The Department of Foreign Affairs - Term 1

This thread will cover the scope of Foreign Affairs.

Foreign Policy Manifesto
1. Establish embassies as soon as possible.
2. Extort funds and/or technologies as possible.
3. Do not agree to foreign demands of extorsion. If the Military Advisor believes we are unready for war and the President believes war is likely if demands are refused, this instruction should be countermanded.
4. When the Military Advisor is ready for a campaign of agression to support our goals of Manifest Destiny, the Department of Foreign Affairs will declare war.
5. The Trade Department is cautioned to consult with the Military Department before signing trade agreements. If the trading partner is a likely target of agression it might be better to withold Phoenatican goods and avoid signing an agreement that will interfere with the military and foreign goals.
6. Similarly, the Department of Foreign Affairs will not sign Right of Passage agreements with civilizations identified by the Military Department as probable victims of agression. We will sign ROP agreements with civilizations that are not identified as targets and those targets that we do not intend to attack within the period of the ROP agreement.
7. Declaration of War will not be permitted against any civilization that we have an active treaty or trade deal with.
8. Declaration of War will not be permitted if Phoenatican forces are already present on the target's soil. The honor of Phoenatica will not be sullied by preemptive troop movements or sneak attacks.
9. The Department of Foreign Affairs will seek alliances against our victims of agression. This is both proactive and preventative. It will help to weaken our opponent and deprive them of possible allies in one fell swoop.
10. Razing of captured cities is defacto denied. If a city must be razed for political or military reasons this must be planned in advance and the Department of Foreign Affairs will hold a poll for the action.

These edicts will remain in effect until they are replaced, we reach our Manifest Destiny or the Phoenatican Immortal is outstripped on the battlefield (pikemen are in use by the target).

Comments are both welcomed and requested. If any point draws particular criticism we'll go to the polls to iron it out.

The poll results are definitive. We will play against totally random civs. As there was also decent support for including our cultural "family", we will start the game with the "Culturally linked starting locations" option.

Once again, I will go ahead and voice my opinion on diplomacy. I believe that ours should be an honorable civilization, and one that strives for peace above all else. Our participation in treaties should be carefully debated and weighted. We should not backstab our neighbors using ROP agreements, or by signing agreements we do not intend to live up to. We should avoid MPPs unless our survival depends on a continued alliance with one particular neighbor, and I hope we never find ourselves in this situation. Finally, until we are secure in our position, and sure of our military capabilities, we may have to cave to small demands from our neighbors.

I prefer that we are never the aggressor in war, when this can be managed. There are many ways to convince our enemies to attack, without staining our reputation. Once attacked, however, I expect there to be severe repurcussions for our attackers, such that they will not make the same mistake again.

The Department of Foreign Affairs welcomes Benjamin Miller as Deputy Director. If I am absent or unable to participate at key points, Ben will take charge of the department including voting, departmental decisions and setting needed polls. Welcome aboard, Ben!

Eyrei, my plans for the department echo your thoughts quite closely. With the assistance of the Deputy Director and the citizenry, I will strive to make Phoenatica a diplomatic bastion of truth, honor and justice. We will institute a policy of "Just but Fair" and treat honestly and openly with our neighbors. Should one of our opponents take advantage of our goodwill, however, the full power and authority of this office will be put to use to redeem our honor and show them the error of their ways.

There are a few times when I think we should be allowed to be the aggressor, for instance, if some civilization has 6 pieces of coal, and we have none, and they won't trade or demand 5675 gold per turn, we should be allowed to "liberate" the coal .

That's what "Just but Fair" is all about. If they won't play "Fair" we'll request assistance from the Military Department to enforce Justice.

Though, war cannot be our foreign policy, additionally, I would like to know the cabinet's opinion on espionage. I believe it is essential for our government to have knowledge of rivals if the cost is not too great for our empire (IE:Messing with the biggest civ on the map when he's already furious). I wish to know your opinion..

Originally posted by Shaitan
That's what "Just but Fair" is all about. If they won't play "Fair" we'll request assistance from the Military Department to enforce Justice.

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That's what I think too. Once we reach a certain optimal size, further expansion by conquest will not be so useful; unless we're procuring resources and luxuries or going for points.

Give us the soldiers and we'll (the military) get the job done, if 'justice' is required.

wouldnt it be a even greater challenge to win when not being agressive?

i would propose not to start a war until really provoked to do so, but stay able to counter-strike when provoked with a strong military.

Originally posted by disorganizer
wouldnt it be a even greater challenge to win when not being agressive?

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Perhaps, but I never see the game as a win/lose thing. It's more of a regulated roll playing experience.

i would propose not to start a war until really provoked to do so, but stay able to counter-strike when provoked with a strong military.

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War will be the final option but it WILL always be an option. See the stated goals in the previous post for times when the Department might concider supporting a declaration of war.

i can fully agree to the principles of your department shaitan

Originally posted by disorganizer
i can fully agree to the principles of your department shaitan

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Thankyou for your support

There is something vital to keep in mind.

The *people* of our nation echoed a real sense of manifest destiny in choosing the Persian tradition. They did not choose to have immortals for their looks, savvy, wit, or diplomacy.

The people chose the Immortal as the deadliest *EARLY ERA* offensive unit in existence. We must not forget this fact! It would be a crime against the will of the people to neglect our tradition or our uniqueness. That die is cast, let there be no rumblings from Peaceniks now that we have made that decision. The path we WILL take, as our destiny, is greatly differenent as Persia than as Greece.

I would SUPPORT the will of the people in affirming the idea of manifest destiny. The continent on which start, is ours. Any other civilization there is *A FOE*. From the start, not when they act dishonorably. We are not warmongers in the sense that we wish to fight fight fight and conquer everyone. But... our continent is OURS, and we will have it SOONER than later. (If we're on an island to ourselves, this point is moot )

In choosing Persia, I believe the people are saying that war is NOT something left as a "final" option.
If anyone things we are going to avoid war, even if everyone else is peaceful, until the Middle Ages and the obsolescence of the Immortal, they fight against the express will of the people.

Respectfully,
General Charis

Good points, Charis. When we've explored a bit more of our homeland I'll set a poll to see what the people demand for our Manifest Destiny. My personal tendencies follow yours - I like a continent to myself - but I am but a servant of the people.

humble citizens are allowed to post in these threads right?? I hope so...

IMHO, we have immortals to use and we should use them. We should play to the civ we chose, we should make best use of the immortals. As a member of the War Church D) I believe we should definately declare war in the ancient era. Why waste the immortals??

just a little citizen's view...

Originally posted by Charis
There is something vital to keep in mind.

The *people* of our nation echoed a real sense of manifest destiny in choosing the Persian tradition. They did not choose to have immortals for their looks, savvy, wit, or diplomacy.

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You made a very good point. If we do not utilise our UU effectively early on, it'll certainly be a waste. And that effectiveness can only be really utilised in directly attking the enemy nations.

The President agrees with his Military Advisor.

The other Civilizations KNOW our culture, they KNOW our Policy. If they are trespassing on our Lands, then they WILL be punished.

These lands are precious, they are made for our people, by our God. He made it for us to use and improve. The Land is meant for us. If others are using and destroying the land they will be expelled from it, and spared if they won't force us to destroy them.

To fulfil our quest, our God has given our soldiers Imortality for a Certain time, and remember it will only be within a certain time-laps and our God cannot tell us. Because, if we do not know when, then we are not worthy...

I agree with charis. Once we get our immortals, I suggest we be a little extra trigger happy, and give the computer less mercy. Think Rome here. Rome was mean. Nobody thinks Italy is any less respectable due to their Roman history.

i just want to state that IMHO it makes no sense to me warmongering throughout the whole game. i may comply to the immortal-argument, but i would prefer a peaceful civilization afterwards!