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Vol. 2, No. 3 SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019 © International News Organisation, 2019

Erinor Wins Delegacy in the South Pacific The Many Events

of Mahakam
By DAUNLAUND
Mahakam is a region composed of about 40
nations. That might seem small, but, beneath
the surface, this region is bursting to the
seams with roleplay events and news.

Demirestadian Civil War – Leadup

In the past few years, a group known as
the Alsterlect Society began a campaign to
destabilize the Demirestadian State. This
group had been founded by the remnants of
the Alsterlect Society that ruled Tennenreich
until the Stadian Conflicts, which is where
their name comes from. The destabilization
was done in complete secrecy, with agents
being planted in government positions, with
help from donors outside of Demirestad’s
borders.
Voters cast their ballots in the South Pacific Delegate election.
Their goal was to gradually destabilize the
By PRARIE nation with Partisan upheaval, allowing the
Erinor previously served a term cy is almost inevitable in the fu-
DISCLAIMER: The author of this Society to perform a Coup, with the help of
as Delegate from January to July ture.
article was the campaign manager their supporters, and reform the Empire.
2018. He has stated multiple times
for Beepee. This plan was aided by the growth of the
that he would have served longer, In an exclusive statement given
SSKP (Storer Stadian Kommunisten Par-
but the stress caused by the Tim- to NationStates Today, Erinor
There is new leadership on the tien/Greater Stadian Communist Party) and
scade infighting drove him out of gave thanks to his voters and
horizon for the South Pacific; but the SNT (Stadian Nationalist Tacht/Stadian
TSP. However, he stated that he made it clear that serving the
it’s not an original song, rather a Supportist Front) in certain parts of the
would return; and he has, here. South Pacific is an honor:
reprise. Demirestad.

The runner-up candidate, “It really is an honour and a pleas-

On 18 January, Erinor, known as
Seraph forum-side, officially won
the election for Delegacy of the
South Pacific, beating new hot-
shot Beepee by a 40 vote margin,
104 to 64.
Beepee, was one of the youngest
candidates to have ever reached
the second round. His perceived
likability and increasing preva-
lence in policy debates have made
many think that a Beepee delega-
Kalder Harren Salzerhove and the Kalder
ure to get elected to the Delegacy
Elect Wessen Keitreiz were both assassinat-
of my beloved region for a second
ed on Inauguration Day,, by an unknown
time. In the oldest democracy in
sniper who was a member of the Alsterlect
NationStates, the…
CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Up Close and Personal: Halo

By WYMONDHAM
Recently, the delegate of The West
Pacific, Halo, announced wide-
ranging changes to the region’s Con-
stitution, the Manners of Governance,
including a theme alteration and the
introduction of a House of Peers. I sat
down with him to discuss these
changes.
The first issue I talked to Halo about
was the changes to The West
Pacific’s Constitution and theme. He
feels that it is his duty as delegate to
help The West Pacific avoid stagna-
tion, and this is the way to do it:
“We need to keep things fresh! The
duty of a delegate, as I see it, is three-
fold… to maintain a safe and stable
region, provide opportunities for en-
tertainment and activity, and recog-
nize contributions and achievements.
The West Pacific is a terrific region.
My first nation was created here and,
although I have been active in many
regions, my favorite is The West Pa-
cific. Our residents range from those
just born yesterday to a large com-
munity of ancients. If you’re interest-
ed in NS history, you’d love to hang
around our RMB! We are fun, active
and snarky, but well-mannered. The
region is safe and stable.
Now we want to avoid stagnation.
Badger did a wonderful job of revital-
izing the region, with his introduction
of the Manners of Governance and
support for the TWPAF pirates, but
that was about two years ago. Re- theme and a point system to track official for a while, except for our pi-
cently, despite the excellent efforts of activity. They have chosen Imperial rates, of course. The West Pacific will
Davelands and Neenee before me, China. This will be instituted to add still remain the laidback place it is.
there has been a bit of a decline. It texture, spur activity and allow for We will pick and choose what we will
hasn’t been serious… a few less new more frequent recognition of our resi- use and certainly not become Imperi-
players deciding to make The West dents’ contributions. The West al China. The West Pacific will still be
Pacific their home and a smaller (but Pacific’s core principles of Delegate The West Pacific. Think of it as the
still awesome!) military… but it’s Supremacy and Meritocracy will not Chinese Imperial court castaway on a
time to turn things around. only be preserved but strengthened. Pacific archipelago with rum drinks!”
Although the West Pacific has had
To that end, my cabinet and I pre- several themes throughout the CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
sented the region with a choice of years… ADN cornerstone, Sacred
three new themes, along with some Order, West Pacific Imperium, and
Manners changes to support the new many others… we have had nothing

Nate details the progress of The
Communist bloc’s Constitutional
Convention, Llo reports back on
the shock results of the Anterian
election and Whatermelons in-
vestigates all the drama in Hive.
Tater looks at the war between
Simul and Micro Union, Llo un-
veils the surprising merger of
two influential regions and Wy-
mondham gets ‘up close and
personal’ with TWP’s Halo.
Trabardia talks of protests
against their national govern-
ment, Kavagrad reports on the
state of the ILFA Premier Divi-
sion and Daunlaund investi-
gates the events of Mahakam.
Lil’Stapler reflects on the impli-
cations of the United States gov-
ernment shutdown—who wins,
who loses, and why does it all
matter to everyone? And will
Trump get his way?
Daunlaund reports on their fa-
vorite art of the week, including
a look at Polandball GIFs, while
Llo challenges you to a cross-
word based on this edition’s arti-
cles and NS general knowledge.

TCB Constitutional Convention Trudges On, Citizens Reject Elected Assembly
An archive of Constitutional law in The Communist Bloc.
By NATHANIEL PENROSE
The Constitutional Convention of
The Communist Bloc officially began
last week. Standing to be one of the
most impactful events in TCB history,
the Convention shall allow the citi-
zens of the Bloc to restructure their
government entirely, and install a
system that agrees more with the
current political climate of the region.
While the Convention stands to last
quite a bit of time, the people are con-
fident in their ability to collectively
create a new TCB for a new age.
The Convention Opening and The
Constitutional Assembly
The Convention began last week with
the passage of the Convention Sched-
ule and Procedures Act, an amend-
ment co-sponsored by Nathaniel Pen-
rose of Ubertas and Trabardia to out-
line the schedule, procedure, and
structure of the Convention. The bill
mandates the creation of new sub-
forums and topics in the TCB forums
where the Convention can take place,
and the order on how topics will be
discovered. The bill was passed in
hopes of ensuring more structure and
order going into what could potential-
ly be a chaotic event. Past Constitu-
tional Conventions in other regions
such as Europeia have burned big,
bright, and tumultuous, and then
flickered out almost immediately af-
Erinor wins Delegacy in the South Pacific
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Delegate is both the highest honour
and the most humble position of ser-
vice and I do not take either lightly.
I also want to thank all those who
voted for me in both rounds and all
who ran against me, but especially to
my second round opponent, Beepee,
who is a tremendous sport and a sup-
portive friend. I’m quite sure he’ll
make a great future Delegate of the
South Pacific! Now, I look forward to
the transition period and then taking
on the role in the game mechanics
and serving the South Pacific with
love.”
During Erinor’s delegacy, we can
expect significant growth of TSP’s
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. POLITICS
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019
ter interest died down. It was the
hope of Penrose and Trabardia that
their bill would help to prevent this
from happening. Alongside this, the
Convention Schedule included provi-
sions for a Constitutional Assembly –
a body of citizens elected to draft the
Constitution (which the citizens
would then approve) on their behalf
in order to avoid the death of the
event due to a lack of interest. A vote
on whether or not to establish the
Constitutional Assembly was held
immediately following the opening of
the Convention, which failed despite
having a narrow plurality due to
TCB’s consensus-based voting poli-
cies (which allow for any decision be-
ing put to vote to be vetoed by a 20%
vote of “Against”).
While Penrose and Trabardia were
disappointed by this course of action,
the Convention nevertheless proceed-
ed, with high hopes for its success.
The Chairperson Elections
Following this, the five day standing
period for the Convention Chairper-
son, or the entity elected to oversee
the voting and regulation of the Con-
vention, was opened. Only two candi-
dates entered: General Secre-
tary Penrose and former General
Secretary and current Prem-
ier Lil’Stapler. The elections are on-
WA development program, SWAN. In
his first term, Erinor brought the en-
dorsement count of the Delegate from
around 400 endorsements to 646 at
its height. If growth is similar, the
Delegate might hit 700 endorsements,
a record in the history of the South
Pacific.
Another thing you can expect to see
in Erinor’s second term is more
gameside involvement. He is proba-
bly the most game-side focused Dele-
gate TSP has ever seen, and while not
on the same level as Beepee, it will be
a welcome addition to the RMB when
members can talk to their Delegate
often.
going, with no clear favorite explicitly
present. The election will conclude in
two days time, and no candidate has
posted a campaign. It is assumed that
they will rely on their public notoriety
and reputation, both of which have
allowed them to be elected easily in
the past.
The Current Discussions
With the Convention currently ongo-
ing, discussions rapidly began on the
first sections of the Constitution: the
Preamble and the Declaration of the
Citizens’ Rights. Currently, Minister
of Information C.A.D., General Secre-
tary Penrose, Ele, and Prem-
ier Stapler have posted their ideas.
Penrose removed his proposals early
on due to his favor of Stapler
and C.A.D.’s, with the two presenting
novel ideas such as an explicit civil
contract, Miranda Rights for persons
sentenced on the Discord for miscon-
duct, and the banning of parties. The
banning of parties has long been a
topic of debate in TCB, especially af-
ter the fall of all the major parties last
June, and the rise of TCB’s de facto
no-party system and direct democrat-
ic legislature. After posting a poll and
finding that a narrow plurality were
in favor of explicitly stating the right
to form parties, Stapler decided to
remove, but not explicitly ban nor
Based on tradition, it should
take Erinor about one month to offi-
cially assume the Delegacy game-
side. When that happens, it will be
interesting to see how this second
term starts.
2
Section P
endorse the existence of parties.
Discussions on the new Preamble
have also begun, with Prem-
ier Stapler’s ideas seeming to be the
favorite by many citizens. The Pre-
amble, styled in the long and verbose
manner familiar and preferred by the
citizens of TCB, seeks to reflect the
citizens’ want for change and renew-
al, and their goal to separate TCB
from many aspects of its past.
Former Premier and current Vice
World Assembly Delegate Marcella
Cheval has also posted her ideas for
the Executive Branch. The proposal
outlines a three-person head of state/
government, and seeks to create an
Executive Council in place of the cur-
rent Presidential System, something
TCB has had throughout its history.
However, the discussion was put on
hold, as the Convention Schedule
Amendment mandates that only one
section be discussed at a time, in or-
der to avoid confusion and chaos.
The Convention’s Future
While it is unclear how the Conven-
tion will proceed, and if it will be suc-
cessful, the citizens of TCB seem to be
ecstatic about the recent develop-
ments, signaling good tidings for TCB
as it continues on this journey.
 NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. POLITICS 3

Upset in Anteria Election; Kilowatt Emerges Victorious

Many residents in Anteria were shocked to see the incumbent dethroned.

By LLO
Read the previous article on Anteria’s
election here.
Anteria has had a stunning upset in
their quarterly election,
with Kilowatt, a candidate that de-
scribed their own campaign as
“partially a joke”, defeating the two-
term incumbent and pre-election fa-
vorite Nerany for the position of Min-
ister, who is the executive leader of
Anteria.
In a regional poll held from 31 Janu-
ary to 1 February, voters rallied al-
most entirely behind the two front-
runners, despite there being six nom-
inees in total. Opposing minor candi-
dates were quick to switch their alle-
giances too, with Viha giving their
support to Nerany, while Shadoveil
and Aziallis voted for Kilowatt.
Nerany and Kilowatt were effective-
ly neck-and-neck till the dying hours
when the eventual victor pulled
slightly ahead. The final tally was 33-
26, with two other votes for minor
candidates.
The incoming Minister, who returns
to the role for the first time in almost
two years, made an exclusive state-
ment to NationStates Today following
the unexpected victory:
“I would first like to commend Ne-
rany and all the other candidates on
an election well fought. Personally I
think it has been the most interesting
election season Anteria has ever
seen. I’d like to thank all of the voters
and supporters of my campaign that
helped make my final bid for office a
success and in making Anterian his-
tory by unseating an incumbent
standing for re-election for the first
time. We’ve got a good team assem-
bled and I’m hoping we can imple-
ment some much needed roleplaying
and political reforms in the next three
months. With any luck we’ll have
some fun with it too.”
The dethroned incumbent, Nerany,
was graceful in defeat, saying:
“I would like to thank everyone that
voted for me. I would also like to go
ahead and congratulate Kilowatt for
what I think is the most interesting
election in a while. I’ll be happy to
work with him and his ministry as the
region’s WA Delegate. Since I don’t
have as much responsibility in the
region itself, I’ll be working with oth-
er regions for foreign relations and
most likely be sending more recruit-
ment telegrams to further increase
our population. I do plan on running
again in the near future, but I’m not
sure if that will be next term or the
one after. I’m a little sore from losing,
but I hope to help the region further
with Kilowatt.”
Kilowatt will now serve a three-
month term to 1 May. He has also ap-
pointed the new executive Ministry to
assist him in his duties, including pro-
moted Deputy Minister Wolfgalia and
Junior Minister The Byrdlands. Con-
sidering the successful candidate’s
original campaign premise of being
“partially a joke”, it remains to be
seen how seriously they will take
their position throughout their ten-
ure.

Hive: Prime Minister Ousted Amid Controversy, Convicted of Treason

By WHATERMELONS
You can read the previous article re-
garding Hive here.
On January 27th, a player known
as the Jezza, or Extreme Britain,
spammed pings on the Discord serv-
er, as well as obscene messages too
vile to share here. In addition, Prime
Minister BritishPoland messed with
the WFE, changed the flag to Barack
Obama, cancelled the welcome tele-
gram and other acts of vandalism.
When the founder, Mysterio (also
known as South Asians), came back
online, both nations were banned
from the Discord server, as well as
the region.
After these actions, BritishPoland
claimed innocence. However, they
stated that they had not shared their
password with anyone. An investiga-
tion into the matter was opened by
newly-elected Chief Justice the UPG.
They ruled out hacking, as that would
be targeted at the founder and the
hacker would have also done things
to the nation itself, like changing the
flag.
Suspicion grew that British-
Poland was Extreme Britain, as it had
been noted that the two had not been
seen online together at any one
time. BritishPoland was confirmed
as Extreme Britain once conclusive
evidence was produced by A Territo-
ry of Russia Known as Putin, in which
both were shown to have the exact
same Spotify account.
As both nations had already left the
region, no trial was held. Howev-
er, BritishPoland had another ac-
count in the region and ac-
cused Putin of voter fraud. Both were
taken to court – BritishPoland with
treason and voter fraud and Putin
also with voter fraud. British-
Poland in the end dropped all charges
and pleaded guilty, resulting in a ban
from the region, as well as a 3-month
ban from the Discord serv-
er. Putin has been appointed as inter-
im Prime Minister until elections can
be held according to the Constitution.

Do you have an idea to

improve the Politics section?
Message @lawrencedepe#1475 on Discord!

Simul vs Micro Union: A War of Changing Allegiances
A war taking place in the battlefields of the minor UCRs – it has more drama than you might imagine.
By TATER
This is the story of two competing
regions. The first is the Micro Union,
a small, isolationist region. Simul is a
small, welcoming region, about 14 na-
tions strong, and usually indifferent
to political ideology.
Fighting began a year ago between
the two regions when the nation
of Landaa, now defunct, entered the
region of the Palumban Nations and
spammed it with advertising for vari-
ous things such as power tools and
car insurance. Moderators got in-
New Western Atlantic & Norden To Merge
By LLO
New Western Atlantic is set to
merge with Norden from 8 February.
The decision was announced on 2
February by King United Dark Re-
public of NWA via their regional Dis-
cord server. The two regions have
traditionally been very close in their
diplomatic relations, and combined
they are set to become one of the
largest user-created regions in Na-
tionStates.
The current founder and Delegate
of Norden, Solborg, said that “Norden
hasn’t really gone anywhere in a
while and this was the best way for-
ward for the community”. While this
is a regrettable end to the game’s
most famous Nordic-themed region, it
is hoped that the merger will allow its
members to become more fully in-
volved in their community.
An outline of the proposed merger
released in conjunction with the an-
nouncement has specified that the
residents of Norden will be integrat-
ing into the existing NWA communi-
ty. which will retain its constitutional
monarchy and general structure, in-
cluding political parties and the Dis-
cord server. However, the document
also specifies some changes, most
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. GAMEPLAY
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019
volved and identified the spammer as
a puppet of Makasta, a member of the
Micro Union. From there, Makasta’s
puppets continually attacked until
moderators closed the account. Soon
after, the region of New Makasta was
founded and, this time, the entire re-
gion was coming for the Palumban
Nations with vengeance. Back and
forth, attempts to ruin the other re-
gion occurred until a third party be-
came involved. For context, this was
around the time that the region of
Simul was founded.
notably the eventual transfer of the
Delegacy to Solborg, an increase in
the size of the legislative Senate from
25 to 30 seats, the retention of Nor-
den’s embassies and bans in their
new region, and the opening of dis-
cussion for constitutional amend-
ments.
These changes have not gone with-
out some opposition already. Trump
and Pence, an Associate Justice
of NWA’s High Court, expressed con-
cern about the transferral of the Dele-
gacy. In a statement, he said:
“…it upsets the balance of power
and influence formed within it [the
Constitution]. Although the World
Assembly Delegate has no legal or
executive powers it has influential
powers on foreign relations. I don’t
want the World Assembly Delegate to
get into some dealings with another
region and then it turns out the deal-
ings were nullified or unlawful. It
hurts the region… there are checks
and balances with the people in
mind.”
A long-term member of the re-
gion, United Soviet States of Russian
Empire, similarly shared reservation
Eventually, Simul became the new
region for members of the Palumban
Nations. The Micro Union caught on
quickly and changed their target.
Simul’s closest ally, the Monarchist
and Democratic Alliance, also be-
came increasingly confrontational. N-
Day and Z-Day went by with the two
regions defending themselves from
the Micro Union until something pe-
culiar happened. The government of
the Monarchist and Democratic Alli-
ance changed their allegiance to the
Micro Union, resulting in the ongoing
spamming of Simul with pro-Micro
about the proposal, describing it as “a
slap in the face for NWA” and hoping
that “if this agreement goes through,
that the people, and not just the elite
or the high officials, choose where the
constitution goes”.
Most, however, seem in general
support of the change. Communica-
tions Minister Lucenzia said that they
“welcome it [the merger] with open
arms” and claimed the concessions
made to Norden are “more than fair”.
They made the following statement in
response to concerns about the mer-
4
Section G
Union statements.
Hostilities between Simul and the
Micro Union have stopped, with
members only having to deal with
spam from non-Micro Union nations.
The bond with the Monarchist and
Democratic Alliance, however, has
depleted. The future of this war is
looking like a stalemate, though both
regions are still actively looking for
support to tip the scales in their fa-
vor.
ger being a ‘dictated agreement’:
“The thing is, if we announced that
we would start to negotiate a merger
to the people, it would become, frank-
ly, a mess. In the end, we’d never be
able to do anything because of the
extremely conflicting opinions within
the populace of the region.”
The next week is sure to challenge
the success of the high-profile merger
and it will certainly be interesting to
note its ramifications within the wid-
er scheme of interregional politics.

Up Close and Personal: Halo
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The changes also introduce a House
of Peers to The West Pacific. Halo is
of the opinion that individuals who
gain peerages should be given special
responsibilities in the region:
“Conferring titles is one way we
would like to recognize the contribu-
tions of our most productive citizens.
Most regions that I’ve seen either as-
sociate no governmental role with a
title, like our friends in Osiris, or they
are integral to the legislative process.
I thought to establish a Hall of Peers
to make the titles a little more than
simply honorifics, but the West Pa-
cific is not a democracy. They will act
as another advisory body with the
Hall of Nations. While the Hall of Na-
tions advises the delegate on the
opinions of the region’s nations, the
Hall of Peers will give advice on
gameplay and judicial matters. Dele-
gate Supremacy remains intact.”
However, the changes have come
under criticism from certain quar-
ters. Halo wishes to reassure those
individuals that the changes will in no
way change the character of The
West Pacific:
“Most of the residents of The West
Pacific have been for it. Those that
weren’t expressed concerns that it
will change the character of the re-
gion or that a theme change isn’t nec-
essary. I have listened to what they
have had to say and have tried to ad-
dress their concerns, making some of
the same points that I have made in
this interview. I will implement the
new theme slowly, with an eye to-
ward preserving our region’s unique
character and including the ideas of
our residents. After the new theme
was decided, we announced a region-
al contest to design elements for the
theme.”
Halo is a firm believer in the Merito-
cratic beliefs of The West Pacific, and
thus his successor will be chosen ac-
cording to these principles:
“The West Pacific is blessed with
many wonderful citizens. Of course
there are a couple who stand out for
their dedication, enthusiasm and cre-
ativity, but like my predecessors, I
won’t be naming my successor until
my delegacy is much further along.
By then, my choices may have
changed.”
One issue Halo feels passionately
about is the lack of civility present in
Do you have an idea to
improve the Gameplay section?
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. GAMEPLAY
discussions across NationStates. He
believes that NationStates has began
to reflect real-life politics, but not in a
good way:
“I suppose the reason it [the lack of
civility] occurs is that it’s a reflection
of what’s going on in real life, made
more acute by the fact that we are
operating in a virtual political envi-
ronment in which people are bound to
disagree. My hope, though, would be
that we don’t have to be like so many
of the real life politicians. Maybe we
can try to make NationStates more of
a model of what could be rather than
a copy of what is? Can’t we just disa-
gree, but remain cordial and polite,
without attacking the person? Some
of the long time players have told me
that that is how it used to be. Maybe
we can bring that back. I tried a bit of
an experiment when I called for a
break in incivility around Christmas
time. To be honest, that had little ef-
fect, but I’m going to keep trying. I
will at least always try to be a good
example.”
Halo believes that people should
think before they speak and try not to
get emotionally invested in argu-
ments:
“I don’t have answers, but I do have a
few suggestions. First, each of us
should make a conscious effort to
keep emotions out of our arguments.
If you find yourself heating up, step
back and answer later. Pause to re-
flect before you hit send. Did you ac-
tually listen to what was being said?
Is what you are saying actually help-
ful? Does it advance the discussion
toward a resolution or is it just mak-
ing you feel better at that moment?
Next, we shouldn’t tolerate bad be-
havior in others. Call someone out on
their incivility… but do so privately
and with good behavior on your own
part (if it’s not just rudeness, but seri-
ously bad behavior, that should be
brought to the proper authorities im-
mediately, of course). Be an example
to others. Make bad behavior stand
out as against the norm, not just an-
other screech in the noise.”
Halo admits that on occasions he has
felt himself lose control:
“I have, but I have the good fortune to
be a very slow typist. That gives me
time to catch myself before I respond.
If a moment isn’t enough to calm me
and help me gather my thoughts, I
step away. It’s so much easier to do
that online than in person!”
Message @bogieoone#3478 on Discord!
Halo feels that The West Pacific is
the best region for encouraging polite
debate and that it is due to the unique
culture of the region:
“The West Pacific, for example, has
developed a culture that doesn’t put
up with rudeness. Even our Constitu-
tion is called the Manners of Govern-
ance. Many a player who wouldn’t
behave has been launched by the
trebuchets of our Guardians! In re-
gions that haven’t had a long experi-
ence with promoting civil behavior,
the actions of the delegate are even
more important. A delegate that sup-
ports and demonstrates patience, tol-
erance and polite discourse can really
turn that region around. Delegates
have a responsibility to keep their
residents safe. I believe a good dele-
gate should also make his residents
feel welcome.”
Halo says that The West Pacific is
better than any other region in
awarding merit and with the intro-
duction of the Hall of Peers and the
new points system, this tradition will
only grow stronger:
“Let me just say this… in my mind,
the one thing which stands out above
the many at which The West Pacific
excels is awarding merit. In The West
Pacific, if you contribute to the re-
gion, you will advance. This is true in
our military, in the diplomatic corps,
the government, everywhere. While
still availing us of their wise advice,
the elder states people in The West
Pacific have the grace to step back
and let the newer players advance.
There are few regions where a player
who has been playing NS for just over
2 1/2 years can become delegate in a
region where the delegacy holds sig-
nificant sway. With the new theme,
the Hall of Peers, and the new point
system, we are trying to provide even
more opportunities for advancement
and recognition.”
The authority that the delegate of
the region wields is what makes the
role unique, according to Halo:
“It’s more similar to the delegacies
in the other GCRs than different, but
one big difference would be Delegate
Supremacy. In The West Pacific, all
in-game authority rests in the dele-
gate, the Hall of Nations and the Hall
of Peers are advisory bodies, and the
next delegate is chosen by the cur-
rent delegate.”
According to Halo, Osiris is proba-
5
bly The West Pacific’s closest ally,
followed by The East Pacific and
Equilism:
“In The West Pacific, our allies are
our closest friends and we take those
relationships seriously. But, if you are
going to put me on the spot, then I
would say that our closest ally would
probably be Osiris. We participate in
frequent military training operations
with them and also have many resi-
dents in common. We also enjoy a
close relationship with The East Pa-
cific and often confer with them on
GP matters. Equilism has a special
place in our hearts, as it is largely the
work of one of our revered past dele-
gates, Westwind. This isn’t to say that
we don’t very much appreciate all of
our allies. The West Pacific doesn’t
make treaties lightly. They signify a
very special relationship.”
Finally, Halo feels that out of all the
qualities required by a GCR delegate,
patience is the crucial trait to have:
“That’s easy… patience. A region
needs creativity, intelligence, enthusi-
asm, and a lot of hard work, but all of
those can come from the other resi-
dents who support the region. How-
ever, GCR delegates themselves must
have patience or the whole thing falls
apart. When the old-timers are ques-
tioning your every move, the fourth
noob that day asks how to join the
WA and one of your allies is miffed
that you have spoken with another
ally, you have to take a deep breath,
smile and listen. Listening and re-
spect are probably the most im-
portant ingredients of patience. GCR
delegates have to try to put them-
selves in the place of the other player.
I like people and love The West Pa-
cific, so these help me to be patient
most of the time. It isn’t easy and I’m
not always successful.”
These modifications will undoubted-
ly result in some changes to the way
TWP works, however I do not feel
that they will result in a fundamental
shift in the region’s culture. Rather, I
believe they will enhance the merito-
cratic nature of TWP and keep the
identity of the region fresh. I also
think that Halo’s comments about the
lack of civility across NS ring true
and that we should all take a second
to think before we speak – this would
do NationStates a world of good. I
thank Halo for giving up his free time
to provide me with this interview. I
hope you have found this interview as
engaging and interesting as I have.

Trabardian Elections a Bruising
Rebuke of Ruling Administration
Citizens protest against the Trabardian government in the streets of Lazhitsky.
By TRABARDIA
LAZHITSKY, TRABARDIA — A
long election season has ended across
Trabardia as voters cast their ballots
today. From the rolling plains of
Oshotov to the river communities of
North and South Irkuk, Liberal Party
leaders and voters, as well as their
coalition allies, celebrated a record-
setting victory across the country.
The shift to the right is a sharp re-
buke of the presidency of Sebastián
Gálvez, the landslide-making populist
Communist elected just more than
half a year ago.
This historic victory marks the first
time in Trabardian history that the
incumbent President’s ideological
caucus has not been in control of the
Congress. The Right Caucus, which
has gained 12 seats in the Trabardian
Senate and 568 seats overall in the
National Assembly, is now in control
of the keys to the legislature.
The shift of power in Congress is an
opportunity for the opposition to de-
fine how they want to operate the leg-
islature to oppose and scrutinize the
policies of Gálvez and future presi-
dents facing disappointing elections.
Through the use of the numerous
congressional committees, the Right
Caucus is expected to be hitting the
Gálvez administration on all fronts,
from its increased environmental reg-
ulations to the dismantling of private
sector industries. Incoming Speaker
of the House and Liberal Party leader
Edmundo Cotilla has also appointed
hosts of Senators and Assembly
members to what he called “Shadow
Secretaries,” in a Saturday morning
press conference, to provide
“scrutiny to the authoritarian govern-
ment of the President and represent
our agenda on all fronts.”
However, the Right Caucus is not
expected to be completely consistent
in its policy in the coming year of the
opposition Congress. While the Liber-
al Party, which holds most leadership
posts within the Caucus, is consid-
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. INTERNATIONAL
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019
ered the bedrock of the opposition, it
relies on the Libertarian, Nationalist,
Christian Republican, and Green par-
ties to support its majority. These
parties have proven to be a pain for
Caucus public relations even while
they were in congressional opposi-
tion. When asked about this potential
problem, a senior Liberal official said
that “while the Caucus is diverse in
its ideological standings, we’re going
to continue to be united against the
administration and stop their pursuit
of dangerous, far-left policies.”
In districts across the country, ac-
cording to a joint exit poll from major
national news organizations and
newspapers, Trabardian voters were
most concerned about the effects of
an increasingly state-controlled econ-
omy. However, the number one con-
cern of the voters was the state of Mr.
Gálvez’s administration, whose hard-
line Communist Party appointments
have caused trouble and led to bi-
partisan congressional investigations
into possible unconstitutional poli-
cies. There has even been talk of the
more socially conservative wing of
the Communist Party splitting off to
form its own bloc, further destabiliz-
ing the unity of the administration.
Mr. Gálvez is also leading talks be-
tween Communist and New Socialist
party leaders to merge the two par-
ties to show a stronger but big-tent
party to represent the left-wing of
Trabardian politics.
Partisan tensions are already rising
between the parties, as party leaders
stressed friendly opposition and bi-
partisanship but hardliners such as
anarchist New Socialist Senator Ro-
mina Campos declared that “[the Left
is] at war with capitalism. No more
excuses. Now is the time to get our
ideas through.”
The final tally of national results,
certified by the Department of Inter-
nal Affairs, left the Right Caucus with
57% of control in both the Senate and
the National Assembly.
The ILFA Run-In Report
By KAVA
All statistics correct as of Saturday
26th January.
The Interregional Left Football
Association (ILFA) is now ap-
proaching the end of their Premier
Division’s first season, and the fight
for the top spot remains wide open,
with 7 teams still in contention to be
the first ever ILFA Premier Division
Champions.
In our last report, two weeks
ago, Nottinhaps and Soviet Microne-
sia were separated only by goal dif-
ference at the top of the table, but
now both sides have taken a
backseat to a resurgent Bakhare. On
Matchday 9 (January 12th), Nottin-
haps would lose the top spot to
the Four-Stars of Soviet Microne-
sia, following a second successive
loss, this time to perennial top-4 con-
tender North American Repub-
lics. NAR, despite consistently sit-
ting 5 or 6 points from 1st place,
have yet to ascend themselves, nev-
er rising higher than 3rd place, Sovi-
et Micronesia would hold 1st place,
extending their lead with a 2-1 win
over Morvan on Matchday 10
(January 14th) whilst Nottinhaps
did not play, and NAR lost 3-2
to Ovskiland. Matchday 11 (January
16th) would see the growing lead
of Soviet Micronesia come to a
screeching halt, with a 3-1 loss to
North American Republics. Nottin-
haps would defeat Ovskiland to get
within striking range of 1st place,
while Bakhare failed to take ad-
vantage, losing 1-0 to Grod Island.
On Matchday 12 (January 17th),
Nottinhaps would take on Soviet Mi-
cronesia in a match that looked to
set the stage for the run-in. If
the Redfoots won, they’d claim 1st
on goal difference once again, creat-
ing a 2-nation fight for dominance. If
the Four-Stars won, they’d extend
their lead to 6 points with just 6
games to be played, putting them in
prime position to claim the title.
However, the resulting 2-2 draw,
paired with Bakhare’s 2-1 win
over Heisa, would place serious
pressure on the league leaders. The
pressure would show in dramatic
fashion on Matchday 13 (January
20th) as Soviet Microne-
sia and Nottinhaps would lose
to Ovskiland and Teashire respectiv
ely. Bakare would defeat Kavagrad 1
-0, overtaking the Redfoots and sit-
ting just 1 point below the Four-
Stars, who were not scheduled to
play on Matchday 14 (January
22nd). When Bakhare proceeded to
win 1-0 against the Red and
Golds of Llorens, they finally de-
throned Soviet Micronesia. Mean-
while, Nottinhaps could only draw 0-
0 with Yereha, allowing North
American Republics to sit along-
side Soviet Micronesia and claim 3rd
place, just 2 points from the top.
However, Matchday 15 (January
6
Section I
24th) shocked the nations that had
dominated the league thus far.
Morvan, who had consistently lin-
gered near the bottom of the table,
stunned the league with a 3-0 drub-
bing of league leaders Bakhare,
whilst Nottinhaps were hit with a 2-0
giant-killing of their own at the
hands of Gregoria. With the perfect
opportunity to take 1st for them-
selves, both Soviet Microne-
sia and NAR could only manage
draws against Teashire and Asturies
-Llión respectively, bringing them
within a single point of the
top. Bakhare would punish their
challengers’ failure to capitalise on
Matchday 16 (January 25th) with a 2
-1 win over North American Repub-
lics that extended their lead to 4
points after Soviet Micronesia lost 6-
4 in a thrilling game against Yere-
ha. Nottinhaps also used the oppor-
tunity to reclaim 3rd place on goal
difference with a 2-1 win over As-
turies-Llión. Bakhare drew 0-0 with
Nottinhaps on Matchday 17
(January 26th), allowing Soviet Mi-
cronesia to once again claw the gap
back to 2 points with a 4-1 win over
Gregoria.
Only 2 Matchdays remain this sea-
son, including a final-day clash be-
tween Bakhare and Soviet Microne-
sia which may decide the league ti-
tle. However, that won’t be the end
of the ILFA’s season in its entirety,
as the ILFA has announced the crea-
tion of the Copa de Atealia, named
for The Leftist Assembly’s inaugural
Secretary, Atealia, which will be
contested by the top 4 teams in the
Premier Division at the end of the
season. Alongside this, the ILFA
have also announced the creation of
the Entrant’s Cup, which will be
competed for by the nations enter-
ing the ILFA at the beginning of the
second season. With the ILFA aim-
ing to fill the Premier Division with
20 teams next season and to create a
Second Division, we can exclusively
reveal that the winner of the first
edition of the Entrant’s Cup will, if
entry numbers allow, be given the
20th spot in the Premier Division.
With the stage set for an exciting
and dramatic finale to the ILFA’s
first season, fans of football around
the world are looking forward to
what comes next.
Bakhare beats Grod Island, 1-0.

The Many Events of Mahakam
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
Society. However, documents were
forged in order to make him look as if
he was a radical with connections to
the SNT Leadership. An Interim
Kalder was chosen soon after, named
Hans Kadieren. Unknown to most of
the nation, he was also a puppet of
the Alsterlect. After the assassina-
tion, leaders of the SSKP met with the
heads of the Comintern, predicting
that a Civil War was to break out in
Demirestad due to what they de-
scribed as “a rot inside that might
bring the whole system down in our
favor.” They made arrangements for
Comintern support if revolution were
to break out.
Demirestadian Civil War – Riots
In the government, after an investi-
gation of the assassination attempt, it
was agreed that it was a plot by the
SNT, as a reaction to their candidate,
Heiker Fraltenach, not being elect-
ed. The entire leading council of the
SNT was implicated with the crime,
and most went into hiding to avoid
arrest. The leader of the party, Tan-
ner Weikmann, made the statement
“I had no involvement in the attempt,
the claims have been fabricated by
the government in order to eliminate
the party.” Other statements were
also released by Weikmann relating
to the repression of Fenstagers and
SNT members in government, before
he also went into hiding to avoid ar-
rest. The SNT Party was also ejected
from the Stadian Congress, due to the
radical anti-government elements in
their ranks.
These actions incited mass protests
by the supporters of the SNT in the
Hanve (province) of Fenstag, with
riots starting in major cities in the
region. This was also followed in suit
by an act, rushed through the Stadian
Congress by Kalder Kadieren, which
shut down many of the Pro-SSKP
Workers Unions in Demirestad. This
ignited a frenzy of backlash from the
SSKP Supporters in the Northern
Hanves, especially in Weld and
Stavnyr. Mass protests began in ma-
jor cities across the Northern Hanves
as well. Additionally, an announce-
ment was sent out by the SSKP Party
Leaders, which said “THE WORK-
ERS RIGHTS ARE BEING TROD
UPON BY A GOVERNMENT THAT
HAS BECOME CORRUPT AND FAL-
LOW! RESIST!” The chaos grew
even worse, as even members of the
Police defected to the Rioting mobs.
Cities like Fenstag and Polbruen
were completely shut down due to
protests, causing the government to
give the Case Black Protocol Order.
This is where martial law is declared,
and all reserves are called up and put
on standby.
In the midst of all this chaos howev-
er, an incident was brewing in the
capital of Verdensk. Armored vehi-
cles emblazoned with the KPT
(Koglich Palizen Tacht/Royal Police
Force) stormed the Government Of-
fices, imprisoning or killing all opposi-
tion or those against the Coup, includ-
ing all members of the Stadian Con-
gress. They followed by declaring the
reformation of the Empire of Tannen-
reich. Similar actions were taken in
other major cities, with the exception
of the cities enveloped by riots. After
the Coup came a rapid destabilization
of the country, with the Rioters from
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. GAMEPLAY 7
both the SNT and SSKP mobilizing an Congress, then the mass killing of the natives were sent to were
into full revolutionary movements. Protesters in Verdensk and Naner- stopped. This de-escalated the ten-
The heads of each led a push to de- heit.” sion, and the era of a cold war began.
clare independence from the re- However, another consequence of
formed Empire. The coup caused a Discovery of a New Continent this conflict was the arising of a third
ripple effect. It was the nail in the cof- Recently, Verdenburg has decided faction: the Comintern. This consist-
fin for stability in the region. to send an expedition west. Before ed of one large Communist nation,
this expedition, it was thought that which was split into three autono-
The Northern Communists declared everything to the west was an empty mous regions, and a small island
independence and formed the United ocean. However, after months of (Island of Sivel), which initially be-
Socialist Welder States (though not searching, the result of the expedition longed to an IC member, but revolted
the job), the Eastern Fascist Move- was the discovery of a new continent, and became communist. The Comin-
ment formed the highly nationalist which was named Bracari. After mak- tern’s main objective was to enforce
and authoritarian Fenstager Reik and ing contact with its people, the ex- communism into other nations. These
the original government (from before plorers learnt that it is made from attitudes led to both the IC and WU to
the Coup) reorganized in the South- four factions, all of which have medie- set their differences aside and plan an
west, declaring the Second Republic val-level technology. With the arrival invasion on the island of Sivel, with
of Demirestad. After that, the Pre- of this news in Mahakam, the goal of liberating it from com-
Coup Military fractured as well, with
troops defecting to each of the sides
or sticking with the new Empire. A
handful of the HFT (Homeland De-
fense Forces) formed the Neo-
Unificationist Movement, an homage
to the Unificationist Revolutions that
led to the formation of Demirestad,
and began a guerilla campaign
(Either in support of Fenstag, USWS
or the Second Republic, but mostly
for the Second Republic) throughout
the Region. The stage was set for the
revolution to get serious, and it did
when the first rounds of gunfire of the
revolution were fired at the Battle of
Consen. Civil War had begun.
The Demirestdian Civil War
A push was started by the Second
Republic to secure an area known as
the Consen Pocket, however this was
halted and reversed by Imperial
Troops. The next battle was when the
USWS pushed into the Brezner Pock-
et, where they encountered a small
amount of Imperial Forces which
were driven back in the Battle of
Liechergraze.
Most recently, an Emergency Meet-
ing was called by the Flakerian Presi- most nations have decided to con- munism. The plan was successful,
duct their own expeditions to another but, simultaneously, a civil war in one
dent Mikaa Koriot, involving a Diplo-
matic Team from the Second Repub- new continent south of Bracari. of the WU’s nations also broke out.
This civil war only strengthened the
lic, and a Diplomatic Team from Ver-
denburg. This was held in Parjhime, The Cost of Exploration cooperation between the IC and WU.
A group of Niatican explorers were Both sides agreed that the status quo
Flakery. During the meeting, meth-
ods to support the Second Republic exploring this new land when they hit should be returned and the com-
a storm on the high seas. At first it munists should be defeated. This in-
were decided. These included a Pro-
gram, known as the Republican Inter- was only small waves, but, as the furiated the Comintern more, and it
waves got larger, a lightning storm was enough to cause them to make
national Brigade Program. This Pro-
gram would allow volunteers from erupted in the sky above. Their boats plans to rallying IC members to its
were not adapted to the gale force cause and declare a full scale war on
participating nations across the world
to support the Second Republic, while winds and some were even knocked WU. However, this never came to fru-
off their boats with the strength of the ition, as the WU decided to pre-
also preventing nations from officially
joining the war, which would cause waves. The explorers tried to turn emptively strike them, while the IC
back, but the waves were too strong. became spectators. This was the be-
an outward escalation of conflicts.
The rain was lashing down on their ginning of WW1 in Mahakam, and led
The program has already been acti-
faces to the extent that they couldn’t to the defeat of Comintern.
vated in both Flakery and Niatico,
see, and huge waves nearly brought
with volunteers already coming from
down entire ships. However, with a In conclusion
the Niaticoan Contingent in large
lot of perseverance the crew outlast- Mahakam is a vibrant region burst-
numbers.
ed the storm. ing with news and events. It was hard
to pick just four out of the possible
This concludes the civil war so far.
Unfortunately, the war is still raging The World War hundreds of events we could have
There were two factions splitting up written about. Mahakam also a Dis-
on, but a public spokesperson from
Demirestad has said the following: Mahakam: The International Coali- cord server, in case you want to look
tion, which was composed of mostly into more of these tales. The
“Well no large bombing runs have peaceful nations and democratic in its Demirestadian civil war is still raging
essence, and the World Union, which on and the World War ended in defeat
occurred, there are Refugees trying
to get out of Tannenreich to avoid re- was war oriented and had more au- for the Comintern. The new continent
thoritarian values. While small con- continues to be explored and claimed
pression. Areas where battles have
occurred like in Consen are pretty flicts arose, mostly caused by WU’s by the nations of Mahakam and the
expansionist policies, the one with Niatican explorers are safe and well.
banged up due to artillery strikes.
Civil Services are running again in most impact was when Estallya, an
imperialist nation with a dictatorship,
areas that were Rioting due to the
whole Popular Revolution thing done as well as Strasserist, decided to start
capturing and genociding natives af-
by the protesters. However the Em-
pire is working tirelessly to repress ter these natives attacked one of their
overseas bases. This nearly sparked
opposition, which started with the
killing of all the members of the Stadi- a war between IC and WU, but, due to
negotiation, the genocides and camps

Who Wins from the USA Shutdown?
The Capitol Building in Washington DC, where the Congress of the United States convenes.
By LIL’STAPLER
Editorial Note: This article was ap-
proved for publishing before editorial
rules were modified to remove ‘real
life’ articles from our acceptable topic
list. Going forward, we will not ap-
prove ‘real life’ articles unless they
directly relate to NationStates, our
community or the game’s accessibil-
ity (Internet Neutrality would be an
example). As per usual, NS Today
does not endorse the content of opin-
ioned articles.
35. 800,000. 2. 5.6 billion. These
were just a couple of the many num-
bers thrown around during the Unit-
ed States’ longest ever partial gov-
ernment shutdown. Those are the
number of days the shutdown lasted.
It is the number of workers, who
were forced to work without pay. The
amount of paychecks these families
missed. And the amount of money
Trump is demanding for his wall,
which is what kept the government
shut down. The shutdown essentially
became a negotiating tool for all;
Democrats, Republicans, and espe-
cially Trump. All using it to get what
they want. There are, however, sev-
eral consequences that have sprung
up, and will spring up as the shut-
down controversy drags on. Never-
theless, these politicians are insisting
that the shutdown is an effective
means of negotiating. It is important
to note that everyone in the govern-
ment has some responsibility in this
problem, so who wins? It is absolute-
ly essential that we, the people of the
USA and of the world, understand the
winners and losers of the shutdown
and ask ourselves: is a shutdown an
effective negotiating tool?
Before we can ask who wins and
loses from the shutdown, we need to
first understand its causes and ef-
fects, as well as explain what a shut-
down is. In the United States, a
(partial) government shutdown oc-
curs when Congress and the Presi-
dent cannot agree on an appropria-
tions bill, which is what funds the op-
erations of the federal government.
When there is no bill, there is no mon-
ey. When there is no money, there is
no spending. This means that the de-
partments operating the, and with
the, federal government, cannot oper-
ate at one-hundred percent. The An-
NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. PERSPECTIVES
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019
tideficiency Act prevents said depart-
ments from conducting non-essential
operations without governmental
funding. This caused nearly one-
fourth of the government to partially
shutdown, preventing the pay of ap-
proximately 800,000 workers. Some
workers are considered essential, but
still cannot be paid, so they have to
work without pay. Common conse-
quences include the Transportation
Security Administration [TSA] shut-
ting down several airport security
checkpoints, and this has its effect on
the rest of the world by slowing tour-
ism and travel across the planet, the
Food and Drug Administration
[FDA] suspending food inspections,
the economy slows, and at some
points, regresses which will hurt the
world economy, and National Parks
being either closed or unstaffed. With
all of these negative consequences,
and the government almost certain to
shutdown again, why isn’t the gov-
ernment putting a complete end to
this madness?
For a spending bill to become law,
the president has to sign off on it, but
in our world, President Donald
Trump has been refusing to sign any
spending bill unless it includes $5.6
billion to fund his border wall project.
No side, Trump, Democrats, or Re-
publicans are willing to make any
compromises, except for opening the
government temporarily, and almost
certainly shut it down again. It’s be-
cause of this that I still consider the
government to be in a shutdown, be-
cause after spending is up, I nearly
guarantee it will be shutdown again.
The winners from this shutdown
cannot be fully realized until after the
second shutdown ends, or negotia-
tions actually take place and finish.
The general answer will be Trump or
the Democrats. One of them will have
to budge for the bill to pass. This
means there are two scenarios, grant-
ing each of them a victory. For
Trump to win, the Democrats must
either give in and grant Trump his
wall money or negotiate a deal, the
most popular being wall money with
DACA and, now, general border secu-
rity funding. This is, in my mind and
in the mind of numerous experts, the
least likely outcome. The most likely
being that Trump is the first to blink,
and as of now, he was. Eventually, he
will realize that this standoff will hurt
his reelection chances. A Reuters poll
found that fifty-one percent of Ameri-
can people blame Trump for the shut-
down. Trump will have to realize this
and accept it to stand a better chance
for reelection.
The biggest loser of the shutdown is
obviously the workers who are being
forced to work without pay. This is
slightly negated as some of them
have been guaranteed backpay, but
the pain is still there. They still did
not have money for a large period of
time, a month already. The next loser
is Congressional Republicans. It is
nearly impossible for them to come
back from this. The House Republi-
cans have it a bit easier, as they have
passed spending bills. However, the
Senate Republicans, led by Majority
Leader Mitch McConnell, have re-
fused several times to vote or even
listen to any bills proposed by House
and Senate Democrats alike. This
puts Congressional Republicans in a
tight space. They either have to side
with Trump and be a part of the
blame that fifty-one percent of Ameri-
cans place on him, or they side with
the Democrats and look weak to their
usual voters. Both options nearly
guarantee their reelection chances
will be shot. There is an opportunity
to salvage a bit if they break from
Trump and propose their own bills,
but this is probably the least likely
event to occur. The Democrats and
Trump can also turn into the losers,
depending on who wins the standoff.
Now that we have explored the big-
gest winners and losers, we can now
investigate whether or not using a
shutdown is an effective negotiating
strategy. The short answer is explicit-
ly NO. This goes for both sides, but
mainly Trump. It is never okay, from
a moral, ethical, and logical reason, to
withhold the paychecks of more than
800,000 people and their families for
personal political gain. Clearly, it isn’t
a good tool for the sole fact that no
one is willing to budge. The Demo-
crats won’t budge because they know
that the American people blame
Trump, not them. Trump won’t actu-
ally negotiate because he doesn’t
want to lose his right-wing support-
ers. The shutdown has left the gov-
8
Section O
ernment at a staring contest, and no
one wants to blink, but Trump may
already have.
As for the outcome, it is my opinion
that Trump will be the one
to completely blink first. The Con-
gressional Republicans will start to
stray from Trump because they want
to be reelected. This will cause Trump
to realize that he doesn’t have the
backing necessary to pass his unpop-
ular funding bill. In all honesty, it
comes down to Senator Mitch
McConnell. If he allows a vote after,
or even before, Trump blinks, the bill
will pass Congress – in fact, a bill al-
ready has. Even if Trump isn’t the
one to blink, Sen. McConnell must
realize that they have the votes to
override the presidential veto.
For nearly all scenarios, the Demo-
crats at least partially win and the
workers lose. This is a negotiating
tool that fails and needs to be pre-
vented in the future. It is imperative
that we take future action that guar-
antees backpay for federal workers
indefinitely. We should also take con-
stitutional action to withhold pay
from federal legislatures and leaders
of the executive in an effort to ensure
they make deals fast and protect the
worlds’ workers. But for now, the
government needs to start negotiat-
ing for real. At this point, all bias is
set aside; it doesn’t matter who
blinks or who wins. The workers
should be the top priority. Their fami-
lies are suffering because our politi-
cians care too much about them-
selves and how they look to the pub-
lic. The shutdown is not effective and,
in the end, will always cause more
harm to the people than good. It is
now up to you, whether you have
been directly affected or not, whether
you live in the US or not, to solve this
problem by emailing and calling the
politicians refusing to make deals
with each other. You can even talk to
your own leaders if you are outside of
the US. Since a shutdown US govern-
ment does affect you in several ways,
your politicians can also take a step
to pressure the US government to
make deals. You are the only way to
solve this problem, and to ensure it
doesn’t happen again.
 NATIONSTATES TODAY. SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th, 2019. ARTS 9

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 10th 2019 Section A

Art of the Week Weekly Crossword

By DAUNLAUND By LLO
We’ve been busy picking our favor- Have you been paying attention this week? Test yourself with our weekly
ite NationStates Countryball art crossword, based on the articles in this edition and general knowledge of NS.
from the NationStates Polandball
thread. Here’s the art that stood out
the most to us!
by Demirstand

Click here to see the GIF in action.

These tiny specimens are tiny Coun-

tryball GIFs that look amazing.

How to make a Polandball GIF

by Maori Moon

It’s the good old United States of

America with his patriotic hat! Mao-
ri Moon tends to blow me away with
his Polandball skills, but this one
looks absolutely wonderful.

You finished it? Congrats! Give yourself a pat on the back — you earned it!

Want to hear about

Image courtesy of Demirstand

If you have multiple layers, you can

the news first?
save it as a GIF in Photoshop.

A Beginner’s Guide
Join our Discord server:
1. Always draw Poland's flag up- https://discord.gg/NsfX7wM
side down (the right way, duh)
2. Never use circle tool
by Demirstand
3. Don't draw limbs
4. Have fun!
This well-drawn comic is absolutely
fantastic and hilarious!
Here are more guidelines:

by Los Ricos

This masterpiece was done by Los

Ricos for New Year’s!

Countryball GIFs
Countryball GIFs are becoming very
popular. Here’s some that are simp-
ly outstanding and look great.

by Maori Moon

Click here to see the GIF in action.

Another beautiful piece from Maori

Moon, this seems to be an interface
for a video game!