Communaccord, in a move all-too-familiar to long-time members of this site, resigned from the office of Director of Foreign Affairs today, unable to balance his office and an increasingly busy real life. This unsurprising move came after almost two months of unreliable activity, a period in which his Deputy, Hulldom, took the role as Acting Director. With this in mind, as well as Hulldom's prominent role in the controversial merge negotiations that characterised a whole month of aggressive debate, many have begun to wonder whether Hulldom is really the right fit for such a pivotal role in the Cabinet.
The first half of Comm's term was one characterised by moderation; in a region increasingly divided by strongly differing perspectives on foreign affairs, many felt that a more grounded Director would be the best choice. After all, foreign affairs has a prominent historical relevance within the New Western Empire, especially following the deeply controversial and arguably harmful Federal Union that was built off the back of The Empire following a brief, yet strong, wave of internationalism. The failure of this project, as well as the general departure of a portion of the region's so-called globalist members, has only served to murky the waters on what the best course of action is for any given Director. One can expect any extreme moves to be met with strong opposition—even divisive controversy. And this is where our newest Director comes in.
Hulldom is a man with a controversial past. He's new to the community, relatively, first joining the New Western Atlantic in January of 2019. His later membership in NWE was one characterised by strongly independent politics; as a member of the Democratic Party's leadership, he proved to be the one to most frequently go against the current on policy, largely acting independent from the party (a conflict which later led to his departure from the institution).
While many found this trait to be appealing, it eventually led to a fatal controversy; in the wake of conflict in The Empire, much of the left-leaning half of the region found themselves unable to remain—they felt as if the Emperor was acting with unsolicited oppression and that the return of the old guard would inevitably lead to the fall of the region they held dear, a return to an old system they strongly opposed. And so they left. And with them, Hulldom.
This departure led to the formulation of a new region, known as the Republican Antilles, a short-lived, unsuccessful attempt at a secession. While most of the members failed to return, Hulldom stood as an exception. And while Hulldom was essentially the leader of this ill-fated attempt, his return was marked with relatively open arms. Immediately, he jumped right back into the region, soon Chairman of the Conservative Union, Deputy Director of Foreign Affairs, and Chancellor. But after all of this, after largely redeeming his name and productively reintegrating himself back into the community, he soon took the most controversial move yet: with the region's foreign affairs history fully in mind, he decided to take a leading role in the merge negotiations.
These merge negotiations were deeply unpopular, actively advocating for the dissolution of The Empire into a larger, collective region. And, as far as anyone can tell, he still maintains these strongly globalist leanings; though, in active foreign affairs policy, he does seem to take a more pragmatic approach—a perhaps hopeful sign for his term. Yet many aren't certain that's the end of it; they're unsure whether the idea is really dead, or if it just lay sleeping for a more opportune time.
Since his accession to the office earlier today, he hasn't done much—but that's not to say he doesn't have anything planned. While he's effectively led the Department for the past month or two, his policy has been inhibited by the promises of his predecessor; with what is now free reign, his policy can manifest itself to whatever extreme (or lack thereof) he wishes.
Luckily, we've seen some hint to the policy to come. While it's not a perfect indicator, the appointment of Xadrya as his Deputy is rather telling. In the past, Xadrya has played a prominent role as a regional intermediary between NWE and a few of her key allies, even taking a role in the merge negotiations. This is a strong indication that Hulldom is seeking to facilitate a stronger relationship with pre-existing allies and perhaps branch out to form new relationships with regions within Xadrya's sphere of influence.
But Xadrya has a controversial past. He only truly became active about a month ago and only following his involvement in the aforementioned merge negotiations that garnered so much controversy. Before that, the extent of his involvement was with the unsuccessful globalist attempt that was The Federal Union. And while he doesn't seem to be a controversial figure, many wonder whether his more extreme globalist leanings will seep their way into the decisions of the Department. But only time will tell.
Regardless, Hulldom has explicitly stated that his intent is to achieve three primary goals.
Firstly, to rework the server for the Department of Foreign Affairs. While it's remained relatively the same for the entirety of its existence, Hulldom has expressed an interest in taking initiative to change the server aesthetic and address looming (yet unspecified) issues with the server's structure.
Secondly, to recruit more staff to the Department, in recognition of the lack of members. He's also stated an interest in establishing a one ambassador, one region policy, shifting the focus from the mass involvement of single ambassadors to closer ties facilitated by single individuals.
And thirdly, to facilitate closer relations with regions such as the Red Wolf Alliance while pursuing a form of detente with chillier friends like the New West Indies and Westphalia.
With Hulldom's controversial past, and the even more questionable appointment of Xadrya as his Deputy, many are unsure about the future of the Foreign Affairs Department. In any case, the Director assures us that he's well-prepared for the coming term and has a well-thought-out plan for the potentially bumpy road ahead. And we can only hope that is so.
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