26-06-2026, 04:36 AM
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Princess of the Empire Carolina Ananto-Connor: "War is failure"
Retired Monarch Asks for peace
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 8, 5736
![[Image: bW1fA0K.png]](https://i.imgur.com/bW1fA0K.png)
Princess of the Empire Carolina Ananto-Connor at Ananto Estate
Opinion
Hello Kalistan. I have asked Orthodoxo to give me the opportunity to speak for the cause of peace as our nation descends into the madness of war with Luthori. Kalistanis will remember me as a peacetime Empress. I am a devout Brethrenist, and for those, perhaps in the international audience, Brethrenism is a faith practice of peace. We believe only God can make life, and only God may take life. Death in war represents a failure of our policy makers to see that of God in our adversaries. Sometime war is brought to us, and sometimes we must defend ourselves, but this does not seem to be one of those cases.
I have had a long time to discern my feelings on this matter. I received a lot of advice from people who I love very much and respect and honor. And the advice was almost universally united. I should not say anything. As the Princess of the Empire and a former monarch of our Nation, I know better, perhaps than almost anyone alive, that there can only be one Emperor at a time. The only legitimate Emperor is His Imperial Majesty, Emperor William II Ananto. And those I spoke with almost all told me "Don't undermine him, don't cut him off, don't speak out. It will not do him favors. Not now, not when he is about to take his nation into war." And indeed, this is his Nation to take into war, or to attain peace and tranquility as he sees fit, as it was mine once. But it is not mine anymore, and I should perhaps counsel him in private, but not in public.
But. Despite the well meaning advice, that still small voice that we Brethrenists listen to to discern right from wrong, just from unjust, virtue from vice, it counselled me instead to make this matter public, because it does no good to speak only to my son. He wants peace. He does not want to lead the nation down the disastrous path of war, especially with a nation as lethal as the Empire of Luthori. But there may be someone who may read this, perhaps in another nation, who can intervene in the cause of peace. The voice of the Spirit said that someone must make the case for Peace. I have the name, I have the credibility. The task falls upon me to amplify the calls of the millions across the world who are begging both Kalistan and Luthori for peace. This is my duty, because I am the one best situated to do it.
Let's look at Justice first. War itself is destructive and wasteful, not only of countless millions and billions in resources which may be better spent in the service of humanity, but of that humanity itself. War makes barbarians of its participants. We hear the liberals talk about just war, but I say this: there is no such thing. War is only varying degrees of injustice. Where is it just to kill our enemies? Where is the justice in that? The only justification for combat is if you are actively being attacked, and then only to prevent further harm. Period. In our case, in this crisis with Luthori, this condition has not been met at all: If there is to be war, it will be a war of choice, on both sides: Luthori because they decided that they are willing to kill Kalistanis to have their way, and Kalistan because they have chosen to not pursue diplomacy, but instead met force with force.
Make no mistake: When we go to war, Kalistan will lose. The world feels arrayed behind Luthori. This is the simple nature of our world. Artanians do as they please and nobody ever stops them. But the Empire of Luthori is in and of itself perhaps one of the most lethal forces on the planet. Kalistan will bloody them, and may stop them indeed, but they will be decimated in the process. If the Luthorians push into the Artanian Ocean, it really does not matter how many ships Kalistan takes out in the process, Kalistan becomes a blood bath and our beautiful ocean, the one we fought so hard to protect, becomes a meat grinder. It is not a win to kill your enemy, it is not a win to allow your people to be slaughtered like goats during a cull. That is a sign of failure.
We should instead seek peace with Luthori on terms that everyone can live with. Luthori may be underestimating Kalistan, as all nations in Terra stupidly, but constantly do. However, it is also possible that Kalistan is overestimating Kalistan. It is possible that the thing we are defending will be killed as we try to save it, and that is because Luthori aims at global power status while Kalistan wants to remain a regional power. At the end of the day, we will lose good boys and girls when they destroy our ships, and for what? If we win, what have we won? We cannot force another nation to respect Kalistan. They never will, but that should be their problem, not ours.
While I was raising my son and training him to be the next Emperor, to take over for me when my time was over, I raised him to respect Luthori. There may be issues with them, but they are not a nation to be trifled with. As it stands, Luthori maintains a multi hemispheric fleet, as Kalistan once did. How they are able to do that and not run massive debts is beyond any Kalistani economist, but we cannot doubt that they do. So it was important for us to respect them enough that we did not get on their bad side. I know my son wanted to improve relations with Luthori when he came into office. He and his wife bought a home in Fort William so they could vacation there.
So how is it that he is willing to go to war with Luthori? Now I, as every Kalistani acknowledges that the Luthorian Aircraft carrier group in the Schismatic Sea is an existential threat to our defensive positions at Bentasur. It is literally nothing more or less than a knife at our throat. This is the only way to interpret it: Forget the business about it being a defensive maneuver. That is a paper thin justification that doesn't pass the face test. And anyone who dismisses this view is clearly not a Kalistani. But war is not the answer. War is never the answer. War is a sign of failure to imagine a solution. And that is where we are at now.
Our leaders need the opportunity to imagine a solution that leads away from war, not toward it. It could involve Kalistan recognizing Luthori's legitimate desire to protect their colony at Mordusia. Kalistan has long recognized the subordinate role and supine posture of that Southern Seleyan nation in regard their Artanian Masters. And we have never had any issue with legitimate defense of that, or any other Imperial possessions, just as we would hope that others would not have anything to say about Kalistani defense of our possessions. That's a far cry from the Aircraft carrier group, which is only expansionistic, it is never defensive. It only threatens, it never protects. All aircraft carriers, regardless of who deploys them, have this characteristic. They are about force projection, they are a spear at the heart of which ever neighborhood they happen to find themselves in.
But perhaps Luthori could come to an understanding that Kalistan's problem is that spear is pointing at the heart of Northern Seleya: not only Kalistan, but people we related to but estranged right now from in Gaduridos. Baltusia comes under threat with a Luthorian Carrier Group parked so close by. Perhaps an acknowledgement for an acknowledgement might be what is needed to breakthrough to a solution in this conflict. I don't know what it will take: That's the function of negotiations. But I do know that war is not the only solution to this problem. I have counselled my son to this effect. He says he understands, but also said that a lot of the matter is out of his hands, because Luthori itself will not unilaterally disarm, which he believes that Kalistan needs to feel safe.
Perhaps there is something to the offer made by the Barrios Administration for talks in Gaduridos. I have not heard from my son regarding the proposal, but I believe that if the offer is sincere, it would be to my son's advantage to at least listen to the Luthorians and try to resolve it. Every other option is not closed, is not off the table. I personally would strongly advice the Emperor to attend this meeting in Gaduridos with Luthorian representatives. Because the Gaduri effort seems to be in good faith.
Kalistan fears war with Luthori, regardless of our bluster and propaganda. I do believe those who seek to fight wish to do so not enthusiastically, but in a desire to get it over with one way or another. Kalistanis will fight, until we are all dead, if we have to. I have no doubt in my mind, from my experience as Empress, and from my knowledge of the people of this Nation. The Emperor will prosecute the war to its bloody apocalyptic conclusion if he must. I have no doubt that Luthori will too.
And so the goal must be to make it so they do not have to do that. We must find a solution that allows us to resolve this without killing each other. So that our sailors may return home safely to their homes, still in tact, to their loved ones not slaughtered by random bombs and indiscriminate carnarge. Peace is the solution. If Luthori is a nation that values International Law, we implore them to remember why: their goal should be to avoid war, which is why they like the concept of international law. Its why all liberals like international law. Kalistan is not bound by this, but we are a Brethrenist Nation. Our calculation is that we seek to avoid war because it destroys human life.
If this statement angers my Son, the Emperor, or the method through which it was made undermines him in his march to war, I will take that hit. If anything I say right now can give him pause, or give the Luthorians the courage to seek peace with us, it will be worth it. I would spend the rest of my life in jail but I can not allow my own silence on this moral question, not when I can bring my name and my reputation to bear for peace and for the sailor or airman who will be saved from death because our leaders figured out how to make it work.
I support all efforts at peace, and while I still have my son's ear, I will continue to advise him to take any opportunity to resolution short of war, that he may. I encourage the people of Kalistan to voice their desire for peace as well. Thank you.
I have had a long time to discern my feelings on this matter. I received a lot of advice from people who I love very much and respect and honor. And the advice was almost universally united. I should not say anything. As the Princess of the Empire and a former monarch of our Nation, I know better, perhaps than almost anyone alive, that there can only be one Emperor at a time. The only legitimate Emperor is His Imperial Majesty, Emperor William II Ananto. And those I spoke with almost all told me "Don't undermine him, don't cut him off, don't speak out. It will not do him favors. Not now, not when he is about to take his nation into war." And indeed, this is his Nation to take into war, or to attain peace and tranquility as he sees fit, as it was mine once. But it is not mine anymore, and I should perhaps counsel him in private, but not in public.
But. Despite the well meaning advice, that still small voice that we Brethrenists listen to to discern right from wrong, just from unjust, virtue from vice, it counselled me instead to make this matter public, because it does no good to speak only to my son. He wants peace. He does not want to lead the nation down the disastrous path of war, especially with a nation as lethal as the Empire of Luthori. But there may be someone who may read this, perhaps in another nation, who can intervene in the cause of peace. The voice of the Spirit said that someone must make the case for Peace. I have the name, I have the credibility. The task falls upon me to amplify the calls of the millions across the world who are begging both Kalistan and Luthori for peace. This is my duty, because I am the one best situated to do it.
Let's look at Justice first. War itself is destructive and wasteful, not only of countless millions and billions in resources which may be better spent in the service of humanity, but of that humanity itself. War makes barbarians of its participants. We hear the liberals talk about just war, but I say this: there is no such thing. War is only varying degrees of injustice. Where is it just to kill our enemies? Where is the justice in that? The only justification for combat is if you are actively being attacked, and then only to prevent further harm. Period. In our case, in this crisis with Luthori, this condition has not been met at all: If there is to be war, it will be a war of choice, on both sides: Luthori because they decided that they are willing to kill Kalistanis to have their way, and Kalistan because they have chosen to not pursue diplomacy, but instead met force with force.
Make no mistake: When we go to war, Kalistan will lose. The world feels arrayed behind Luthori. This is the simple nature of our world. Artanians do as they please and nobody ever stops them. But the Empire of Luthori is in and of itself perhaps one of the most lethal forces on the planet. Kalistan will bloody them, and may stop them indeed, but they will be decimated in the process. If the Luthorians push into the Artanian Ocean, it really does not matter how many ships Kalistan takes out in the process, Kalistan becomes a blood bath and our beautiful ocean, the one we fought so hard to protect, becomes a meat grinder. It is not a win to kill your enemy, it is not a win to allow your people to be slaughtered like goats during a cull. That is a sign of failure.
We should instead seek peace with Luthori on terms that everyone can live with. Luthori may be underestimating Kalistan, as all nations in Terra stupidly, but constantly do. However, it is also possible that Kalistan is overestimating Kalistan. It is possible that the thing we are defending will be killed as we try to save it, and that is because Luthori aims at global power status while Kalistan wants to remain a regional power. At the end of the day, we will lose good boys and girls when they destroy our ships, and for what? If we win, what have we won? We cannot force another nation to respect Kalistan. They never will, but that should be their problem, not ours.
While I was raising my son and training him to be the next Emperor, to take over for me when my time was over, I raised him to respect Luthori. There may be issues with them, but they are not a nation to be trifled with. As it stands, Luthori maintains a multi hemispheric fleet, as Kalistan once did. How they are able to do that and not run massive debts is beyond any Kalistani economist, but we cannot doubt that they do. So it was important for us to respect them enough that we did not get on their bad side. I know my son wanted to improve relations with Luthori when he came into office. He and his wife bought a home in Fort William so they could vacation there.
So how is it that he is willing to go to war with Luthori? Now I, as every Kalistani acknowledges that the Luthorian Aircraft carrier group in the Schismatic Sea is an existential threat to our defensive positions at Bentasur. It is literally nothing more or less than a knife at our throat. This is the only way to interpret it: Forget the business about it being a defensive maneuver. That is a paper thin justification that doesn't pass the face test. And anyone who dismisses this view is clearly not a Kalistani. But war is not the answer. War is never the answer. War is a sign of failure to imagine a solution. And that is where we are at now.
Our leaders need the opportunity to imagine a solution that leads away from war, not toward it. It could involve Kalistan recognizing Luthori's legitimate desire to protect their colony at Mordusia. Kalistan has long recognized the subordinate role and supine posture of that Southern Seleyan nation in regard their Artanian Masters. And we have never had any issue with legitimate defense of that, or any other Imperial possessions, just as we would hope that others would not have anything to say about Kalistani defense of our possessions. That's a far cry from the Aircraft carrier group, which is only expansionistic, it is never defensive. It only threatens, it never protects. All aircraft carriers, regardless of who deploys them, have this characteristic. They are about force projection, they are a spear at the heart of which ever neighborhood they happen to find themselves in.
But perhaps Luthori could come to an understanding that Kalistan's problem is that spear is pointing at the heart of Northern Seleya: not only Kalistan, but people we related to but estranged right now from in Gaduridos. Baltusia comes under threat with a Luthorian Carrier Group parked so close by. Perhaps an acknowledgement for an acknowledgement might be what is needed to breakthrough to a solution in this conflict. I don't know what it will take: That's the function of negotiations. But I do know that war is not the only solution to this problem. I have counselled my son to this effect. He says he understands, but also said that a lot of the matter is out of his hands, because Luthori itself will not unilaterally disarm, which he believes that Kalistan needs to feel safe.
Perhaps there is something to the offer made by the Barrios Administration for talks in Gaduridos. I have not heard from my son regarding the proposal, but I believe that if the offer is sincere, it would be to my son's advantage to at least listen to the Luthorians and try to resolve it. Every other option is not closed, is not off the table. I personally would strongly advice the Emperor to attend this meeting in Gaduridos with Luthorian representatives. Because the Gaduri effort seems to be in good faith.
Kalistan fears war with Luthori, regardless of our bluster and propaganda. I do believe those who seek to fight wish to do so not enthusiastically, but in a desire to get it over with one way or another. Kalistanis will fight, until we are all dead, if we have to. I have no doubt in my mind, from my experience as Empress, and from my knowledge of the people of this Nation. The Emperor will prosecute the war to its bloody apocalyptic conclusion if he must. I have no doubt that Luthori will too.
And so the goal must be to make it so they do not have to do that. We must find a solution that allows us to resolve this without killing each other. So that our sailors may return home safely to their homes, still in tact, to their loved ones not slaughtered by random bombs and indiscriminate carnarge. Peace is the solution. If Luthori is a nation that values International Law, we implore them to remember why: their goal should be to avoid war, which is why they like the concept of international law. Its why all liberals like international law. Kalistan is not bound by this, but we are a Brethrenist Nation. Our calculation is that we seek to avoid war because it destroys human life.
If this statement angers my Son, the Emperor, or the method through which it was made undermines him in his march to war, I will take that hit. If anything I say right now can give him pause, or give the Luthorians the courage to seek peace with us, it will be worth it. I would spend the rest of my life in jail but I can not allow my own silence on this moral question, not when I can bring my name and my reputation to bear for peace and for the sailor or airman who will be saved from death because our leaders figured out how to make it work.
I support all efforts at peace, and while I still have my son's ear, I will continue to advise him to take any opportunity to resolution short of war, that he may. I encourage the people of Kalistan to voice their desire for peace as well. Thank you.
- Her Highness, Princess of the Empire Carolina Ananto-Connor
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
@Orthodoxo
Primary: Institutionalist Party of Kalistan (IPoK), 5146-
Inactive:
Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK), 2591-
Inactive:
Socialist Party of Kalistan (SPoK), 2591-