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Form submission: Article Submission Form - Zapatian Workers State - 02-17-2020

Which region or organization are you from?: Lazarus/LazCorp

Select an Article Type: News Report -

Article Title: PRIME MOVERS: Courelli

Add Author/s: By Marcus Vespasian (Zapatian Workers State)

Image Goes Here: https://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/courelli__497826.png

Divider & Centering of Images [Editors Only]: [Image: DaegyoN.png]

Add Article Text: ZWS: Allow me to introduce myself. I am Zapatian Workers State, though you can call me ZWS. I'm a journalist for the Lazarene Gazette, and one of the columns I write is "PRIME MOVERS," which is an interview series focusing on important or influential NSers. This time around I thought I would conduct an interview with a member of the Admiralty Board of the Red Fleet and tried Sierra Lyricalia. However, he's not responding to me, so I was hoping that you would be more receptive

C: sure, yeah

ZWS: Cool, we'll start right now

Q1: Courelli, it is widely known that you are a member of the Admiralty Board of The Red Fleet, an organization whose power is widely felt in the domain of politically-motivated R/D. As the name implies, the Red Fleet is a Marxist-Leninist region. Can you tell us a little about the internal organization and administration of the Red Fleet?

C: The Fleet has a wide range of ranks, ranging from Sailor, the standard enlisted rank, to Fleet Admiral. The rank system is based on the principle of "to each according to their contribution" -- simply put, the more you participate in the Red Fleet, the quicker you'll progress!

Promotions and general Fleet policy are decided by the Admiralty Board -- TRF's central decisionmaking body -- which is comprised of the Fleet Admiral (myself) and the Squadron Admirals.

Currently, the Red Fleet has two squadrons: Huey P. Newton Squadron for our comrades from the Americas, and Sankara Squadron for our comrades from Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.. Each squadron is headed by, as previously mentioned, a Squadron Admiral (or sometimes two). Currently, the Squadron Admirals are comrades Sierra Lyricalia and Ubertas for Huey P. Newton Squadron, and comrades Ayanka and Trabardia for Sankara Squadron. Squadron Admirals are responsible for much of the day-to-day work of TRF, such as tracking operation participation and training Sailors and Officers in their squadron.

ZWS: Q2: Can you elaborate a little on the official selection process of designating the Fleet Admiral and individual Squadron Admirals? In specific, are the Admiralty Board's decisions made through the procedure of democratic centralism, direct majority vote, or some other method?

C: Members of the Admiralty Board are selected by the Admiralty Board itself. I was first promoted to Squadron Admiral of Huey P. Newton Squadron by Fleet Admiral Caelapes (a.k.a. Misley) and Sankara Squadron Admiral Freien. Upon the retirement of comrade Caelapes, I was promoted to Fleet Admiral via the same procedure.

Regarding votes, the Admiralty Board usually acts on consensus; that is, we hammer out a proposal we all can agree to, unanimously. Sometimes, this is easy -- such as when considering promotions of outstanding Sailors. Other times, the process can be more lengthy -- although an example doesn't come to mind. Overall, I'd say the Admiralty Board is a mighty fine team -- I'm lucky to have such dedicated comrades alongside me in the antifascist fight.

ZWS: Q3: The Red Fleet boasts of being the scourge of fascism on the NS seas. Is there any one fascist organization that presents more trouble than the rest or any particular military operation that you have partaken in and are especially proud of?

C: Regarding fascist organizations: while we take all fascist threats seriously, we are particularly amused by the constant fascist attempts to create their own interregional military (akin to an "anti-antifa"), the latest being "The Interregional Axis." This alliance, like all other fascist alliances, will inevitably end as a failure, brought down by their own internal squabbling and power struggles.

Regarding military operations: I am still particularly proud of the destruction of The Iron Confederacy. Within minutes of Hispanyo (TIC's Founder) being deleted by NS moderators, TRF officers were already working with our colleagues in Antifa to plan the downfall of the region. Little did we know that this would turn into a days-long attrition run, as TRF sailors (alongside Antifa troops) attended every update for days, slowly chipping away at the fascists' influence until they had no choice but to succumb to our might. Every single TRF sailor showed utmost dedication to our mission, and, if I remember correctly, were awarded the Order of the Partisan Star, TRF's medal for exceptional dedication and solidarity in the antifascist struggle.

ZWS: Q4: In addition to anti-fascism, the Red Fleet's ideology is fiercely anti-capitalist. However, the greater Antifa alliance is not explicitly anti-capitalist and does not restrict its membership solely to socialist members and regions (e.g. The Kingdom of Great Britain). Does this cause any tensions on occasion, and how would the Red Fleet reconcile its anti-capitalist mission if an avowedly capitalist region were to attempt to join Antifa?

C: Yeah, it has caused some tension before, unfortunately. Not too long ago, the Antifa admin team (which I am on) instituted a blanket ban on political/ideological conversations (aside from anti-fascism, of course) in an attempt tp reduce the likelihood of any potential hostility. I believe that it has worked.

Should an avowedly capitalist region join Antifa, we'll keep on doing what we're best at: rooting out fascism across NationStates. That doesn't make TRF any less committed to anti-capitalism -- it just means that we won't let the most formidable anti-fascist alliance in the game be brought down by internal squabbling.

ZWS: Q5: Per Marx's injunction against superstitious and religious beliefs as the opium of the people, one might imagine that the Red Fleet is also antagonistic toward regions based on theological systems. One that comes to mind is Right to Life, represented historically by the prolific and widely popular WA reformer United Massachusetts. Do you have any comment on this?

C: It's my opinion that NationStates has more pressing issues to tackle. Furthermore, if my memory serves me correctly, United Massachusetts & RTL participated in the Antifa operation in The Iron Confederacy. It was a surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one -- "fash-bashing" can truly bring together the seemingly-opposed.

ZWS: Q6: Do you have any advice for the poor and oppressed wage slaves of LazCorp about how their current form of government may be improved? For instance, a recent issue has been the political elite's hesitance to legislate a more highly dynamic and adaptable military policy, preferring a small task force whose sole purpose is to conduct mock operations. As a consummate and active raider who would know the occupational geopolitical risks better, do you think that this insistence upon total neutrality might be too limiting or naive?

C: In all honesty, I'm not too familiar with how Lazarus operates, so I think I'll sit this one out. I'm always interested in learning, though! I'll be sure to keep an eye out for developments on this issue in the future.

Solidarity with the poor and oppressed wage slaves of LazCorp, though!