external environment 239 It is imperative that core services act as servers and not, as is often the case, controllers. Since membership at large is the beneficiary of these ser- vices, a number of advisory committees, as deemed necessary, may be set up to oversee the operation of these services. 10.8 externaL environment The external environment dimension will provide mutual interfaces between the system and its containing environment. This dimension will operate on the assumption that, in order to survive and grow, Oneida Nation, like any viable social system, must remain open and continuously interact with the other actors in its environment. It is, therefore, a means of channeling the scattered energies of the Nation that would otherwise be wasted in nonstrategic, and even conflicting, activities to focus on external opportunities and threats facing the Nation as a whole. No nation is capable of satisfying all of its needs by itself. Self- determination and self-reliance should not be confused with self- sufficiency. Interdependence implies two-way relationships. It requires