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Guide to Regional Advancement
Joining the Security Council is a goal of many nations, as is becoming Delegate or entering another high office in the region?s government. While this guide is aimed at nations looking to join the Security Council, it also serves as a broader guide to advancing in The North Pacific.
Entry Requirements
Below are the minimum requirements for applying to the Security Council.
Be a citizen of The North Pacific: Members of the Security Council are legally government officials, and must therefore maintain citizenship to remain in their positions. To apply for citizenship, create an account on TNP?s forum and apply
in this thread.Have at least 500 endorsements in the region: For tips on increasing your endorsement count, consult this dispatch. Generally, attaining 500 endorsements takes a few days for nations that have endorsed every other WA nation in The North Pacific. Most successful applicants have endorsement counts at or above 700.
Have a Soft Power Disbursement (influence) Rating of at least 182,500: Your nation?s influence increases every game update (12 hours) by your endorsement count + 1. Influence in GCRs (Game-Created Regions) like TNP decays after 6 months in the region. A nation with exactly 499 endorsements will take a year to gain enough influence to apply to the Security Council, not counting influence decay. Having a higher endorsement count will decrease the time it takes for your influence to get to the level it needs to be to apply.
Post an application
in this thread: The Vice Delegate will accept or reject your application according to the above requirements, after which it will be discussed by the Security Council as a whole.
What does the Security Council look for in an applicant?
Members of the Security Council must be able to perform the SC?s main responsibility: stabilizing the region in times of crisis. This requires being capable of stepping into a regional leadership role if necessary, in addition to having the experience to advise on matters of security concern. Therefore, the SC?s evaluation of an applicant can be divided into three axes: trustworthiness, experience, and activity.
Trustworthiness: Simply put, can the Security Council and the wider region trust an applicant? Can an applicant be trusted to perform their duties faithfully? Can an applicant be trusted with sensitive information? Can an applicant be trusted with the position of authority that comes with being on the SC?
Experience: A great way to gauge an applicant?s affinity for the SC is by looking at their relevant experience, specifically in the region?s government. Most SCers have served the region in multiple high government positions prior to joining the SC, and many have served as Delegate, Vice Delegate, or both. While it is certainly possible to get on the SC without spending years in the region first, relevant leadership experience goes a long way to joining a body that requires its members to be able to lead the region if needed.
Activity: Suffice it to say, activity is important for any aspiring SCer. In addition to staying on top of the requirements to maintain office and citizenship, members of the Security Council should be recognized within the wider regional community and maintain that recognition. This can take many forms: from a consistent presence on the Regional Message Board, to a senior role in the government, to serving as a forum administrator, every SCer is active in another part of the community besides the Council.
How can I increase my odds of getting on the Security Council (or advance in the regional government in general)?
Simply meeting minimum application requirements isn?t enough to successfully join the SC. In addition to staying in the region for some time and making yourself a known quantity, here are more specific ways to improve your chances of getting on the SC (or just advance to some other position you?d like to have).
- Join the Executive Staff: This may seem obvious, but to advance in the region?s government, a good first step is to? join the region?s government. By demonstrating yourself as an active, reliable, and competent staffer in one or more Ministries (there?s no limit to how many you can join!), you?re already setting yourself up for success down the line.
Become a Deputy Minister: The next step up from being a staffer in one or more Ministries is to ask the relevant Minister to consider appointing you as a Deputy Minister in that Ministry. Being a DM comes with an increased workload and greater responsibility than being a staffer, and is an excellent stepping stone to becoming a Minister yourself. While there?s no limit to how many Ministries you can serve in as a DM, do be careful to not overextend yourself. Being a DM does not subject you to Constitutional restrictions on serving in more than one branch of the government.
Become a Deputy Speaker: Deputy Speakers are appointed by the Speaker of the Regional Assembly to assist with the execution of the Speaker?s responsibilities. This typically entails running RA voting threads, processing citizenship applicants, and maintaining the citizenship roster, along with anything else the Speaker delegates. Deputy Speakers are subject to branch restrictions. This means that you can serve as both a Deputy Speaker and Deputy Minister, but cannot serve as both a Deputy Speaker and a Minister or both a Deputy Speaker and a Justice. If interested, ask the Speaker regarding a potential appointment.
- Join the North Pacific Army: Joining the NPA is a great way to both advance in the region and experience an exciting aspect of NationStates, along with making new friends. For more information about why you should consider joining the NPA, consult this thread. Do note that you will need to keep your WA status mobile as a soldier of the NPA, which means that you will not be able to consistently gather endorsements or accumulate influence. However, joining the SC or running for an endorsement-centric office (Delegate or Vice Delegate) is very much a long-term goal, and endorsements aren?t particularly difficult to get in TNP.
Become an
Election Commissioner: The Election Commission is responsible for overseeing the region?s elections. Regular elections occur every two months, and two ECers supervise each. Asking the Delegate to appoint you as an ECer is a great way to both show your commitment to the region and to make yourself known. The Election Commission is exempt from branch restrictions despite being appointed by the Delegate.Serve as a Prosecutor: Once you?ve found your footing and become familiar with the region?s laws, consider volunteering to serve as a prosecutor for a criminal case if one arises. In addition to being a rewarding experience, serving as a prosecutor is an excellent stepping stone to becoming a Justice. Even if the Delegate does not appoint you as a prosecutor for a given case, your initiative will be noticed. Prosecutors are exempt from branch restrictions.
Propose bills in the
Regional Assembly: As a citizen, you may propose changes to the region?s laws through the RA. If you believe that there is room for improvement in an area of the law, start a discussion about it. Even if your idea gets shot down, you?d have shown an active interest in improving the region.Become a Minister: If you're a serious contender for a Minister position, you probably don?t need this guide. However, being in charge of a Ministry is an excellent way to demonstrate competence and leadership ability at a high level. If you?re interested in becoming a Minister, let the Delegate or an existing Minister know!
Run for elected office: Running for elected office (Delegate, Vice Delegate, Speaker, or Justice) is a great way to get your name out there as an up-and-comer in regional politics in addition to building campaign experience, even if you don?t win.
Be active in the community: This one?s easy. Just find a part of the region you enjoy and maintain an active presence there. This could be the RMB, TNP RolePlay, or something else. Activity and being known are important qualities in a good SC applicant.
My Security Council application was accepted. What happens now?
Good question! Here?s what you can expect.
The Security Council will discuss your application internally. You will likely be contacted by the Vice Delegate or members of the SC with questions relevant to your application. Discussion will take at least a few days, more likely several weeks.
The Security Council will either vote on nominating you by majority vote for a seat on the SC, or ask that you withdraw your application. A request to withdraw likely means that the internal consensus is that you will not be nominated, and should reapply down the line when you have a stronger portfolio. Nomination votes are public and take a few days.
If your nomination was successful, the Security Council will write a statement in support of your application and present it to the Regional Assembly for confirmation by majority vote. If your nomination failed, the Security Council will contact you regarding the vote with a rationale and steps to take from there.
The RA will discuss your application for anywhere from a few days to a few weeks, during which you will likely be asked relevant questions by members of the public. Once your confirmation receives a motion and second, the RA will vote on it.
The RA will vote on your application for a few days. If you receive majority support, congratulations! You?re now on the Security Council.
This dispatch is updated automatically on a daily basis. Please do not edit manually.
