Q: You mention that the regional guard is already operating well, is there any area you think Lazarus could improve upon beyond what you have stated so far on your platform?
Hm, I'm not sure if this questions means all areas in Lazarus, or areas within the Guard, so I'll try to answer both (even though my answers are similar for both anyway). I was able to talk with a few people to learn more about Lazurus' history and its alignment. In regards to the Guard, I understand why it is neutral, so my main goals in this department are to maintain its neutrality. At the same time, I understand that the guard is not a conventional military either, that needs to be active all the time, so my goals here are to increase the piling abilities of the guard so that we're an effective force when we ARE needed, and possibly do one or two training operations so that we are prepared for the cases when those are necessary. In other departments, I think I have a similar philosophy of small changes and improvements, but I do think there are definitely areas in the Lazarene government that can be revitalized and active again.
Q: Given you are new to the region, and some may ask about it at some point. Do you have any particular leaning or perspective as far as R/D, and what do you think of the neutral status of our military?
I was formerly a member of the ERN (Independent), and am currently a member of The Grey Wardens (defender leaning). Although I haven't really had enough time in either to really become 'entrenched' in one side or another. Typically, I view military alignment as just another part of the game, and do whatever I think will make this game more enjoyable for me. In short, I am much more casual about military and alignment rather than having it dictate all of my beliefs, policies, alliances, etc.
It's my understanding that our neutral alignment brings stability to this region and ensures that we can be allied with regions across the R/D spectrum. If this works, then I don't have any desire to go out of my way and change it.
Q: A diplomatic rift has occurred recently between Osiris, which is our current ally, and Balder, and so far Lazarus has kept out of this dispute. Do you have any take on how you might approach this situation, given that Lazarus up to this point has tried to maintain good standing with other GCRs?
I've heard about this conflict, and was actually the foreign affairs minister of Europeia during the initial stages of it, and had was in a similar position. While I think the conflict has been mostly settled, if it escalates or another similar event occurs, I would try my best to keep Lazarus out of it. It's always tricky to take a side in a conflict when both sides are allied with you. If Lazarus would be forced to pick a side, I would most likely work with my PR director or other members of the region who have been here longer and know the ins and outs of Lazarus' foreign affairs policies and determine which way the best path forward would be.
TL;DR: Try my best to not intervene, and if we absolutely have to, work with other experienced FA shareholders to determine which option is best.
Q: This is a two part question, following on from the last. Lazarus has treaties with most GCRs, though apart from the The Pacific, there still remains the status of Balder-Lazarene relations. Would you consider pursuing a Non-Aggression-Pact or some other diplomatic or cultural agreement with Balder, during your term? If not, why not?
I'll be fully honest and admit here that one of my weakest qualities in this game is probably NationStates/Gameplay history, so I'm not sure what kind of history (if any) Balder-Lazarus has had in the past. If things seem to have been fine, then I think we would share a lot of similarities as sinker GCRs, and I wouldn't see why we shouldn't establish some kind of relations with them. My only concern would be the fact that Balder is often criticized in NSGP by certain circles, and I'd want to make sure that any sort of negative PR we might receive from such an action is warranted in the end. Again, I would likely make sure that other people who have been in the region for longer than me and know Lazarus' history a bit more would be ok with the decision (I just want to make sure that people who have been around longer than me and have spent more time in Lazarus would be ok with such a decision from me!).
Q: Are there any regions, UCRs or GCRs, that you think could be a good idea for Lazarus to form closer relations with?
I'd like to take a look at our relationship with the South Pacific and potentially upgrade our relationship there, as well as other GCRs, like the East Pacific, the Rejected Realms, and Balder, like you mentioned earlier. Those regions seem like the immediate likely candidates for Lazarus to start reaching out to as potential partners. Otherwise, my term will mainly focus on enhancing our current relationships and making them stronger and collaborating more with our current allies. Of course, if any regions reach out during my term and would like a treaty, that's something I would definitely look into and not turn away.
Q: Lazarus has had an unfortunate situation with forum-based activity, is there anything you have learned in Europeia or the other regions that you may have participated in, that we might consider bringing here?
Unfortunately, I think all regions suffer from getting activity onto the forums. It might just be that a lot of newer players prefer the fast-paced environment of Discord instead, or aren't even willing to get past the NationStates site itself. Here, I would want to mainly make sure that we have enough resources and interaction gameside so that newer nations understand the benefits of signing up for our forums and getting more involved, as well as how to do so via guides, RMB interactions, general activity on our regional page, etc. Additionally, I want to make sure that we are accepting applications quickly, if someone applies for shareholder status or applies for a ministry, we should be accepting them as soon as possible so that they aren't frustrated/bored with the waiting time and leave.
Q: The Lazarene Gazette has had problems attracting writers to the point that it always seems to be the Minister who writes the Gazette, with few other contributors. How might your administration encourage writers to post to the Gazette?
I think this boils down to a question of activity, and truthfully, I'm not sure if I can guarantee activity. What I can promise is that over the course of my term, I will personally make sure one edition of the Gazette is released, even if it means writing 4 or 5 articles myself. Obviously, I'd love if other people contributed, so what I would like to do is reach out to past writers and see if they have an idea that they'd like to write about, or if someone's working on something cool I might see if they'd be willing to provide their thoughts for an interview or some other kind of article. In the end, I think we just need to make sure that writing for the Gazette is something fun, and not stressful, so things like helping them with drafts, suggesting ideas, letting them write about things they wan to etc, can really help.
Q: Last, but not least, what is your favorite color?
It used to be blue, but recently I've really liked yellow!