Kalistan

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New Valruzian President Pawlik a sensation in Kalistan
"Seriously, she was like a rockstar," said one Speech Attendee
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 1, 5688


Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins meets woman of the Hour President Urszula Pawlik in Kaliburg

"Seriously, she was like a rockstar," said Mike Henderson of Kaliburg, who attended the public speech given by visiting Valruzian President Urszula Pawlik last month in Kaliburg. "We are so proud of her, and of Valruzia for electing her. This makes a lot of us really happy, and she spoke with such poise and grace, it really was something to see, for real. I'll remember this for the rest of my life." Henderson's glowing reviews of the Presidential visit, while mirroring the feelings of many Kalistanis this month, were certainly aspirational--Pawlik has barely been on the job for three weeks only, and still has a lot of work to do to set up her administration. But Kalistanis certainly do expect her election to herald a golden age for Northern Seleyan politics, and Kalistanis are optimistic for the future of cooperation with the western republic.

Pawlik arrived at Kaliburg international airport to a host of reporters wanting to snap a photo of the new Conservative President. "She has an air of excitement, of something new about her, which you wouldn't normally attribute to a conservative politician," said reporter Michelle Ruggiero. "But Valruzia has been, at least since they restored their democracy, under the sway of the radical left, and that fact alone, as we have seen from statements by our Chancellor, causes some estrangement between our two nations. The election, albeit a narrow victory brings Kalistan a spark of hope in the future for relations between our two nations. It is no secret that Kalistanis were watching the election there and openly and vocally supported Ms. Pawlik--Many of us wished we could have done more than simply voiced support, but nevermind. Kalistanis are very encouraged and, judging from the response of the crowds who came out to see her last month, they want to let her know that she has a friend among the people of Kalistan, who hope for so much for her administration and will certainly push the Institutional Party to support her as much as we can."

The new President chose Kalistan for her first international visit, which is an honor unto itself. While taking care of the ceremonial parts of the visit, she met with the Empress in Waiting in formal audience at the gem encrusted Imperial Seat, where, according to the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue, the Empress in Waiting expressed, via the Chancellor, due to her minority, her delight to meet the new President and her sincerest hope that our two nations will do great things in cooperation with one another--The Chancellor would neither confirm nor deny that Her Imperial Majesty in Waiting kept newspaper clippings about the President's election in a scrapbook. The Chancellor also said that the Empress in Waiting was able to listen to President Pawlik personally invite her to visit Valruzia as soon as she is old enough to begin travelling abroad, and express her personal condolences for the loss of the Late Emperor Fredrick IV Ananto and Empress Jennifer I Ananto, along with the Crown Prince and her younger brother.

The Princess Regent, who was also present at the audience thanked Valruzia for being the only nation to step forward and offer to help Kalistan recover the mortal remains of her family, and though recovery was not possible, Valruzia's support was invaluable in discovering the facts of the crash and at least giving the family a measure of peace. "Her Highness, the Princess Regent, said that she considers Valruzia's act a personal kindness for her and the Empress in Waiting which her family will never forget, and is a debt they will never be able to fully repay," said the Chancellor. "Heaven forbid Valruzia should ever require that as a result of any similar tragedy." Other matters were discussed, including preliminary agreements to cooperate on science, defense, and development. The Chancellor said that most of the Audience was conducted in Egelian, given the President's preference.

Following the Formal Audience, an informal audience and reception was held for the President, her husband, and the members of her Administration which travelled with them. There she and the Princess Regent were able to speak more freely outside of the confines of the rigid and highly protocol driven formal audience setting. Pawlik was introduced to members of Her Imperial Majesty's Government, and was greatly sought after by members of the peerage. The Princess Regent herself ended up having to play interference runner for the President so that she wouldn't be swamped by eager counts, barrons and land peers, most of which felt it was their prerogative to come up and introduce themselves. President Pawlik was also a favorite among the commoner attendees of the audience, which consisted largely of members of the research community, several civil society organizations that proliferate around the nation, and Deputies of the National Assembly.

One small incident occurred with a particularly zealous commoner who is a member of the Sulari Young Democrats, a civil society group that advocates for more democracy at the national level, and tries to get young people to register to vote and get active in local politics. The individual in question, Marian Oswald, after being introduced to President, said she was happy to see such a charismatic elected Head of State here in Kalistan, because maybe it will show people that "some more democracy, especially in the upper branches of the Government, is a great idea and maybe Kalistan should try it too. Don't you think so?" The problem came because Pawlik was standing right next to Her Highness, the Princess Regent, when Oswald said this.

The comment put Pawlik in the awkward position of having to address the question. The President could have politely smiled and said nothing, but she instead chose the tack of a true political leader. "Ms. Oswald," she said, "Valruzia requires the people of our nation to select their leader, this is our constitution, and it works for us very well. But I am also of the mind that a state has the government they select, even in places as different as Valruzia and Kalistan. What we should focus on is good government, however it is provided. And the duty of all citizens in any society is to ensure their leaders provide good government. Empress, President, we both have the same job, and obligation to you as a citizen, and that is to provide you good government." This deft move was appreciated by those standing nearby and polite smiles and nods were directed toward the President, from everyone including the Chancellor and the Princess Regent. Oswald herself even admitted that was a very savvy response and she shook the President's hand, saying it was a pleasure to meet her.

Later in the day, the visiting President also gave a speech to a large gathered crowd who was invited by numerous civil society organizations and was arranged by the Institutional Party of Kalistan, where the President declared friendship between Kalistan and Valruzia. The full text of the President's speech is found here. The Chancellor introduced her as "Her Excellency, the President of the Republic of Valruzia, who, many here will recall, taught Kalistan how to record records, has stood with Kalistan through decades, and who is setting the example of responsible and sovereign economic development in both Seleya and in the entire world, Ms. Urszula Pawlik."

Following the speech, the Chancellor responded the President's benediction in Egelian with a comment of her own, but in (heavily accented) Valruzian: "Prawdziwy przyjaciel słucha, nawet jeśli wieści są trudne. Ale Kalistan nie zapomina o swoich długach ani nie marnuje łaski, którą okazują mu przyjaciele. Valruzia jest zawsze mile widziana w Kalistanie." ("A true friend listens, even when the news is difficult. But Kalistan doesn't forget its debts or waste the grace its friends show it. Valruzia is always welcome in Kalistan.")

Over the next few days, as the President travelled around Kaliburg to meetings with Kalistani Government officials, she was met by large crowds who turned out to watch her motorcade pass by. The President and her husband were hosted at Cliff House in Kaliburg, where the rules of protocol are much more relaxed, and there she and both the Princess Regent and Empress in Waiting got to know one another much better on a personal level. They discussed the possibility of possibly including a Study Abroad program in the Empress in Waiting's academic curriculum, a possibility which reportedly seemed to interest the young monarch. The President also met with Her Highness the Princess of the Empire, Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis, who remains in residence at Cliff House, as well as Viscount Andrew Rohrbach, the Princess Regent's husband who is also director of ODEN-K.

During one day, the party travelled to Luxon to visit the Global Music Hall of Fame, including its exhibit on Valruzia's contribution to the foundation of the Kalistani Music Industry. The Party also toured Bozo River CATC and adjacent rural Green County, the OTH Radar Base at Mt. Su, and both the Naval Airstrip and the National Aquarium at Dulnerstaad. The Chancellor, who accompanied the Royal Family and the President on these trips said, "It was a mix of business and pleasure for the President: We had a very full schedule, but luckily, in Luxon, the party was able to lodge at the Princess' Home, and every place except the Mt. Su base was less than an hour by train from Kaliburg. We talked a lot of business on the train."

The visit was held to be a complete success in Kalistan, and many agreements were concluded, including a commitment for a very large investment in the Valruzian VS-100 multi-role fighter jet program, and a commitment to purchase at least 100 fighter planes over the next ten to 15 years following completion and testing. Kalistan has also committed to assiting Valruzia to expand its long range radar systems and integrate them with existing Kalistani systems to provide a better continental view that aims to benefit all of Northern Seleya, and work with them on development of their space program, through the Space Exploration Education Department of AESA at Spencer, Sulari. The program aims to offer the Valruzians both the infrastructure and training necessary to fully outfit its own national program, to include both civilian and defense use of space.

Kalistanis turned out by the thousands to say goodbye to President Pawlik as she and her team returned to Valruzia following four full days in Ananto. The Chancellor stated that Kalistan will return the visit at the first opportunity.

@TheRepublic

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Opinion: What the New Egelian Empire means for Kalistan
Hint-- Probably not a lot says National Government
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 2 5688


Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins meets with her Foreign Minister to discuss Kalistan's Foreign Policy

Opinion: What the new Egelian Empire means for Kalistan

In our papers last month we read of the formation of a new Imperial organization to our immediate north: Egelian's new Empire. Of course there's a new Egelian Empire. That's not exactly news in Kalistani circles. Anyone paying attention to the various machinations Egelion has led in recent years could have seen that one coming. And of course Altea has declared itself the leader of this Empire. With Trigunia serving as Egelion's main cheerleader in Keris, and Kizenia fully puppetted after the Altea Conference, its really a surprise it took this long for Egelion to declare de jure what was already defacto obvious.

The real question we have to ask ourselves here in Kalistan and the Anantonese Empire is: What does this mean for Kaliburg, Ananto and Kalistan and the Anantonese Empire?

And the answer will surprise even our most "paranoid" (Egelion's favorite adjective for Kalistan, because apparently its paranoia to point out what everyone can see in front of our faces) nationalists. It doesn't mean a lot for Kalistan, like at all.

The event was actually publicly and diplomatically approved of in Kaliburg. Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney, touting the standard Institutionalist Party line like a good servant, issued a pretty bland statement acknowledging this apparently momentous event.

His statement said, in full:

"We congratulate the Egelion state on the formation of their Empire on the Continent of Keris. It is fine to see that someone else is finally following Kalistan's example in building more stable, multi national unions. They say that imitation is the highest form of flattery, and there is no greater flattery in this sense than being imitated by a truly great friend as Her Imperial Majesty's cousin in Altea. We are glad to see another Emperor with Ananto blood rise to our north, and we are proud that this region is utterly dominated by Anantos, in one form or another, as an Ananto now sits on the throne of Kalistan, Egelion, Kizenia, and Nadiya, sits as Viceroy in Gaduridos and apparently will soon also sit on the throne in Deltaria. Congratulations to the new Anantan Egelian monarch, and the new imperial master of both Nadiya and Kizenia."

This statement, which, while completely factually accurate, was rather tepid in its tone. It did not lay out any hint of Kalistan's alignment with regard to the new Empire. It only more or less reaffirmed Kalistan's commitment to Imperialism, as a concept. One would think if the Princess Regent were more concerned, the Foreign Minister would have had something more bellicose to say. To be sure, the Kalistani military expansion that our nation is currently undergoing gives us some hints, with naval and combat air under active procurement, talks for anti missile defense and Radar systems expansion, and the Logistics Base in southern Kizenia nearing completion. Kalistan's militia is active again, working on developing tactics that nations who adhere to the laws of war might say are pushing the line a bit, including practicing tactics that involve political violence and demolition, in response to an asymmetrical conflict scenario where Kalistan is outmanned and outgunned. But to date, none of those things are aimed north: Kalistan is merely beefing up, but they aren't necessarily pointing those guns at anyone.

Also telling is the lack of diplomatic activity in Kaliburg around this event. Except the Foreign Minister's statement, the Imperial Government seems to be more interested in expanding its circle of friends and sewing up the relationship with its few old friends, than responding as it historically does to dramatic shifts of the power balance in the region and in the world. Kalistan's response to the rise of fascism in Kundrati under the legion was rapid. Its response to Beiteynu's nuking of Xsampa, a nation we had almost no contact with at the time, was instantaneous. Kalistan is not, and has not been shy to use the sanctions pen when a nation does something it does not like. And yet, we see no hint that Kalistan is even planning any sort of diplomatic action against Egelion for swallowing nations the way drunk people swallow clams from the halfshell, without saying anything more disapproving than "Congratulations for copying us. That's very smart of you."

Could it really be that the Imperial Government is not concerned at all about the rise of the Egelian Empire in Keris? Is there perhaps a secret agreement between Kalistan and Egelion? We don't really believe so. The rise of Egelion's new Empire doesn't change anything really for Kalistan at this point. As much as nationalists will clutch their family jewels over this declaration, it ultimately made almost no splash in Kaliburg at all. Much to our chagrin at The National, but it seems nobody here really cared all that much. The KalSiE barely registered any change, noting in fact that it was probably good for petroleum stocks for a stable nation like Egelion to establish itself as the Imperial Master of a nation like Nadiya, which Kalistan views as a random actor in the world. But Kalistan doesn't trade with Nadiya, or even officially call it Nadiya, the FM's recent statements to the contrary notwithstanding. We have no diplomatic representation in that country, and haven't for a very long time. Egelion dominating the man-hating government of the Tundra doesn't really affect Kalistan at all, especially in a negative way.

Similarly with Kizenia: Kalistan broke diplomatic relations with the Kizenian government when the Monarchy was overthrown. Kalistan was waiting for a new, legitimate government to be established in Kizenia before it restored relations with that state on any level. The closest we have gotten so far was signing a Status of Forces Agreement with the Free City Government of Luncasi over the Logistics Port. But the Foreign Ministry was awaiting a new government, as in, not a provisional authority, before extending diplomatic recognition to the whole nation, as per the Altean Treaty. To date, that has still not formed. Instead, Egelion placed its King as the monarch of Kizenia. And so we continue to wait for the government of Kizenia to fully constitute itself, hold its elections, and do whatever it is planning to do to institutionalize itself. That may change soon now that Kizenia is fully puppetted by Altea, and then Kaliburg will instead likely extend recognition to the new Kizenian National Government through its Embassy to the Absolute Monarch of the Egelian Empire in Altea.

The silence from Kaliburg over the establishment of a new Empire directly north of it would be strange unless Kalistan legitimately did wish it well. Kalistan is not known for the duplicity that other powers frequently deploy. For example: we need only look to the claims that the constituent members of the new Egelian Empire will be "independent". Ok, sure. Independent, but they will also experience, what the King cum Emperor called "deeper Integration." We've all heard the lies about an Empire not being your "typical empire" in the past: Lourenne used to claim that about its Empire, and yet, strangely enough, all of its member states acted like good sycophants when the Mother Nation called them to do so, including weirdly enough, sacrificing their own national currency to adopt Lourenne's currency, thereby chaining their own national economic and monetary policy to Lourenne's for better or worse. It was a good idea, until it was a horrible idea, and most of the 5600s have been a story about nations who followed that disastrous policy promoted by their "not your typical" imperial Masters in Eroncourt recovering from the collapse of the Empire that tricked them all into sacrificing their sovereignty. Forgive us for doubting the word of a nation which has decided to become, as they themselves declared, Canrille 2.0.

Kalistan doesn't lie like that about its relationship with its constituent nations. According to the Articles of Empire, Constituent Nations are expected to coordinate with Kaliburg on foreign policy. Domestic policy remains the domain of the Constituent Nation, but foreign policy belongs to Kaliburg. And when it became clear, for example, that Lodamun, a former Constituent Nation, desired a more independent foreign policy, Kalistan and Lodamun parted ways amiably. No harm no foul. A common and coordinated foreign policy oriented on keeping Northern Seleya safe from foreign influence is the heart and soul of the Anantonese Empire. The Egelian Empire could easily just tell the truth about that: If a united Foreign Policy in Keris is their goal, why not just say it? Why try to maintain the facade that Egelion has some completely new idea about Empires, and their Empire is really quite different, when they are merely aping the played out Canrille rhetoric while functioning in many ways similar to the Anantonese Empire.

So: its quite likely that Her Imperial Majesty's Government actually is fine with this. But the Nationalists in Kalistan's government are not. Privately they are lobbying the Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue, to get Her Highness, the Princess Regent, to take a more strident, and oppositional position on the formation of this new Empire. Nationalists argue that it does indeed change the balance of power in the region in Egelion's favor, and that Kalistani response is necessary. So far, the Chancellor has disappointingly shown no inclination to accede to her own base's demands: The far more moderate Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney, however, has held at least three meetings with the Princess Regent, since the declaration in February.

So: as we close, let's do a little ad hoc theorizing to attempt to get a better understanding of what is driving Kalistan's non-policy response toward Egelion's puppetting of Kizenia and Trigunia. What if the Princess Regent was leaving the door open by not saying anything at all about it? The Princess Regent is not formally trained in her job. She's a surfer with a long reputation of enjoying mind altering substances. So-- could it be possible that she doesn't respond in the same way that Kalistani Emperors and Empresses have traditionally responded because she never was trained on how to answer this stuff from foreign rivals? For her to say nothing except "Good work, Egelion, you've done something smart" seems so out of character for a Kalistani Monarch that we find it strange that our editorial is on the opposite side of the question from what we can ascertain the Princess Regent's position, and therefore the Government of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan is on. To be sure, the Editorial Board of The National thinks she should mobilize the Navy, pull our diplomats and place sanctions on Egelion for its egregious disregard for Kerisian sovereignty, despite is pledges to support sovereignty. But maybe the Princess Regent is trying something different.

If that is the case, we posit one or many possibilities that the Princess Regent is likely considering. She likely does not want a war. Nobody in this region thinks a war will be a good thing, not Egelion and certainly not Kalistan. So she will be looking for a new modus vivendi between Kalistan and the nation who has deliberately and gleefully cultivated the mantle of "Kalistan's rival" over the last few decades. Is she waiting for Egelion to come to Kaliburg? That's very unlikely. The message sent to Kalistan upon the death of the Emperor and Empress from Altea was far more than most nations bothered to do, but it didn't occasion any visits, decrease any lingering tensions, or improve any relationships between the two Anantonese Empires. It was polite and it was responsible, especially compared with Valruzia's formal offer to help us recover our lost monarchs out of the sea, and then their follow through on that offer the next summer, and then the extra step taken by our Seleyan allies this winter when the New President chose our nation to visit first, to cement a positive opinion of their nation and government with our People.

But keeping the door open works both ways. We would think this would turn into a race to court Kalistan. It probably should. Kalistan has correctly identified the formation of at least one power bloc months if not years before Egelion made it official. As a result, Kalistan has actively been promoting the Non Aligned Movement. A unipolar world is the least stable of all polar arrangements, unless the single polar actor is the global hegemon, capable of defeating all other nations combined. Egelion, for all its capacities, even with its new Empire, does not possess that power. There are a handful of states in the world currently that can match and even over power Egelion within their own spheres--Luthori is one of them, Vanuku another, Hutori another, Xsampa is probably another, Lodamun itself is probably another. Kalistan has predicted for some time now that any one of those powers, or several of them could coalesce into their own power bloc. To wit, Kalistan is promoting the anti-polar Non Aligned Movement, which several nations have recently signed onto as an effort to combat this type of bloc mentality of those who want to become the global policemen.

The Princess Regent may be waiting for another foreign nation to come try to court us as a counterweight to Egelion's expansionistic worldview. Kalistan doesn't bring a lot to the table with regard to capacity. Kalistan is now what people would call a middle power: We have a measure of power between Keris, Indrala and Dovani, where we are probably the largest player, but our influence and power doesn't extend far beyond that area. It's just a fact. We have fewer trading partners, we have money in fewer nations, and we maintain fewer overseas installations than Egelion does even. What Kalistan does bring is that its sphere of influence sits on an extremely important strategic cross roads, which Egelion also uses to spread its influence abroad. A nation that wins Kalistan's heart will automatically have influence in this part of the world.

Kalistan also knows its value. Egelion's hope is that Kalsitan remains neutral as it spreads itself all around the world. As long as Kalistan remains neutral, Egelion gets to do whatever it wants. Egelion knows that this neutrality is Kalistan's default, and it’s making a bet that Kalistan stays in neutral. But what would it take to change Kalistan's mind? Valruzia's very sincere moves toward Kalistan provide other nations a roadmap to court Kalistan: Our Seleyan partners show that Valruzia values Kalistan as much as Kalistan values itself. It shows Valruzia understands Kalistan, and views Kalistan as its equal, or in the words of the Philosopher, as an ends unto itself. Tel Bira's attitude toward Kalistan shows that they also see Kalistan as a valuable friend. Hutori has long played that game. And meanwhile, other nations arbitrarily call Kalistan "petty" "self centered" and "paranoid." Some people will find an automatic audience, some others will find polite explanations about scheduling conflicts that prevent its principles from meeting ours.

Perhaps this is the game the Princess Regent is playing in regards to Egelion's massive, and we will add, extremely threatening expansion. Amudim, the masters of the long game, would be so proud of her. For now the Imperial Government continues to remain silent. We want them to take a far more aggressive posture toward Egelion, but the Nationalist Chancellor, nor the Centrist Foreign Minister, nor the enigmatic Princess Regent are listening to the Nationalists right now. Clearly no other nations in Terra are listening either--they are also either silent, or are openly supportive of Egelian Imperial expansion.

We suppose that we will discover whether this policy leads Kalistan into another blind alley, and allows Egelion to outplay everyone yet again. We are hoping that, for Kalistan's and Seleya's sake, the Princess Regent knows what she is doing.

@TheNational

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Dame Allison Ananto-Westmoreland takes reigns at House Ananto
Princess Regent's First Cousin expected to lead Royal House into 5700s
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 5, 5688


Dame Allison Ananto-Westmoreland, Daughter of Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis, named Head of House Ananto and Miramar this month

Dame Allison Ananto-Westmoreland, daughter of the late Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis, and First Cousin once Removed of Her Imperial Majesty, the Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor, has been appointed by Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins to serve as head of House Ananto. Dame Ananto replaces Lady Helen Ananto-Reynolds, who served in that capacity for the better part of four decades.

Dame Ananto-Westmoreland, 44 years old, began her career almost twenty years ago as a financial and personal investment advisor at the Bank of Suldanor in Sulari. There she worked her way up, managing more than 60 Bn Imperial Rubles in assets for the bank's institutional investors. During her more than 15 years with the bank, her average rate of return was just under 3%, a pretty impressive return for an economy that likes to stay within a window of growth at +/- .5%. Much of her managed accounts and index funds included both domestic and international stocks.

"People liked working with Dame Westmoreland," said Calvin Grissom, who was one of Dame Ananto-Westmoreland's Supervisors and a Board Member at the Bank of Suldanor. "She came with a name, obviously, and people seemed to think that gave them an inside edge, but really, she just worked real hard and kept her ear to the phones, her eyes on her screens, and her mind in the game. She is just that serious: No joke, she made a lot of people a lot of money in her time with us, and she is an asset for certain."

When she was tapped for the the House Ananto position, she was just about to be promoted to Vice President for Accounts at the Bank of Suldanor. "House Ananto is a bit more prestigious," said Dame Ananto-Westmoreland. "No offense to my former employers. We left on good terms and I waived the severance to show my good faith. I of course will be taking a pay increase at House Ananto as well and will be in charge of one of the largest privately held wealth hordes, and certainly one of the, if not the, largest horde of precious stones on the planet. Its exciting, its vindicating, and I just am so excited for it."

The position of Director of House Ananto will draw on Dame Ananto-Westmoreland's extensive experience with fund management. "The only difference is, House Ananto could be considered an insider trading ring in liberal nations," said Dame Ananto-Westmoreland. "The laws we abided by as a public bank in Sulari all have the House Ananto Carveout. Something I was very envious of as a private sector banker now no longer apply." Dame Ananto-Westmoreland will have one client and one client only, and that is House Ananto, to whom she has a fiduciary responsibility. "And I'm gonna make this House a mountain of money while I'm here." Another part of her House responsibilities are to manage the various properties belonging to the House and staff associated with those properties. "As Director, I am part Investment banker, part scheduler, part HR manager, part real estate Trustee. Its a huge job and I basically have a bureaucracy under me to help me do all this stuff."

In her role as House Director, Dame Ananto-Westmoreland is also the CEO of Miramar Holdings, the public trading company which is the investment arm of House Ananto. "Miramar is, by its charter always majority owned by House Ananto," said Dame Ananto-Westmoreland. "So I can add CEO to my list of responsibilities. Miramar receives public and private investments by individuals who want to make money from the various operations that Miramar invests in. The difference is that Miramar is required to be audited once every other year, and the results are publicly released. We also have a fiduciary duty to all of our investors, not just the Royal Family. So it is more like a publicly traded joint stock limited Liability corporation in that sense. A lot closer to working at the bank and subject to all sorts of regulatory laws and restrictions, etc."

Dame Ananto-Westmoreland is eager to take up her post, and will do so when Lady Helen Ananto-Reynolds finally fully retires in early June. She is expected to remain on the job until well into the 5700s, barring anything unexpected.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistan Remarks on Selucia
"Imprisoning Yeudis is, of course, a Problem", said FM
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
June 26, 5688


Foreign Minister Harney discusses summary imprisonment of Yeudis in Selucia

The Foreign Minister was asked in a recent interview to discuss recent changes in Selucia following the military coup in the Nation.

"From Kalistan's point of view, the military coup in Selucia doesn't really concern us. We have almost no contact with Selucia, on any level. We don't trade with them; we don't have any diplomatic representation in that nation; its basically a blank spot on our map," said Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney. "They don't figure at all into our defense calculations or our economic calculations at all. So, I'm afraid that, for the most part, what happens to the Selucian people under the military regime is a complete tragedy, and if they are not happy with that, I would encourage them to handle their government as an self respecting people under a brutal military dictatorship should handle their oppressors. Fire tends to work well."

He did raise one exception to Kalistan's general attitude toward Selucia: "The plight of the Yeudi population of that state, however is shameful." He produced a copy of the Selucian Newspaper which described Selucian selective and deliberate pograms directed at their Yeudi Population. "See here, this article, and I want to quote this directly, this article says:

'It is clear that the government is intending to take all of them, in a slow and gradual way. It has been reported that the Yeudi prisoners suffer more discrimination and abuse, and face worse conditions, than the rest of prisoners. Any protest or complaint about the treatment of the Yeudi prisoners has been met with violence from the army, which have overtaken the police force. Not just that, but the government has done an efficient propaganda ensuring many Selucians started showing disdain towards Yeudis, with non-imprisoned Yeudis reporting that they face more discrimination, insults, and even violence, from citizens themselves, rather than just from soldiers, than they ever did before.'

"Now, I don't know about you, but that sounds like Selucia is locking its Yeudi citizens up in jail for no reason at all, other than that they are Yeudi. And imprisoning Yeudis for no reason at all is of course a real problem."

Foreign Minister Harney continued, "Now, when one politician belonging to the Government in Valruzia mentioned that the Yeudis should be deported, Kalistan raised an immediate protest. Valruzia correctly dealt with that situation in our view, but let me ask you, how much more seriously do you think Kalistan is going to take this matter when we read, from Selucian sources themselves, that they are systematically targetting Yeudis to throw them into what we can only surmise are concentration camps? For no reason..."

The Foreign Minister then added, "And we see that a few nations have responded thus far, but let me ask: What does the Selucian mean when it says, and I quote, from the same article, '... likeminded or favourable nations (such as Egelion and Kundrati)'? Does this mean that Egelion and Kundrati are fully on board with everything Selucia is doing, especially in regard to the summary and capricious imprisonment of Yeudis? That Egelion and Kundrati are likeminded and favorable? Personally, we would need some clarification from those two governments to address this issue of their systematic targeting of Yeudi citizens for no reason at all." The Foreign Minister noted that the imprisonment of Yeudis can't hurt Kalistani-Selucian relations, which don't actually exist, but they certainly can damage any progress Kalistan has made with its long time nemesis Kundrati, with whom we were just starting to see progress, and with Egelion, whose relations have been deteriorating for years now.

"If Kundrati actually endorses this kind of behavior from this outlaw regime in Selucia, and actively seeks to work with them, even though they know what they are and what they are doing, how can Kalistan still work with them? How can Kalistan still work with Egelion on any level if Egelion looks the other way while attrocities like this are being perpetrated by the junta in Selucia? Didn't Egelion just fight a war against a similarly repressive military regime in Kizenia? Or was their concern not the extrajudicial exertion of force by an illegal gang of thugs against the people of Kizenia, but some other goal? It's time for consistency. Kalistan shows consistency in condemning ANY attacks against Yeudi people by illegal governments. Its time for other nations to stand up and be counted."

The Foreign Minister thanked President William Stedman of Lodamun for his principled comments on Selucia's oppressive actions. "We are glad that President Stedman has the strength of character to take a public stand against Selucia on this matter. We are happy to count ourselves among those who fight to defend the defenseless."

The Foreign Minister said the Kalistani Government has issued a travel advisor for anyone travelling to Majatra: "If you are Yeudi and you have a connecting flight in or around Selucia, it is likely you will be captured and imprisoned. We are advising all Kalistani Nationals to avoid transit to Northern Majatra at this time, especially those of Yeudi cultural heritage." He also said that all Yeudis in Selucia should immediately begin making their way toward the Kalistani Consulate in Pontesi as they are able. "AYIC will be onsight and can assist you in travelling to another destination where you will be safe, whether it be the Anantonese Empire, or Valruzia, or Tel Bira, or wherever you would like to go. We will be happy to assist."

He also said IBSI is preparing a public information campaign to be launched within Selucia that encourages resistence agaisnt inhumane actions of the Government. "I doubt any of them are even allowed to read this, but if there are any Selucians listening right now, just remember, there are more of you than there are of them. Don't buy the propaganda from an illegal group of thugs claiming to be a government." He said the IBSI campaign will roll out across Northern Selucia next month.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistanis greet Tripartite Kingdom Government
SOFA signed between Empire of Ananto and Kalistan and Free City of Luncasi grandfathered to entire nation
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
July 4, 5688


Foreign Ministers meet in Kaliburg to formalize Luncasi Base Lease and Infrastructure support

The Foreign Minister of the Tripartite Kingdom of New Endralon, Kizenia, and Kuzaki, the Honorable Cezar Istrati visited Kaliburg this week to meet the Imperial Government and sign the Formal Agreement extending the standing agreement which has existed between Kalistan and the Free City of Luncasi, in southern Kizenia since the end of the war. The Agreement, which includes a Status of Forces Agreement, as well as terms under which Kalistan will maintain exclusive access to the Luncasi Naval Logistics Center in Luncasi, which is currently under construction and an agreement for Kalistan to coordinate the construction of a new commercial port in Luncasi which will be for the use of the Free City and by extension, the Tripartite Kingdom, was signed in a ceremony that was attended by more than a dozen foreign service agents who have been working on the NEKK desk for the better part of a decade.

Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney, OAE, met the Tripartite Foreign Minister, Mr. Istrati at Kaliburg International and escorted him to the Imperial Seat, where he was welcomed in a short formal audience with Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins. The Chancellor of the Empire was also there, and spoke with reporters afterward, "The Foreign Minister was in a tuxedo, for some unknown reason. It is literally 10 am, the temperature this afternoon is expected to top 80 degrees, and his somewhat overdress occasioned some questions from Her Highness that preceded the formal introductions."

The Foreign Minister himself said, "What? Can't a man dress in a tuxedo to meet a colleague?" He was asked if he was coming from or going to a party. He said no, he just figured that today would be a good day to put the tuxedo on. The Foreign Minister was the image of dapperness as he and the visiting Kerisian chief Diplomat and representative of the Government under Prime Minister Danut Enescu removed to the Informal Audience Room. The two Foreign Ministers took the opportunity to take formal handshake photos, and then the Foreign Minister was offered the opportunity to say some words to the assembled Foreign Service Officers who had gathered to attend the meeting.

Speaking in Egelian, for the benefit of the audience, the veteran diplomat thanked Kalistan for hosting him in the Capital. He thanked the Empire for contributing to the liberation of his nation during the war and for keeping Luncasi and Deltabor safe. "La alianza entre nuestras dos naciones fue crucial para garantizar el flujo constante de bienes y material bélico a nuestro país, apoyando así el esfuerzo bélico contra el régimen anterior. Los pueblos de Luncasi y Deltabor agradecen a Kalistán su cooperación en materia de seguridad y por haber garantizado que la costa sur siguiera siendo un lugar de paz, descanso y refugio para quienes huían del conflicto en el norte."

Following his comments, FM Harney rose to announce the contents of the agreement, also in Egelian, though we have translated it back to Vrassan for our readers: "Today, we are signing this agreement between our two nations which codifies the situation that has existed since the signing of the Altean Treaty, between the Kalistani Government and the Government of the Free City of Luncasi. The terms of the Status of Forces Agreement are that

Art 1. Status of Forces
a. Kalistan agrees that all regular Armed Forces stationed in Luncasi Free City are there as invited guests of the City Government of Luncasi and of the Tripartite Kingdom. We understand that uniformed security agents and NEKK military are colleagues and our hosts within the Nation.
b. Kalistan shall have exclusive use of the Luncasi Naval Logistics Center, currently under construction, for a term of not less than 30 years, with option for renewal, beginning on the date that it is officially opened.
c. The Lease can be cancelled with the expressed agreement of competent and responsible authority in both Kalsitan and The Tripartite Kingdom.
d. The Tripartite Kingdom will work with the Free City to provide security for the base: Luncasi Free City controls the fenceline of the Naval Base, and the Base, while leased, remains Luncasi property. Luncasi controls all checkpoints and gates in the base.
e. Luncasi may coordinate with Kalistan, either on its own or with the Tripartite Kingdom to permit training of NEKK regular armed forces from the Base. During the period of the lease, Kalsitani operations shall take precedence, but Kizenian access to the port and facilities may not be unreasonably restricted otherwise.
f. The City Government, either acting alone or as an agent of the Tripartite Kingdom may enter the property for any reason.
g. They may not seize property or persons: All uniformed Naval, Marine, or Regular Army Personnel who are on base will be subject to the Kalistani Uniform Code of Military Justice.
h. While beyond the established fenceline, all Kalistani nationals are subject to Tripartite Kingdom laws, may be detained by Luncasi or NEKK police forces, and may be tried in NEKK courts.
i. If found guilty, The Tripartite Kingdom must be willing to consider an extradition petition to Kalistan, where the Kalistani system will honor, the best of its abilities the Court's Judgement, up to and including incarceration.
j. Kalistanis do not enjoy extraterritoriality in Luncasi, and the Base is considered Kizenian soil.

Art 2: Commercial Port
a. In exchange for exclusive rights to this base, Kalistan will provide contractors in the employ of the City of Luncasi materials and technical assistance in the construction of a Commercial Port at Luncasi no more than 1 mile east of the eastern most point on fenceline for the Naval Logistics Center.
b. Luncasi will contract designers, manpower, and tradesmen and women to construct the base, and Kalistan will cover all reasonable costs associated with the construction of the base, to include dredging and expanding the deep water port at Luncasi to service modern container ships, all concrete, all buildings and correctly gauged rail links.
c. The project to construct the commercial port will not last more than 10 years following the completion of the Naval Logistics Center.
d. Any costs incurred beyond that date will be covered by either Luncasi or the Tripartite Government.
e. Use of this Commercial port will be determined by the City of Luncasi, either alone or acting as an agent of the Tripartite Kingdom.
f. Kalistan and Luncasi may determine that they wish to cooperate on any other projects acceptable to both national governments.

"There are the terms of the agreement Kalistan has maintained with the Free City of Luncasi since the end of the War, and today, the Tripartite Kingdom also becomes a party to the agreement."

Following the reading of the articles, both Foreign Minister Harney, and Foreign Minister Istrati sat down and affixed their signatures to the agreement as representatives of their respective Governments. The signing ceremony was followed by passing out pens to staff of both nations. The Ceremony was followed by a luncheon featuring Rice Pilaf and chicken, toasts to both nations and a challenge between both foreign ministers to a round of cribbage. The Tripartite foreign minister won 121-117, given that he counted first on the last hand and went out with 3 nines, an eight and a nine in the cut.

The visit was a success and a very welcomed high point in relations between Kalsitan and the Tripartite Kingdom. FM Istrati was back on the plane and headed back to NEKK by 4:30 pm Kaliburg time.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

[

Major Summer Exercises take place in Ananto
Lodamun and Dolgava join Kalistani Regulars and Militia to simulate Invasion of Island
Bozo River CAGTC, Bozo River, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 14, 5688


Lodamese and Dolgavan Mechanized Infantry "Invade" Ananto as part of Operation Emerald exercises this month

Ananto is being invaded!

Not really, but this month, Kalistan hosts Lodamun and the Kingdom of Dolgava for what Her Imperial Majesty's Defense Ministry is calling "Operation Emerald", a series of war games designed to simulate a coordinated and sustained invasion effort by a determined and superior foreign force. The games are designed to help Kalistani planners identify and learn how to counter an array of regular tactical programs that Kalistan could theoretically face in the near future, as well as give both Lodamese and Dolgavan forces practical experience in beach operations, military operations in Urban Terrain (MOUT) tactics and Air-Ground-Sea coordination.

"This is a school environment," said Defense Ministry spokeswoman Commander Lauren Noe. "Bozo River CAGTC is the Anantonese region's greatest training facility. We offer a range of different terrains here that Regulars both at home and in allied nations will encounter in modern warfare, from the beach to the mountainside, rural and more developed areas, and arguably the largest free fire impact area in the world for artillery, naval bombardment, aerial bombing ranges, and large arms. It is Kalistan's primary training and maneuver area, and it serves us now as host to Operation Emerald.

During the month long exercise, which is half over, naval units took the spotlight for the first week and a half, as elements of the Kalistani Regular Navy and Amphibious element of the Militia attempted to stop the advancing Lodamese Navy at sea. Kalistani subs faced off against Lodamun underwater in a two day event, while several surface battles were simulated, including naval boarding and capture. "Well, in a sense the events were scripted, in that Lodamun was supposed to win these exercises. It's kind of the only way to get to the second part of the operation, which is invasion. But the drills we had scheduled were much more like detection and tracking, developing firing solutions with new technology, intercepting dummy missiles, that kind of stuff. So the wargames at sea had more to do with developing and practicing the capacity of our respective navies than they were about facing off and scoring points."

Reports were that Kalistan was able to deploy its surfaced based anti-missile technology native to the joint Kalistani-hutori developed and Hutorian built Bekenial III Frigates to great effect, allowing the systems to intercept rates to crawl above 90%. Of the 48 dummy cruise missiles fired at Kalistani ships, Kalistan was able to intercept 44 of them, giving them a success rate of 91.6%. "That's an excellent number," said Noe. "That system will save a lot of lives against conventional weaponry." A quasi-combat environment for Kalistani operators to test the anti-missile technology in the field was one of the primary impetuses of these exercises.

Lodamese and Dolgavan AAVs at the established beachhead at Bozo River

Phase 2, which began three days, also included Dolgavan marine forces from the 2nd and 5th Armored divisions, which joined Lodamese Mechanized infantry and assorted amphibious assault forces for an invasion of Ananto. Simultaneous bombing and naval artillery operations were carried out in advance, including a spectacular display of barrage techniques that impressed the Kalistani Observers. "When you get those guns roaring, its like a constant thrum that permeates all matter in the area," said Commander Noe. "A full Naval barrage is really something to experience."

As part of the phase, more dummy missiles were fired at the Kalistani coast for coastal batteries to attempt to shoot down. The land based installations slightly outperformed their naval counterparts, with a successful intercept rate of 92.1%. "Its unlikely that we will intercept every missile that comes our way," said Commander Noe. "There are a number of reasons for that, which are systemic and out of human control. Delayed triggering, failure to acquire the target, targeting malfunction or misidentification... Etc. The point is, however that if we can prevent more than 90% of these missiles from ever reaching their target, we virtually eliminate more technologically advanced nations who put exponentially inordinate sums of money into these systems."

The Commander continued, saying that neutralizing other nations' advantages, specifically those designed to separate their fighting men and women from combat, is part of Kalistan's defensive doctrine. "When all the technological bells and whistles are rendered useless, and its just a man with a weapon and a clean shot on an enemy, you know, the fundamentals of war which have been with man since the dawn of war, which is, incidentally, a feature you are gonna find in asymmetric battles, Kalistan can win on those terms. We can create infinite rifles and infinite bullets with the money they spend on one missile system. The funniest thing is, most modern nations rely, we may say, over rely on that kind of stuff, and they think it helps them win wars. Maybe against other conventional forces, but Kalistan wants to fight unconventionally, and regular forces have a difficult time dealing with that. War ain't supposed to be safe, but we want them to come here and fight here: we're gonna make sure we do everything we can to make war unsafe for invaders, and we're training to murder any sons of a b--ch invader who steps foot on Kalistani National Soil by the boatload, as viciously and without quarter as we possibly can."

The initial part of Phase 2 allowed Lodamun and Dolgava to practice their beach assault tactics, as wave after wave of Loadmese and Dolgavan forces brought LAVs, troop carriers, supplies and bodies ashore from Lodamese Amphibious Assault Ships off Ananto's Coast. Kalistani observers coordinated naval artillery fire with the Lodamese, and got to observe amphibious tactics with the Lodamese Navy. "These guys are hardcore," said Commander Noe. "They don't play around. Very professional, very mission oriented, very efficient. It really was a treat to see how well their get all this equipment and supplies and people onto these landing craft. The Lodamese Regulars were in high spirits, and it just looked like they were having fun out there, but I think its a kind of fun, so to speak, that comes with a high level of confidence in your own ability and systems, which made it a real treat to get to observe."

Kalistani Regulars marching to the "front" on Bozo River last week

Beachhead being set up, the next two weeks will be the "battle" so to speak where the joint forces will discuss different tactics for engagement. Kalistan will be on defense, while Lodamun and Dolgava take offense. There will be a "city battle" at the MOUT course which will involve house to house battle similar to the kind of combat Kalistan and Lodamun saw during the invasion of Likatonia. "Kalistanis earned a bad reputation during that whole affair," said Commander Noe. "I wouldn't be surprised if the Lodamese and Dolgavans employed some of Kalistan's tactics from that battle on this battlefield." Maneuver, ambush, civilian infrastructure demolition, and stress combat will also be explored over the next two week.

"We'll be 'enemies' over the next two weeks," said Commander Noe, "but when operations for the day are over, the Lodamese, Dolgavans and Kalistanis all agreed that fraternization between our forces should be encouraged. Part of this exercise is also to encourage our men and women under arms to get to meet our allies, and genuinely see them as allies. We can do this through inspiring competition on the battlefield, and in encouraging them to billet together, probably drink together, and get to know one another not as that Dolgavan or Lodamese over there, but as Corporal so and so, Lieutenant so and so, because we are all fighting on the same team here."

The culmination of the wargames will come in two weeks in a large, multi unit, multi front pitched battle. "It will be a veritable Combined Arms showcase, with air on station, being directed by artillery FOs, around tank and infantry maneuver, with naval units in support. The whole thing will involve Lodamese needing to locate, close with and defeat the Kalistanis, and the Kalistanis being required to hold a specified part of the training center that includes the MOUT course, the Forest Partisan training center, and the Bozo Mountains High Altitude Maneuver center. Points will be awarded for control of specific hardpoints in the battlefield, and the 'winners' will be decided based on the number of hardpoints controlled when the exercise is called. The focus will be on maneuver and employment of both conventional and unconventional tactics."

Commander Noe said that Kalistan greatly appreciates the participation of both Lodamun and Dolgava in the exercises. "These are nations we can trust: they are both very professional fighting forces, on par with anyone who Kalistan would consider rivals, and their willingness to participate helps our military learn and practice for when one of those rivals decides to threaten Kalistani interests at home or abroad. If we can do well here against the combined force of Lodamun and Dolgava, even if we narrowly lose the exercises, we will gain the confidence in our own armed forces that will bot only allow us to adjust, but also to signal to the world that Kalistan can at least hold its own. And at the end of the day, that's the only credible thing we can put on the table in any international negotiation where we desire to avoid war all together."

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

FM Discusses Kalistani Foreign Relations
Selucia, Dolgava, Istalia top of List for discussion
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 31, 5688


FM Sir Thomas Harney interviews at Checkers, a local Casual Dining Establishment in Kaliburg

Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Foreign Relations, Sir Thomas Harney, sat down with The Kalistani Republic's Meg Williams for a short interview. The two met at the local casual eatery, Checkers, in Downtown Kaliburg. Asked why the Foreign Minister wanted to conduct the interview at Checkers, he said "It's lunch time. Are you hungry?" Williams checked with her boss at The Republic who cleared the meeting. You can imagine the surprise when the FM showed up in a tuxedo.

(The Kalistani Republic's) M(eg) W(illiams): Wow, Sir Harney. I feel a little underdressed. I think everyone here is underdressed...

(Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir) T(homas) H(arney, OAE): How do you mean?

MW: Well... I mean... you're very well... dressed... I didn't know this was a formal thing, like a formal place. Everyone here is in shorts and t-shirts. I always thought Checkers was just kind of a place to come get a burger...

TH: No, this place has great cheese sticks. I kind of had a craving for their fried cheese. Sometimes you get that kind of craving you know.

MW: Sure... But I mean, you're wearing a tux. Did you come from a formal event or something?

TH: No. I don't think so. Just the office.

MW: Do you always wear a tux to work then, Sir Harney?

TH: You know, that's a great idea... Like a daily tuxedo, you know?

MW: Do you own more than one tuxedo?

TH: I think I own 12 or 13. My cleaning bills are pretty high, but, you know, sometimes you gotta prioritize the things that are important.

MW: Ok Well... I think we were going to talk about an update on the Selucian situation.

TH: Sure, The Foreign Ministry registering opposition to policy the arbitrary imprisonment of their Yeudi population is also sparking a lot of additional condemnation from around the world. That is very encouraging. You will also see a lot of your usual suspects threatening invasion. We'll see how that develops. It might just be that the Selucian government backs completely off of that policy without the need of an invasion, because invasions tend to have a funny way of turning into occupation, which turn into something like a soft annexation. Ideally, we would like to see Selucia pay attention to what is right in front of them and abandon that horrendous policy without other nations needing to intervene militarily.

MW: Who are some of the nations who have spoken up?

TH: Egelion and Vanuku have both spoken out, but more importantly for our perspective, we are seeing alignment from nations like Xsampa and Istalia. Just knowing that both of these states are on the correct page regarding protecting the Yeudi population of Selucia is very encouraging. We also know that our friends in Lodamun are very strong in their opposition to what Selucia is doing to its Yeudi population.

MW: Are there any states you are missing from your own list on Selucia?

TH: We haven't heard anything from Kundrati which seems a little disappointing. Luthori hasn't spoken out either, though I have a feeling I know where they stand. The Kundrati silence is growing louder, and this is a bit problematic for Kalistani-Kundrati relations which are just starting to heal.

MW: If Kundrati doesn't make a statement, will that slow diplomatic development between the two nations?

TH: I am concerned with will actually reverse them.

MW: Going the other way, how do you think the principled stance of Istalia and Xsampa will affect relations between us and them.

TH: As Kalistan, I know our Princess Regent has set her policy that we should try to repair relationships where we can. I know our Late Emperor and Empress felt this way too: its why they were in Kundrati in the first place. It definitely appears that Istalia in particular is really making an effort to open their doors to us, and this bodes very well for our relationship with the Majatran nation. There isn't a lot of reasons for Kalistan and Istalia to be adversaries: We have a lot in common and a lot of common ideas about things to build upon. I know they recently made kind remarks about Kalistan in their press, and to answer them, we are looking to accept the Olive Branch they have offered, and schedule a meeting with them as soon as practical for us both.

In regard to Xsampa, I would say this is more up to the Chancellor and the Princess Regent. Lady Donahue has her well known feelings about communists, but we have to ask when we are gonna let them out of the dog house in Kalistan? I think things might be changing there, and we may be ready to thaw things over this Selucian nightmare.

MW: Finally, on Dolgava, where is Kalistan?

TH: As you know the Current Queen is the daughter of a Kalistani supermodel who married their King. Of course we have strong affinity for her. Dolgava is now and has long been a close partner in our region. They are tied with Lodamun on a lot of security matters which Kalistan is interested in joining to support regional security, and of course much of the nation is part of Kalistan's Crownlands. Its kind of a no brainer that we are going to continue to associate closely with Dolgava. They are currently "invading" Ananto, right now, you know.

MW: Yes, the Operation Emerald exercises. How are those going?

TH: Just finishing up, actually. Dolgavan armor did a fantastic job. The Invaders won on points by the end of the three day battle, 17-14. But as we said: even if Kalistan gets close, we will consider this a success. Because in a war, we can expect that eventually we will be able to grind the invasion into a bunch of shattered war ghosts. We had three days this time: in a war we'll have however long it takes, even if we get hurt at the beginning. We've authorized campaign ribbons for all participants, assuming that Lodamun and Dolgava will permit their soldiers to wear them.

MW: Well, thank you for your time, Sir Harney. This has been super informative.

TH: Just in time, the cheese sticks have arrived. Wanna stick around and try some of these?

MW: I think she's coming with my salad, thank you for the offer though.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistani News in Brief: Operation Emerald Declared a Success;
Kalistan Invites Xsampa to talks in Kaliburg; .350 Legend releases Straight Rock Record
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 12, 5688


Seizure-Inducing Cover of .350 Legend's debut album heralds the Collapse of Eastern Civilization

Operation Emerald Declared a Success
The three nation month long exercise that simulated the invasion of Ananto by regular and Marine forces from the Commonwealth of Lodamun and the Kingdom of Dolgava has been declared a success by Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense, Lt. Col. Morris Grant. "The month long series of exercises has helped our Regular and Militia Forces identify a number of key areas for improvement," said the Defense Minister. "We identified that our primary weaknesses concentrate within the command and control areas: Kalistan promotes independent decision making that begins with and the NCO ranks. Squads and Platoons are the cornerstone of our Regular forces, similar to the Militia, which is able to operate on smaller unit levels and independent of over all command and coordination.

"The issue with this," continued the Defense Minister, "is that if there is too much independent decision making, we have a hard time coordinating units who are running all over the countryside on their own little missions, and not where we need them to be. If C&C breaks down at the lowest most fundamental level, you can have whole companies, battalions, and even regiments just evaporate when they need to be deployed in defense of a specific point. The 'enemy' or in this case our friends in Lodamun and Dolgava, demonstrated much better unit discipline and quickly exploited this, to their advantage, allowing them to win a close contest, but win it fairly decisively."

The Defense Minister congratulated the Kalistan praised the ingenuity of Kalistani regulars, and once again commended Militia forces. "Much of Kalistan's success is due to our partisan auxiliaries: the decentralized structure which is the Regular Force's weakness is a strength for the Militia, who acted more like so many guerrilla units rather than uniformed combat forces. You could write a book based on their tactics." The Defense Minister said that the exercises are already helping Kalistan refine its tactical doctrine to bring it more into line with the imperatives of modern warfare, given Kalistan's defense-in-depth strategic defensive doctrine. "We will look into ways to improve centralization of C&C, including bringing more company, battalion, and regimental decision-making online. Right now our mission is to continue exercising the Regular Force over the coming years: there is strength in unconventional war, but we also realize there are advantages to utilizing that in combination with regular, conventional military tactics as well. Kalistan can acquire both and excel at both, and this Exercise is the start of that effort."

Kalistan invites Xsampa to Talks
The Empire of Ananto and Kalistan have formally invited the Xsampa to Kaliburg to discuss renormalizing relations following Xsampa's strident condemnation of Selucia in their treatment of their Yeudi Citizens. "We understand that making a statement was very difficult for Xsampa," said the tuxedoed Sir Thomas Harney, who is Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister. "Given their history with Amudim, their full throated statement was a brave move for that country. The Chancellor of the Empire and Her Highness , the Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Collins said such courage was an example that should be followed and encouraged by Kalistan, and have instructed me to meet with Xsampan Colleagues here in Kalistan, if they are willing to come for a visit."

The Foreign Minister noted that he suggested that the meeting be held here in Kalistan because the Princess Regent would like to meet the Xsampans. "Her Highness said she has been to Xsampa before, having surfed there and posed for a surfgear calendar when she was younger. She said the Xsampans were welcoming to Kalistanis who visited, and she would like to take the opportunity to demonstrate her support for Xsampa's principled stance with one of our own--offering to renormalize relations between our two nations." The Princess Regent has understandably refused to fly anywhere, however, so it would not be possible for her to go to Xsampa for a visit.

"The compromise is to invite them here," said the Foreign Minister, who said that he sent a formal letter to the Xsampan Foreign Ministry with the invitation, by way of Hutorian Embassy. "We have received confirmation that my Xsampan Counterpart has received the letter, and says that the Xsampan Government is discussing how to respond." He also noted that similar invitations have gone to the Emperor of Luthori, the Emperor of Istalia, the Queen of Dolgava, and the Prime Minister of Mordusia.

.350 Legend releases Straight Rock Record
With an epilepsy inducing album cover, the Port Swedes based rock band known as .350 Legend has released their debut album on KMI, called The Collapse of Eastern Civilization. The band, which came out of the art scene and veered hard into the lo-fi indie rock scene, have been making a name for themselves in Kalistani rock clubs for years. But the recording of their first record was the result of local buzz created around their recent tour of Luthori, which they recorded, and released as a Concert Movie in cooperation with Republican Studios in Sulari. The Movie, called Indie Sleaze offers viewers a behind the scenes, unfiltered image of the band which, while attracting large crowds of most young twenty somethings, played more than 60 shows in less than 35 nights during the tour, recorded demos in various Luthorian studio spaces, hung out with fans, and still somehow found time and energy to consume heroic amounts of alcohol and illicitly obtained pharmaceuticals.

"We didn't sleep for about a month," said lead singer and self described artiste Mac Walley, who is from Port Swedes. "I mean, I think the adversity of the road was such that, we think we'd catch an hour here or there, like when we were trying to drive from one gig across the country to another one. And there'd be some girl who we picked up and she'd be climbing all over one of us, and the rest of us was like give it a break, man. I don't know how many girls we kicked out of our dressing rooms, but it was a lot..." The physical transformation of the hard working, hard drinking band that is depicted in the film is stunning: At the beginning, the band seemed a fairly clean cut and well groomed group of young art rockers, but by the end of the film, they looked like they had been through a war, and most of their clothes had been destroyed along the way.

"I think I had one pair of pants left by the time we left Luthori," said Walley. "John (Wrecks, the lead guitarist for the band) was on his last pair of draws... I don't even know what to say." The film itself was a hit with audiences here in Kalistan, and was seen as a anti-romantic depiction of the life of rock musicians on the road. But the Band was eager to move past it. "The songs we played in Luthori were all really rough versions of the songs that we put on our record," said Walley. "You almost kind of have to strain your ears to hear the similarities, but we've moved completely past those versions anyway. We'll never put that stuff out, but I think KMI wants to pull some of the tracks out and put together a soundtrack. Why? Who knows. Probably money."

Check out .350 Legend's debut album, The Decline of Eastern Civilization, on KMI right here. And check out the lead single "The Decline of Eastern Civilization", filmed live in Kaliburg, right here.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzO7IGWGxu8]
"The Decline of Eastern Civilization (Live) on the album of the same name, released on KMI by rock band .350 Legend

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Kalistani FM and Princess of the Empire fly North
Itinerary includes visits to Dolgava and Hutori
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 8, 5688


Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis and FM Thomas Harney depart Kaliburg on redeye to Aikums

Her Highness, the Princess of the Empire Mary Ananto-DeLaurentis and Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Sir Thomas Harney left Kaliburg early this morning to Dolgava and then further to Hutori. The visit is meant to reignite relations between Kalistan and the two northern allies, and was commissioned by Her Highness, Princess Regent Nicolette Ananto-Connor, who sought to remain in Kaliburg. It will also include discussions on the expansion of the Non-Aligned Movement, which is aimed at containing the expansion of global minded power blocs.

"Her Highness the Princess Regent dispatched the Princess of the Empire and the Foreign Minister to these two important nations primarily on good will visits," said Chancellor of the Empire, Lady Ericka Donahue, in Kaliburg. "The Foreign Minister has been keen to follow up with the crown in Aikums after this summer's military exercises, and specifically he wants to continue talks with the Dolgavan crown about deeper cooperation over intelligence and security sharing in the region, as Dolgava is rapidly reclaiming its place as one of Kalistan's main security partners." The Chancellor also said that the two representatives of Her Imperial Majesty's Government will spend time in country and get to know the other main actors in the Queen's new government.

"From Dolgava, the pair will travel to Hutori, where they will meet with Queen Ariana of Hutori and her husband, the King Consort David Alvarez-Ananto, to discuss several important matters, including things related to House Ananto," said the Chancellor, who refused to elaborate. "Her Imperial Majesty, Empress in Waiting Carolina-Katherine Michelle Ananto-Connor will gain the titles of Duchess of Ice Haven and Grand Duchess of the Isle of Sutton in Hutori, and part of the visit will be to check in on the Demesne, and work with local lords and representatives of the people there to prepare for the eventuality of a new Liege. The Hutori and Kalistani Royal families have, in many ways grown very close personally, and whether in Kalistan or in Hutori, personal visits like these are always a must."

The Chancellor said in all the two would be out of the country for the better part of two weeks. "Schedule permitting, Her Highness may have them both stop in in Nowagard Valruzia as well, on their way back home, to visit with President Urzsula Pawlik in Valruzia. I am almost certain that the Princess of the Empire has not been to Valruzia, but she mentioned she would like to see the nation at some point, and it will be a great opportunity to continue conversations about the procurement of multi-role fighter planes currently under development with our Western Seleyan ally." The Chancellor noted that the visit to Valruzia will happen if scheduled can be coordinated with the Valruzian counterparts, but otherwise, it is likely that the Kalistanis will remain in Hutori an extra day before returning home.

Lady Victoria Jensen is accompanying Her Highness the Princess of the Empire.

The trip is under the aegis of Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Ministry, and will be the Foreign Minister's first major trip outside of Seleya.

@TheRepublic

[Doc]

Mordusian Acid Rock Trio Releases Debut Album in Kalistan
"We're here for the drugs," says Lead Singer
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
December 25, 5688


Fear of the Unknown's Optimismo Inexplicable explores intersection between Alt Rock, Electronica, and hallucinogenic drugs

A standout release late in 5688 shows just how far Kalistan has moved from the relatively straight forward dance electronic rock of the New Wave of RF in a very short period. The era, about a decade long, isn't necessarily over, but one thing it was known for was an influx of foreign musicians from mostly Luthori. Many of them have already packed it in and returned home: The era was also known for a string of what ultimately ended up as one hit wonders. The departure of the Luthorians have ceded the field once more to the art and alt rock musicians that sprout up like weeds across Kalsitan.

Into this environment, the Mordusian trio, Fear of the Unknown has actually permanently relocated. Fear of the Unknown's Jack McQuaid, Salvatore Del Marco, and lead singer and multi instrumentalist Marshall "Junior" Sweeney, who grew up together in the Mordusian city of Randworth, relocated to Kalistan as a band in 5679, and have been playing and recording since then. Building the following in Sulari, against the backdrop of the New Wave, gave them a little bit of notoriety, given their radically different sound. They recorded two independent label records, 5682's Walking on Ice and 5685's Elephants in Tapshoes. The releases made them critical darlings and "your favorite band's favorite band" in the Sulari scene, which for the most part remained apart from the Kaliburg and Addisjah driven New Wave of RF and the Art Rock scenes. The entire band received their Citizenship in the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan in 5686 and earlier this year, they were signed to ARC for a guaranteed two album deal.

"We're definitely here for the drugs" said Junior Sweeney. "I mean. Whatever you want you can get here, dirt cheap too. It really has totally opened so many new doors for this band. It's wild. The drug culture back home is we could say pretty shabby. And its all mostly illegal. So, like if you want to use drugs and make music, of course, Kalistan is the place to do it." Sweeney said that the band dedicated their first Major Label release to LSD, and said the theme of the album was inspired by an acid trip. "I won't tell you what kind of stuff we saw that night, but man... It was dark... Like the dark side..." And then he proceeded to tell us all about what he saw "that night".

Sweeney said ARC signed the band based on the strength of their live show--Fear of the Unknown opened for KMI's ADMIN on their national tour last year. "Those guys are wild, let me tell you mate," said Sweeney. "They are good dudes though. We were kind of known as this arty, and I mean like visual arts, you know the whole swirly lava lamp thing we run behind our shows for kids to trip out on, and everything, and they were like check this out man..." According to Sweeney, ADMIN and Fear of the Unknown had an epic all night jam session and it rather changed the overall direction of the band.

"You know, we were into these effects, these swirly things and these audio tracers and all that. It's pretty hard to explain, but I mean I have definitely heard all these sounds, and our producer Carly Winslow, brought all these great ideas into the studio, about producing to get that psychedelic effect. These overdubs and these kind of layering, and the wet/dry stuff. I don't know man, it's all just really cool and a lot of these ideas are aimed at kind of keeping up with what ADMIN is doing."

The result is a much more accessible album of very ornately produced acid rock that relies heavily on crunchy compressed instrumentation, heavy synthesizers with space effects, and bigger than life sound, with vocals so wet that they sound like they were recorded in a cave. "It's aimed at giving people music to have a, well, an admittedly bad trip to. Like... I mean... I had four tracks just on my vocals at all times so I can fade in from one side, or you know, phase out completely. The music just really cooks, mate. I mean, yeah." Its certainly the most straight forward rock and roll record the band has put out to date.

Though the band has gained a reputation for their madcap antics at shows (they charge 65 Imperial Rubles to see them in clubs in Sulari, but will discount the tickets by 45 Imperial if you take a dose of LSD at the door, that they provide and have admitted that they have no idea how many doses are administered when they say "a dose", for example), this trio are actually very serious musicians. "I mean, yes, we make music to trip to," said bassist McQuaid. "And yes, Sweeney is kind of really into acid, DMT, shrooms and more or less anything that can twist reality up. But we didn't just get here accidentally. I mean, Sweeney is really into writing songs that are really well crafted, and hes really serious about it. I'd call him kind of a perfectionist, and in the studio, I think, he was kind of the captain of the ship, but because when he's in work mode, he's so like a b c, let's get it done, we actually cut the record for ARC in like 2 weeks start to finish. I think he wants to get his work done so he can stop working and go eat acid."

Drummer Del Marco agreed. "Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids, and Jack and I just try to keep up with that guy. Music is our first language, and I think we can say stuff in music that its difficult to put into words all the time. That band ADMIN is kind on that same wave, and I think its really just kind of a brotherhood, you know. They eat a LOT of acid. I don't think I ever saw those guys sober, on the whole bloody tour. Lot of fun though. Good on them if they can keep it up." All three members of Fear of the Unknown were very happy with the results of the ARC sessions, and even agreed to allow additional producers come in and make remixes of several of the tracks.

"Its what these Northerners call 'Bonus tracks'," said Sweeny. "Did ya know that, mate? For the "Deluxe Edition.' See that's really how you do it. You make the album you want to make, release it, sell it out, you know... and then go on tour and all of a sudden, here's the 'deluxe edition', maybe a different color vinyl or something, different cover art whatever, and all of a sudden, people are buying a second copy, because they have to have the 'deluxe edition' too... And then we release the 'super-f--k off-deluxe version' on streaming services, so people will spin the record again, and hear the remixes, and all the outtakes, which we couldn't put on the record, because we ran out of room on the vinyl... You get like three records out of one record. It's f--kin brilliant, mate. I'm learning so much. These Kalis are mad, I tell you..."

You can check out the first single from Fear of the Unknown's (non-deluxe edition) Major Label Debut, Optimismo Inexpicable called "Here He Comes" right Here, as well as the B-Side, "it never really was" recorded by and distributed by ARC in Sulari.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnKUD_OztRE]
Fear of the Unknown's plodding acid drenched debut single "Here He Comes"

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FRbDkPsj0wk]
The Single's B-Side "it never really was"

@KalistaniRawkMonthly