I want to talk about the war of attrition taking place in West Africa.
Spain decided, overnight, that it wanted to expand its economic influence in Africa by signing economic agreements with several countries. On paper, there's nothing wrong with that. But THE FIRST STEP SHOULD HAVE BEEN NEGOTIATION.
Instead, its president assumed that Senegal was just a small, quiet country that wasn't worth negotiating with. He chose to ATTACK FIRST and improvise later.
BIG MISTAKE.
As soon as the attack started, I contacted him directly. His response? He claimed he couldn't reach our government because our Discord link wasn't working and that it was a "national emergency."
DO YOU SEE THE CONTRADICTION?
He supposedly couldn't contact us beforehand, yet I managed to reach him in seconds by simply sending an in-game message. And more importantly, since when does Spain's "national emergency" justify dragging another country into a war WITHOUT ITS CONSENT?
Some people may ask, "Why not negotiate now and reach an agreement?" The answer is simple: I am NOT against negotiations. Quite the opposite. But NOT LIKE THIS.
In no diplomacy game should you attack first and then try to impose a deal afterward. If your goal is economic cooperation, NEGOTIATION COMES FIRST — NOT WAR if you really want MONEY.
Ironically, this decision undermines Spain's own objective. A war of attrition means constant military spending, making the original economic benefits increasingly difficult to achieve. At the same time, it damages their credibility with neighboring countries. No nation is ever truly alone; every country has allies, and EVERYONE WATCHES HOW YOU TREAT YOUR NEIGHBORS.
He probably expected Senegal to surrender quickly.
AGAIN, BIG MISTAKE.
Yes, we are militarily weaker. But we are FAR FROM DEFENSELESS, and we have allies. Together, we have turned this into a war of attrition, using strategies they never anticipated to slow their advance as much as possible. EVERY DAY THAT PASSES MAKES THEIR "EASY VICTORY" MORE EXPENSIVE THAN THEY EVER EXPECTED.
The lesson is simple: in a diplomacy game, military power alone is NEVER enough. Underestimating a smaller country and ignoring diplomacy can turn what should have been a straightforward economic partnership into a long, costly, and politically damaging conflict.
NEGOTIATION IS ALWAYS THE FIRST STEP FOR ECONOMIC DEALS. Otherwise, don't complain that we're defending ourselves.
Glory to Senegal and its allies