Kalistan

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Mercantilism Continues to Reign in Northern Seleya
"Kalistan will never be a liberal nation again," predicts Melanie Ananto
Luxon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 21, 5728


Director of House Ananto remains face of Kalistani Nationalist Movement despite lack of policy role

As the Her Imperial Majesty's Government announces massive new Industrial and Agricultural spending packages, and moves away from older trade relationships in favor of emerging ones, one thing that can be certain: Economic nationalism continues to be one of the pillars of Kalistani foreign policy. Every economic decision that the Empire has made for centuries has been aimed at increasing self sufficiency while remaining just open enough to be able to provide Kalistanis with just enough foreign goods to supply what we cannot make for ourselves locally. Since formally adopting ZPG, trade has been sidelined further, making it almost incidental in many sectors, relegating imports primarily to luxury items while reducing exportable materials to specific goods negotiated in formal trade agreements.

"In terms of trade, Kalistan will never be a liberal nation again," said Her Highness the Princess Melanie Ananto-McLinn, who currently serves as Head of House Ananto, and does not herself have any role in crafting government Policy. For this short interview, she was speaking as a private citizen and member of the Kalistani Nationalist Club rather than in her official role at House Ananto. It should be noted that many people still see her as the face and avatar of the both the political and economic Nationalist movement, despite her no longer being Chancellor of the Empire. "We have moved too far from that now. We cannot go back without destroying everything about our economy, and the very fabric of our society even. That concept is anathema in this nation, and has been for generations."

She was discussing the matter in the context of rising nationalism across all of Northern Seleya. "We have even seen formerly more liberal nations like Lodamun move to economic nationalism. Gaduridos is highly nationalist: though they are attempting to diversify their own trade relations across the globe, it is done in the service of national development. Kalistan may not agree with Gaduri unwillingness to associate with the Empire in the process and we may argue that this is very shortsighted, but nonetheless, they are doing essentially the same things that our own government does. And really who can blame them? It is intelligent policy, from root to branch. Valruzia is highly nationalist: they are run by very competent and very forward thinking administrators affiliated with Sovereign Valruzia who see Valruzia's future as one that Valruzia should control, not foreign trading partners who seek to manipulate markets for foreign gains. We applaud all of the Northern Seleyan nations who are doing things correctly."

Northern Seleya, according to the Princess, remains the bastion of economic nationalism, despite pressure from competitors in other nations. "The surprising thing to me is, there has not been a more concerted effort, yet, to work together. Look: I am not talking about integration here. Alright? In spite of what some people would prefer, Her Imperial Majesty is not interested in reviving the Anantonese Empire in any respect. Even AESA is a dead letter. But the closest thing we have to integrated, or maybe I should say, cooperative national policies of the Northern Seleyan states, is the Trans-Seleyan Railroad treaty which guarantees opened borders for trade by rail, and probably the Lucid Accords, which talks about economic cooperation in Athosia. Both good treaties, but we could be doing so more, especially if we could somehow reduce suspicion in general in the region. I don't know if we will be able to, but it would certainly be beneficial to everyone if we could."

Lady Melanie said some of the major stumbling blocks toward more cooperation are in the form of suspicion of Kalistan. "We have, I could say, we are, among the world's most outspoken, if not aggressive imperialists. Naturally our neighbors, who fiercely maintain their concept of national sovereignty, might find that position problematic. That's fine, but it precludes more rational cooperation of other nations with Kalistan. I suppose that is the price we pay for our irredentism. It's not going change: Kalistan will continue to maintain our nationalistic outlook because going back from that position is not only too disruptive to the society we have built on that perspective, but it is also wrong policy. So we will have to look to opportunities to work together in spite of the nationalist positions of our various governments."

The Princess says its not impossible to do: "Kalistan and Valruzia have developed a very strong, I think, modus vivendi which both guarantees our respective national interests, while at the same time, serves to increase trust and mutual comity across our national borders. Our nation's relationship with Valruzia is one of Her Imperial Majesty's most cherished relationships. It wasn't always like this, and there have been times when the two nations were at odds. But our consonance on many issues breeds a desire in both nations to find ways to cooperate. And it points to a method for nations that tend to want to have far less to do with Kalistan, like Gaduridos and apparently Baltusia now, where we can both continue to promote our own National Interests, while at the same time cooperating in areas that do not threaten those national interests. Especially on economic issues, where there is so much consonance across the board and economic liberalism has more or less completely disappeared in this part of the world, for all of our benefits."

After all, nationalism does not equal isolationism. "I do not think any of us desires to be isolationist," said Lady Melanie Ananto-McLinn. "Her Imperial Majesty desires that our neighbors be closer to us diplomatically than any other nations on the globe. She holds a very specifically regionalist perspective on foreign relations. This means she wants to work with even those nations in Northern Seleya who always think she and her Empire are up to something. Her Imperial Majesty always states her foreign policy objectives, and does not hide her motivations: If there is one thing our Empire does far better than any other nation it is credibly signaling our policy objectives. She is proud of those objectives, why wouldn't she broadcast them."

If other states are not trying to guess what Kalistan is actually up to, as we are forced to do with most nations' goals and objectives, it is almost sort of liberating in a way. "If I am Baltusia and know that no matter what happens, Kalistan wants Athosia back, that sort of gives me some guide posts regarding what sort of objectives I should be following. I know if I want to keep peace, I shut up about Athosia. If I want to undermine that peace, I let my governors shoot from the hip and speak without thinking of the damage their words do to our foreign policy objectives. I, personally, know who damaging it is for a person to express their personal beliefs when they undermine our Soveriegn's policy objectives. I know that because I famously used to do that. I can't tell you how many times the Empress called me in to chew me out for something she had to walk back. But the point is: If I know what the people sitting across the table are thinking, because they told me and I don't have any reason to believe that they are lying at all, it makes my legitimate options far clearer."

This is the benefit of policy consonance around economic ideology, said the Princess. "Our options become clear: One of those options becomes to not associate but that is an obvious option. You never have to guess though what you are missing, or what you are not aware that you are not aware of. Because the other negotiator also sort of knows what you are thinking. It makes negotiations very easy to get past the values discussion and to start being impersonal, and move into the realm of ration calculus. Which, especially in terms of the economy, is really where you want to be. Cost benefit analysis, pesos and centavos, that's what you want it all to boil down to, and then if you get a deal which is good for both sides, good, while if not, you can shake hands and say maybe next time."

This rationality is why Kalistan adopted Nationalism in the first place long ago, and why it will likely remain for a very long time into the future. "No liberalism is far too chaotic. It also tends toward the median which is by definition, where mediocrity lives. No state can long last being governed by mediocrity as a regular matter. When we acknowledge interests and govern with those in our mind, we can avoid the tendency toward the median and actually have a shot at having not only excellent leadership, but also getting deals with others that are good for all parties, and also those which tend to reinforce, rather than undermine each country's national interests."

@TheNational