Sylvian Isolationist Party
"Perhaps... perhaps in a world full of enemies and those who do not appreciate your values of freedom and courage, but instead opt to follow the path of those with the sharpest sword or most land...
Perhaps the best option is to divorce oneself from attempting to reach out to the ungrateful masses and let them cast themselves into the abyss of what will never be...
Perhaps...we must sip." - FlyingGMM on the Sylvian Isolationist Party
The Sylvian Isolationist Party, or SIP, was a political party in the Sylvian Union with the express goal of limiting Sylvia's global interventionism. The motto of the party, drawing from their convenient acronym, was "TAKE THE SIP."
The SIP was founded by GoatWhisperer, who believed Sylvians' inability to "butt out" of situations that didn't concern them was a leading cause of resentment against the Union abroad. Other members included ClapYoThighs, a senior Hummite and founder of the Sylvian Union, and MTJNC, who was the first member of the party to serve as a Sylvian Consul since its founding.
While originally the Sylvian Isolationist Party found itself directly countering the legislative objectives of FlyingGMM, the Header of Montrose and marked thought leader in Sylvian politics, later in Sylvian history the two often agreed on making judicious, conservative choices in regard to military intervention.
Causes
Generally, the Sylvian Isolationist Party argued in favor of pumping the brakes on Sylvian intervention where the Sylvian Union or a direct ally was not directly attacked. For one example, SIP members initially favored a more naturalistic handling of the Balkan Troubles, believing choosing favorites and injecting artificial stability would be a long-term negative for the region.
"They Didn't Fight"
One of the largest controversies the Sylvian Isolationist Party committed itself to was the awarding of the Hero of the Union award to Soraryius for service during the War of Northern Aggression. An ally of the Sylvian Union, but a very peaceful people, Soraryius was called to defend Sylvia when it was attacked. Due to their peaceful nature, the two Soraryians deliberated amongst themselves and returned to Sylvia with a refusal to declare war on the Kingdom of Vailan. Only after Sylvian officials returned to the embassy and more forcefully requested the aid of their sworn ally did Soraryius agree to declare war, and afterward did not log in for the entirety of the conflict. For this reason, they were left off of the blanket awarding of Hero of the Unions given to all who participated on the Sylvian side.
However, five months later, Soraryius announced they were leaving the server. As a parting gesture a motion was made in the Sylvian Parliament to retroactively award them a Hero of the Union for the war. While the gesture was largely benign, and everyone in the Sylvian Union loved Soraryius on a personal level, the Sylvian Isolationist Party fought tooth and nail to keep this motion from passing, decrying it as cheapening the sacrifices of those who actually answered the call to arms and labelling it revisionism. SIP coined the phrase "THEY DIDN'T FIGHT" (see right) to champion the cause.
While the motion passed and the award was given, efforts to cease the claimed "revisionism" did not stop there. Later, a precedent was set with Vanskovich's Hero of the Union being revoked after it was discovered that Vanskovich had spies infiltrating the Union government. Using this case to reignite discussions on the validity of Soraryius's award, SIP took up the cause again, and the Hero of the Union was revoked with 6 in favor, 1 against, and 1 abstention.