The Lazarene Gazette February 2021

[New Rogernomics]

The Official Newspaper of Lazarus
Issue 11 • February 2021 • 2 Pages

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ANOTHER YEAR, MORE MMMPH!
By @"New Rogernomics" 

Lazarus enters 2021 with a lot of energy, I'd hope, more activity on the Regional Message Board, and this February with regional elections there is an opportunity for whoever wins the post to put their effort into the region and set the stage for the next administration - or continue on if they stand again. This is the first Gazette issue for a while, and is also an issue a lot longer than past ones, and features interviews with the Managing Director (Prime Minister) candidates, commentary from Lazarenes on national events, and news on other issues of concern such as the developing situation in the Armed Republic of Northern Westwald.

The Lazarene Gazette is going to continue operating through the Lazarene general election. There will be another issue sent out after the elections have reached a conclusion and we have a new Managing Director (Prime Minister), as well as perhaps their final picks for the cabinet posts. 
 

MCCHIMP ENDS THEIR TERM, NEW ELECTIONS BEGIN
By @"New Rogernomics"

McChimp is ending their term as Managing Director (or Prime Minister). Chanku also left the Directorship of Public Relations through a lapse in national activity removing them from office, and the Public Relations department becoming rather quiet on the foreign policy front as Chanku leaving the role occurred so close to elections. The February 2021 election season has also begun, starting with a four day standing period for nominations, a six day period for campaigning, and five day voting period. Best of luck to the candidates for Managing Director, which so far are Director Domais and Vice-Director Whatermelons.
 

CATCH UP WITH THE MANAGING DIRECTOR CANDIDATES
By @"New Rogernomics"

I was lucky enough to catch up with the two candidates for Managing Director of Lazarus, and get a picture of their plans for Lazarus should they be elected to the position.

Interview with Director Domais

NEW ROGERNOMICS: How specifically do you want to go about ending the war with the NPO?

DOMAIS: Well I would have a vote and then depending on how the vote turns out would determine my future steps. If we vote to keep the war then I would end it there, but if we voted to end it, I would hold an additional vote on the proscription. I would seek to lift it. But, I would create a new embassy with them during my term.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Do you foresee any future security implications with the NPO, and if not, is the proscription still necessary?

DOMAIS: Not really. What can they do to us? I mean if they start joining in bulk then the CLS should make moves to stop them. I mean I would be hard for them to pull something without us noticing and doing something about it. If we didn't have a CLS then I would be more hesitant to remove the proscription.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: If its okay, I am going to be asking some more general questions related to your election campaign for Managing Director.

DOMAIS: Okay.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: You mention wanting to take some of our foreign relationships to the next level, which regions in particular do you plan to gear this policy towards?

DOMAIS: Yeah, well one thing I forgot to mention in the NPO thing, if we end the war with the NPO then I would have a vote on leaving the Anti-Pacific Coalition for one. We have a NAP with TSP, I think we should try to get a Mutual Defense Pact with them. We have a NAP with TNP, so that would be an area we could look at. So those two jump to mind.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Since you mention TSP, their foreign policy seems to be more defender-orientated, such as them having close ties to both TRR and XKI. Not all their citizens seem fond of expanding upon existing Lazarus-TSP relations. How do plan to work past that issue?

DOMAIS: We are neutral and there isn't a lot of neutral regions to seek out. If we just are going to go with the same alignment then we wouldn't have a lot of friends. I'll say this though, if they don't want it then we won't do it. I'm not going to press the issue. If I pressed the issue then it would be like a fake ally. If you know what I mean.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: How do you think Lazarus could go about improving off-site engagement, such as on the forum?

DOMAIS: Well, I think we should advertise our off-site activities. Using region wide TGs. Like one idea we had was putting ads in the Gazette and then publicizing that. We could do a system were we have like a recruiter that sends a TG asking them to join the forums and become a shareholder to active people on the RMB. But, like we need to manage that in a way that it doesn't become spam.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: How do you think we should organize game nights with the region?

DOMAIS: Well, that's something that wouldn't happen every week. I think that we would lose interest if we did it every week. Once every few weeks and it would happen in the discord. We would start advertising it a week early both on-site and off-site. I would be another incentive to join. Perhaps, once we get people we could have like a designated organizer in IA.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Finally, last question, why do you think people should vote for you for Managing Director?

DOMAIS: I've been doing this for a few years now and I think that my positions in Lazarus have helped me grow as a leader and a person. The last times I ran, perhaps I wasn't ready. Especially the fist time were I definitely wasn't ready. This time, I think I've been active in the region enough to know how it operates and what we need to do. I think the things that need we need to try to do are pretty clear and we have a clear path forward. So, you should vote for me because I think I can manage this ship. I think I can oversee this Lazarene operation as I have been apart of it for long enough. And, I have a vision forward.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Thanks for answering the questions, and best of luck on your campaign.

Interview with Vice-Director Whatermelons

NEW ROGERNOMICS: How specifically do you want to go about ending the war with the NPO?

WHATERMELONS: I think a shareholders vote should be held to decide.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Do you foresee any future security implications with the NPO, and if not, is the proscription still necessary?

WHATERMELONS: Not really. There should be bans for known coupers and others, but I don't see any as security threats. However if there is a consensus that we should continue proscribing people, then we should do that.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: One area of your campaign where people may be curious about is the plan to shutdown the the Department of Shareholdership. Thus far its only lawful duties are to accept or reject shareholder applications. Can you expand upon this plan to create a new department?

WHATERMELONS: I want to create a ministry that gets more people active and more active people. We will create telegram campaigns to get people to join the forums and ministries. The shareholders ministry is not very useful at the moment but with this expansion hopefully we can get more new blood in [the government].

NEW ROGERNOMICS: As part of your platform, you mention forging new treaties, specifically with TRR and TEP, how do you plan to go about improving our relations with them?

WHATERMELONS: For now we're just going to sign treaties and hopefully get to know each other better - but in the future we should participate in cultural stuff with them, etc.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: As part of your long term goals you mention organizing war games, can you explain to those with less military experience than yourself, how these would be implemented?

WHATERMELONS: It's mainly just creating regions to be tagged and the military is split into teams. So basically the one that ends up holding the region is the winner. We could also invite other militaries to join and participate.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Finally, last question, why do you think people should vote for you for Managing Director?

WHATERMELONS: I think I have the tenacity to bring Lazarus out of its current period of inactivity and back on track.

NEW ROGERNOMICS: Thanks for answering the questions I had for you, and I wish you well in your campaign.
 

FRANSCHUUNDENIA DEPLOYS ON NORTHERN WESTWALD BORDER
By @"New Rogernomics"

Recently the nations of the Lazarus region have grown concerned about a developing situation between the Incorporated States of Franschuundenia and the Armed Republic of Northern Westwald. In a move that has had increasing condemnation among many nations and stunned the region, the Incorporated States of Franschuundenia deployed a substantial military's force and threatened the sovereignty of the Armed Republic of Northern Westwald.

The Incorporated States of Franschuundenia argues that the territory of The Armed Republic of Northern Westwald is rightfully theirs, and the Armed Republic of Northern Westwald demands that the Incorporated States of Franschuundenia move their forces off the border and respect their national sovereignty. We have unconfirmed reports of skirmishes on the border and of casualties on both sides.

The United States of Altamont offered some support to the Incorporated States of Franschuundenia, but the region has mostly condemned the actions of Franschuundenia, with the Confederated City-States of Arclandia, The Imperial Republic of Ashoy, the Demonos Defense Agency, and the Kingdom of New Rogernomics offering diplomatic and military assistance. New Rogernomics has also imposed economic sanctions on Franschuundenia, but has not as yet specified what those sanctions will be.

We will keep our eyes on this conflict as the situation develops.
 

ARCLANDIA CELEBRATES FIRST NS BIRTHDAY!
By @"Arclandia"

Esteemed Leaders and Noble Delegates,

It is with a glad heart that Arclandia wishes to announce its first NationStates birthday, and we would like to invite all of you to join us on our cruise fleet as our complimentary guests for this most historic of anniversaries. The flagship of the fleet, the A.W.C. Staffordshire, has been remodeled with accommodations fit especially for His Immensity, Tubbius, Honored Leader of the Tubbian Treadwellians, his charming spouse, and any entourage that delights them so that all invited may participate. If you would like to honor us with a gift, we have all our needs met, want for nothing, and most gratefully request instead that you donate to our Foreign Aid budget or engage in a goodwill mission in our name within our parameters to benefit your neighbors as this will most nobly reflect our culture to the world. Accommodations are otherwise first-come, first-serve, and no worries about who gets better what than whom: we are a remarkably egalitarian culture and wouldn't put anyone in such a position. We are excited to see as many of you as are keen to join us. In celebration, we have again gone through the roster of Lazarene nations to exchange as much diplomacy as we are able by means of exchanging World Assembly endorsements so as to add to the integrated strength of the region and extend a friendly hand of greeting. If you miss the festivities or cannot attend, there are no hard feelings; you can still celebrate from afar by trading Foreign Aid to your neighbors. May you all enjoy a prosperous 2021!

<<THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN PAID FOR BY THE Arclandian Ambassadorial Division AND Arclandian Diplomacy Corps.>>

Most Exuberantly,
Arc Ignius Rex
Chief Public Administrator to the Free Land of Arclandia
via
The Arclandian Ambassadorial Division
The Arclandian Diplomacy Corps
and all topically relevant central agencies
 

The NPO WAR IMPLICATIONS, AND THE FUTURE
By @"New Rogernomics" 

Lazarus has been at war with the New Pacific Order for a considerable amount of time, so the question that some Lazarenes, New Pacific Order citizens and the Nationstates community as whole may ask is: when do we plan to end it, and if we do not end it, what will our justification be to continuing it.

Crucially, there are two factors at play that determine Lazarene-New Pacific Order relations, which involve whether the New Pacific Order is to be considered a threat or a potential friend? If the former, ending the war will be more just declaring a factual reality that Lazarus and the New Pacific Order have not made any hostile moves towards one another, and the war in that sense is pointless to continue. If the later, then laws to keep New Pacific Order citizens out of Lazarus who were not significantly involved in the dispute with the NPO and not named in the initial demands send by Lazarus, is not necessarily a sign of trust or friendship.

As far as Lazarus is concerned it does not have to change it's position if it does not want to, as there are no external problems beyond the practical ones, meaning through the proscription NPO citizens are not permitted, and threats are legally not permitted to exist in the region - so if a threat was exposed it would be immediately removed without requiring a peace-time procedure i.e. a court proceeding or Council of Lazarene Security vote. There is also no active state of war, as neither side is actually interested in hostile actions towards one another at this time, in public sense at least - as if such a plot would exist it would be hidden behind walls of regional security and in a lockbox somewhere.

As I write this it is obvious that I am not going to be entirely objective, just as if someone from the New Pacific Order wrote about us, or if an ally of either region wrote about us; or if someone with major greviances towards either region wrote about Lazarus-New Pacific Order relations. It is reasonable for me to speak therefore as Lazarene, and not put up some wall behind what I state as a journalist and what I reflect upon as citizen. So with that in mind, I'll state what I think could be a fair assessment of our relations so far.

That Lazarus has been divided over how to run itself seems without question given it has switched between defender and raider spheres of influence, and had civil wars and coups. For most Lazarenes revelations over the New Pacific Order shook the region to its core, and brought back wounds that go back to when the New Lazarene Order was overthrown. Lazarus at the time those revelations broke was barely even re-establishing an administration, still on training wheels so to speak, and there was a combination of anger, disbelief and disappointment - especially as the New Pacific Order was one of the regions that had been trusted to participate in the ill-fated Peacekeeper Agreement and Constitutional Convention process. Whether other regions can view the Lazarene declaration of war as an action of an in-experienced government and assembly reacting to something it was unprepared for, and taking rash action, or the greatest expression of discontent with how it felt it had been treated by the New Pacific Order government - is really up to how you interpret the evidence at the time.

Where I have have disagreed with some of my fellow Lazarenes and some foreign governments is over whether a region really holds to itself, if it ignores something so disturbing and an un-acceptable to its nature, and lets it pass merely for geo-political advantage. Certainly if Lazarus is to hold inter-regional credibility it has to either hold to its positions or respond in face of new evidence. In the case of Lazarus the Delegate had two choices, which depending which side you support, could be terrible or necessary: hold a vote to give Lazarenes a say on foreign policy, or refuse the vote in a technocratic manner, so that the political elite can carefully decide which path to follow - even if it ignores public opinion.

When the vote was held Lazarenes overwhelmingly voted for war, and the government respected that decision, and implemented it. Then when other regions left the war, Lazarus held firm to its position, which in itself was a statement of sincerity, or some might describe as stubbornness - again up to what your opinion was on the war itself when the measure was passed. Such a position however also gives Lazarus a great opportunity to re-engage with the New Pacific Order on positive terms, being a region that holds to its ideals and agreements - even if those ideals and agreements may be in conflict with geo-political advantage. What better friend or ally could there be in Nationstates, than a region that stands by its word - even if that word causes laughter or mirth.

Whether Lazarus decides to end this war or continue it, Lazarenes can at least well into the future know that when the major decisions happen that can make or break the region, they have a voice. Just like they did over the New Pacific Order. That is perhaps what counts more than anything else. Trust is earned, as is respect, and Lazarene administrations trust and respect their citizens to make the right choice. If it can do that, then other regions have reason to trust and respect Lazarus, as we do not abandon our principles or sell out anyone. Lazarus stands its ground, holds its flag, and in failure or success does its best to move forward.

Disclaimer: This article was opinion, and as such is the view of a private citizen, and not the official position of Lazarus nor the Lazarene government.
 

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