I'm a fairly uninvolved player when it comes to global affairs. I don't interfere with items that don't involve me or those I'm around. Regardless, I keep track of the occurrences on the server. And I'm also a History buff. So, to me, the whole CivCraft issue is quite similar to the events that occur in the real world.

So buckle up, and get your popcorn ready, because this will be a long one.

Historical Background

~Where I delve back into American history and show the cyclical nature, and problems with policing the world~

In the years following World War II, it was evident that there were still nations that had the ability to decimate the world through their weaponry and power. The USSR and USA were strong enough to throw the world into a Nuclear Holocaust, if they so desired.

But there were inherent differences between the two nations. The Soviet Union supported the ideas of Communism, and had a semi-totalitarian government, and the United States followed the Capitalist Doctrine, and was a Republic. Due to this, the tensions between both nations was quite high.

In 1947, President Harry S. Truman issued a speech to the United States congress that said, "...it must be the policy of the United States to support free people who are resisting attempted subjugation by armed minorities or by outside pressures." This speech, known to all as the Truman Doctrine, declared that the US had the right to interfere with the affairs of other sovereign nations in order to stop a country from being usurped or changed. And while this idea could've been targeted at any force, it's message was clear: The US would actively protect any nation from being influenced by the USSR.

A little over two decades later, the United States had followed up on this promise. They had fought against the Soviets in the Korean War and Vietnam War, all in the name of keeping the world "Safe for Democracy."

But the United States people were tired of being the World Police. The US had sacrificed time, resources, and human lives in protecting foreign powers, and gained nothing by it. Fighting "outside pressures" didn't result in the immediate collapse of the Communist Institution, so why were they still doing it?

President Richard Nixon, in the aftermath of the withdrawal of US troops from Vietnam, declared the United States, "...cannot--and will not-- conceive all the plans, design all the programs, execute all the decisions, and undertake all the defense of the free nations of the world." The US was finished with protecting other people for almost nothing in return. And so they exited the World Stage, at least for a brief moment.

Checkpoint: The United States and Soviet Union had fundamental differences between them. The US saw the USSR as a destructive force, and sought to protect others against it. The US acquired the mantle of protecting the world, grew tired of it, and relinquished it.

Fast forward a few decades and you enter the War on Terror. With the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001, the United States found themselves distraught. President George W. Bush told the American populace of the danger that the al-Qaeda posed to the world, and that Terroristic acts like these could not occur in the future. It was the American people's responsibility to get rid of any Terrorist cells or nations that could act against the nations of the world.

Years later, and the United States had found themselves in the same predicament as with the Truman Doctrine. The US had fought against nations like Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of keeping free nations safe from outside pressures, and got little results. Protecting against Terror was not productive.

When chemical attacks on the people of Syria by the government of Syria occurred, the US didn't directly interfere. Getting involved in these affairs in the name of defending against an abstract noun wasn't appealing to the American populace.

Checkpoint: The US became the World Police again, against Terroristic threats. They gave up on the idea again.

Connecting the Dots

~Where I provide background about events in-game~

The LADS are another group that, at one point, sought to protect the world against threats. Griefers and mindless raiders were the target of the group that formerly went by the alias of World Police, and the many powers of Civcraft were content with them doing as they did.

But nothing lasts forever. People of Civcraft began to grow tired of the LADS for various reasons. Some said they did rather deplorable things all in the name of pearling a criminal. Some said (say) they end up pearling innocents. Others say that there are people that are associated with the LADS that are as bad as the griefers they sought to capture. The specifics are immaterial. What matters is that the majority of players were tired of a Police Force governing the whole world.

So the group formerly called the WP reformed into the LADS and took to creating a private city named Duck City. There, they initially began to reorganize into a force that would enter into contracts that protected certain cities from grief. To my knowledge, this plan ended up being more or less scrapped, and the residents of Duck City grew more isolated. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

Time passed, incidents like the Shadowjay attacks occurred, and the people of Civcraft got fed up. They accused the LADS of various crimes, and last night/early morning, a group of people assaulted Duck City, seeking the release of supposed innocents.

Thus, the present day.

Checkpoint: LADS/WP police the world. They grow tired of this. They retire from the mantle and seek isolation. People who are fed up with the LADS assault Duck City.

Analysis

~Where Analyzing happens~

Civcraftians, as well as people in general, dislike having somebody interfere in their everyday lives. We don't like oppression. We enjoy doing as we do without being interrupted. So when a griefer or raider attacks us, we want that person to cease and desist.

More often than not, we don't have the ability to get rid of these unwanted forces. So, we seek people that can do so. These people usually come from outside of our immediate group of associates. This new force of righteousness gets rid of the griefer/raider, and everything should be fine and dandy.

Here enters the problem.

We removed the miscreant, hooray! But people don't enjoy having an oppressive force around them. We see the person who got rid of the troublemaker and realize they are capable of doing more than what the criminal did. And while the Bounty Hunter/Police force will often just leave, sometimes they stick around.

The person who removed the previous oppression, in turn, becomes the new oppressor.

The new interference is initially welcomed, but we, as people, don't like knowing that there's somebody out there with more power than the person who was causing problems in the first place. The mere thought an oppressive force creates resentment.

Both the Policeman/woman and the 911 caller are at fault here. The "victim" should recognize that they're putting their own safety in the hands of another, and the relief force should recognize that, as a powerful force, they will grow to be both respected and feared.

Possible Solutions

~Where I tell you that there might be an outside chance of ending the cycle~

When most people think of ways to end a Policing Force, they think of grouping together and wiping it out. Get rid of the old guard. We shall then enter a new age where nobody gets involved in the affairs of another.

That line of thinking is what leads to trouble in the first place.

Grouping together on a global scale to get rid of an unwanted group ends up creating a new Police Force. A police force that protects against the likes of -enter former group's name here- and criminals.

People believe centralization and strength in numbers is key to protecting themselves when they should instead seek to become self-reliant.

And though I dread to say it, as I usually support centralization of all things, decentralizing is a better option.

Fight your own battles. Take your town or some groups in the quadrant and find a way to force out threats. Don't rely on some global force to manage the protection of your way of life and then expect them not to interfere with your way of life.

Do the following:

• Organize on a small scale how you plan on protecting your town or group. Get rings of people you trust explicitly and organize how you plan on fighting off miscreants. Talk about your punishment policy, the Judicial system, and how you would give asylum to another player, if they asked for it.

• If needed, hire people on an individual basis to help assist in protecting your town or group. Deal with players on a singular basis to avoid creating a Police Force. Don't enlist large organizations unless you are willing to bear the consequences.

• If a group similar to HCF comes around again, then unite with other groups for a brief moment, knowing that once the threat is removed, you will disband. Task Forces are preferable to permanent World organizations.

If things get handled within the local area, then there wouldn't need to be Defense Organizations that protect the world against Terror, Communism, Grief or other abstract nouns.

Interests must shape our commitments. Commitments don't shape our interests.

That was a doozy.

Feel free to put up your own arguments or criticize my points. If we can get past the hurdle that is the topic of Defense and Policing the actions of others, then new ideas and debates can pop up without being immediately forgotten.

EDIT: TL;DR: National police forces are bad. Things go south when they are created. People feel oppressed when somebody they are not familiar with steps in. Keep things small scale, don't try and interfere in affairs that are beyond your interests.