Kalistani Major History

[Doc]

reprinted from
Kalistani Republic
Brethren on the Mainland call for Settlement
"War is not the Answer", says Protesters
Vrassa City, Vrassa District
September 18th, 3989


Member of the Society of Brethren Call for Kalistani Government to settle with Indrala

Members of the Vrassa Yearly Meeting of the Society of Brethren called on the Government of Kalistan in Kaliburg to settle with the Empire of Indrala.  Olman Diego del Toro, the YM clerk, said, in a brief statement, "This minute asks the members of the Yearly Meeting to write to and meet with their Assembly members, calling on them to find a way to settle with the Indralan Government in a way which promotes peace and understanding, and which ends the unnecessary bloodshed that is threatening our Nation's capital.  We recognize that this war is not in the interest of humanity.  As long as the war is prosecuted, innocent people continue to die.  Innocent people continue to be displaced from their homes and their lives.  Our society is decimated.  We need peace.  Kalistan must stand up as one and call for peace."

The protesters are viewed favorably among most of the citizens on the mainland, and recent polls demonstrated that there is growing sentiment toward settlement with Indrala.  Thomas Jones, the Leader of the Peace Caucus in the Assembly, argued, "When we call for settlement with Indrala, we recognize that Indrala still occupies our National Soil, and obviously, we could not possibly offer peace until that situation is reversed.  But we also recognize that the events which led to war are, for the most part, something that Kalistan could have avoided.  There is a growing movement in Kalistan, and we join the Brethren in saying, the Government of Kalistan needs to make offers to Indrala for negotiations."

The Spokeswoman for the Premier, Karen Svensdattir, responded, "The Brethren have a point but as long as the Indralans menace Kalistani sovereignty, on the high seas OR on our national territory, we fight to defend ourselves.  And we have the capacity and the will to continue to fight."  The Government's position is supported by polling in Kaliburg, which suggests that support for the war is nearly universal.  Similar sentiment is expressed in most places on the mainland, with the exception of those areas which have born the brunt of the refugee crisis.  The Brethren themselves are also split, but nearly all of them call for peace.  The Ananto Yearly Meeting, however have dubbed themselves "fighting Quakers" and have publicly stated that in the case of self defense, protection of life and family is a higher moral good than standing down before aggression.  Over all, 87% of all Kalistanis expressed support for some aspect of the war, and this number is significantly up from the beginning of the conflict.