Kalistani Major History

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Foreign Minister addresses World Congress resistance to anti-nuke ResolutionSP joins Premier Colbert on Privateering Authorization, NAM
Kaliburg, Ananto
March 13, 4702


Foreign Minister Joaquin Delgado addresses Foreign Policy at Kaliburg Forum

Over the past week, Kaliburg Polytechnic Institute, in Kaliburg hosted the Kalistani Foreign Policy Symposium. The three day event hosted presentations from foreign policy experts from across the political spectrum in Kalistan.  The Keynote speaker was the long serving Kalistani Foreign Minister, Joaquin Delgado, from the Socialist Party of Kalistan.  Following prepared comments concerning challenges faced in the Foreign Policy arena, the Foreign Minister took questions from the audience.

Below is his keynote speech, which previews a shift in Kalistani policy to a more forward leaning posture in the region.

Good Morning, Comrades, Panel, Dr. Happelton, audience.  I appreciate the opportunity to make a few comments concerning the topic of this conference before you.

Assembled here are the lead policy experts from all Parties, career professionals, diplomatic strategists, defence Ministry planners and FM personnel.  We can all benefit from each others' expertise as Kalistan appears to shift to a more proactive foreign policy.  With our national industries online, as well as ODEN, the NSP and various other governmental programs on the move, we become concerned, once more, about the interference in regional affairs of Great Powers.  Part of this concern was addressed last year in the General Assembly of the World Congress, when our nation's ambassador, Louis Stevens, met an unequivocal brick wall concerning its expression of security interest regarding nuclear powered weaponry.

Much of this opposition was sponsored by Great Powers, who jealously guard their own privilege, and virtual license to murder on the world stage.  We hear consistently that the weapons they use to maraud around the globe, and threaten smaller states with impunity are actually weapons of peace.  Think about this for one moment.  A nuclear powered aircraft carrier possesses enough fire power that it can level Kaliburg in a matter of a few moments.  And the owner of one of these craft can park this weapon off of our shore, sortie, attack, land, rearm and then relaunch over and over again until there is nothing but dust and bone and human suffering under their bomb sights.  And yet, one of the most belligerent nations on the globe calls this weapon of mass destruction a guarantor of peace!

When a man is walking down the street, and a mugger puts a gun in his face and demands his money or his life, the choice is not exactly a free one.  When a man is negotiating for his life, he tends to agree more willingly to the terms offered him by the criminal who would murder without batting an eyelash. The difference in the case of the mugger and the imperial gangster states in this world is that in the world, the police can catch the murderer, and prosecute him, while in the international realm, no state possess the power to stand up to a great power.

It would be fine if the Great power shared any of Kalistan's foreign policy objectives.  But as history demonstrates, it is more often the case that Kalistan's interests and the interest of the nuclear armed extortionists of the world stand diametrically opposed.  Such is the fate of all middle and small powers.  The powerful do whatever they wish, the weak suffer whatever they must.

To this end, we have at least gone on record in opposition to the unlimited power of the Imperialist states in Terra, especially those possessing the power AND motivation to breech the peace with their weapons of mass terror.  Resolution 35-01, as it is known, was designed to test the true commitment to peace among the nations of the World Congress.  Given the vote, it is our judgement that there is ONE nation so far who has come out in favor of nuclear disarmament, and half a dozen or more who have offered full-throated defenses of the right to terrorize the world with nuclear powered weaponry.  Their apologies for their desire to reign death and destruction on anyone who gets in the way of their heretofore unimpeded agenda of violence and chaos in the world demonstrates that their real commitment is to the service of the demon who is called "Domination".  The resolution was never going to pass, but it was designed to force nations to demonstrate their own hypocrisy, when they order other nations to bow before them while they claim to want peace.  They want the peace of absolute global domination, and view it as only a matter of time before they acquire it.

Kalistan is not interested in this sort of peace.  We have fully endorsed the Premier's proposal to re-authorize privateering in the Anatonese Ocean.  There are currently no plans to issue Letters of Marque, but we agree that it is important to have this authorization in place:  Its aim is to put global powers on notice that they may be able to cajole other nations in the world, but Kalistan will stand up and fight back, if need be, against aggression.  The goal of Privateering is purely asymetric:  As we clearly cannot and should not face the enemy in a frontal battle, which places our units in places where they can be easily wiped out by superior firepower, we will use our smallness to our advantage on the battlefield.  Just as a man can be brought down by the tiny malaria mosquito, so too do great powers have their weaknesses.  Privateering is just another tactic aimed not at destroying the enemy on the battlefield, but destroying their will and motivation to fight Kalistan, and making warfare against Kalistan MUCH more costly for their economy.

Further along these lines, Kalistan and Vorona have joined together to relaunch the Non-Aligned Movement.  This organization is by and for small states:  its goal is to provide association among non-great powers, not in the form of collective security, but with the aim of denying Great powers allies in any conflict.  Since great powers necessarily treat their small power allies as imperialist outposts in times of war, it is in the interest of EVERY small and medium state to join together to limit their ability to project force.  This includes limiting basing opportunities for forward fleets, as well as refuel and resupply ports.  If these great powers seek to project their force across the globe, it becomes much more costly for them to do so when they don't have friendly ports of resupply and refuel.  A nation like Dorvik will likely maintain that it can build infinite supply and logistics ships to keep its massive fleet afloat, and perhaps this is true.  But those supply ships also make nice targets for navies of smaller powers, who can cripple a Great power and strand its fleets at sea by wiping out its logistics capability.

The goal of this two pronged approach to foreign policy aims at turning our smallness into an asset when at war.  I would like to stress:  War is not on the horizon with any great power.  We see, however, the bellicose rhetoric in the World Congress' GA as as signal of Dorvik's attitude, and therefore, it becomes incumbent upon a nation such as Kalistan to begin to prepare, in our own way, so that when these nuclear armed empires show up on Kalistan's doorstep, we are prepared to offer them death by 1000 cuts.  We small countries must make it so expensive to attack us, that we essentially negate the advantage that their technical superiority offers them.

This is the fundamental lesson of unconventional warfare, and it therefore also serves as the foundation of our unconventional foreign policy and diplomacy.  A nation truly interested in peace will look to Kalistan as a state who will avoid war at all costs, until it is brought to Kalistan's shores.  At that time, the aggressor must be made to bleed, and must be demoralized before it will ever relent.  But before we ever get there, the Great powers of the world should realize Kalistan's attempts to negate their power as an effort to reduce Kalistan's perennial security dilemma, and should find ways to deal with Kalistan so that we never have to engage in any sort of shooting conflict.

Our interest is peace.  We care more about peace in the world than almost any other foreign policy goal.  We are constantly insulted and demeaned in world forums, and in foreign governments, and yet, Kalistan has never declared an aggressive war against any other nation.  Whatever those nations are doing, their national interest benefits more by not constantly irritating Kalistan, but instead, in looking for ways to be friendly with Kalistan.  Because, as any nation will lay at Kalistan's feet, we do not observe the same rules every other state does, especially when our national defense is on the line.  Kalistan has been called a "pirate state," however, Privateering will only soon be reauthorized.  Kalistan has been called a "banana Republic" and a "rogue state", but to date, we have tried to play the game by the rules nations like Dorvik have set up to defend their own interests. 

We believe it is in our interest to think outside the box:  Hence, we will continue to offer resolutions in the World Congress aimed at disarmament, and meanwhile, we will continue to work on innovative enhancements to Kalistani National Defense.  The diplomatic track, which the SP controls, works hand in hand with the Defense track, controlled by the Nationalists.  Though we have some disagreements around tactics, perhaps, these are minor, but our Foreign Policy Establishment is committed to one singular project in foreign Affairs.  Kalistan's interests are what Kalistan cares about and Kalistan's homeland is what Kalistan will fight, using all tactics at our disposal, to protect. 

With that. I open up to questions from the audience, and thank you for your indulgence.