IKS

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IKS
Logo of IKS
General
Country Flag-eRepublik.jpg eRepublik
Headquarters
Founded April 1, 2011
Founders
Demographics
Industries
  • History
  • Education
  • International Relations
  • Information Technology
Attributes
Colours Gold, Blue, White, Black

IKS is an informal social group of like-minded eRepublik players that focuses upon combining both the official eRepublik wiki with other in-game groups, particularly diplomatic ambassadorial positions and Wiki Historians.

The group is comprised of members from throughout various countries in the New World, and is open to membership from across the globe.


History

The official name of the organization is IKS, however, it is not known exactly what the acronym stands for. The name is believed to have been attached to the titles, International Klandestine Society, Informational Kollective Symposium, "I Kill Spies" (an informal motto of the organization), or any other number of combinations in English - or perhaps even another language for that matter. The true meaning of the acronym will likely never be known, perhaps even to the members of the group itself.

What is known about IKS is equally as obscure. Essentially the group appears to be an esoteric society of some type, largely comprised of Ambassadors and wiki Historians from throughout the New World. It holds no official political status in any country, nor does it seemingly have any para-military wing at this time. Furthermore, the exact political goals are not clear. Membership is apparently open to any dedicated wiki editor and officially sanctioned ambassador from any country. The focus of the group appears to be the willful exchange of information, disinformation, espionage, counter-espionage, political debate, cross-border and cross-alliance communication, and even far-reaching global diplomacy and potential international policy shaping.

Essentially the group seems to serve as a facilitator for international ambassadors to meet and communicate in an open environment and clarify their country's respective stance on international affairs. It also serves as a storehouse for current information and a platform by which individual nations may make their current stance clear on a multitude of topics. In this way the talks are informal, alleviating concerns from the general population and entering discussion without being "on the record". It is also acknowledged by members that the talks they engage in contain no official weight and may upon occasion actually be part of an orchestrated disinformation campaign to gain political advantage by enemy nations.

The Button-men

IKS members are known as "button men", primarily because of their frequency (and group requirement) of wearing diplomatic lapel pins on their uniforms. Though an official IKS uniform is not required to be worn by members, who often wear their own military/group uniforms, the IKS pins are always required to be worn openly in order to promote the group. High ranking members may go so far as to wear the official IKS uniforms, which themselves occasionally take on the appearance of being an actual "button". This is also an allusion to the fact that IKS members are all sanctioned by a particular government, and therefore act at the bequest of their origin country's President or Congress. In essence, they openly admit that they are "a button" which their government may push at any time. All IKS members accept this of themselves, and other members of the group, as simply part of their membership in IKS. They are essentially the "informal mouthpiece" of their government to other "informal ears" and not constrained by being expected to be actual policy makers. In essence ... diplomats.

Despite its rather ambiguous social nature, IKS apparently has a strong affinity towards educating the global population and improving the known history of the New World. As such, members are informally charged with regularly updating their country's respective citizens regarding other nations by use of the media, as well as contributing to the official eRepublik wiki by regularly updating their own country's page, as well as those of other nations, and generally tasked with improving articles. A firm Neutral Point of View and verifiability policy is strictly enforced on all IKS members who engage in maintaining the wiki.

While it is not a requirement of membership, the group's dedication to History is so paramount that interestingly the only non-Ambassadorial positions in IKS are those of Historians, and of course a very small number of group administrators. Members who contribute often to the New World's history are eventually granted the rank of IKS Historian. Upon successfully serving in such a capacity for some time, and shown to have a genuine desire towards improving the game's historical record, a group member may advance as a historian to the rank of IKS Grand Historian nth degree. A GH n (as it is called by the group) is actually the highest obtainable rank within the organization other than administrative, and is the only position that grants an individual a permanent membership in the group. All other members must maintain active ambassadorial status while being in IKS, or otherwise be removed from the group in order to maintain the delicate nature of the community's discussions.

Organization

IKS has a formal seal, depicting a symbolic Golden Eagle carrying an assault rifle in one hand, and a six-pack of beer in the other. The seal also contains a silhouetted dancing woman and a shield emblazoned with a mushroom cloud. All of these elements symbolize the spirit of IKS - a desire to have fun, fight when needed, and an acknowledgement that without diplomacy, we will all eventually get "nuked" (in more ways than one).

The group's official motto is: "Bello, Pace, et IKS", Latin for "War, Peace, and IKS" - a reference to the only constants that the group believes exist in the New World. However, some members have suggested that the words, "Maintenance, Trolls, Famous Points, and Half-naked Pictures", should also be added. However, to date there is no consensus for the additions by the group.

The group has Headquarters in Madagascar, and a climate-controlled archival library in Antarctica, all being nations that did not possess official recognition in the New World at the time of the groups founding. This was intended to maintain neutrality of the group, as well as provide regional headquarters throughout the globe.

Enrollment in IKS is open to all citizens of any country that currently have ambassador status by their country of origin. This status must be verified by the official governmental department that oversees ambassadors, or by the Country President of the prospective member. Any individual, from any country, may also apply to be an IKS Historian based upon their willingness to be active on the official eRepublik wiki.