Kalistan

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Kalistani Election monitors certify Tukarese Elections
"Mostly Clean," "Some discrepancies noted", said monitors
Sangon, Tukarali
June 19, 5638


Electoral Map shows District Winners in Tukarese Federal Elections of April 5638

Kalistani election monitors have released their final report from the 5638 General Elections in Tukarali. Election monitors were asked to observe the elections to verify that there were no significant issues with the process of the election, that the results represent the views of the voters, and that the election occured across the country cleanly. The monitoring process is designed to help the voters of Tukarali be confident that the process itself is fair and that the government is making steps to ensure integrity of the election process as the government continues its transition to democracy.

"Two free and fair elections in a row generally signifies that a state is out of significant danger of backsliding into authoritarianism," said Program spokeswoman Ana Pontin, who teaches Comparative Government at Suldanor Duchy University. "We can be confident that elections which produce results that people believe in demonstrate that institutionalization of democratic norms has begun to take hold, as people become used to having their voices reflected in vote counts. That combined with the promotion of civil society institutions and the protection of civil liberties is the surest way to deepen a democratic transition."

Kalistan was invited to monitor the elections because they do not have a stake in the outcome, and therefore can provide neutrality. "This is the opportunity for our students and graduate assistants to gain some real world experience in application of theory in practice," said Pontin. "We require that they have substantial working knowledge of both the language and the political culture, history and institutions of the place that we are monitoring, and in this case, were able to put together a team of more than 250 individuals to come down to Tukarali for a total of two weeks to monitor setup, conduct of election and the final counting all across the country."

The results were positive for Tukarali. "We have found that the election was clean and fair, and in general, reflected the will of the people," said Pontin. "There were no major instances of vote suppression, or voter intimidation by the state or security auxiliaries. Nearly all the people we spoke with both before and after casting their vote said that they have faith that this election result will be fair and will reflect what majorities ask for, and all major parties were given ample opportunity to campaign, to attempt to influence votes, to distribute materials, and to hold rallies for their supporters. Our team confirms what the Tukarese Government has claimed: The results show that Mr. Caetano was the winner of the overall vote, and the Popular Democratic Party (PDP) won a bare majority in the National Legislature."

Final tallied results were similar to reported exit polls from confirmed voters. "In each of 180 sample constituencies, When asked 'What Party did you vote for?' reported votes were never more or less than 3% points away from what the polls reported the final tally was. In only 7 instances, the reported exit polling deviated from the actual vote count far enough that a switch would have changed the outcome of the election. This is in less than 5% of the sampled precincts. No case would the difference have altered the final outcome of the evening. Therefore we can say that the results accurately reflect the stated desire of the voters." Legislative elections generally mirrored federal Presidential results as well.

The major issues came in two areas: There is significant over and under representation of a winner given the Single Member District, First Past the Post system which tends to award an election to a Party which wins a plurality, rather than either allocating legislators proportionately or requiring a majority by instant runoff or single transferrable vote. "The result is that in many districts, the candidate who won actually got less votes that two or three of the other candidates combined, but since they split the opposition vote, the candidate who got less votes actually won" said Pontin.

"This leads to undercounts and decreases the power of protest voting," said Pontin. "We saw a great example of this deficiency in the Capital of Sangon, where the winner of the 8th District was the plurality winner, PDP candidate Vicente Salles de Freitas. Mr. Salles de Freitas won with 28% of the vote. In a 2 party system, that would not be enough, and would be a clear loss for the candidate, but because there was heavy vote splitting, especially among the two main opposition candidates from Rosa and MDV, no other candidate managed to get more votes than the PDP candidate, who took the election."

The FPTP system is a fairly effective way of quickly determining a winner, but it does not always accurately reflect the will of the entire electorate as we see here. "It was not counted as a discrepancy, though, because institutional rules say FPTP, and so Mr. Salles de Freitas won by following the rules of the system. If voters do not like this, they should ask their government to change it, but the rules of the system were clear to all going in, and by the rules an obvious winner was determined."

Another discrepancy noted was that there were not always adequate protections against electioneering at the polls. "We have no evidence that the government either directly or indirectly influenced the choices of the voters one way or another during the election process, which suggests that there was not interference to produce a specific outcome," said Pontin. "However, in more than 42 sample constituencies, there was some fairly extreme electioneering, to include pamphletting while people were in line, verbal and physical altercations between passionate members of competing parties, people wearing shirts and buttons supporting their chosen candidates and getting yelled at by other voters, and candidates placing signs and even in some cases, turning up to the polling site to attempt to persuade voters to cast votes for them. The issue is, of course, that under the current system, this activity is not considered illegal. Unethical perhaps, but not against the law. It may have had a chilling effect on some people's votes, who may have been concerned that somehow that influence would affect the outcome."

Some suggestions Pontin offered for the future are to consider ways to make legislative outcomes even more reflective of the will of the voter. "It may require some constitutional reforms to make the system more of a proportional representation system, to allow voters to not feel like they have to engage in strategic voting. Currently there is no way constitutionally to even redistrict. As populations shift in the country, that in and of itself will become a problem. Sooner or later, if the Government is interested in maintaining legitimacy, they will obviously want to consider some constitutional reforms to try to address these two situations."

Additional reforms could be simple statutory limitations on election place campaigning. "Allowing people to vote in peace tends to encourage more people to be willing to show up to the polls and stand in line to wait to vote," said Pontin. "Simple policy changes that do not permit signs and campaign materials at polling sites will encourage a culture of the expectation of privacy. Once people become inured to expect that their votes will be private and more importantly inviolable, the more they themselves will insist on that. This one change alone can help engender support for democratic institutionalization that can deepen democratization in the country. It will promote a virtuous cycle in the country." Campaign finance reform is also another policy change, but at the end of the day, money can only go so far during elections. "The best system, in our opinion would have publicly financed elections. But in fact few democratic systems have robust public funding, and that alone would not invalidate an election from being considered fair and legitimate."

While these discrepancies will certainly be addressed in time, Pontin said that the team got the sense that the Government was committed to free, fair and clean elections going forward. "We feel confident that elections were well run, the process was transparent and there were strong guardrails in place against abuse, most especially from the Government, from Party organizations and from political elites interested in ensuring outcomes different from what the voters wanted. We applaud the People of Tukarali for taking these steps to deepen their transition away from authoritarian rule to democracy."

The full report, which contained about 650 pages of raw summary data in support of the findings of the Monitor Group.

@TheRepublic

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Defense Ministry, Major Oscar Bonaventure proposes 5th Fleet
"Aim is to guard Northern Approaches", said Defense Minister
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 5638


Major Oscar Bonaventure in Formal Hearings at the National Assembly

Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense, Major Oscar Bonaventure has informed the National Assembly that the Government has authorized the formation of a Fifth Regular Fleet. "This fleet will perform important service in the Sea of Lorna as the primary cold weather fleet of the Kalistani Regular Navy," said Major Bonaventure, in hearings before the National Assembly, who is expected to pass the bill to begin procuring the ships that will form the fleet. "It will be a predominantly subsurface fleet, supported by a small contingent of rapid response surface ships and will lean fairly heavily on an ASW component"

The fleet will consist of the following components:

• 2 Kaliburg-C Class(RLE: Arleigh Burke Class) Destroyers
  
• 1 Luxon Class (RLE: Ticonderoga Class) Guided Missile Cruisers
  
• 2 Ontiveros Class(RLE: De Zevon Class) Frigates
  
• 18 Victor Class (RLE:Walrus-Class) attack submarines
  
• 24 Indica-C Class (RLE: Type 212A/Todero Class) Defensive Submarines
  
• 8 Sulari Class (RLE: Braunschweig Class) Corvettes
  

"These ships will be built in Kaliburg and Gaduridos over the next six to eight years, and will cost the Empire about K9.2 Billion Rubles a year to manufacture," said the Defense Minister. Maintaining the fleet will require a 8.2% increase in military budgets over all, but that cost will be phased in as more ships take their place on the line, according to the Minister. The fleet will be based in Bozo River and will share the facility until either a new one is built or Kalistan can secure a lease for a base further north of Ananto.

Noticeably missing from this fleet is any semblance of air power once again. "Kalistan, for her part would rather produce a dozen submarines than invest in one air craft carrier," said Major Bonaventure. "Aircraft carriers are incredibly expensive, easily damaged, and often become the target of offensive naval capabilities. They are not the panacea to every single wartime situation, as we demonstrated in the Artanian Sea. Consequently, Kalistan will maintain its tactical advantages under the waters and let surface borne ships defend against incoming threats from the air, if they appear."

The Defense Minister justified the need for a fifth fleet. "There are three approaches to Kalistan via the ocean. One is the choke point at Karzon (Dolgava), one is between Gaduridos and Indrala, and one is the Lorna Sea between Keris and Dovani. We have long assumed that the Northern Approach was a kind of sally port, as the main threats were generally from the west in Artania and Majatra. Closing the third point has been on the agenda for a long time, and now that Kalistan has ended its involvement in Artania, we can focus on closing this last important avenue right into the heart of the Empire." The Defense Minister said that Ananto always has two fleets between it and the Island except in the north, and the creation of the Fifth Fleet will resolve that deficiency.

The new V Fleet is expected to be configured in the same way that IV Fleet is configured, with a main body composed almost completely of surface ships stationed closer to the Empire, while the Submarines form two main groups to screen well out into the Lorna Sea. "It makes sense to have a smaller surface fleet in the 5th Fleet," said Bonaventure, "Because in instances where the surface fleet would be needed, the smaller, more agile surface group of the Fifth Fleet will always be supported by the much more surface heavy 1st Fleet which patrols the ocean between Ananto and Keris. In this sense, the 5th Fleet and the 1st Fleet, whose patrol areas will overlap north of Lourenne, will form more like a reinforced Corps, rather than two separate elements. But with a smaller command element, while not at war, the Fifth Fleet can theoretically respond faster to emergencies and hold until they are reinforced."

The Defense Minister also hinted that Kalistan is beginning to work on improved targeting for its missile frigates. "We are working with Spencer to develop new tech that will allow us to use satellite data to guide our missiles. Doing this isn't as easy as it may seem, but it could lead to a number of things, including incoming projectile defense, like missile defense, and land based anti-missile missiles. Kalistan's space program has not been used to develop offensive weaponry: It has focused primarily on peaceful civilian space exploration. But: as our neighbors like to focus on specific projects, we feel like it is possible that Kalistan will be left in the dust when it comes to mitigation of strategic and long range tactical weaponry." The Defense Minister said his department would be approaching Lodamun, who is known to have developed and tested missiles and weaponry along these lines.

The Minister remained for questions after his brief was completed, and provided more details about the program in executive session which was closed to the press due to security needs.

@TheRepublic

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"Kalistan is drifting from Keris" says Foreign Minister
As northern States practice foreign policy of Alienation, Kalistan looks closer to home
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
November 12, 5638


Lady Waltrip discusses evolving Anantonese Policy following Kundrati War

What was once a very promising relationship between Kalistan and Kerisian states, including Egelion, has turned into what Her Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister described yesterday as a "policy of alienation." The remarks were given at a luncheon celebrating the retirement of long time Kalistani Ambassador to Egelion, the Honorable Miguel Marques-Ontiveros.

"Despite the best efforts of Ambassador Marques to stay engaged and informed about what is going on in Egelion, he's found himself completely shut out of most opportunities for cooperation in the Egelian capital," said FM Waltrip at the luncheon. "He has always represented this Empire well in Altea, but chose to take early retirement because he felt like attempting to get any information about anything at all was like asking a brick wall. In addition, a recent survey of treaties between our two governments reveals that a couple main treaties Egelion was believed to have signed, the Anantonese Economic Standardization Accord and the Anantonese Security Community, have in fact not been signed. It is unclear if they had ever signed them, though the Government of Egelion had expressed interest at some point in doing so. As a result, Egelion has been enjoying the benefits of the Seleyan Customs Union while not observing any of the requirements of the treaty itself."

The fact that Egelion is not a member of either treaty regime immediately shifts a number of things, according to the Foreign Minister. "As we have been under the belief that Egelion was an active member of both the economic and security arrangements, we have been preferring Egelion over others simply because we prefer to do business with those who want to do business with us. Learning that Egelion has opted to not join the Customs Union immediately makes them eligible for reciprocal trade policy. No longer are our markets completely open to Egelion. This will necessarily shift a significant portion of our trade back to the south. The primary beneficiaries of this will be Lodamun and Gaduridos, and by extension Likatonia and Valruzia. Similarly, all military and security cooperation between Kalistan and Egelion will end, and any future arrangements will take place on a bilateral basis, if they are to take place at all. This includes intelligence sharing, which to be completely honest, has never come from Egelion on any level."

The Egelion policy of alienation will cause Kalistan to drift away from Keris, and has made former Ambassador Marques' job more difficult. "Ambassador Marques told me that the Egelion government treated him cordially as one would expect, but getting simple things like requests for information met were 'next to impossible,' Meetings were skipped by high ranking Egelion officials, or handed off to underlings, and important state visits were nearly impossible to coordinate. It got so bad this summer, that we received a message from the Queen of the Kingdom, Queen Nicole Montalivet, who is an Ananto by birth, to pass on her personal regrets that the two countries had strayed so far apart."

The Foreign Minister noted that Her Imperial Majesty is now considering whether to downgrade the Embassy in Egelion to a consulate, or whether to name a new Ambassador. "Given Egelion's obvious policy toward Kalistan, we're not sure whether naming a new Ambassador to Egelion will serve either state. Egelion's intention seems to be to alienate Kalistan so maintaining a full embassy seems to be less supportable at this point." The Foreign Minister has also expressed an intention to withdraw from both the Romulo Fund and the Organization for Stability and Cooperation in Democratization.

"Kalistan has done more to promote democratization in Seleya than any of the other signatories of the treaty, regrettably, and we can still do that work without being tied to a treaty. Similarly with the Romulo Fund: As it is not providing relief anywhere, Kalistan has been contributing a quarter of a percent of its GDP for years now, and would rather spend that money directly on assisting with Seleyan stability and Cooperation."

Her Highness Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval, head of House Ananto is currently in discussions with Her Imperial Majesty regarding Miramar's investments in Santamar Bank. "Our initial investment of ₭30 million, along with another ₭20 Million in reserve capital made by Lady Dana Ananto in 5591, compounded over almost 48 years with additional monthly contributions is now worth about ₭230 Million, even at the meager interest rates Santomar was giving House Ananto for such a substantial investment," said FM Waltrip. "Miramar can imagine multiple projects to invest that sort of money in in countries that actually wish to work with Kalistan." A decision on Miramar's investments in Santomar Bank is likely to be made in days, rather than months, but at this point, it seems "almost certain" that Kalistan will divest in the Egelion economy entirely. "Not sure what that will do the bank," said FM Waltrip, "but Egelion is busy turning Keris and Dovani into Canrille 2.0, so I think they will be fine."

While Egelion has denied that there is any recent change in policy, the policy of alienation seems to have been in place for some time. The King of Egelion opted to skip Empress Mary's Coronation, and the only reason he has visited the Anantonese Empire was for the funeral of Lady Dana Ananto, who was his spouse's mother. Meanwhile, Egelion has currently been working to align Dovani against the Anantonese Empire, because they were apparently piqued that Kalistan was fighting fascism while they would have preferred to let fascism spread.

"Treating Egelion like just another nation, rather than one Kalistan has fraternal ties to will force Kalistan to focus on Seleya more," said Lady Waltrip. "But Her Imperial Majesty said a friendship is a two way street, and she no longer thinks she should be the only one putting in any effort to maintain this one." The drifting will ultimately end the 50 year long friendship that Kalistan has maintained with the House of Montalivet since the date of their initial founding as a cadet branch of the Lourrenais Imperial Family, and will ensure that the the Anantonese Empire turns from the west to the north when it looks for threats. "We'll stay cordial with Egelion. After all, its not like Romulo himself has become a fascist. He seems upset instead because Kalistan was fighting fascists, despite his government's rhetoric against extremism."

In other news, FM Waltrip noted that the Syndicalists of Baltusia are once more becomming active. She said the Defense Ministry will be conducting exercises in the Lucid Valley, just north of the Baltusian Frontier this winter, and that it is keeping a wary eye on Baltusia. "Her Imperial Majesty has stated that Kalistan stands ready to aid Athosians in the event of any reprisals or disorder against them from the Syndicalist Government. But for now, we don't want to unnecessarily antagonize the Baltusian Government: We have done that before and it has not ended well, ever. Eventually we would hope to normalize relations with our Southern Neighbors but right now we are taking a wait and see approach."

@TheRepublic

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Chancellor of the Empire discusses recent article declaring Kalistan a "Hegemon"
"People act like that's a title we are claiming," said Sir Koenig
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 7, 5639


Chancellor of the Empire Michael Koenig at impromptu interview at National Assembly

The Chancellor of the Empire, Sir Michael Koenig was on hand to answer a few questions yesterday following widespread reports of criticism of a very popular article published in the Anantonese Journal of Economics and Theory last month which discussed Hegemony and called Kalistan a regional hegemon.

"To be honest, I haven't read it," said the Chancellor. "So I don't have a lot of context about what others are so upset about. The authors called Kalistan a hegemon?" When confirmed, the Chancellor said "Well, from what I understand about the term, and forgive me because I am from a finance background rather than a political science background, but that's not something one claims to be. It's merely an acknowledgement of fact: Like a state does this this and this, and others can't or won't oppose them, so that sort of makes them a hegemon whether they claim to be or not. I might totally misunderstand that term, but I don't think this Government has ever claimed to be a hegemon, so I don't know what those idiots up there are so upset about."

The "idiots" Sir Koenig was referring to is likely the Government of the former State of Trigunia, also known as Nadiya. While Kalistan technically recognizes the state, because of the strange political configuration of that country, it is unclear as to whether Kalistan recognizes the entire nation or merely one of five of the states that currently exists in the space that the world used to refer to as Trigunia. Relations between Kalistan and whoever it is that represents the government of Nadiya have been confused and frustrated by Nadiya's weird political arrangement which makes it impossible to tell whether one is dealing with an overarching government, or a confederation, or one of five of the confederated states at any given time: the result is that, while Kalistan did officially offer recognition, nothing else has happened on the diplomatic front, much to Kaliburg's irritation.

"People act like this is some title that Kalistan has claimed for itself," said Sir Koenig. "And as a result they are now doing what they do best, which is running around with their hair on fire, slurring Her Imperial Majesty with a number of very personal insults, making vague threats, and doing who knows what else with their lives. We honestly wish Nadiya luck with getting their act together, but their opinion on the questions we are grappling with is probably worth about as much as a bucket of warm spit on a hot sunny day."

Chancellor Koenig also confirmed several points for reporters:

Kalistan will be shifting its trade flows from the north to Dolgava. "We did an analysis of trade and we find that Dolgava, which serves as a hub for trade from Artania and Makon, can better serve Kalistani Markets than if we opened trade up to the entire continent." As for flows from northern Dovani, Sir Koenig said "We still have high trade volume from Lourenne for central Dovani trade, and we are also exploring links with Gao-Soto. Those programs are still in early phases, but it is something that we are looking at." The Chancellor also said that Kalistan was intending to visit local sources in Valruzia and Tukarali, while asking Lodamun to increase volume from Likatonia as well. "Kalistan lives well, but our consumers like foreign goods. We are always in the market to buy and sell. Reliable trade partners are welcomed."

The Chancellor confirmed that Miramar has fully divested from Banco Santamar in Egelion. "Miramar took a slight hit on the shares due to the quick sell off, something on the order of about 1.4% of the total value of the portfolio. But in the end, the move pulled ₭259 million Imperial Rubles out of the Bank, and returned it to the Miramar books." The Chancellor reported that the divestment was related to political tension, and the fact that Miramar was not happy with how the investments might be used. "Her Highness, Princess Michelle Ananto said she was not certain that the money wouldn't be used to fund Egelian investments in Dovani. If those investments are being used to boost Egelion's image in Dovani, she felt this was not something that Kalistan ought to be supporting." Kalistan already ended its involvement in the Romulo Fund last December, calling the sunk costs "a complete wash" and considers this divestment to be the last tie in the economic association between the two nations to be broken. "It was a shame that things went in this direction," said Princess Michelle. "But there just didn't seem to be any financial upside in us keeping our investments in Egelion any longer."

Koenig suggested that Miramar intends to reinvest this money around the Anantonese Empire, with several infrastructural and industrial sector expansion plans in Kalistan, Gaduridos and Lodamun in the docket for the next few years, including the expansion of light commuter rail in Sulari, Kaliburg and Ciudad Gaduri. On the possibility of new investment from Miramar, stocks in the KalSiE generally rallied across the board, with only a handful of losers, most of them dealing with import related commodities. KalSiE modestly finished up 2.3% over last week's totals.

Chancellor Koenig confirmed that Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto will be meeting with Queen Jaanika of Dolgava in a formal state visit. "We received news from the Embassy in Aikums that the invitation to meet has been accepted," said Chancellor Koenig. "Her Majesty, Queen Jaanika has been a very close partner in the Kundrati conflict, and has been a reliable and equal partner in security in the Northern Anantonese Ocean. Her Imperial Majesty feels that closer personal and diplomatic ties between our two nations is a major priority, and has offered to meet and discuss our paths forward. Queen Jaanika has accepted the invitation." The Chancellor said that details of the proposed meeting will be forthcoming, but main topics of discussion will be continuing security and economic cooperation, and renewing personal ties of friendship between the Kingdom and the Empire.

The Chancellor remained for a few questions, but then excused himself as he was expected in a meeting of the Ministry of Defense across the Mall.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistani News in Brief: Some Institutional Deputies call for end of Single Party Government
The Crew releases new Album; Investments in Vrassa Housing Stock
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
March 5, 5639


Addisjah's The Crew releases debut LP Vrassa Youth Brigade on LCR

Some Institutional Deputies call for end of Single Party Government
"It's strange that we can monitor elections in other nations and yet our own elections don't really offer anyone a real choice," said Deputy Tamara Donaldson, of Springfield, Odufaray. "Kalistan should end One Party Rule, and usher democracy in at the National Level." Donaldson said she represents a small but growing faction within the Institutional Party who thinks that the days of Single Party rule in Kalistan should be at their end. "People demand democracy and would like to have a choice at the polls."

Donaldson is indeed a representative of a small faction: Her motion to reconsider the Single Party Law in Kalistan received a second on the floor, for the purposes of debate, but received no other votes. Donaldson vowed to continue to fight for liberty. "But what does it mean to offer people a choice when the only reason the National Assembly exists is to create policy that enacts Her Imperial Majesty's Policies?" asked Deputy Raymond Anselmo of Reynoldia. "What difference does it make if there is one Party or fifty, if our job is the same? Do you really think conducting elections under fraudulent conditions, such as the Deputy is suggesting, is really better than the elections we have now, where people pick who they think their best voice is for their constituency? At least our elections are honest and free of political tricks and corruption."

Donaldson said she will form a Liberal Caucus, and attempt to campaign in Kalistan until her caucus has enough votes to overturn the Single Party Law. "I will fight for genuine democracy in this Nation!" Meanwhile polls show that support for democracy is holding at a historical level of about 12% with most of the people responding thinking that either liberal democracy is a waste of time or is a scam played by elites to make people think they have power when in fact they have none. Most respondents call Kalistan's system "far more honest" than well known democracies in Artania and Dovani.

The Crew releases new LP on LCR
The Addisjah hardcore punk band The Crew, released their debut LP on LCR. The album, called Vrassa Youth Brigade has already drawn some attention for its political and social content. "This album pulls no punches," said The Crew's lead singer Alphonse "Al B" Barbero, from Addisjah. "We came up in the Addisjah skinhead scene, we call for revolution, and we're straight edge. We believe in unity, we believe in our scene and we stand with our friends. We're here to represent Hardcore."

Barbero is the son of Istalian immigrant Giuseppe Barbero, who moved to Kalistan with his then infant son, and enlisted in the Kalistani Regular Navy to build a future for his family. Seaman Giuseppe Barbero was killed in the Artanian Sea Campaign and was awared the Naval Medal of Valor posthumously, which Al Barbero still displays proudly in his apartment. "I was basically a bastard cause my father was killed by fascists and my mom, she was working all the time, you know, it was tough. My Crew were there for me--they are all I have left now."

"We are making music for our friends," said bassist Malik O'Neil. "We're a very tight groups of guys and girls, and yes, women are welcome at our shows. In fact, they mix it up in the pit just as hard as the guys, and they're in our Crew as well. Connie and Marlene (Wagner, two sisters from Addisjah and who are well known among the skinhead scene in Addisjah) even sing on the record!" Barbero says everyone is welcomed at The Crew Shows, "...everyone except Fascists and racists. They are definitely not welcomed." This accepting attitude which is common among punks and skins in Kalistan, has earned The Crew a dedicated fanbase of thousands among the Addisjah music scene and then the attention of veteran punk label LCR in Sulari, who invited the hardcore band to Sulari to record their debut LP.

"We were kind of worried the label was going to ask us to clean up our lyrics a bit," said Barbero. "Like, we have this song called 'Time for Revolution.' But they were really cool. They said we could do whatever we wanted, so we did Time for Revolution, and a bunch of our straight edge stuff, and songs about unity in the scene. The record sounds dope as F, you know what I mean?" Barbero says with label support, "Time for Revolution" is already spinning on M1 and the video is in medium rotation on M7's punk show "The Alleyway." He also said that this summer, The Crew is going to open for the Ska band and FOMAT Contestants The Rudies during their summer tour. "We're gonna be repping Revolution, we're gonna be repping Skinhead, we're gonna be repping Str8 Edge, and we're gonna be repping Hardcore! It's gonna be awesome!"

You can watch the Video "Time for Revolution" from The Crew's new LP Vrassa Youth Brigade, released on LCR right here.

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGrAcfmix04]

New Investments in Vrassan Housing Stock take shape
The Vrassan Duchy and National Government are teaming together to address creeping housing insecurity in Vrassa, especially in cities like Vrassa Free City, Senvias, Port Swedes and Addisjah. "An area study shows that Vrassa is at near capacity for housing in the Duchy" said Kathy Ridenour from the non-profit thinktank Vrassa Housing Matters. "The result is that a sudden influx of population will strain the housing stock, and even though housing is a matter for the public sector, a lack of available housing prevents many people who may want to move from doing so. We want to see the government take this issue seriously before it becomes a crisis that we need to deal with on defense."

Ridenour says there is a credible commitment from the Duchy and National Governments to build up to 65,000 new units Duchy wide in the next ten years. "80% of these units will be in our cities," said Ridenour. "This is where the potential for housing insecurity is greatest, and where building more houses will have a greater impact on the population." Crucially also, there is money allocated for rural building as well. "The remaining 20% will be available for grants for rural families and individuals to either rehab their current homes, or build new ones on personal property outside of our cities." The money was earmarked specifically for rural building, because rural areas are often overlooked outside of large scale infrastructure programs.

"Over all, these funds will make a huge difference in the quality of lives for so many people in Vrassa!" said an enthusiastic Ridenour. "Its about time the National Government got serious about some of the very real problems here." Building across the Duchy will begin in May as sites for new construction have already been selected.

@TheRepublic

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Empress Comments on protests in Baltusia
Strongly advises against Kalistanis following "Baltusian Disorder"
Everari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
September 1, 5639


Her Imperial Majesty, Mary I Ananto, at home in Eveari

Her Imperial Majesty, Mary I Ananto had strong words for the Baltusia in a short address from her home in Eveari. This address comes on the heels of the Baltusian security apparatus shooting to death one student protestor in a move that has shocked many parts of Baltusia. Below are Her Imperial Majesty's comments:

Good Evening, Citizens of Ananto and Kalistan.

Yesterday, we were shocked and dismayed to read about the developments in the State of Baltusia. The facts as we know them are that Baltusian students are protesting their government for reforms. While most of these protests have been characterized by the Baltusian press as peaceful, it does seem to be the case that in at least one instance, and possibly others not covered by the press, police officers in the nation have turned force on the protestors and have killed at least one student. As protests go, this escalation will likely lead to more violence and more death in the nation.

Our Government and our Peerage have assured us that we stand united for order, for peace and for tranquility. As such, it is incumbent upon us all to stand against the disorder we are seeing across the border. We strongly condemn the protestors for attempting to influence their government through other than constitutional means. We have labored under the belief that in a democracy, when citizens want change, they are expected to do so through approved channels. What we see instead in Baltusia is a mob based out of the town of Rutledge attempting to dramatically influence government policy through direct action in the streets. These young idealists may have good intention, but it would appear that they are allowing among their midst radicals and revolutionaries who will not stop until the entire nation burns. This will not end well for the people of Baltusia, and we urge them with the strongest possible words to stop inviting chaos to their nation. We watch with growing concern the slide of the popular movement into demagoguery and radicalism.

While we are on the protests, however, we must also condemn the Government of Baltusia, which has long been under the sway of radical left wing elements, for the violation of the civil liberties of the people of Baltusia. While we cannot countenance the civil disorder of the students, we also read, by Baltusia's own account that this particular protest where the young woman in question was murdered by an over zealous police force. Denying the people their civil liberties to peacefully protest the government guarantees that radicalism will catalyze: there is no surer way to unite firebrands than to provide them a martyr. And this is precisely what the police have done in shooting this individual.

We know we will be criticized for condemning both sides in this matter. But it can both be true that the citizens which are open to radicalism and are therefore courting revolution and disorder, also can have civil liberties that must be protected. There are such things as legitimate protests, and shooting at protestors will tell citizens that peaceful protests do not work. It will in fact undermine critical support for the whole regime. Which is why both sides here are wrong. Citizens should not adopt radical ideology or radical means, and governments are not justified by this in violating basic rights of those who are simply and peacefully exercising them.

As we watch this protest movement play out and note the government's overreaction to it, we have ordered our Southern Army, who has been encamped along the Lucid River west of Lucid Valley to take action in Athosia if needed. We hope it will not be needed, but if it appears that Athosians are under threat, Kalistan has vowed to defend them, especially from Communists in the Syndicalist movement. We all know the centuries of neglect suffered by our kinsmen and women in Athosia, and we want to send a strong warning to Baltusia: Make sure those people are protected from violence of both the mob and the Police force, or we may have to. We don't want this construed as a threat, but there are people who will read it like that anyway. We want to ensure that Athosians are protected from arbitrary extra judicial killing on the part of the Baltusian State the way they extra judicially killed Ms. Victoria Dugan.

We would also like to remind those in Kalistan who are watching these events of this ongoing Baltusian Disorder unfold that, no matter what some liberal politicians in the National Assembly decide to tell you, it is not our will that the Institutional Party change its relationship with either our Crown or our people. The example of Baltusia is dangerous to emulate. We know Kalistan will do the correct thing and not be swayed by democratic demagogues who just want you to become the footsoldiers in their power grab. But it is our desire that the Institutional Party continue to serve us in their current capacity as the sole governing Party. We implore you to inform your Representatives in the National Assembly that you too will have none of that, and if there are liberals who insist upon proposing alternatives to the Single Party System, you are welcomed to vote them out of office.

Thank you for your attention and good evening.

The speech lasted just four minutes, and critics in Kalistan were immediately following up, attempting to dissect and parse the Empress' Words. Most considered the speech to be unnecessary and beliegerent, but a few, mostly those aligned with the Nationalist wing of the Institutional Party, said it was a very strong statement from the Empress, and they were happy that she is finally taking about how the disorder in Baltusia will affect the residents of Athosia.

@TheRepublic

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Kalistan welcomes last Militia members home
Kalistan's Military Mission to Artania "is finally at an end," says Empress
Port Swedes, Duchy of Vrassa
November 1, 5639


Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto, with Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval and Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis in Port Swedes

The last elements of Kalistan's Institutional Militia have returned home following the end of the Kundrati War in early 5938. Many of the troops that returned have been convalescing from war injuries in rear hospital facilities in Etxea, Luthori and Lodamun since receiving their injuries in the War of Kundrati Liberation. Troops began returning last summer, but several units stayed behind in Kundrati while their comrades healed and assisted with the Transition authority throughout various parts of the country until they could return to Kalistan as a unit and be demobilized.

Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto, Princess Margaret Ananto-DeLaurentis, and Princess Michelle Ananto-Sandoval, sister of the late Emperor Fredrick III Ananto were on hand to review the last returning units. She has greeted each returning Unit, and was welcomed to address the forces for this final Homecoming following the Review Parade.

"Kalistan has lost so much life in the quest to rid Kundrati of Fascism. After a generational struggle, that was begun under our Grandmother, it appears that for the people of Kundrati, a new dawn is arising. Kalistan did not ask for anything for our sacrifices, which include your families, your friends and your loved ones, your comrades in arms, and those who came before you. We shed our blood because it was the right thing to do. Those who sat on the sidelines while we assisted in the rooting out and burning of the fascist regime in Kundrati will need to square themselves with the fact that when it came time to step up and answer the call, they did nothing. We on the other hand, who have contributed so much to this cause, we will be able to stand up and hold our heads high, and say, we were there, from start to finish.

Kalistanis saw the fight through: We were first to stand with our kinsmen in Kundrati whether it be through attempting to contribute arms and ammunition to the Battle, or first to place crippling economic sanctions on the fascists, or first to lead the way to clearing the sea so that Etxea could be liberated, or first to return privateers to the Waters around Etxea to ensure that the final invasion of the country could be carried through to the end. We have always stood against fascists, even when we attempted to lift the sanctions in exchange for promises which were not kept--indeed, we did make mistakes, but even that turned into a global coalition of states who contributed or now will contribute to the liberation and reconstruction of Kundrati as a united nation once more that has no room for fascism. The truth shall be known about the evils of the Legion's regime, and that is thanks in no small part, to you, the Citizens of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan!"

The Empress acknowledged that the struggle was hard, and was riddled with missteps. She acknowledged her own errors in trusting the Legion to keep their word, and said she could understand how the people of Kundrati were duped so easily in the beginning, when the Legion was pretending to be just another political Party, though one with a monstrous and evil agenda, and how, though constant propaganda, the nation stayed brainwashed for almost a hundred years, by the least charismatic individuals that have been in power for the last century. "It happens," she said. "We are human and we make mistakes."

But at some point, there needs to be a full reconning of the role the people who benefitted from the Legion Government played in maintaining that sociopathic system against any efforts or calls for reform.

"The Legion itself was quite small: One does not create a cadre party, as the Legion certainly was, without the willing complicity of millions of citizens who either actively participate in the degradation of their own nation, or passively look the other way as it is happening around them, without standing up and fighting for what is right. The fact that so many people let so much of that happen as they watched is horrifying. If it can happen there, it could happen here, and someone needs to be held accountable for that. Unfortunately, its main authors took the easy way out, the coward's way out. Sladek was a coward. Lazar an even bigger one. But: millions of others are complicit in the nightmare, and like our own war criminals who were held accountable for their discrete actions during the Likatonian War, those who were complicit should be brought to justice and made to account for their actions. Those monsters held that state hostage for nearly a century of misery and punishment. How many of their fellow countrymen did they sacrifice in the process? We may never know, but this is more reason that there should be some accountability."

But Kalistan's role in the affair is over, now that the process of reconstruction is beginning. "We'll let those nations who didn't contribute their blood to the cause contribute their money instead," said Her Imperial Majesty. "Our heroes here have redeemed Kalistan with their blood. And for that unimaginably heavy price, they have bought us peace. For which they have our undying gratitude, our absolute admiration, and our total loyalty." The Empress read the final casualty numbers from the war: 68,325 casualties. 28,935 killed on the battle field (just about 24%) in heavy street to street combat across Southern Kundrati, 36,989 wounded and 2,791 listed as missing in action, though given the Legion's moral character, it is safe to say that many of them were tortured to death, and possibly eaten by Legionary soldiers.

She then declared that all members of the Kalistani Expeditionary Legion, besides being authorized the Foreign Service Medal, which is usually reserved for the Regular Forces, shall be authorized a new Kundrati Campaign ribbon and tax exempt status for the remainder of their lives. "They served our nation. Our Nation will now return the favor. It is the least this Empire can do to honor your sacrifice and your valor." Members of the KEF have also been grandfathered into the military hospital system where they can received specialized physical, emotional and mental health treatment for wounds endured specifically by servicemembers.

The return of the final troops from the Kundrati war finally marks the end of an international conflict that has consumed two full generations of Anantos and continued well into the Reign of the third. Kalistan can finally be said to be at peace for the first time since the early 5580s.

@TheRepublic

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Martinez' Journals released in Kaliburg
Heavily redacted daily log of Kalistani Commander shows determination, Desperation in Kundrati
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
December 20, 5639


Security and Historical Scholars gather to discuss release of Martinez War Journal

The war journal and personal log of Institutional Militia commander Brigadier General Jesus Martinez-Abernathy was publicly released this week in Kalistan. The Brigadier General, who was killed in southern Kundrati in mid 5637 during a village clearing operation assigned to his unit by Southern Command, details a series of frustrations and mass casualty events that bring into question Kalistan's entire involvement in the conflict. Early summaries from the war journal show a Commander who is constantly being asked to do things that lead to excessive battle deaths and wounded casualties, as well as operational confusion, desperate heroism and tragic mismanagement. Martinez' journals are the first first-hand account of the war published in Kalistan.

The journals were returned to Kalistan by members of Martinez' headquarters unit, who fought and bled with the general during the conflict. The journal was thought to be lost, but following the cessation of combat, Kalistani militia happened to locate the spot that the General had fallen and retrieved the journal. Upon their return to the Empire last month, they presented the Journal to Her Imperial Majesty as a memento from the war. The Empress reportedly turned the journal over to IBSI and asked the intelligence agency to redact all classified material on sources, methods, personnel and operational details from the journal and then release it to be published in the Empire. A not for Profit citizens' publishing collective, Liberty Press, in Sulari agreed to publish the book and sell it at cost. To date, more than 50,000 copies have been pre-ordered, selling out the first run of 1,000 in a little over 20 minutes after its announcement.

Much of the journal contains mundane details of life in camp: It was evident that the General composed his prose in the early morning when the unit was not active. Many of the accounts of more than 70 separate engagements that the General's light infantry unit took part in are covered retrospectively, but there is also many details about the quality of the food, the landscape of wartorn and desolated Kundrati, and the hostility of the people of the nation toward Kalistanis. Toward the end, the frustration of the General is evident, as it is clear that morale within the Kalistani ranks was dropping precipitously as the Southern Front bogged down into incessant fighting in an often exhausting close combat setting, due to Etxean strategic and tactical goals not adequately employing the highly mobile light infantry tactical methods of the Kalistanis.

"These pinche towns, one right after another, one right after another. Pacification is all we hear. We are behind the lines, we are told to clear this village, that farmhouse, and when we get there, there may be nobody there. But there may be a family of psychotic cannibals in there with a machine gun. Just waiting for us. To us, the order to clear a farm house is nothing-- it does nothing to end this endless war. To them, its life and death. We never know when we open a door, if its gonna be ratta tatta tatta tatta and we lose two men here, four men there, or zero men anywhere... All I can say is: Que dios maldiga a Kundrati."

Many passages describe an endless struggle to pacify the southern Kundrati Mainland. There are also a few positive accounts, where the General writes the name of partisans he wants to put in for commondation due to heroic acts on the battlefield. One such incident involves a flamethrower and sacrifice.

"The machine gun nest had us pinned down. Just outside of the range of our Grenade launcher, they had the field of fire set up so there was no way we could approach the place without getting shot at. We couldn't go back, and we couldn't go forward. We were there most of the night, and as we were trying to work out a plan, Lawrence, who carries the flamethrower, said he had a plan. And he jumps up and starts running toward the machine gun next. But they didn't fire. The sun was coming up behind us to our east, and the tired gunners must not have seen him coming in. By the time he was within 10 yards of the nest, and lit the flamethrower, we could hear the machine guns rattling. But with perseverance, he kept moving forward, blasting the bunker with flame, until they shot him through, but in doing so they pierced his pressurized tank of fuel and it caught from the flame thrower, and the whole thing went up like a bomb, engulfing the machine gun nest in flames and thick black smoke. We could see men running from the back of the bunker on fire. Unfortunately for them, we couldn't shoot at them to put them out of their misery... our guns were jammed."

The published report is noticeably missing several important pieces of information that IBSI has redacted before publication, including a three day long stretch, in which it just says "Mar 31-April 2- Redacted." Some veterans who commented on the publication say that was a time in the war that nobody who came back will talk about.

Kalistani Expeditionary Force Vets who served under General Martinez' command have independently verified much of the account. "However, there is a lot missing here, which would kind of give us some context about what the General was writing about, when and where, so we can't say for sure on all of this," said Sergeant Nadine Retton, of 2/4 Kalistani Rangers. "I was operating in the same zone as the General most of the first part of the war, and whether some of the details are accurate or not, he definitely captured the way we were all feeling during the first part of the war. We were bogged down, we were unable to move or maneuver most of the time. We were assigned to sh-t duty most of the time. Sometimes we got to do what we do best, but most of the time we just did what they Kundratis and the Luthorians didn't want to do themselves, the pacification work..."

Retton said morale picked up later in the conflict as the momentum shifted in the coalition's favor, and Kalistani Militia were used more for commando, reconnaissance and demolitions work. "Unfortunately, when the final push came, the Jefe was already dead. After the war, a few of us went through the zones we had pacified a half a year earlier. The people in the area hated us. Most spit at us as we went through. But we found the General's gear, and his journal was still there. He was long gone: We couldn't tell what had become of him. Wolves, or maybe worse... But his gear was still where he fell, and we brought it back and gave most of it to his kids. But the journal went to the Empress. There were some items in there we thought she in particular would want to see." When asked to talk about those items, Retton said she wasn't about to do that to El Jefe now that he's dead.

The Empress will retain the original copy of the Journal now that the redacted version has been published, and all operational intelligence has been retrieved by the IBSI. Historians and security analysts are already pouring over the published version as they work to write the history of Kalistani involvement in the Second Kundrati War, including a conference on the Journal which was hastily organized at Kaliburg Polytechnic this week.

@TheRepublic

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redacted

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Ministry of Defense Is Livid about release of Map
Leaked Classified document seems to suggest battle plan for invasion of Athosia
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
February 3, 5640


Leaked Map has been disavowed by Minister of Defense

In an incredibly embarrassing revelation that threatens to draw high level resignations, several classified documents were leaked on the internet, including a map that seems to suggest that Kalistani planners are working up tactical and strategic plans to invade Athosia. For the record, it is illegal in Kalistan for the Empress to forcefully pursue her claim over Athosia or any of the Crown Lands, and suggestion that the Defense Ministry or the IBSI was planning to do that naturally points back to the Crown, fairly or not.

Her Imperial Majesty's Minister of Defense scrambled to disavow the leaked documents. "We have no evidence to suggest that these documents are authentic," said Minister of Defense Lt. Col Oscar Bonaventure said. "There are in fact more evidence that suggests this is the work aimed at embarrassing Her Imperial Majesty, Empress Mary I Ananto. Further more, the release of classified information like this could be considered espionage, whether it is genuine or not." The Defense Minister said he has asked the Justice Ministry to begin an investigation to get to the bottom of the leak and publication of these documents.

Most of the documents detail Kalistani troop positions and strengths. Much of the information is not currently accurate which suggests that the information, if it ever was authentic, is quite old. But other information, which was authenticated by the independent investigators, was freely available on public information sources, and is not classified. The most damning document in the set of documents in the leak was an apparent tactical and strategic map, marked as being produced by the IBSI, which is called "Army South Strategic Contingency" that suggests that an invasion of Athosia was at least considered in May 5639 by IBSI planners.

"There is nothing you would see on a map like this," said Col Bonaventure. "There's no legend, there's no troop locations or strengths. What even is I Corps--We haven't used Corps designations since the Likatonian Conflict." The Minister said this was just a topographical map with a bunch of lines overlaid onto it. "To be honest, just looking at the map, I can't really tell what it is-- Though it is utterly outrageous, it makes absolutely no sense. This map would be useless for field commanders at any level. It doesn't have roads or small towns listed. In fact, the only thing they got right here is the typeface. For all I know, this could be for some online Roleplaying PolSim. Who can say?"

The Colonel said the Defense Ministry has their suspicions about those who are behind the leak. "It would obviously have to be lawless elements who seek to bring down Her Imperial Majesty from within: perhaps liberals who seek to foment Revolution in Kalistan, embarass Her Imperial Majesty, and topple Her Government. If I was leading the investigation, I'd start with the pro democracy groups in Kalistan." Minister Bonaventure also said he could not rule out foreign actors, like Luthori, or Beiteynu. "All of them, especially Beiteynu, and the handful of nations Beiteynu is puppeting now, are capable of this type of forgery, but our investigation will get to the bottom of this mystery."

Her Majesty's Government has strenuously urged Internet Service providers to remove the content, but unfortunately, each time the dump disappears from the internet, a new person re-uploads the documents. So far no resignations have been offered or requested, though that may change if it appears that the leaks came from inside the Government.

@TheRepublic