The Department of State II: Electric Boogaloo

[Mike Thick]

R E P U B L I C   O F   A T L A S I A
- D E P A R T M E N T  O F  S T A T E -

2201 C Street, NW     Nyman, D.C.

—
Theodore Edward Bessell
Secretary of State
—

Archive ★ Legislation ★ Map Room ★ Contact ★ Previous Secretaries

[Mike Thick]

ARCHIVE

This post is used to store past statements and orders issued by the State Department.

Date

Item

[Mike Thick]

Legislation

This post is used to store treaties, executive orders, and acts of Congress pertaining to the State Department or foreign and military affairs.

Item	Date	Notes
Executive Order 010	14 Jul 2016	Establishes the Department of State
Muslim Brotherhood Investigation Act	31 Jul 2016
Conservagreen Brigade Terrorist Designation Act	5 Sep 2016

[Mike Thick]

MAP ROOM

The maps in this post will be updated to reflect the current state of global political geography.


Political Map of the World as of December, 2016 (click for full size image)


Fighting in Iraq and Syria as of July, 2016


Political Map of Europe as of August, 2016

[Mike Thick]

PREVIOUS SECRETARIES

This post is used to link to the offices of previous Secretaries of State.

Name	Term
Classic Conservative	11/13/15-5/21/16
Harry S. Truman	7/27/16-11/4/16

[Mike Thick]

And yes, I have shamelessly plagiarized Truman's thread. What can I say? It was great -- maybe we can get a thing going here.

[NeverAgain]

Congrats, Mr. Secretary! I look forward to seeing how much the world hates us!

[President of the great nation of 🏳️‍⚧️]

Theodore Edward Bessell
Secretary of State

Not Howard Weston Bessell, Jr.?

[Leinad]

Theodore Edward Bessell
Secretary of State

Not Howard Weston Bessell, Jr.?

Lyin' Ted!

[Mike Thick]

Theodore Edward Bessell
Secretary of State

Not Howard Weston Bessell, Jr.?

Lyin' Ted!

Walks in the room, That Girl DVDs held high, puts 'em down and then he changes his name.

[Mike Thick]

I've been somewhat distracted from this for a while because of the holidays and work, but here's a brief summary of what's coming soon:

- Diplomatic advancement of President Blair's Cuba policy
- Legislation to create a Federal agency to handle cybersecurity
- Introduction of a plan for reforms to humanitarian aid
- Updating office records of FP-related laws
- A trip abroad to meet with foreign leaders and discuss Atlasian policy

[Mike Thick]

[quote author=Itinerary for President and SOS's State Visit to Europe]January 23rd:
- Travel to London, U.K.
- Meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May and Foreign Minister Boris Johnson on the subjects of our trade agreement and Russian aggression in Eastern Europe, as well as how to continue maintaining our special relationship.

January 24th:
- Fly out to Paris, France
- Meet with French President Francois Hollande, and French Foreign Minister Jean-Jacques Ayrault to discuss prevention of terrorism in our home countries and around the globe, among other things.
- Visit memorials for the victims of the 2015 Paris Attacks, and the Charlie Hebdo Attack

January 25th:
- Fly out to Berlin, Germany
- Meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to discuss Russia, our international policies on the Syrian Refugee Crisis, and other matters of concern
- Visit Jewish Museum and Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

[Mike Thick]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Mike Thick]

[quote author=Statements on the Assassination of Jon Base]We are all saddened to hear about the death of the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey. We believe that the perpetrator of this cowardly attack had ties to ISIS, and we are going to ramp up our efforts against the group in response.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[Mike Thick]

[quote author=Statement on Today's Terror Attack in London]The Department of State, the dfwlibertylover Administration, and indeed all of our country stands firmly behind the United Kingdom after today's despicable terror attacks in London. We will fully support our allies in these trying times, and will be closely in touch with Prime Minister Clarke and his Foreign Ministry to see what we can do to help out.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

I already asked this in the GM thread, but it's probably more appropriate to ask here: is the UK still officially a member of the European Union in the game universe?  I ask because the Common Market Agreement we passed last year only goes into effect once their withdrawal from the EU is complete.

[The world will shine with light in our nightmare]

Also I'd like to know how the administration is responding to global conflicts.  North Korea, Chechnya?

[Mike Thick]

I already asked this in the GM thread, but it's probably more appropriate to ask here: is the UK still officially a member of the European Union in the game universe?  I ask because the Common Market Agreement we passed last year only goes into effect once their withdrawal from the EU is complete.

Considering the fact that real-life events happen (and other events don't happen) unless stated otherwise by the GM, I believe they are still in the EU until negotiations are complete.

Also I'd like to know how the administration is responding to global conflicts.  North Korea, Chechnya?

North Korea is going to be addressed through regional parties - with China's economy slowing down and their currency on thin ice, I think we may have some new leverage to use. We'll avoid military action unless it's *absolutely* necessary.

I haven't had the chance to talk about Chechnya with the President yet, but the wanton persecution of gay people by the state is terrifying, and we should all be disgusted that this kind of thing still occurs in the 21st century. Ideally, I would place U.S. sanctions on people involved with the whole affair, and try to get Russia to crack down under threat of further sanctions, but I will discuss this with the Administration to formulate a final response.

[NeverAgain]

Any word on the recent developments in North Korea?

[Mike Thick]

Any word on the recent developments in North Korea?

I've contacted GM DKrol on the subject, and will be meeting with the President to discuss our options later tonight.

[Mike Thick]

Any word on the recent developments in North Korea?

I've contacted GM DKrol on the subject, and will be meeting with the President to discuss our options later tonight.

We're monitoring the situation.

[NeverAgain]

I have to say, I am getting very worried by the lack of comment by the White House on the North Korea issue. We have 13 nuclear missiles here, which means the fate of the world is at stake. This is above and beyond "non-intervention", this is about the lives of not only those in Asia, but if we see those nuclear missles heading here, ourselves. I have a couple of possible solutions that I would've loved to present to the NSC, but since it's abolition, I would enjoy presenting them to yourself and the President at the nearest hour, if accepted.

I look forward to a peaceful resolution to the matter.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

I have to say, I am getting very worried by the lack of comment by the White House on the North Korea issue. We have 13 nuclear missiles here, which means the fate of the world is at stake. This is above and beyond "non-intervention", this is about the lives of not only those in Asia, but if we see those nuclear missles heading here, ourselves. I have a couple of possible solutions that I would've loved to present to the NSC, but since it's abolition, I would enjoy presenting them to yourself and the President at the nearest hour, if accepted.

I look forward to a peaceful resolution to the matter.

That is fine, but regardless as stated in the GM report my official and security based stance is "not getting involved", although if you want to pick another side and create another inevitable crisis you can be my guest.

[Unconditional Surrender Truman]

I have to say, I am getting very worried by the lack of comment by the White House on the North Korea issue. We have 13 nuclear missiles here, which means the fate of the world is at stake. This is above and beyond "non-intervention", this is about the lives of not only those in Asia, but if we see those nuclear missles heading here, ourselves. I have a couple of possible solutions that I would've loved to present to the NSC, but since it's abolition, I would enjoy presenting them to yourself and the President at the nearest hour, if accepted.

I look forward to a peaceful resolution to the matter.

That is fine, but regardless as stated in the GM report my official and security based stance is "not getting involved", although if you want to pick another side and create another inevitable crisis you can be my guest.

With all due respect, Mr. President, we are involved; whether the administration wishes it or no, the present state of instability on the Korean Peninsula effects the prosperity of Atlasians at home and the security of our allies abroad. Already, the absence of any foreseeable resolution to the crisis gripping the region has had a catastrophic effect on my region's economy, increasing unemployment by 0.7% in the last two weeks alone (the GM has confirmed to me, by private correspondence, that the economic situation is directly attributable to the instability of the DPRK). "Non-involvement" is a fiction; the choice is not between intervention and isolation, but between acting and being acted upon.

In real life, I am a conscientious objector. I want peace and distrust interventionism as much as anyone, but just waiting for the situation to resolve itself (forgive me if that's not what you intend, but that's the impression I got from your post) is not an effective strategy to achieve those ends. When I served as Secretary of State, I too was forced to confront the chaos and instability that accompanies the fall of governments (in my case, it was the August 2016 coup against the government of Paflagonia, and the hostage crisis that ensued); it is possible to peacefully and prudently restore stability in situations such as these, but doing so requires action. Anything less endangers our economy, our security, and our relationship with the rest of the world.