members and interest to support an active and successful military -- those who would be interested are already attached to other regional forces, and a military staffed entirely by those with commitments elsewhere isn't a recipe for success. As follows, I don't think we have the resources to contribute meaningfully to a war against the NPO (setting aside that I think contributing any resources to the fight would be a waste of said resources).
I am opposed to the creation of a military -- and am accordingly opposed to war. I believe the way forward lies in a peaceful and neutral Lazarus. I don't think the gamble is worth it. Let the past lie, let's focus our energy on building a vibrant culture and community, instead of on a war that won't go anywhere. Instead of having people build infrastructure and policy for a military, they could be doing many other things that I consider more valuable -- because other activities benefit our community, rather than this crusade by other regions and particular individuals against the NPO.
I'm not an NPO fan -- so please don't cast me in that light. I've been critical of them for a long time and am quite possibly still banned on their boards (for trolling Karpathos? I think...).
We also need to consider the fact that we made demands, and the Pacific met them. I find it a bit discouraging that we would declare war after that; I'm many things, but I'm always honest, and this strikes me as profoundly dishonest.
I am not saying the actions of the Pacific should go without consequence. But I only support meaningful action, well considered action, and I do not support climbing onto the "NPO delenda est" bandwagon. I think we should pass the Hostile Entities and Persons Act, and should promptly declare the New Pacific Order to be a Hostile Entity. All NPO members would be unwelcome in this region. That is a strong reaction, it is one which does not require war, and unlike war it has an actual and lasting effect.
Will proscription guarantee the NPO does not meddle in our affairs again? Let's not be naive, of course it won't. But we are not in immediate danger and are not under threat -- so let's not let our decision making be motivated by the prospect of the Pacific doing bad things to us.
War will not prevent the NPO from meddling in our affairs either, because the war won't be successful. If anything, prolonged conflict is likely to drive the Pacific to its old ways, instead of encouraging it to change. We don't have to actually believe it will change, that's also naive, considering the NPO has done this before. So what we do is just cut the NPO off and isolate it, leaving it to either demonstrate change or rot.
That's my two cents.