Good evening.

Today I wish to speak to you about a threat which the people of this server now face more than ever - a threat which has concerned our government in Mount Augusta for over a year now, but which has existed for far longer. This threat has been hard to identify - hard to pinpoint. The true effects of it are beginning to be realized only now. What I am talking about is the erosion in the concept of politics: ideology, nations, their borders, and their sovereignty.

The concept of politics is not some sort of romantic dream. It is the basis for Civcraft, the goal which drove us all as newfriends to explore. Politics have been the foundation of encouragement which were responsible for nearly every mass migration of newfriends into the genre – migrations which have become a total rarity.

As an example, Augustans celebrate liberty and due process, born from the basis of our political system. Across history we see that similarly other nations have embraced their own ideologies, and channeled their spirits and forces as communities to prosper, work hard, and believe in the concept of Civcraft.

Yet our history is under the threat of crumbling from the erosion of politics. The consequences of this threat are everywhere. For the first time in our history entire ideologies like communism and anarcho-capitalism are now almost all but extinct. Those nations who claim to represent these ideologies, if any, no longer practice their ideologies in actuality. In some cases they now live in states which have been made ineffectual, or have outright have been driven into inactivity. Those who once did practice such ideologies, as those who formerly lived in Maltovia and Pripyat did, have now left wholesale. In essence, people are losing confidence in this genre’s capability for politics.

This iteration has witnessed two great wars, the longest and most severe in the history of the genre. The war which currently engulfs this server has no end in sight, with both sides continuing to trade hefty blows. Yet international willingness to attempt diplomacy is missing. It seems that more and more this server finds itself in the midst of two sides who hate each other with a burning passion, a passion not of enjoyment, but of hate, which nearly extends beyond the game itself.

What naturally and logically follows the erosion of politics and diplomacy is simply the birth of true factions. Not states that resemble factions, but real factions - similar in almost every way to those on any HCF server. Everywhere we now see nations across the server, on all sides, abandoning the art of building and politics, and instead taking up swords. And eventually, after all of the destruction and decay, people will ask the question “Where did we go wrong? At what point was it too late to turn back?”

On this server too many of us value conquest and self-indulgence. On this server a nation’s identity is no longer defined by what they do culturally, aesthetically, or politically, but by their ability to subject their opponent to total and unconditional defeat and oblivion.

In effect there is a deepening lack of tolerance toward players allowing their side - and the motives of their leaders - to be questioned; a lack of critical analysis and individual independence. There is a deepening lack of tolerance toward allowing any group of players, regardless of ethics, to get in your way. If you do not feel it in your nation then you certainly feel it in your enemy. But alas, this demon creeps from every corner, in every nation. And with it, there is now widespread acceptance toward nations permanently holding prisoner their former enemies. It may not be joyful to hear but it is a fact and a warning.

Perhaps the best symbol of this dangerous transformation is what is happening in our city of Mount Augusta. Never before have we seen our laws and sovereignty – and the concept of nations itself – be questioned as vigorously as now. Historically nations have aided us in our times of need, but now more than ever we find ourselves standing alone. Yet we refuse to take up swords and pearls.

Recently I was asked by one high profile Entente member the following question: ‘would you really feel a difference between someone being pearled inside and outside of your borders?’ I responded affirming the concept of borders, the foundation for nations everywhere. He responded that he put the value of enforcing what he viewed as justice over the violation of any borders. Would this conversation be different if it had taken place with any other pvper, or any other faction member? I cannot say with any certainty that it would. On one occasion a NATO leader did recognize that NATO was in fact a faction.

While I cannot possibly comment on whether the matter in question was justice, I don’t need to. This example confirms that there is now a sentiment toward ignoring borders, diplomacy, and negotiations, what we might call “international respect”.

Nation states come and go, and the dynamic of power between them is constantly shifting. Ultimately it does not matter who wins one war or another. Alas no war, on this server or in real life, has ever been capable of bringing eternal peace. One’s character is not determined by the amount of power they project, but the responsibility with which they use their power. Hence, what does matter is the way in which war is conducted - the degree to which people act decently toward one another. An eye for an eye will in fact make everyone blind, and will blind this genre from being able to engage in anything resembling real politics ever again.

When was the last time you can recall a serious conflict being justified on the subreddit – in the public eye? When was the last time we, as a community, scrutinized the actions of everyone around us, including our friends? Cannot civcraft be civil?

I warn that if we do not act now then we will not act at all. If we do not act soon then there will not be a chance to act. We cannot wait indefinitely – or wage wars indefinitely – in the name of creating an impossible utopia. No, utopia will not emerge when your enemy is vanquished. The closest thing to utopia is acting always with principle, with justice, and most importantly with due thought and consideration.