Kalistan

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Kalistan withdraws support from Custodial Government in Xsampa
"No Longer appears to have support of law," says FM
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 16, 5724


FM Miguel Ontiveros says that Empress supports Order over tyranny

The Foreign Minister today announced in a prepared statement that the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan has withdrawn its critical support for the Government of the Custodian under the NDA. Kalistan was an early supporter of the actions taken by the Custodial Government in Xsampa, because it represented the best chance to maintain peace and order in the Dovanian Nation. "That no longer appears to be the case," said Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Miguel Ontiveros said yesterday. "The NDA was found to be unconstitutional by the Courts in Xsampa, who were, for better or worse, given review of the Xsampan Law. Her Imperial Majesty expected that the Custodian would abide by the decision, and it appears that he has instead opted to put the capital under some form of martial law and ignore the ruling. In doing so, he no longer has the support of Xsampan Law, and therefore Kalistan cannot continue to support his administration."

The Foreign Minister expressed hope that the Custodian would come to some agreement with the opposition. "That nation has gotten itself into a jam," said FM Ontiveros. "There are opposition Parties looking to overthrow the Government led by communists, and now the Custodian sets himself up as a tyrant who can neither effectively govern, nor leave the office peacefully without surrender. Her Imperial Majesty could support him so long as the state wasn't a tyranny, but ignoring the court ruling when a person participated in the process willingly hoping for a different outcome undermines the court as an Institution, and it essentially stokes disorder and weakening of the institutional foundations of the State. That might almost be worse, from the standpoint of an Institutionalist like Her Imperial Majesty, who knows that without those institutions in place, rulers can expect no safety, no rest, and no capacity to govern, and hence, no ability to help the state withstand crises when they hit."

Withdrawal of Kalistani support for the Custodian will likely not alter the course that Xsampa has set itself on. But the Foreign Minister said, "It is important to remember that this is not an endorsement for mob rule, or communist golpes. Instead, it is a call to restore the primacy of the institutional authority of the various organs of the Xsampan Government, the same one the Custodian took power to uphold. I don't think the Empress can see how locking down the Capital City and inciting unity among the opposition can do anything but cause more disorder and increase the potential for violence, assuming that the Custodian has no interest in capitulating. We aren't endorsing the so called 'democracy' actors who aligned themselves, counterintuitively, with the communists. We are saying that we cannot endorse someone who courts violence and civil war by negating the Institutions of the State. This is exactly opposite of what the Custodial Government claimed they were doing when they invoked the NDA in the first place."

FM Ontiveros said the Ambassador to Xsampa has been instructed to reach out to the Custodial Government to offer to serve as a mediator in the ongoing conflict. "We can still help perform a peace function in Xsampa assuming the Ambassador brings any mutual trust to the situation. As we no longer support any side and merely want there to be a restabilization to the situation and a restoration of the status quo ex ante, our Ambassador, His Excellency David Orr could serve in that capacity if he would be acceptable to both sides. The goal would be to try to find a solution to the Crisis which everyone can live with." If the offer is rejected, Ontiveros said that Her Imperial Majesty may need to consider recalling Kalistani embassy staff, because it is likely that the crisis will worsen before it gets better, and the Empress does not want to expose Kalistanis to Dovanian violence.

"We're in a holding pattern right now," said Ontiveros. "We need to see how things turn out."

@TheRepublic

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Her Highness Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld Volunteers with Arborists
Will plant trees until mustering into NSP next month
Dulnerstaad, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 1, 5724


Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld in Kaliburg last month

Her Highness, Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld, who reached her Majority last January, is now in Dulnerstaad working with the Dulnerstaad local of the 10 Million Tree Initiative. She started working with the Initiative as soon as she graduated from High School late last month. She says she plans to plant 150 trees before entering National Service in July.

"I've done this for the past couple summers," said the Princess. "My Great Grandmother, Mary Ananto started this program to bring back the Redwoods to our northern shores, and they've far exceeded 10 Million trees planted. People following her example have planted close to 600,000 acres of redwood forests, but before the ancient Kalistanis clearcut their forests, there were at least three times that many acres covered with old growth forest. So I think Kalistanis will continue to plant trees until we realize Mary's true vision for Kalistan: restoring the Redwood to its natural habitat, to not only restore the Natural habitats for the animals and plants that used to cover our northern shores, but also to provide Kalistan a sustainable, reliable and renewable source of the beautiful redwood pine wood to decorate and beautify our homes."

The Princess said that the work here is not just aiming for long term ecological improvement, to get her ready for National Service. "I muster in early next month, and I might want to work with our trees while in National Service, or with our reservoirs or something that deals with ecology. But whatever I do, I will need to be physically fit, and fitness and diet are pretty important to me already, but I want to get strong before I go in. What better way to build muscle than to plant trees? Then I'll be ready for all the physical conditioning my brother (His Highness the Crown Prince) told me that they do in the NSP."

The Princess has already traded her beautiful couture clothes and jewelry for simple hemp work trousers and a khaki linen shirt. "I gotta get used to dressing like this too," she laughed. "The uniform in the NSP is just that: A utility uniform. It is made for function, not fashion. It's hemp, linen and canvas: that's it. Meant for durability and comfort--they don't care so much about lines and silhouettes."

The Princess also said she might cut her hair off too. "My hair goes down almost to my waist. Long hair has become something of a status symbol in Kalistan over the last few decades- I think starting with my great grandmother, the Empresses and Princesses always have really long hair. My sister and I also have hair all the way down. It's become something of an imperative, like look your station, you have to grown your hair super long. But when I'm out working, I'm not going to want to have to worry about you know, what if it gets caught in a machine or something. I don't know. My mother said I can wear it up like she did when she went through the Service, but I also know her hair was way shorter than it is now, or mine is. I think I could cut it off and just focus on what I am doing, and not have to take an hour in the shower every day. I could do like Aunt Nicky when she was a surfer. She had that cute pixie cut. I liked that hairstyle for her. I might do something like that. It would really make me look different, for sure, but it would be so much more practical and my mom would just have to deal with it."

Asked if she was excited to get into National Service, Her Highness said, "I think I will be when I find out what my job is. Serving our nation is so important. It is the one thing all people in our nation, all citizens I should say, share in common. It is a unifying cultural thing: We all do service to our nation, from the Empress all the way down to the guy who has a developmental disability and can't maybe build a plane but he can do something. Do Your Best is the NSP's motto. And that's enforced. And we all do our best. So whatever I end up doing, I will do my best at it, and proudly serve my nation, the greatest nation in Terra. It will make me very happy if I can do it doing something with keeping our environment healthy and clean- That is a passion of mine, and I really hope I can do that for the next four years."

The Princess said she is staying with other arborists volunteering with the Tree Initiative in base camps. "It's getting me used to living outside, with others in kinda primitive settings. If I can handle living out of doors for a month, I can handle living at the Barracks for four years. It's definitely not as comfortable as my bed at home, but I am toughening up now. I'll hit the ground running when I muster in next month."

The Princess was very optimistic about her upcoming enlistment. "But more exciting than even that is planting these trees. Do you know that the Kalistani Redwoods have one of the highest carbon absorption rates of any trees? A single acre of these redwoods can absorb between 900 and a thousand tonnes of carbon in its lifetime, and we have like 650,000 acres of these trees. Every tree we plant neglects the climate destruction of like 55 gasoline burning cars. Every tree we plant reverses global warming, and I am here for that. That means, if I meet my goal of 150 trees this month before I go into service, which is totally doable at only 5 trees a day, I will alone counteract the pollution of 8250 cars. Just myself. In one month. We're turning Northern Kalistan into a giant carbon sink and I love that for us. We can plant trees faster than they can burn fossil fuels."

@LaModa

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Kalistan is doing well at Valruzian 6 Nations' Rugby Tournament
"Rugby can be big in Kalistan" says Skipper
Brzansk, Valruzia
June 15, 5724 (Backdated)


Rugby Skipper Dak Conway interviewed by Channel 2's Megan Smith

"Well, the whole team, men and women are doing great here in Valruzia," said Kalistani Men's National Team Captain Dak Conway from the Six Nation's Tournament being held in Valruzia. "We're playing our hearts out and we've got some good match ups so far, and I just want to shout out the teams we've played: We've played Bianjie and Luthori so far and the women have played Luthori and Mordusia. Of that's the National Teams have won 3 of 4, and I will say, the women's matches, which have been a bit closer were as exciting to watch as the mens matches were to play. We're all just really happy for the whole thing."

This is the first opportunity that Men's Rugby has had to play in international Competition. "But its bringing a lot of attention to the sport," said Conway. "We just heard, while we were over here that the Kalistani Rugby Union has secured investments for a brand new stadium in Kaliburg, which will be awesome. They want to make it the home base for Kalistani Rugby and look into bringing some of the clubs up to professional status. Right now, the Men's and Women's National Teams are the only ones playing at pro-level, but the clubs themselves can form the kinda nucleus for the Pro League which would be amazing." Conway said that the National League would stick to Kalistan's favorite format of Sevens, with the Mens and Women's team being the main Fifteens players, and club teams combining to form 15s teams to play in tournaments.

Channel 2 Interviewer Megan Smith, who was covering the tournament in Valruzia for KRTVN, noticed that Conway looked a bit beat up after his match with Luthori. "Oh, well, this:" he answered pointing to his busted lip. "Caught a shoulder to the face during a tackle. It's all good--it was a fair hit. Kalistan went into the try zone right after that so we brush it off and move on." Smith asked Conway if he thinks that Kalistan's emphasis on sevens and semi-pro play worked at all to Kalistan's advantage. "Well, we have the size, I think to stick with the best Fifteens in the world, for sure, but I think the fact that most of us regularly play in sevens also encourages us to develop that speed and stamina too that brings us even with the Union players. It's not really better so much as like a combination of a different set of skills that allow us to make up for a lack of some of the experience a lot of these other teams have. Over all, for both the mens and the womens matches, I think the teams are pretty balanced, with a lot of strengths in different areas that make for exciting games."

Going forward, Conway said the team he is looking forward to playing is Valruzia. "We have a healthy rivalry I think, since our countries are so close in so many things, of course we're playing for the right to brag about how awesome we are. It's all in fun, of course. All these countries have great teams and any one of us can win it. I personally am also keeping my eye on Bianjie too, because right now they're kind of in the position of the underdog, and who doesn't love watching an underdog fight their way to a victory? It's all just a really great time and I think I can speak for the team in saying, we're so glad to be here and play this game."

There's still plenty of action coming up in the Six Nation's Tournament, as Kalistan's Men still have the Seleyan teams left to play, and the Women still have Lodamun, Bianjie and Valruzia left in their pool schedule. And only then can we talk about the finals.

@LaModa

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Empire considers withdrawal from Altea Accords
"We are no longer served" by association, says Empress
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 12, 5724


Her Imperial Majesty addresses the National Assembly on regional security

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto said she is considering withdrawal from the Altea Accords. "We feel that a large scale security agreement of this nature no longer serves this Empire," said Her Imperial Majesty. "It is our desire for our Foreign Minister to prepare papers outlining different policy options for us to consider with regard to Altea. But it is our desire to orient away from Egelion and Keris going forward and more toward Seleya, where our most reliable partners traditionally reside."

The Empress called Altea an arrangement of convenience. "When we entered the arrangement sixteen years ago, we were in a very different place, both locally and internationally," said the Empress. "The threat of a global, liberal alliance based in the west was looming, and our nominally cordial relations with Egelion allowed us to consider a coordinated response. But that threat never materialized, and most of the world has pulled back into themselves.

"And now more than a decade and a half later, we see evidence that Egelion is continuing to expand its naval presence globally, not in coordination with security forces in Kalistan but almost without any regard for them, while unilaterally putting their thumbs on the scales in Xsampa to force a pro-democracy outcome. Meanwhile, Egelian government officials publicly criticize a position taken by our daughter when she was a minor, speaking on a matter that she very passionately supports before a private civil society organization, and then call on us to sideline our own Chancellor for daring to suggest that there may be diplomatic consequences for continuing to pollute the air and water we share. Well, she's out by her own failure to maintain her personal integrity, but her statement is still our position, every word of it. And instead of criticizing our daughter and our Chancellor for calling on them to do the right thing, it would have been better if they just had done the right thing, which they claimed to be interested in doing anyway, before our people had to say anything about it."

At the end of the day, the matter with Egelion involves their attitude toward Kalistan. Egelion was a backwater long forgotten, unloved, unremembered land of revolutions while Nicolette I Ananto The Great reigned supreme in the Anantonese Basin. They were an unremarkable frozen territory appended to the east side of Kizenia when the Black Empress was laying the foundations for the Anantonese Empire. And when they could have helped Kalsitan in Kundrati during their meteoric and entirely unanticipated rise to prominence, they turned their backs on Kalistan and mocked our desparate battle against fascism in Artania.

"Since then," Her Imperial Majesty continued, "Egelion has spent their time and energy pushing Kalistan aside while they established for themselves a world empire founded on the clean-picked bones of the old Canrillaise Empire, taking anything of value left in that old system for themselves, finding themselves born on third base and calling it a homerun. They expanded their empire through bald conquest and backroom dealings. And when they finally surpassed Kalistan, they opted for arrogance rather than grace. The Egelian Empire has not often, or recently, acted like the partner, and the equal we had hoped to inspire them to be when we signed the agreement, and it is probably time to tender our resignation rather than remain in an agreement with a nation that has pretense to global power projection who refuses to deal with Kalistan on equal and respectful terms."

The Empress suggested that given the changes in the world, association with Egalion may have cost Kalistan far more than the nation gained from it. "In hindsight, it seems that the real threat to Kalistani National Interests was not on the opposite side of the world after all. The real menace was probably right here in our own back yard."

Her Imperial Majesty suggested that there were other issues with the Accords as well. "Nadiya and Kalistan remain very distant from one another," said the Empress. "Soon after we signed the agreement, we proposed a meeting between our two states to extend formal diplomatic recognition. We posed a number of questions to them regarding the safety of Kalistanis in Nadiya, and they essentially told us that our concerns were not concerns we should have as they have excellent law enforcement. We asked for clarification and direct answers to the questions which would have cleared the way for Kalistan to send formal diplomatic representation to their state, and they walked out of the meeting. We waited in Altea for a week for their side to return, and eventually assumed that they never would. So, it really doesn't make a lot of sense to remain in a treaty with a nation that we don't even formally recognize, let alone have any diplomatic representation within."

She said both Kerisian states seem to relish treating Kalistan as if it does not matter at all to them, and it is hard justifying remaining in a treaty arrangement with states who clearly ignore or mock Kalistan's national interests and who dismiss those interests when they are expressed. "It's the long standing and patently disrespectful manner that they behave toward our nation which will forever remain a source of irritation for this nation toward those states. We value the friendship and association of those we have relationships with. We wish many of those who had relationships with us valued our friendship half as much and sought to cultivate our comity, rather than our resentment."

She also noted that relations with Xsampa may be worsening, following Kalistan's early support for the failed Custodial Government in Xsampa. "If the Communists, who have called non-democratic governments like ours a 'crime' win elections in February, Kalistan will likely need to get our diplomats and our nationals out in a hurry. As long as the Communists are taking such a pointed position, we do not feel that representatives of our Government or members of our society will be secure in Xsampa. We respect the will of Xsampa's people in their elective process, but their vote will determine whether Kalistan may continue a long and profitable relationship, despite our ideological disagreement, or if they will allow radical leftists with an explicitly intolerant manifesto to take control and guide their ship of state away from Kalistan. But if Kalistan leaves Xsampa, that is another reason to withdraw from a treaty with yet another state run by a Party who no longer wants anything positive to do with Kalistan." She added that Kalistan pulling its diplomatic staff from Xsampa would be regrettable, because Her Imperial Majesty is very fond of Xsampa, but added "History has shown us that we cannot trust radicals unless they put something credible on the table that puts our concerns to rest."

Her Imperial Majesty admitted that it may not really matter if Kalistan remains in the Altea Accords or not. "We sincerely doubt that it will matter much at all whether Kalistan remains in the treaty. The instance which gave rise to the treaty has vaporized, or rather never existed. The promises of the treaty likewise never materialized: We had opportunities to conduct joint operations at the beginning, but those stopped happening. We have not actively developed any new weapons systems together, or shared technology or shared intelligence. The Treaty has been essentially defunct for quite some time, and Kalistan leaving it will neither kill it nor revive it. We will fall back on bilateral agreements we established in earlier periods with nations who still wish to associate themselves with Kalistan, while turning our backs on those who do not. And ultimately it will probably not make an iota's worth of difference to the functioning of that treaty. As far as our Empire is concerned, it is dead already." Leaving may, however open the doors for discussions with non Altea nations on security- Her Imperial Majesty has long wished for talks with neutral Gaduridos and Luthori, who is currently associated with similarly defunct MATO agreement. "Closing the door on those who do not care for our association so we may open it to others who might is a wise move," she said.

The decision will likely be made before the end of the year. "We need to give our Foreign Minister an opportunity to research competing arguments for our consideration, so we may make an informed decision." She said she does not expect other treaty nations to make formal requests of the Empire to remain within the Treaty. "We are not holding our breath that our neighbors will modify their opinions of our nation. They have not for the 16 years since we have had this treaty, we doubt they will start concerning themselves with Kalistan now that we are wanting to walk away from them." She added that it is unreasonable for others to expect Kalistan to remain in an agreement that Kalistan receives no tangible benefits from, "especially when that agreement forecloses bilateratal talks in other more profitable and more beneficial directions, from the standpoint of our National interests."

The Empress gave her statements before the National Assembly this week as she was discussing the Foreign policy priorities that included a desire to visit Valruzia and an executive summary of the expansion of Kalistani maritime subsurface surveillance capacities into the seas west of Hulstria and throughout the Merida Strait east of Ananto. While informally supporting the more Orthodox members of her Government, including the new Chancellor of the Empire Sir John Mickelson, Her Imperial Majesty demonstrates that she herself remains what she always has been: She is a staunch nationalist, and remains so much to the satisfaction of many of those deputies who lost their seats at the beginning of this year.

@TheNational

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Crown Prince promoted to Corporal
Future emperor shines with Southern Artillery
Lucid Morass, Duchy of Suldanor
November 8, 5724


Corporal Ananto-Rosenfeld on Gun 3, D Btry 2/10, Southern Army in Lucid County this fall

His Highness, Crown Prince William Ananto-Rosenfeld was promoted to the rank of Corporal in the Kalistani Regular Force, making him the first royal NCO in the history of the Empire. As a corporal, His Highness now serves as squad leader in his battery, and is eligible to attend Corporal's School to learn the skills necessary for the first phase of military leadership.

"I really love my time in the artillery," said His Highness while in the field on the edge of Lucid Morass in Suldanor. "My primary focus is in the fire control center where I calculate firing data for the battery. But back in garrison, I also do things like do inspections, lead working parties, and run PT. It's just things we need to do to enforce good order and discipline within the ranks, and of course, is goes into not only training which we do in the field about 200 days of the year, but also professionalization of our forces. It is that sort of discipline and professionalization which set our forces head and shoulders against any nation who could possibly seek to harm our nation."

Along with the promotion, the Crown Prince said he is looking forward to a job as a surveyor. "There are many jobs in an artillery battalion," said Corporal Ananto-Rosenfeld. "The survey job is necessary because surveyors help lay guns properly. They also provide battlefield maps and help the units deploy effectively. This seems like a very interesting job and seems to be something I would love to learn about. I know one of my ancestors, Carolina I Ananto, was a civil engineer, and I think artillery survey is something similar to this."

The Crown Prince said his experience with the Southern Army is eye opening. "I have never been to Suldanor, and now I live here," he said. "I've been all over the place with this Battalion. We're based out of Reynoldia but we mostly fire near the Morass. A lot of times we deploy up to Bozo River on Ananto so we can do training exercises, and we also train a lot with the Militia. Really, its kind of an all time thing. We often spend so much time in the field, that when we return to base, our clothes stand up by themselves."

Overall, the Crown Prince says he is enjoying his time in Service. "It's over half done, but the cool thing is, next month we go up to Lhasa for mountain warfare training. My unit has been there this summer for the warm weather part, but now, we're headed there now for winter training. We're doing winter mountaineering, rappelling, winter survival, and high altitude insertion. We are also taking a course in non conventional tactics from the Militia. There are a number of things the militia teach the regulars that would fall outside regular tactics that foreign militaries use. This also gives us an edge: Regulars do not do well against irregulars, and if we are going to coordinate between Regular and Irregular forces, its important that we know what they are doing on the battlefield. And also know how to do it ourselves."

The Crown Prince will discharge in July of 5726. Meanwhile, he will continue to lead Kalistan's service members in the Southern Army.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistani News in Brief: The fall and Rise of Melanie Ananto-McLinn;
Kalistan FM recalls Diplomats from Xsampa; New Mission to Utaristan
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 20, 5725


Former Chancellor gets new chance at life

The Fall and Rise of Melanie Ananto-McLinn
The last time Kalistanis saw Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn, 43, of Lucid City, she was being arrested on charges of running an unregistered prostitution ring out of her Kaliburg penthouse apartment, a ring she herself allegedly also actively participated in. She was ultimately convicted by Kaliburg-Port Davon of 14 counts of Criminal Exploitation, and was sentenced to National Service and restitution to her victims. Her sentence was later commuted by the Empress, who showed her clemency following public statements by the victims stating that the former chancellor had not exploited them, and that they willingly participated in the activities for which Alvarez was arrested with full knowledge and agency. The sentence was reduced to time served, and while the conviction remained on the books, the Chancellor was essentially exiled to Lucid City, reduced in the Peerage from Countess to Baronette, and was denied the chance to serve in a role of public trust ever again.

Fast forward to early this month, when House Ananto made the surprising announcement that not only has the Former Chancellor agreed to take the helm up at House Ananto when Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley goes into early retirement in September to spend time with her family and travel, but has been elevated to the Royalty. "We are happy to announce that Her Imperial Majesty has directed us to invest the Kalistani formerly known as Lady Melanie Alvarez-McLinn, Baronette of Martin's Fen, as Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn," said Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley. "House directors have approved of the Elevation and Investiture upon Her Imperial Majesty's fiat. The Empress has adopted Her Highness as a sister, and Her Highness shall henceforth enjoy all rights, statuses and privileges of any natural born member of the Royal Family."

Adult adoptions by the Royal Family are not without precedent. The Hutorian King enjoys the same status in Kalistan as an adopted brother of Her Imperial Majesty, who lost her own brothers when she was a child. "Her Imperial Majesty has decided that the Princess will serve the Empire as director of House Ananto for the remainder of her career," said Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley. "Her Imperial Majesty likes the Princess, she trusts her and she values her, and said that Lady Melanie's talent is wasted in idleness in Lucid. She is a descendant of Nicolette I Ananto, and therefore would be royal now any way had a trick of fate not led to the founding of the 5th Dynasty. The Empress believes she is a suitable successor at House Ananto for me when I depart. She now becomes entitled to use the name Ananto once more and shall be expected to perform Royal Duties for House Ananto commensurate with her title and privileges."

Her Highness, the Princess will live in Luxon, at the home of the Princess of the Empire, the late Lady Nicolette Ananto-Connor, which was inherited by the Empress after her aunt died in late 5723. The Princess will train with Lady Christina Ananto-McKinley until her retirement in September. The Princess will not be granted a county: The County of Luxon will be granted instead to Her Highness, Princess Jennifer Ananto-Rosenfeld. House Ananto will instead recognize the Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn as Baroness of Luxon, restoring a landed title to her and putting her in charge of the administration of the town of Luxon in the Empress' name.

Kalistan FM recalls Diplomats from Xsampa
Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister has recalled all Kalistani diplomats from Xsampa, and is preparing to shutter the Kalistani Embassy in the capital of Metz-Leonid. "With the electoral success of a party who vows to views anti-democratic regimes as a 'crime' it is incumbent upon Kalistan to remove those associated with Her Imperial Majesty's Government from the nation," said FM Miguel Ontiveros in Kaliburg. "Directly before the elections, we began pulling non-essential Embassy staff from the nation, and are simply finishing the job now. This is not a reflection of Her Imperial Majesty's or Kalistan's stance toward Xsampa, but more a concern that the newly elected Communist Government may actually make good on its platform promises to oppose authoritarianism and anti-democratic nations abroad."

The Foreign Minister said Kalistan is expecting reprisals primarily from its early, but then withdrawn support for the Custodial Government under the NDA. "The Communist maintained that the imposition of the NDA and the closure of the PAX in Xsampa were illegal. Her Imperial Majesty issued a statement of support for the Custodian, as the legal guarantor of peace and stability in the nation. So, when the Communists filed a lawsuit in court, and when the legitimate Court institution found in favor of the Communists, and the Custodian refused to abide by the Court finding, Kalistan could no longer support the Custodian. At that point we withdrew our support to offer qualified backing for the Courts in Xsampa. However, we do not expect the Communists to consider that nuance in their policies: We have no reason to believe that Communists do anything in a nuanced fashion. So, we would rather leave than stick around to give them targets to exact retribution upon."

The FM said the Ambassador and high level staff have already returned to Kaliburg, and the section managers are closing their sections. By the beginning of March, the consular services will be the only remaining services open to Kalistanis in country and Xsampans who wish to escape. "Our FSOs in the Consulate are mere civil servants and are not involved at all in the political functions of the Embassy: They merely process paperwork for those wishing to travel to Kalistan, and perform other necessary services for travellers abroad. Therefore, we expect to be able to keep the Consulate open for the time being." The FM said he was directed to consult with his Xsampan Contacts in the Embassy here in Kaliburg to ascertain what their plans are, but also said that if there are reprisals directed toward Kalistanis in Xsampa, the Embassy in Kalistan would be ejected.

New Mission to Utaristan
The Foreign Minister also announced that Kalistan intends to send a diplomatic mission to the Revolutionary People's Republic of Utaristan to formally open relations between the Empire and the Communist State. "Utaristan is cooperating right now on Green Terra, and this gives us hope that our two Governments may work together in Northern Dovani."

Kalistan currently imports REMs from Utaristan and exports machinery and technical knowhow necessary to turn that equipment into a Green Energy Grid for Utaristan. "Kalistani assistance comes in the form of trade credits, training and assistance with operating Utaristan's energy generation plants," said Sir Ontiveros. "This equal collaboration ensures that Utaristan gets the things it needs to move its energy generation into the green space, creating a sustainable power sector that is light years ahead of others in the region. And the best thing is, even with Kalistani assistance, they are moving toward self sustainability, so that when our grants end, they will be able to do everything on their own and will no longer need Kalistani assistance to keep the sector into perpetuity."

The Foreign Minister said Her Imperial Majesty is chiefly interested in increasing Utaristani imports. "With this new election in Xsampa, the Empress is now seeking to diversify sources of those things that her nation imports from Dovani. We cannot be sure how long the trade window will remain open, but opening the trade window with Utaristan who can serve as another source of the materials we are looking for in Dovani will be very beneficial." It is believed that Utaristan sells a number of things that Kalistan will want to buy, top of the list being precious stones, which House Ananto imports directly. "We would be interested in natural fibers as well to feed our textile milles: This will be something that we will need to inquire about." The Foreign Minister also said keeping a balance of trade between the two nations will be important: "Right now, Kalistan maintains a tiny trade surplus internationally. So the balance does not need to be perfect, but it cannot be lopsided either."

FM Ontiveros said that if initial discussions go well in Utaristan, opening a consulate is the next step. "In the correct circumstances, a consulate could be raised in a short amount of time, to begin to facilitate further diplomatic discussions including trade, travel, and cultural exchange".

@TheRepublic

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Kalistan's Social Safety Net
Universal Service for Universal Benefits
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 3rd, 5725


Empress Carolina II Ananto visits with a woman undergoing end of life care in Vrassa City, while Chancellor Mickelson looks on

Introduction
Kalistan is viewed as one of the more politically reactionary nations on the planet. It has earned this reputation through years of explicitly anti-democratic policies, anti-market economics, and strong nationalistic policies overseas. In its efforts to make liberalism its nemesis, though, one would also think that Kalistan might have a traditionally "conservative" (read: classically liberal) outlook on social security. But those who know nothing about Kalistan would be surprised to find that Kalistan has one of the most comprehensive and robust social welfare systems on the planet. Combined with universal National Service, whether in the National Service Program or the Regular Force, Kalistan offers universal, cradle to grave services, and does so in a way which shows that the well being of its people and the elimination of need is its top priority.

Social Welfare as the foundation of Kalsitani Society
"Universal Service and Universal Security go hand in hand," said Dr. Gina Hughes, who is a professor of public policy at Kalistan Imperial University in Kaliburg. "The social contract is, if you perform your obligated national service, which is only 4 years of your life, and continue to pay your taxes and obey laws, you have made your contribution to your society. You have paid your way, so to speak. And you are therefore entitled to the benefits of living in a society: You have earned the right to live securely and freely. It is a trade off. National Service is mandatory, but the benefits of the National Service are shared by all in the form of wholesome, fresh food, free medical care, guaranteed income, and early retirement on full publicly-funded pension. It is remarkable that a nation with such a generous social welfare system can maintain itself for so many years, but the fully nationalized aspects of the economy make it fully possible."

The Kalistani social system comes from ethical socialism. Edward Bennots, the famous 24th century Kalistani ethical socialist, described need as a monster that stalked people up a mountain. These people spent their lives trying to get further up the mountain to escape, but in doing so, had to step on their neighbors so they could climb higher. This incessant climbing had the effect of pushing people down the hill to the waiting monster. That had a perverse effect, however, because at some point nobody could ever climb high enough to escape the monster. But, according to Bennots instead of trying to escape the monster called need, society should spend its time trying to defeat the monster.

Kalistan did precisely that under Socialist Government during the Republican period. It created the Dual Economy which became deeply ingrained in the Kalistani national structure, which first of all separated provision for life from work. Work, in a nationalized workforce, becomes something someone does because they would like better than the minimum. In essence, a worker works specifically for themself, for their own dreams and goals, not for the profit of an employer. "Social welfare was envisioned as the antidote to scarcity under capitalism," said Hughes. "And the National Government started with nationalizing the workforce and creating a universal basic income, to insulate the welfare of the workers from the financial decisions of the owners. This act alone stripped the ability of the bosses to exploit labor, and removed the power of wealth to dictate social status, solving the matter without resort to revolution."

In this way, said Hughes, no worker starves if their boss fails to manage his business properly, or makes a gamble and loses. "No worker loses access to healthcare, shelter, food, or any other basic need. And workers can feel free to switch jobs when the one they have no longer suits them. The longer they remain at a job, the more money they will earn in that job class, so there is an incentive to strive to stay with a specific job as long as possible, but if it doesn't suit them or they are released because of bad performance, they won't starve or wind up homeless. And workers themselves return a bit of the money they earn in the form of tax contributions, which are based on a steeply progressive rate, so those who earn a lot pay a lot, and those who earn little pay very little. But all pays taxes as a social duty."

National Service is the duty of all Citizens
With this system, the National Government runs a large annual surplus, with which it funds other priorities. But Nationalized labor and wage security is not the only benefit workers get: The entire social welfare system is built upon service labor provided by the National Service Program. Annually the NSP inducts more than 850,000 18 year-olds, who are trained to do all manner of public sector work, like farm work, road maintenance, public works construction, home construction, and any other thing the National Service requires. NSP also staffs many of the lower skilled professions, like nurses, primary school teachers, legal aid and service employees in the National Food Bank.

"Youngsters in the National Service earn stipends based on how long they have been in the Service," said Hughes. "They spend their non-working hours on self improvement, including mandatory physical fitness training, classroom study and discipline training, where they learn the soft skills necessary to be good workers after they get out--How to maintain personal hygiene, how to manage time and money, and how to ensure that grievances are correctly communicated so they may be resolved. They learn about Kalistan as a society, and their place in that society, and they learn to think as a community. When a young person leaves the NSP with three years of work experience, they are ready for a quarter of a century of effective work in a field they like and are adept at. Some may choose to make a career of National Service, and those who have performed exemplarily can, while the rest are set free, having paid their price for citizenship in the Empire."

All members of Kalsitani Society do National Service, from the son of a small time grower in rural Suldnor to the son of an Empress: It is the single defining, unifying experience for a Kalistani. And no person who is eligible for National Service is denied the opportunity to perform it, even those with limited abilities due to physical or mental impairment. All members of the National Service are expected to live up to the Motto of the National Service, "Do Your Best." This formative experience at the age of 18, when the young person is transitioning to adulthood will form the rock solid foundation of the rest of their lives, and forms the basis of the Kalistani National Character and National Attitude. Military service is permitted in lieu of National Service.

Socialized Education
After they leave Mandatory National Service, the entire world opens for them. The Kalistani Citizen coming out of National Service may choose to literally do anything in the Empire, because they are put on the public payroll and will never be without money again. Many choose to go to school where they are expected to pursue intellectual rigor and discipline as a path to intellectual fulfillment. Many select degrees which have nothing to do with their future job: There is no problem with this, because this sort of training is a discipline in itself. Those who choose to attend school do so for free: All public colleges in the Nation are fully subsidized, including costs of tuition and materials for classes. Only acknowledged scholars may teach in higher education: Kalistani schools have the most rigorous requirements for employment of any post secondary system Terra wide.

Others may opt to further professionalize themselves in a trade. The apprentice system in Kalistan for the trades moves the cost of training an individual, even over years up to mastery, to the public payroll, so masters may take apprentices without anymore than the employee tax, while an apprentice may be excused from the trade without it starving him. Mastery is accomplished through an extensive battery of skills testing, at which point the tradesman may take on apprentices of their own. Most workers remain at Journeyman level throughout their careers, and that is fine.

Nationalized Housing
Housing is 80% public, and most homes are multi-family units (row houses, town houses or apartments) with individual family units comprising the bulk of privately owned homes. Public homes are highly subsidized and residents pay enough to cover the maintenance of their building. Homes are maintained by NSP Conscripts to high code standards, but there is no rent charged for occupancy. Given their socialization, most Kalsitanis prefer to live near others, and so most prefer to live in the public complexes.

Those who live in the public complexes will pay taxes to the state for maintenance of the public services provided to their areas. In almost all cases this is significantly less, often times by 90% or more, than rent would be in a capitalist system. In the public system, the Government encourages development of residents collectives to help identify and resolve needs for the entire community. The Residents collectives report to the local Housing Authority who's only job is to move tenants in and out, and maintain the buildings under their charge. Municipal Housing Authorities exist in all towns with a population over 500, while smaller and rural areas have Regional Housing Authorities that perform the same function over a County wide area.

Those who opt to pay for and own private homes also pay for their home's upkeep and maintenance, as well as taxes on land and property as their contributions for maintenance of the public services of the area. Rural taxes can be fairly high, as few people are paying to maintain services than in cities, a feature which makes living in private homes in the sparsely populated rural areas almost a luxury that is only open to the monied gentry, most of whom are in the peerage, and the subsequent consolidation of Kalistan's population in the cities. Those who live on farms live in rural public homes on the public system and are excused from maintenance fees, due to the nature of their work.

Socialized Food
Food is available in several ways. The main supply of Kalistani food is the Food Bank. The Food Bank, with service based on population, features produce year round, based on what is in season. Fruits and vegetables, cereals, breads and other produce like eggs, cheese and goat milk and yoghurt are delivered from regional distribution centers where it is collected from Kalistani farms--most of those that produce food are grown in vertical farms, and often indoors, especially during the winters, while the large scale terrestrial farming is reserved for commercial crops where massive yields are needed for scale economies. Food Banks also stock plenty of fish, goat, lamb and chicken, both fresh and frozen.

There is a small fee charged to enter the Food Bank, again for maintenance, but otherwise all food in the food bank is unlimited and free. Most communities have taken collections to improve their food banks, and many of the food banks in Kaliburg or Sulari become more like social centers and have restaurants attached where the food is prepared by chefs right on site, as well as other amenities for the use of residents.

Commercial grocers provide Kalistanis diversity in their diets, and do not usually sell whole foods that you will find at the food banks, but will offer specialty food instead. Spices and baking supplies are also found at grocers. There are no supermarkets in Kalistan: Food is sold close to the margin, and at private establishments is not subsidized, so Kalistanis must use their income to purchase it. This necessarily limits the size of the grocer and forces them to cater to neighborhood demand, rather than creating demand to supply. You can often find specialty meats here like pork and beef, though in very limited quantities, as there is neither high demand, nor regular supply for these meats.

Socialized Health Care and End of Life Care
Health care is another aspect of the dual economy which is left over from the socialist days: Primary and preventative care, as well as all lifesaving procedures are fully free and provided by publicly employed doctors who may train in medicine as part of a university education. Primary medical centers provide all dentistry and vision free of charge as well, and are often, especially in rural areas, staffed nearly completely by NSPers, though a fully educated and licensed medical doctor is required in every clinic. This way nearly 100 million Kalistanis receive medical treatment.

Most specialty care is also covered by the National System. Things like obstetrics, oncology, and endocrinology are all on the National System. So is very specific procedures like reproductive health, abortions and gender affirming services. The only things which are not covered are purely elective procedures, things like cosmetic surgery and some procedures which would be liked but are not necessary to preserve life. Because of this, Kalistan has one of the lowest rates of cosmetic surgery in Terra. Psychology services are often provided by private providers, though public psychologists and psychiatrists do exist for those court mandated to treatment.

Health care costs are low first because the private sector does not have a monopoly on health care provision. Second, preventative medicine is always prioritized. Nutrition services provided early enough can reduce the instances of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. Lifelong wellness classes can reduce need for old age physical and mental health services. Easy access to dental treatment and the scarcity of highly sweetened foods and processed foods prevents serious dental issues. Compassionate addiction recovery reduces the stigma associated with drug and alcohol addiction and leads to long lasting results. It is far cheaper and much easier to treat a problem before it occurs than to try to play catch up when it is already too late.

One service Kalistan provides which is not common across the world is socialized end of life care. Other nations may refer to it as elective euthanasia or doctor assisted suicide. But Kalistanis may at any time consult with a doctor over end of life care, for any reason. Nearly everyone who uses this system opts to end their lives to prevent pain and suffering associated with terminal illness. If there is no terminal illness, the Doctor may require mental health treatment before he or she will give their ok, to ensure that the option is exercised with full information. But the process is highly regulated to ensure it is safe, compassionate and allows those who opt to use it to die with dignity. Close relatives are often invited to attend the end of life for their loved ones to give everyone a chance to say goodbye, and are allowed to stay with their loved ones until they wish to leave, certainly through the entire process. This care is provided free of charge.

Socialized Infrastructure
Other aspects of life are also heavily subsidized, which shows up as deep discounts to the user. Things like energy for homes is provided by the Nationalized energy entity known as KalNaPeCo, which was at one time Kalsitan's National Petroleum Company, but which has been subsequently tasked with generating clean, renewable, and sustainable energy. Fuel, in the form of electricity for automobiles, and biodiesels for terrestrial trains and larger vehicles, is likewise created and distributed by KPO. Most strategic raw materials are provided by other Nationalized companies that extend deep cost savings to Kalistani consumers. The Dual Economy holds that necessities will be subsidized and provided for, while luxuries and non essential goods which satisfy consumer taste, are produced and sold by the private sector. In this way, no Kalistani will ever do without, and will frequently also have all he or she wants.

The National Bank and the Budget Surplus
Kalistan funds its system through its progressive taxation, into which every person pays. But the tax contributions are more reimbursements than front funding: Kalistan's currency is fiat currency, and so there is no bill which may come due that the Empire cannot pay through fully transparent and publicly audited electronic bank transfers. Transaction fees are non-existent as individual accounts, wage and tax payments, and paying public debts is conducted through the National Bank alone. The National Budget adjusts according to need, and tax reimbursement yields hundreds of billions of Imperial Pesos annually in surplus, which is turned back to the General fund when a new budget takes effect.

The National Government is the single employer. All wages are paid by the National Government. Employers pay taxes based on the number of additional workers, besides themselves they employ. That tax base then goes to reimburse the national government for its wages that it pays to all workers automatically. In this way, a worker's livelihood is divorced from the success of their employer's business. If the worker chooses to not be employed, they still receive the universal basic income, which will cover basic expenses. If they want more, they go get a job and get paid the wage for that job class.

And as the National Budget is not a political tool, it is never controversial. The Budget process is short in Kalistan, lasting only two month, while the National Assembly is doing other things. Special projects may require supplemental funding, but as the National Government spends thriftily, especially given that it is still governed by ZPG principles that limit overspending on things which are not necessities and considers public money to private contracts to be anathema, and given the massive budget surplus run for centuries, supplemental spending for discrete projects is never going to cause a problem for the economy, which can be described as being stuck deep in a block of granite.

Conclusion
Overall the Social Welfare system in Kalistan is the most comprehensive program on the planet. It has been developed and finetuned over millennia, and it all starts with the one concept that the only legitimate function of government is to abolish individual need from a society. "The degree to which one person is hungry in society is the degree to which the society has failed," said Bennots. "Nobody gets seconds until all have had firsts, and if there is not enough for firsts, then all must share what they have until all are fed. Otherwise the society cannot be said to be ethical." This holds not only for food, but for all basic necessities of the people, including housing, work, medical care, education and energy. Those problems being solved, a person may be at liberty to acquire those things which take his or her life from existence to thriving, and Kalistanis find themselves free to spend their money as they please, rather than on things they need, because those things are provided for them. In this way, working helps an individual live a better life, but opting to not work does not doom a worker to extinction.

@Orthodoxo

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Kalistani News in Brief: Chancellor encouraged by stance from Xsampa
New Consulate to Open in Utaristan; AYIC announces expansion of Redn classes to Valruzia
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 15, 5725


Chancellor of the Empire John Mickelson talks with reporters at National Assembly

Chancellor Encouraged by Stance from Xsampa
"Perhaps it is too soon to say," said Chancellor of the Empire Sir Johnathan Mickelson, "but the messages that are filtering over from Xsampa suggests that they are as apprehensive about a change in relations between our two nations as we are. We can go on their public statements, but so far we have not seen any deliberate attempts to increase tensions between the Kalistanis who remain in Xsampa and the Communist Government that has dedicated itself to fighting anti-democratic states. Their efforts seem to be directed more at other Dovanian states, and do not, at least at the moment, seem to be aimed at Seleya. That is encouraging."

The Chancellor delivered the remarks in the Press Lobby of the National Assembly earlier this week when asked to summarize Kalistan's current orientation toward Xsampa given Communist electoral victories in February. "Much like the custodial crisis, a lot of our policy is based on a desire for stability in the nation, without regard to the ideological orientation of the nation's government. While it appeared that the Custodian could provide that stability, when he lost the case in accord with the institutional rules and refused to leave initially, that undermined his stability bona fides for Kalistan, so we pulled our support. Now that the Communists have been elected by what we can agree is a fair and open process, in accord with their law, we of course have our concerns, but until they make more direct moves against Kalistanis, Her Imperial Majesty wants to hold at this point, and after the Government has begun enacting its platform, perhaps then would be a time to revisit the matter."

The Chancellor said that Kalistan would like to resume its status quo relationship with the Dovanian state, ultimately. "We are certainly not going to do anything to make things worse. But we have to pay close attention to what the Government is doing: We take the Communists seriously and at their word, and while some would dismiss their platform as propaganda or internal messaging, we have to take it seriously until we can be sure that it won't be directed in a way which will threaten Kalistani concerns and citizens in the nation. So we are in a holding pattern right now, in a slightly encouraging holding pattern." The Chancellor did not comment on the disagreements between Xsampa and Utaristan.

New Consulate to open in Utaristan
To pursue new trade deals, as well as improve Kalistan's diplomatic posture in Utaristan, Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Ministry annnounced that they will be opening a new Consulate in the city of Cise in Utaristan. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vern Jennings said, "Utaristan is rapidly becoming far more attractive as a trading partner for Kalistan, especially as they are beginning to look outside of their immediate region for buyers. New consular services will facilitate movement between Kalistan and Cise, to allow Kalistani nationals to seek business and travel opportunities to the northern Dovanian nation, and to facilitate complementary visits to Kalistan by Utaris." He said Kalistan desires to begin importing gems from Utaristan and wishes to increase its purchases of Rare Earth Minerals.

The new Consulate, which is expected to open in June of this year, comes with a new Consul General, who will head the station. Nathan Delgado will serve as Her Imperial Majesty's Consul General in Utaristan. Mr. Delgado has worked the Northern Dovani desk at the Foreign Ministry for 12 years, speaks the language and was part of the negotiating team around Utaristan's accessing the Green Terra initiative. He is known as a facilitator and will fit perfectly in the position as Kalistan's first Consul General in Utaristan.

"The consulate will primarily function to issue travel papers to Kalistan and serve as the liaison between the Kalistani Foreign Ministry and its Utaristani counterparts to discuss matters of trade and travel," said Jennings. "They will also provide Kalistani government services to Kalistanis travelling in Utaristan, such as legal and travel aid, and will provide information to Kalistanis about Utaristan. There is a small public relations component to the job as well, to help improve Kalistan's image in the nation." Jennings said he believes Utaristan also intends to open a consulate in Kaliburg, and says this is "very welcomed." This is the first step to a more full functioning Embassy, said Jennings.

AYIC announces expansion of Redn classes to Valruzia
The Anantonese Yeudi Interest Committee, under new director Roz Baumer, has announced that it has received a positive response on its request to open the first Redn language learning centers in Valruzia. "Of course Valruzia has the largest Yeudi diaspora population in the world. The majority of Kalistan's Yeudi population trace our heritage back to Valruzia, and we got our Redn from them as well. It is therefore a great opportunity for us to continue to revitalize the langauge of the Diaspora in a land with such history and culture, a land of our roots."

Baumer said the learning centers will be staffed by a Kalistani Redn Speaker working right next to a Valruzian Redn speaker. "This pairing will not only give us the opportunity to make sure the students get a more full experience, but also that Valruzian cultural references are adequately acknowledged in the language. You can say, since the revitalization of Redn has happened largely in Kalistan, it is loaded with Kalistani cultural associations which might not translate directly into another country. But Redn is being brought back to life, and should be sensitive to the cultures that it is being reintroduced into. Pairing the two speakers will allow students to get a much richer understanding of what the words mean in the local context, so we can avoid any suggestion that the Redn spoken in Valruzia will be a foreign invention. We would like the dialect spoken there to reflect the richness and history of the Valruzian people, of which the Yeudi Redn speakers are an important part."

Baumer said that the classes would be open to Yeudis and non-Yeudis alike who wish to learn Redn. "The language learning centers will begin in Chynberg, and depending on how well they go, may be expanded to other cities with large populations of diaspora Yeudis in Valruzia. We will follow Valruzia's lead and aim to, with subsidies, make it as widely available and as inexpensive as possible for students to learn the language and become fluent in it. Valruzia has been open to advancing new langauges in their nation in the past, and its AYIC's hope that Redn becomes another one that they are proud to count as a language spoken by their citizens. We will do all we can to help in that direction."

@TheRepublic

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Minor Princess Prepares for National Service
Cliff House soon to be Empty Nest
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 25, 5725


Minor Princess Victoria-Monica Miriam Ananto-Rosenfeld prepares to leave home in June

The last Minor Princess and youngest child of Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Carolina II Ananto and His Majesty, the Prince Consort, Lord Elliot Rosenfeld has successfully completed her secondary Education at Kaliburg-Wilson High School and is preparing to enter National Service for the June Muster. "I'd just like to get going," said Her Highness, Minor Princess Victoria-Monica Miriam Ananto-Rosenfeld, when visiting with La Moda at Cliff House earlier this week. "With both my brother in the military and my sister already in National Service, I kind of feel left out. I'm ready to go in, and there's really no reason that I should wait until my 18th Birthday to start."

Enlistment of 17 year olds into the NSP is permitted with parents' permission, and once secondary education is completed. "We let those youngsters with late birthdays, like Vicki, enlist when they are ready," said the Empress. "This way they do not have to wait until three or four months have passed and their peers have already gone through basic and are at their schools or already in the Service somewhere. Instead, they can go in with their friends and stand a chance of serving with their friends and other peers. And besides, it is important that she realize that she is now in every way an adult and gets to make her own choices, and she will know that her parents will support her as long as she is being safe and is convinced."

The Minor Princess says she hopes she will be assigned to something that requires her to be creative. "Last summer, I got to work in the theater, and that was a lot of fun," the Minor Princess said. "I got to do set design for the National Theater: it was mostly labor, like building, but we also painted the sets and that was really my favorite part. The set designer gave like four of us on the crew some general directions and told us to bring our imaginations to life. And the papers even praised the sets for that play. I was very proud of the work I did and would like to do more creative work like this."

The Empress said she and the Prince Consort are looking forward to having an empty nest. "We are looking forward to spending some time alone with our husband," she said with a laugh. "We have had so few moments by ourselves since the kids were born. We raised our kids together, and were with them for everything, but we also had a life before we had kids and had interests and hobbies that we would very much like to get back to... Some of those hobbies actually caused the kids, now that we remember, but that won't be a problem going forward. At any rate, it will be a change in our lifestyle for sure when our last little one moves out."

As the last Minor Princess joins the National Service, the Crown Prince has a year left on his military enlistment. "At that point, the Crown Prince I believe desires to go to college," said The Empress. "And he will need to also start looking for a wife. If he doesn't make a love match soon, House Ananto will go into overdrive to get him married before he is crowned. And we may assume he will prefer to find himself a partner on his own."

"Luckily, my sister and I are not under that kind of pressure," said the Minor Princess. "We aren't really under any kind of time crunch but you know, mom wants to retire someday, so Willy better get on the ball when he gets out." Asked if she will miss living at home, Her Highness answered, "Well, Cliff House is beautiful and seeing the Wilson Bridge every morning and evening is just stunning. I love to come out here on the top deck, where my mom grows the poppies and watch the setting sun shine its light across the bridge: A true miracle of engineering that has stood for a very long time. I'll miss it, sure. But National Service is an adventure of its own. And I am really looking forward to joining."

The Minor Princess will muster in to the Ananto Corps on June 1st, but will not turn 18 until September.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistan voted "Freest Nation" in International Poll
Combination of personal freedom, economic security, and political stability all cited
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
June 7, 5725


Free City of Sulari in Suldanor cited as a Top 10 Global City in Poll

Kalistan has been voted the Freest Nation in Terra, according to a poll conducted by the International magazine Global Observer. The poll, taken between March and June of this year, asked more than 15,000 respondents from 42 different nations to rank countries based on categories like "personal freedom," "Civil liberty," "freedom from oppression", "Freedom of self actualization," "economic freedom" and "electoral freedom." When the categories were combined and totaled, Kalistan ended up at the top of the list.

"Votes don't lie," said managing editor Mark Fang Li. "This is the view that we got from the questionnaire. I myself was a little surprised at the result: I would have imagined one of the more liberal nations like Luthori or Valruzia would end up on top, but it turns out that the people who respond to the polls have a nuanced view of what 'freedom' is. Many people prioritize both types of freedom: Not just freedom from, say regulation or hard authoritarianism, but also freedom to, as in freedom to pursue one's dreams, freedom to participate as a full member of society, and freedom to move about securely. And so these types of nuances came out in the data, and I suppose then it makes sense."

Kalistan topped the list on several of the categories in the overall ranking. Notable among them were Personal liberty, Economic Security, and Political Stability. "All of these, political scientists tell us, contribute to freedom because they reduce anxiety about one's immediate and long term existence," said Fang Li. "Political scientists tell us that authoritarians rule through anxiety and uncertainty over one's condition. But Kalistan appears to be seen as a nation that has reduced much of that anxiety. From their massive social welfare system to their single party state, we can see that democracy and 'freedom' as a concept do not, and probably should not directly correlate, especially liberal and majoritarian concepts of democracy. The liberal states tended to fare worse simply because there is a lot of anxiety introduced by the market aspects of the economy, and incidentally, the market aspects of their political systems, making people uncertain if their lives will be the same the day after an election as they were the day before one."

Lower down the list, Fang Li says, you will find those he expected to see on the top. "Your Dundorfs, your Lodamuns, your Valruzias, your Hutoris, your Narikatons, your Egelions, your modern stable democracies and social democracies, yes they are all there, but to a greater or lesser degree they scored lower in the poll simply because they were strong in some categories, but weaker in others. N&D for example is quite strong in economic freedom, as one would expect, but those answering the poll didn't feel that elections meant much to the voters. Most multi-party democracies actually fared a little worse, because some said that these states substitute quantity for quality- Rather than having one or two really good choices, they give voters nine or ten mediocre choices and then expect them to select between them in an election, when the result is often the same regardless of who is selected. So being a multi-party state was not treated as a positive necessarily, and often times was seen as a negative, while a two Party state makes choices clearer, and a one party state removes all questions entirely."

At the bottom of the list for "freest Nation" was Rapa Pile, a nation which is entirely occupied by Vascania and treated as a virtual colony. "There are a number of countries which are deemed to not be free, though one might think they were," said Fang Li. "Trigunia/Nadiya is one of them. They have a multi level democracy. They have rampant capitalism. They have a confederated Government. But they ranked particularly low on things like transparency and consistency of the law. Some people wrote Nadiya's laws are so overlapping and multivariate, and there are radically different laws in different jurisdictions, and sometimes the Republics can out vote the National government, while other times the National Government is supreme, and sometimes the Church weighs in and influences policy, and much of the economy is not run for the people but for the benefit of private oligarchs, and there is a particularly overbearing capriciousness to law enforcement... The list goes on and on."

According to Fang Li, "This sort of insanely labyrinthine structure is the veneer of a deeply elite-dominated society that is operated for the benefit of only a few powerful individuals with the guise of something like democracy. It seems everyone in in the world can see it for what it is, except the Nadiyan people themselves, who are either too scared to oppose it, or not very well educated about the nature of their society to see it for what it is. I think most of those polled would rate Nadiya as a kleptocracy, at best, but certainly nobody except the Nadiyans who were polled, rated it as 'free' in any sense of the word." He did note though that a handful of other nations were far less free than Nadiya.

Respondents were also asked to name the top 10 best international cities in the world to live and work in. Topping the list was Fort William, Luthori, and Nowagard Valruzia, while Sulari came in at Number 4. Kaliburg-Port Davon did not make the top 10, because those polled said it was too expensive to live there, and a wide variety of job opportunities were not available there, as the city caters mostly to government and finance sectors, as well as the services needed to support them.

@LaModa