Kalistani Major History

[Doc]

The Finances of the House Ananto

Finances are a tricky subject when talking about the Monarchy. Most people who discuss abolition of the monarchy do so from a position that paying a royal family to live in the lap of luxury is immoral. However, we provide this information to counter at least that critique.

It is considered very rude to discuss money directly with the Sovereign. The Sovereign, as such, is the expression of will. Money and cost of something is beneath a person who's word is in fact law. It is for others to consider something so base as money.

That said, it is important to note that the entire institution of the Monarchy is covered by public money: There is currently a line item in the National Budget for Head of State, meaning the Monarchy as an institution. This money covers the operation of all official offices, including the Sovereign's Staff, as well as staff and salaries for all Nobles who fill Administrative Roles in the name of the Sovereign and in the Government of duchies, counties, free cities and baronies. This also includes all personal staff for the Sovereign, including everyone from cooks, pilots, groundskeepers, and security personnel. The Monarchy is one of the largest public jobs programs in Kalistan outside the NSP.

All property used by the Sovereign are owned by House Ananto. The Sovereign is officially forbidden from accepting gifts of any kind, though donations to the House Ananto's various charity funds are welcome, as long as those gifts are anonymous. Any gifts presented to the Sovereign will be auctioned off. The thinking is that gifts are actually thinly disguised bribes. The Sovereign may make gifts however to others.

The Sovereign is paid a salary of ₭1 annually from the National Budget. Other members of Royalty, unless they receive salaries for performing Administrative functions in the Nobility, receive no public money whatsoever. All money to support the Royalty, including the Sovereign, outside the National Budget is provided by the House Ananto, which, since the restoration of the Monarchy, has functioned as a sort of living trust. The Sovereign covers all expenses out of the Trust, as well as maintaining a very generous line of personal credit with very enviable repayment terms (as in no repayment, since the money legally belongs entirely to the Sovereign.) This dual situation, next to nothing from the public coffers and an unlimited access to money from House Ananto, makes the Sovereign simultaneously the lowest paid public servant, and one of the wealthiest people in Terra.

All members of the Royal Family, including spouses, receive regular grants from House Ananto. The grants are relatively modest compared to the extravagance of many royal families, but all allow them to live well without needing to work. In exchange, senior members of the Royal Family are considered agents of House Ananto and are expected to utilize their time in civic activity, holding fundraisers, carrying out philanthropy, etc. A member can abdicate their role and in doing so will end both the civic expectation and the support from House Ananto. They will be entitled to maintain their title and public prestige, but will no longer receive Ananto money, nor will be expected to involve themselves publicly. Many of the junior members often maintain homes in other nations.

The Head of House Ananto is always the current Sovereign. The Sovereign usually appoints a member of the Ananto Family to administer House finances and affairs, and in this case, the business of House Ananto has been run by Duke Victor Ananto-Martin, brother of the Former Empress and Uncle to His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto.

The Manager is expected to carry out a fiduciary responsibility to invest the money and manage the assets of the House Ananto for the benefit of the wellbeing and growth of the funds and assets of the House Ananto. The House Ananto is therefore the wealthiest privately held corporation in Kalistan, and it is believed that the net annual income of House Annanto is more than ₭25 Billion, though House Ananto's finances are inaccessible to the public.

Liberties in Kalistan

Kalistan remains a free nation that charishes civil liberties. However, the difference between the liberty in Kalistan and that which exists in a liberal state is that all liberty comes from the fiat of the Sovereign. Hence, there are some important modifications that need to be noted.

Free Speech, Assembly, Petition, and the Press- With regard to these liberties, there is a legal prohibition against lying in public, organizing an anti-monarchist or pro-fascist political party or organization, or actively seeking to foment civil disorder. Kalistan is a one-Party state, and that political party exists to ratify the will of the Sovereign. Civil Society is still free as long as civil action is within the law requiring honesty and peace. The right to petition the Government for redress of grievance is absolute, and courts are semi-independent from the Monarchy, making them freer than in authoritarian states, but not as partisan as they are in liberal states. Freedom of the Press is absolute, as long as printed materials are honest and not personally slanderous of public persons. It is customary to follow etiquette when discussing the Sovereign and the Nobility. All citizens have the right to vote in any election, regardless of where their home is, or what their criminal status is.

Freedom of Property- The Dual Economy still exists in Kalistan, meaning that the State maintains strong monopolies in specific sectors, and all competition there is squashed. The Private Sector however, still has rights to its property and contracts are protected and enforced in Kalistan, though the nation does have a history of expropriation from time to time. Again, as long as all laws concerning workplace safety, unions and the environment are followed, and monopolies are not violated, the Government tries to foster business profitability in Kalistan.

Criminal Justice- Kalistan does not maintain penitentiaries. They instead maintain a prison colony off the coast of Odufaray where only the most dangerous criminals, who cannot be rehabilitated, are housed. On the island, they remain at complete liberty, and govern themselves. They own their own homes, raise their own food, and are offered self governance. They are not taxed. For the most part, jails exist to hold those awaiting trial who cannot be trusted to stand trial on their own, or to temporarily segregate those disrupting social order from the rest of the society. Jury trials are guaranteed for almost all cases, and defense is publicly funded for all criminal trials, though private lawyers who work in the interest of the client may also be retained. Courts are, by law, impartial and disinterested, and tend to err on the side of the defendant far more often than the State when the evidence is in doubt. Sentences are light, aimed at restoring the social order in the society rather than seeking punitive or retributive results, and confinement is neither capricious, not political in its nature. The purpose of the court system is to primarily adjudicate disagreements under the law, with the least amount of punishment possible for violations of the law. Kalsitan does not extradite Kalistani citizens to foreign states under any circumstances. Capital punishment is outlawed in Kalistan,

Non-Interference in personal life- The only person completely at liberty is the Sovereign, who is considered absolute. Outside of this, citizens of Kalistan are free to live their lives as they wish, with as little state intervention into their personal affairs as possible. The overriding interest of the state is to maintain public order and promote a good, prosperous, and educated life. It is certainly not to promote the interests of business over people, or the wealthy and powerful over everyone else. All government decisions are transparent and may be challenged by individuals, and people are at liberty to decide for themselves how they wish to live their lives. People have the freedom to marry who they like, to use standard medical practices of abortion and euthanasia on demand, to consume whatever intoxicant they like, to own as many firearms as they like, to start whatever business that they like and etc. In exchange, they are required to fulfill all civic responsibilities, such as paying taxes when owed, performing National Service, and retiring at the National retirement age.

The position of foreigners in Kalistan- Kalistan is a nation of immigrants and refugees. As such, immigrants are welcomed. For those seeking to move to Kalistan, citizenship is easy to obtain, often involves making a public statement at a local police station that indeed they are a citizen, and obtaining a publicly identifiable number. At this point, the person is considered naturalized and are entitled to all rights and privileges of the Society. Those who do not wish to become naturalized in this fashion will face some hurdles with regard to finding employment or living. They will not be able to access services that are offered free or at reduced price to Kalistani Citizens. The idea is that the State can provide things to those who are citizens, but without a public declaration of citizenship, there is no difference between a foreigner and a transient. So all those seeking to spend any time in Kalistan and have no intention of retuning to their home country are encouraged to become a citizen.

The Sovereign is bound to protect the rights and privileges of Kalistani Citizens, both at home and abroad, even to the point of completely ignoring the rights and privileges of other nations of their citizens. The Sovereign is the physical embodiment and the voice of the entire Anantonese Nation and body of Kalistani Citizens, and will always support the interests of this nation and its people first.

This concludes the primer on Etiquette in the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan. We hope it was useful to you.

[Doc]

Quickstop issues Follow-up to "Early Wakeup Committee" on VDR
On the Bodhisattva Trail Again hailed as "groundbreaking" by critics
Vrassa City, Duchy of Vrassa
April 11, 5539


On the Bodhisattva Trail Again is widely hailed as a production masterpiece

Dubbed the "Provocateurs of Raga Rock", the Luthorian-Kalistani band Quickstop have released their sophomore album called On the Bodhisattva Trail Again. This 15 track album expands on their forward thinking alternative album released two years ago called The Early Wake Up Committee. On their latest album, they continued to bring in raga influences and use Ananti language and Vascanian references on several tracks. But they also make a serious attempt at reaching a more mainstream audience, not necessarily by compromising, but by cleaning up a lot of their production techniques to make the sound much cleaner, and almost reminiscent of early rock radio, and writing songs aimed at pop radio.

"The Sitar and dholki, or traditional hand drum, are still prominent on this record, as is the Ananti language," said Ajay Bhattacharia, who is the primary singer, songwriter, and now, producer of this album. "But we also wanted to make the music accessible to more people. We had to tame a few of the harder elements for the singles to maybe get people interested in checking out the rest of the really mind altering stuff on the record, to kind of light the path, if you follow." Bhattacharia was joined on the boards by Kalistani producer Righteous Jah, who really stressed the clean and crisp production. "We also recorded this album specifically for digital platforms, and had to muddy it up a little when we brought it over to vinyl," said Bhattacharia. "Its meant to be played on a digital player rather than an analog one, simply because we wanted to do stuff in the studio that I don't think will transfer over well onto Vinyl." As a result, there were two masters made by Bhattacharia and Jah, resulting in an almost complete remastered edition to be released simultaneously. "We can highlight different things, based on what you listen to it on, so you'll get a different experience."

For the effort to make the LP more audience friendly, the band created several pop adjacent songs, like the early cut "Record Single Lady", that talks about underappreciated international musicians and record labels that Bhattacharia listened to in Luthori as a boy, nearly fully in Vrassan. "We have a lot of Ananti on the record," said Bhattacharia, "But we left most of that in intros or interludes, and most of the deepcuts." This album also leans more heavily into hiphop and funk than their first album did. "We are continuing to explore where hiphop, rock and raga tend to overlap," said Bhattacharia. "There is a sort of natural alignment there, especially in the rhythm. If they are not branches of the same tree, at least they speak in cognates." The band also brought in two new members, Calvin Weston, who plays percussion, and David Strange, who plays keyboards.

The album, while aiming at pop audiences, still could be classified as Alternative, simply because the band isn't writing much pop music. "Few of the songs are verse, chorus, verse, chorus, break, chorus, the way pop songs are," said Bhattacharia. "Try as we might we only have so many of those kinds of songs in us. And the ragas certainly do not lend to that." The band utilizes a lot of samples from various other really obscure music, and clips from films to more deeply identify with the elite hip hop audiences. There is spoken word poetry set to the band's music on the album. They even explore the country-inflected rock on the album's title track, where the sitar mimics the sound of a tinny steel guitar quite convincingly and vocal duties are shared by Lucid City, Suldanor alt-folk singer Dorleen Bratton.

The band also relaxed its efforts to create acid rock, and switched to more mainstream intoxicants for this album. "Its really amazing that we got the record done at all," said Bhattacharia. "We were smoking pretty seriously throughout the entire recording process, all of us were. We smoked a lot of weed. It's really good for the voice, it gets that little rasp you hear in the songs. Our engineer, an old friend we asked to come in from Luthori, smoked so much that he forgot where he was and kind of flipped out a little but. We had to get him checked into a hospital overnight till he sobered up, and he promptly quit the next day and flew home to Luthori--as you'd imagine, he couldn't handle what we smoke here in Kalistan. We continued on after he left, but you can hear the difference between the work he did and the work I did when I filled in for him. I am not an audio engineer, and soon VDR sent in one of their in-house guys to finish the record."

Despite the departure of the engineer, critics hailed this album as "Groundbreaking" and "essential" in reviews. "We don't often get such international flavor in Kalistan, despite the country being so open to new music," said critic Henry Crocker, from the Kaliburg Free Press in a very positive review. "Promoters in Kalistan practically have to beg other musicians to play in Kalistan, its ridiculous. So when you hear music that sounds not only so different as Quickstop's stuff, but also know just how good and interesting it is, and its domestic stuff, well, people go crazy for it. This music is not only very interesting, but its pretty much a masterpiece of production, very forward leaning and interested in moving music in Kalistan forward. It's both accessible and progressive, and that is a rare combination."

The album On the Bodhisattva Trail Again on VDR is out in stores now, and will likely hit number 1 on the Weekly M1 Hot 100 Album Poll this coming week, if early sales reports are on target. The band has also released a double A-Side to promote the record, "The Goddess Kali/We're on Yr Side", along with accompanying videos, both of which you can see here:

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI2ltVYKAKY]
Video for Quickstop's "The Goddess Kali"[/align]

[Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mgoGBzZbOc0]
Audio from Quickstop's "We're on Yr Side"[/align]

[Doc]

Regency Ends as Emperor is Officially Crowned
Small Ceremony maintains Ananto Family Tradition
Eveari, Grand Duchy of Ananto
August 1, 5539


Investment Photo of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto, at Imperial Seat in Kaliburg

His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick-Bjornsson William Ananto-Nordholm has been formally invested and crowned Emperor and Sovereign of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan at a small ceremony in Eveari. The coronation occurred, as the two previous coronations, at the Eveari Monthly Meetinghouse in Eveari, Ananto. In doing so, the Emperor not only affirmed his family's faith tradition, but also the tradition of his mother and grandmother to maintain direct ties with the Brethrenist Faith as a guide while governing the Empire.

The short Meeting for Worship with Attention to Guidance offered Brethrenists the opportunity to tell the Emperor, age 23, directly their opinions on the Monarchy and on his coming reign. Members were remarkably candid about their thoughts. Some pled for a larger role for the People in the government of Kalistan, while others hoped that the Emperor continued a policy of peace and justice in the Empire. Some others wished the Emperor to surround himself with wise advisors, and others wished the Emperor happiness, a long life, good health and a happy family. Nobody called for the abolition of the Monarchy.

At the end of the Meeting, the Clerk of the Meeting, along with the Chancellor of the Empire, Dame Lindsay Ontiveros-Maxwell and Prince Regent Bjorn, called the Emperor forward, and the Chancellor read the investiture proclamation before the Meeting. The Emperor lowered his head and the Chancellor placed the Imperial Crown that was made specifically for Emperor Fredrick II Ananto on his head, and gave him the keys of State, transferring all powers and titled of State to His Imperial Majesty's person. The Emperor then turned to the Prince Regent, and without sentimentality or display of emotion, thanked the Prince for his loyalty to the previous Empress, and his service to the Emperor and the Empire, and then relieved him of his duties. The Prince was the first to take a knee before the new Emperor, and all others in the Meeting followed suit. With this, the Minor Prince shed his long name and assumed the title of His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto.

Following the ceremony, the Emperor, the now Prince Bjorn, the Chancellor, and members of the Government, as well as the Emperor's personal retinue and many members of the Eveari Brethrenist Meeting, travelled to Kaliburg by train, along the same track that Empress Nicolette II was travelling when she died. During the ride, the Chancellor and senior members of the Government met with the Emperor in formal audience, and the Emperor confirmed the last government under the Regency in their place as His Imperial Majesty's Cabinet. The train arrived in Imperial Station and the Emperor and Prince Regent travelled to Wilson House, which has recently completed its renovations, and the Emperor took a tour of his new Palace. Following a brief enthronement Portrait, and his first full security briefing from the Imperial Bureau of Security Intelligence director, Caroline King, the new Emperor attended a small gala thrown in his honor by the Chancellor, where he greeted members of Kalistani nobility, and was introduced to several members of Kalistan's business and security community. Gaduri business and representatives of the caretaker government were also in attendance, though they were there in their functions as private citizens and friends of the Duke Victor Ananto, the Emperor's uncle.

Compared to previous coronations, this event was low key: there were only a handful of events scheduled to celebrate the affair. This was largely due to both the uncertain date of the Emperor's end of National Service, and the fact that His Imperial Majesty has been taking up more and more official duties during his leave periods over the last year. "It feels like we have watched this young man grow up," said Kaliburg Crown-Watcher and tabloid columnist Nadine Anderson. "And to be completely honest, it kind of makes sense that there wouldn't be a lot of fanfare around his coronation: He lost his mother just as he was about to be a teenager, and there is a certain sadness about this Emperor which accompanies a heavy sense of duty. It just doesn't feel like something to really celebrate, I don't think he would celebrate."

The new Emperor, clothed as he is in the heavy burdens of state, is known to be a very reserved young man. He has never been described as brash or braggadocious. In fact, he has rarely made public pronouncements of any kind, but when seen in public, often simply smiles and waves. "I don't think the Emperor craves the attention he has gotten most of his life," said Anderson. "He works on cars, often by himself, and he is known for loving to race the cars he modifies. He also is known to play bocce and Go, but you will not see him jumping in front of cameras or out and about on the town with some socialite. That doesn't seem like the Emperor." The Emperor also has a soft spot for animals. "As a teenager, one of the one public things he did was to volunteer at the animal shelter in Eveari," said Anderson. "He had a reputation for caring for strays, and worked well with dogs, cats, and even the occasional possum. We should expect to see a strong support for animal welfare and the environment during the Emperor's reign, as helping animals seems to be a passion of his."

The investiture completed, Kalistan has a new sovereign and Prince Bjorn will be allowed to pull back from the day to day administrative duties he had to carry out during the Regency. "His Highness, Prince Bjorn will keep his County in Luxon likely until he dies, but there is not much involved in running that county on a day to day basis, and so Prince Bjorn will be effectively in retirement going forward, but has still offered to serve as a special envoy for the Emperor at need, given Bjorn's long tenure as Prince Regent and Prince Consort. There is no doubt that the Emperor will rely on his father for advice and help, especially over the next few years."

[Doc]

Kalistani News in Brief: Kalistan aims at lead in Shipping
Emperor orders Education Reform; IBSI gets new mission
Sulari, Duchy of Suldanor
April 7, 5540


Port Elga Ship Yards working on fifth of 12 new container ships to meet contract

Kalistan Aims at lead in Shipping in Seleya
Sulari Shipping Consortium, the investment firm that owns and operates the Port Elga Shipyards, says their goal is to take the lead in Shipping in Seleya by 5550. "Port Elga is one of the busiest ports in Northern Seleya," said SSC spokesman Dwight Zapata. "As the owners and operators of the main commercial shipping port, we look to expand beyond our home port to other nations washed by the Anantonese Ocean and beyond." Part of the company's ten year plan is to begin competing directly with other nations currently involved in shipping. "We would like to see a Terra where every other ship you see in any given port hails from Kalistan," said Zapata. "It is an ambitious goal, but Kalistan is ideally positioned to become a transshipment point for the world's commerce, and in turn, to be the teamsters of the ocean."

Zapata touted SSC's pricepoint, as well as the superiority of the Kalistani Merchant Marines. "We have some of the most professionalized Merchant Marines in the world," said Zapata, owing to Kalistan's long and rock solid support for unions. "Our Merchant Marines organize themselves by grade and seniority, have experience in every kind of sea from Arctic to Tropic, and are experts in all passages--In fact, members of at least four of the crews in the Ananto Cup were themselves Merchant Marines. Plus, our price point cannot be beat anywhere in the world. SSC's price point, even after Kalistan takes their commissions, still comes in well below most other nations, as we can build at scale, and much of our heavy industry is still organized along socialist lines, rather than a profit driven model." Zapata said that SSC is about half way through a contract to build 12 container ships for Kalistan itself. "We will compete by glutting the market, dropping the price of shipping overseas significantly, and forcing other countries' firms to either cut their own shipping prices, and therefore profit margins, or go out of business." The new spirit of Kalistani industry is not cooperative, according to Zapata. "We've been in other peoples' shadows for far too long. It's past time we stood up for ourselves." Asked if SSC will seek access to Aldegar, Zapata said "No, we don't need it. If we go to Majatra, we come from Artania. The only reason we would go to Aldegar is to sell things to Aldegar or buy things from Aldegar. We wouldn't turn down free access to the canal, but we aren't gonna pay for it."

Emperor Orders Education Reform
His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor Fredrick II Ananto has ordered his Minister of Education to begin reform in Kalistan's school system. "We have had an opportunity to review the Education System in Kalistan, and the results are simply whelming. Not good nor bad, just sort of adequate," said His Imperial Majesty's Minister of Education and Culture Magda White. "The Ministry then submitted its evaluation to His Imperial Majesty, and the Emperor approved our 7 point plan for Education reform, which includes a rebalancing of the curriculum to begin diagnostic testing at an early age and career tracking in secondary school." The plan involves additional support for pre-K school to allow student's aptitudes to be ascertained throughout primary schooling and specific curricula to foster the aptitude and interest of the children. Once the Student arrives in the 7th Grade, students will end general education, and will be given the opportunity to explore both skills based and ideas based learning. In their 7th Grade, they will focus on ideas based education, which consists mainly of the classical liberal arts: language and rhetoric, algebra, philosophy, music, natural sciences, and music, as well as an introduction to the social sciences. In the 8th grade they will be permitted to explore skills based learning, including subjects in mechanics and physics, chemistry, economics, geometry and trigonometry, introduction to scientific investigation, and business and advertising.

At the end of 8th Grade they will have the opportunity to select a track through secondary school, either the knowledge based track or the skills based track. The knowledge based track will focus on typical liberal arts which are aimed at creation of knowledge, while the skills based track will focus on introducing the students to various trades, and then getting them certified to practice those trades following gradation and National Service. "We want to make sure that the choice for students is a free choice," said Minister White, "so we will give our children the opportunity to take some classes together though they may be on different tracks. But for the most part, our education system has long been in need of an overhaul for a very long time, and this is the opportunity to do it." The adoption of aptitude centered learning will be piloted in the incoming 7th Grade year starting in Kaliburg, Sulari and Vrassa City schools, and will expand out from there. Parent's groups are for the most part in support of the plan, and though some object to it, they do mostly because they want to be able to do homeschooling of their children, and that practice for the most part is highly discourages in the Empire. "After the first graduations, we will implement the program nationwide," said Minister White. "Homeschool parents' opinions notwithstanding."

IBSI's Mission and resources to expand
The Imperial Bureau of Security Information has received a new mandate, said Chancellor of the Empire Dame Lindsay Ontiveros-Maxwell. "We are finding it difficult to keep up with all the little wars that are popping up here and there all over the world," said Dame Ontiveros. "No sooner is one solved than another one is started. I don't really want to say it starts--someone deliberately starts it, and we lack any intelligence on the motivations of what these warmakers are up to. That has to be remedied." Ontiveros also cited the construction and deployment of the Baltusian Aircraft Carrier, which provoked a "major response in Kalistan, primarily because it happened under our nose and we had no clue that Baltusia intended to do this."

The new role for Imperial Security is to open listening posts in all major countries who Kalistan has any interest in, and continually feed intelligence back to Kalistan. "A lot of this involves just passive listening," said Dame Ontiveros, "but we are also wanting to expand beyond that to human sources development, gaining higher level confidences, and learning things before others know we know them." Ontiveros said that Kalistan is also building capacity in a half a dozen Northern Seleyan nations, which she refused to name, to begin generating news items to further Kalistan's interests in those nations. "They will primarily be focused on public relations for Kalistan, to make it easier for our people to interact with people abroad," said Ontiveros. "The operation involves a lot of infrastructure, but another concern is plausible deniability and selective accreditation (PDSA), which is key to Kalistan ensuring that they have a seat at the table in all decisions that affect us by creating a positive attitude in other nations for Kalistan's Government. It would be disingenuous to deny that this infrastructure is multiple use within the country, but the fact is, we have not been developing local resources as we ought to, and the His Imperial Majesty has identified a more robust foreign intelligence service as one of the priorities of his hist five years." Dame Ontiveros confirmed that Kalistan is already beefing up this branch of its foreign service, primarily in nations where the Empire does not have an embassy. "For the time being," said Ontiveros.

[Doc]

FM Recalls Observer in Whale Island
"World Congress Reform is not happening," said Dame DuMont
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
May 1, 5540


Dame Jacqueline DuMont speaking at Kaliburg Polytechnic on WC Reform

The Kalistani Observer to the Bettencourt Conference, Dame Catherine Adams, who serves as personal Secretary to His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister, Dame Jacqueline DuMont, has been recalled to Kalistan after it became clear that the conference was not interested in making any real reform to the structure of the International Debating Society. FM DuMont announced the recall in a policy speech at Kaliburg Polytechnic, where she was the invited lecturer to the Spring Research Symposium. The remarks were made during a discussion on the failure of liberal internationalism as a force for peace.

"Kalistan has long stood apart from THE major international deliberative body known as the World Congress since its inception," said Dame DuMont, recounting a bit of history. "And it is not for the reasons most people think: In fact, Kaiistan would like a world body capable of resolving disputes between states, and I actually mean bringing permanent settlement to those disputes, without resort to war. The WC could have been this body, but instead, it developed as a vehicle for great powers to promote their interests under the thin cloak of international legitimacy, through the security council. As long as that body remains in place, remains the nearly exclusive province of the same war making powers as have ever dominated it, and commits the rest of the world through collective security treaties to support great power interests globally, Kalistan can not, will not be a party to it. We had hoped this conference would produce serious reform, but its clear that reform of the World Congress is not happening."

The Foreign Minister pointed out that Kalistan's Observer was invited to comment, and actually made a proposal which would have addressed a number of Kalistan's concerns with the World Congress, while increasing both democracy within the body, and legitimacy of the body's resolutions by balancing the overwhelming power of the large nations of the world with the votes of the General Assembly. "The Proposal was acknowledged by a handful of nations, but was not seriously entertained, as the Convenor declared Security Council reform outside the purview of this conference," said Dame DuMont. At that point, Dame Adams thanked the conference for the opportunity to make Kalistan's views heard, and then acted on orders to report back to the Foreign Ministry in Kaliburg.

"The Principles of Non Alignment and the principles of Global Realism masquerading as liberal internationalism in the World Congress are fundamentally incompatible," said Dame DuMont before moving back to the main topics of the Speech. "You can't say you are non-aligned, and then participate in a body which serves a single purpose, and that is to act as a deliberative body that in practice serves as a vehicle for legitimation of Great Power Interests. If they cared about including the world, they would at least get rid of the veto on the Security Council and have a mechanism that permits GA resolutions to become binding without security council action or the ability to veto them. As it is, all nations except one can decide on a course of action and then one great power sitting on the security Council can veto any effort to bring that measure into the Security Council, and the measure dies. One nation outvotes the world. How could Kalistan ever be a part of such a thing? If we were offered a seat on that council, we would feel dirty accepting it."

Policy analysts admitted that 1) there never was a serious push for genuine reform in the WC, and Kalistan's presence as a representative of the NAM was purely demonstrative, and 2) there was never any serious consideration within Kalistani foreign policy circles of Kalistan changing its position on the World Congress. "Kalistan will never join the WC as long as it remains a collective security organization," said Kalistani policy expert Alice Guerrera. "The fact that it is incapable of maintaining peace when countries, including those sitting on the security council have made up their mind to go to war, merely gives Kalistani critics of the body more ammunition to use against it when criticizing it. The real problem with it is that it can drag minor powers into major powers' wars, but doesn't create the same pressure on major powers. Kalistan will never support something like that, even if the Honorable Foreign Minister hinted that something like that might be being considered."

[Doc]

Kalistani Regular Navy keeps tabs on Baltusian Naval Exercises
Intercepted communications from the Carrier Fleet leave Naval planners "baffled"
Yoshimi Station, Duchy of Suldanor
May 1, 5540


Kalistani Regular Submarines, like KRS 572, seen here running on the Surface, continue patrols south of Southern Limits

The Situation in the central Anantonese Ocean has taken a turn for the strange as Kalistan steps up its naval patrols in the region. Following the conclusion of Baltusia's long awaited naval exercises near Verona, as the fleet was returning to port, Kalistani submarine captains who were monitoring the exercises began reporting eratic behavior from the Baltusian ships. Naval High Command in Kaliburg ordered elements of the Third Regular Navy into a 24 hour alert posture, though held off on full alert as to not directly inflame any developing situation.

As the Baltusian fleet began sailing away from the Xsampan and Ikradonian fleets, following an unanticipated course, the Kalistani submarines were ordered to take a "wait and see" approach to their response, and maintain a safe distance. Meanwhile, Kalistani AWACS flying over the Ocean south of the Limit acquired Baltusian naval movements, and began tracking the fleet. In a rare move, Kalistan made the attempt to contact the Baltusians to help ascertain whether Baltusia had any information about the fleet's activities which Kalistan might need to know. It is unclear whether Baltusians responded to the request for information, but what is known is that His Imperial Majesty arrived at HQ-RNK at Bozo River by helicopter, followed by the Foreign Minister and then the Chancellor of the Empire, where they received highly classified intelligence briefings on the subject.

Over the next several hours, it became clear that the fleet was making no moves toward Kalistan which could be construed as aggressive. The Emperor and the Naval Chief ordered the third Fleet to maintain its 24-hour alert, and maintained surveillance. Soon after day break, messages were broadcast from the Carrier Fleet which seemed to suggest that there had been a mutiny of some sort among the various ships of the Baltusian task force. This shocking news was accompanied by a declaration of loyalty by the Fleet Commander for "the People". Details about further communication remain sparse, but what is apparent is that Baltusia has lost control over their carrier task force.

The Chancellor of the Empire gave a brief statement to reporters shortly after sunrise on the situation. "The Chiefs are monitoring the unfolding, and quite frankly, baffling, affair with His Imperial Majesty. The affair is developing minute by minute. But one thing we have ascertained for sure is that the Baltusian Crisis is contained to Baltusia at the moment. The fleet to its credit has not made any effort to threaten or harm Kalistan, her naval vessels or her citizens in any way. We have the movements of the task force, as well as the movements of Baltusia's partners in this region under strict surveillance, and we have determined that they pose no threat at the moment to Kalistan. We are attempting to remain in contact with the Government of Baltusia, and will share updates as we get them. We are encouraging everyone, especially those in Suldanor, to remain alert but carry on. If the situation escalates in an unfavorable direction, we will immediately notify Kalistani Citizens."

The call to remain calm spurred runs on grocery stores in Yoshimi, Lucid City and Sulari, as residents decided that they suddenly needed to stock up. Security at the Border crossing point in Lucid City was stepped up, and the local Government, led by Lucid's Barron Francisco Hernandez, began setting up processing centers in case there was a refugee movement from Baltusia. "Our goal is to be able to shelter as many people as might potentially come north should Baltusia experience civil disorder in the coming days and weeks," said His Highness Barron Hernandez. "We aren't predicting anything, but we want to be ready to take in our neighbors and friends from across the border if they need a place to visit." Other similar facilities are being set up across the Duchy, and His Majesty Duke Victor Ananto, currently in Gaduridos said "Our Duchy remains ready to help in any way we can." Already, there are some reports of a greater than normal volume of people coming in with the morning commute in Lucid City.

We will continue to monitor developments in Baltusia and report on them if they begin to affect the Empire.

[Doc]

ODEN-K Mart to Expand
New addition will more than double the storage capacity of international drug mall
Port Davon, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 18, 5550


Two employees fill small orders for tourists at ODEN-K's Mart in Port Davon

The famous ODEN-K Mart is about to get a major expansion to facilitate more capacity and sales, said ODEN Director Melanie Walt in Port Davon yesterday. The ₭15.6 million expansion will increase the size of the current facility from 215,000 square feet to more than 450,000 square feet, making it the largest warehouse in all of Kalistan. "We are taking over a significant portion of the older port facilities and renovating them so that the Mart is capable not only of holding a far greater capacity," said Walt, "but also servicing larger transport vehicles to provide international customers with easier access to larger shipments."

Part of the expansion also includes a new dock earmarked specially for small and medium freighters. "We aim to provide container service to up to four small freighters, or two medium freighters at a time," said Walt. "This should speed the loading of larger orders and make things far more convenient for our customers." The expansion of the facility is already underway, and should be completed by next October.

The expansion should provide faster turn around for ODEN products. "Currently, we have had to bottleneck growth because we lack the facilities to store the tons of materials that ODEN K produces and distributes," said Walt. "But we do get customers who come to Kalistan to buy products wholesale, and this also then puts pressure on our inventory. We have a storage warehouse of about 350,000 square feet in Eshar as well, that serves as a storage facility for Mainland products, but it obviously takes a while to bring stuff up from the mainland to fill our larger orders, so having much of that onsite here in Kaliburg will definitely speed things along and allow us to increase and control our inventory a lot more efficiently."

The Mart primarily serves international customers who purchase drugs in Kalistan to service their own domestic demands. "Kalistani product is kept on the Mainland, which fills our dispensaries on a constant basis, but the Mart here is the place where international exporters go to get the things their own countries need and desire." Walt says that international customers buy as many pharmaceuticals in Kalistan as they buy recreational drugs. "We are one of the world's top exporters of therapeutic medicine," said Walt. "We have the knowledge, we have the desire, and we have the infrastructure to supply the world."

As a result, Walt said, many of the customers the Mart gets are also drug tourists who come from countries that either do not or cannot supply the drugs to their own citizens. "Most of the time, it is far cheaper to fly to Kalistan to buy an ODEN product, that you know will be precisely what you need, at almost no out of pocket cost to you, than it will be to stay in your country and purchase less than reliable pharmaceuticals that are packaged abroad. We have such high standards and our pharmaceutical industry makes it a point to keep up on the latest publications in medical research to follow the drugs that are beign designed abroad, so we can make them here and provide them cheaper and easier to access for anyone."

But the largest sales at the International Mart come from individuals and companies who import recreational ODEN drugs into their countries to supply domestic demand. "Most of these people who are here are acting in direct contravention of their own nation's laws," said Walt. "We take no interest in what other nations say is legal or not. We know it is legal to buy the drugs here in Kalistan. Our law is the only law that we pay any attention to." When asked if ODEN supports the black market in illicit drugs, Walt said "We don't support the black market. We don't fund or aid the black market. Everything we sell here is legal, taxed and highly regulated. But what people do with it after it leaves Kalistan, or any other ODEN nation, is up to them. They take risks if they are violating their nation's laws. We have no interest whatsoever, and we ensure that they know that everything they do with those drugs, except sell them in Kalistan, is perfectly legal in Kalistan. Outside of our jurisdiction, it is none of our business. And if people don't want drug entrepreneurs bringing ODEN products into their countries, the best way to avoid that is to join ODEN, because we are, by our charter, forbidden to sell drugs to private or corporate entities from other ODEN countries, because of non-compete clauses. We can only buy directly from their ODEN branches."

The new ODEN-K Mart will also employ another 600 employees, most of whom will work as graders, packagers and pullers in the back of the warehouse. "The ODEN Mart is a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week affair. We never close, so we will need to more or less double our workforce when the expansion is done, so that we can more efficiently sell our product to our customers." ODEN is also in talks with Kalistan's various growers syndicates to begin ramping up production in preparation for the expansion. "We are also encouraging the Government to participate in the formation of distillers' syndicates, because Kalistani Rum is growing in popularity internationally, and organizing sugar growers and rum distillers will help guarantee high quality product to meet demand going forward."

[Doc]

MoCo begins building in Gaduridos
Plant aims to expand Kalistani Markets and Supplies
Playa del Oriente, Cuernatecas, Gaduridos
March 4, 5541


MoCo's Gaduridos Plant to produce automobiles for international market

The expansion of Kalistani businesses into Gaduridos continues as Kalistani automakers MoCo have concluded arrangements to build a new automobile plant in the city of Oriente in Cuernatecas, near the Trans Seleyan rail line. The plant, which will cost ₭32.5 million to build, will focus primarily on producing electric vehicles for the international market to complement MoCo's domestic sales from cars built in Kalistan.

"MoCo's manufacturing facility in Gaduridos will produce cars that meet international specs primarily," said MoCo Gaduridos' Plant Director Guillermo Olivio. "The benefit to MoCo opening a plant here is that it will mean jobs and new markets for Gaduri raw materials. MoCo is the first company to pay attention to the potential in this nation in a long time. This represents a significant investment in Gaduridos that will have many follow-on benefits for the Gaduri economy for decades to come."

In addition to fabrication and assembly of electric cars and trucks in Gaduridos, MoCo is making additional investment to upgrading infrastructure in the Province to get better access to raw materials from Gaduri sources. "We want to use local resources as often as possible," said Olivio. "Gaduridos has a sadly underutilized industrial supply system which we can leverage to our benefit. We should also note that we have some interest in Kalistan to work with Gaduri financiers to build a new steel manufacturing plant, to turn their iron into a profitable national industry--Currently it appears that they import most of their steel, largely from Kerisian sources."

Kalistan has invested so much money in Gaduridos in the last couple decades that economic fortunes in the tropical nation have remained fairly steady, despite lack of a strong central government. "Duke Victor Ananto-Martin, and now his son, Mark Ananto-Orleans, who is starting to step into the role of head of many of his father's vetures, have taken such a strong interest in Gaduridos and are on such good terms with many of the regional political leaders that you might be excused if you confused him for a Gaduri Nationalist," said Gaduri Affairs Scholar Beatrice Collins, in Yoshimi. "He has used considerable sums from the Ananto fortune, all with his Emperor's blessings, of course, to not only ensure that Gaduridos remains prosperous, but also that it remains oriented toward Kalistan. And the primary beneficiaries are the Gaduri People, who are ensured jobs, marketable skills, and good working conditions all things considered. As he frequently says, 'Que es buena para Gadurida, es beuno para mi.' Kalistani investors and the Kalistani Government supports the Duke of Suldanor in his efforts because it gives then a strong position in the Country, and ensures that Kalistani influence will be felt strongest in the Country."

"The Duke is also paying close attention to what is happening in Baltusia," said Collins. "We cannot guess his position on it, but if he is like anyone in his family, he views that affair with suspicion, and the building of this MoCo plant is likely viewed as a move to tie Gaduridos closer to the Empire, should the contagion of rebellion appear to spread south, rather than being contained specifically in Baltusia. Other moves they are making, to increase Kalistani direct investment in Gaduridos, will follow the same rationale."

The MoCo Plant is expected to begin operation in July of 5543, at which point it will employ more than 4500 employees, and will serve as a major weapon against unemployment both in Gaduridos and in the region. Additional infrastructure may be needed to get the plant operating at maximum efficiency, and Duke Victor Ananto is already working with Kalistani and Gaduri consultants to begin assessing the needs of the mainland regions of the country.

[Doc]

Kalistani News in Brief: Dame Ontiveros addressed Baltusian Situation
Medal of Valor authorized; Brad Willis heads to FOMAT
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
October 14, 5541


Dame Lindsay Ontiveros-Maxwell Discusses Baltusia in National Assembly

Dame Ontiveros Addresses Baltusian Rebellion
The Chancellor of the Empire briefed the the National Assembly on the deepening of the Baltusian situation. "His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, is monitoring the situation in Baltusia. He is deeply concerned about the developments in Althosia and beyond as the National Government in the Baltusian Capital and other territories. We join with other nations in condemning the human rights abuses by that Government, and warn the Baltusian state that failure to respect the rights of Baltusian citizens will endanger the tentative steps our two governments have taken toward peace and understanding." The Chancellor did speak out against the rebellion of the workers in Baltusia, and encouraged a peaceful resolution of the workers' grievances. "Order and peace are paramount in this situation," said the Chancellor. "His Imperial Majesty's policy for the region is stability, and open rebellion is as bad for that as police repression." The Chancellor joined calls to release political prisoners, and called the imprisonment of political adversaries "fascistic," in effect setting Kalistan against the brutality of the police. "Suppressing rebellion is one thing, and Kalistan would normally support that," said Dame Ontiveros. "But we cannot countenance Baltusia's founding of prison camps near Johnston or anywhere else in the country." Dame Ontiveros proclaimed that Kalistan has recalled its ambassadors and ordered all Kalistani officials out of the country. "We've also been contacting Kalistani Nationals in Baltusia and have been advising them to leave the Country. We have also been seeing a larger number of Baltusians entering Kalistan at Lucid, and the Government of Suldanor has been doing all it can to see these visitors are settled in warm, safe and comfortable accommodations in Suldanor and beyond as they flee from the fascist chaos in Baltusia."

Medal of Valor Authorized by Emperor
His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Fredrick II Ananto has announced today that the National Medal of Valor will be re-authorized for the first time in centuries. The medal traditionally has been awarded to a civilian who has contributed to the Kalistan far and above the normal expectations associated with civic duty. Any citizen or foreign national may be nominated for the Medal. The successful candidate will have contributed in a significant and sustained way to the security and national interests of the Empire of Ananto and Kalistan, will have furthered the cause of world peace, or will have contributed to Kalistani Culture through public or private endeavor. The Emperor, in his proclamation stated,

"It is our desire to provide for a prestigious token of recognition for those who surpass the efforts of their fellows. The Award will be provided for specific actions, which are reflective of a life of public service and dedication to the people and Interests of Kalistan. Any person may make a nomination of any individual in the world for this award, and all nominations will be considered by a select committee convened for consideration of the nomination. The award will be accompanied by a lifetime pension from the award foundation, which our Family has set up for this purpose. It is our desire that the winners of this prestigious medal shall be so honored."

The award is the civilian equivalent to the National Medal of Honor which is awarded to uniformed members of the Regular Force.

Brad Willis prepares to represent Kalistan in Noumonde
FOMAT XXVIII is about to happen in Noumonde, and Kalistan's entry, Brad Willis, is about to head to the country. The singer, who was selected years ago to represent Kalistan at the international music festival, has released 3 studio albums since he was selected for the contest, but has reportedly been working up a new arrangement of the song which should blow the socks off the jury. "I've really tried to make it special in our rehersals," said Willis, last week in Kaliburg. "We've brought in a string quartet, and have got the original studio musicians back together to work as a backing band. It will be the first time any of us have ever been to Noumonde, so it should be a lot of fun. A real adventure." Willis, now in his mid 30s almost didn't make it to the contest. "A couple of years ago, my wife and I lost our son in a drowning accident. It really caused me to have to do some re-evaluation of my priorities." But Willis said it was his wife, Jeanette who encouraged him to return back to music. "Jeanette said that it was time for me to get out of bed, to get back into the studio and to get out the bad blood. It was really cathartic... it helped me move forward, not really move on, but move past the crippling sorrow and sadness. There's a time for that, but she said she didn't want to bury me too, so its now time to keep making music." Willis said he is ready to go represent Kalistan in Noumonde. "And of course Jeanette will be there with me."

[Doc]

Kalistani Regular Forces deploy north along Baltusian Border
Aim to ensure that Baltusian Revolution remains contained
Lucid City Suldanor
February 12, 5542


Elements of the 5th Regiment, Regular Armed Forces settle into permanent positions west of Lucid Morass

Elements of the Kalistani Regular Forces deployed in Suldanor to assist in the developing security situation in Baltusia. "We have ordered forward field units from the Kalistani Regular Force to the border with Baltusia to ensure that rebels do not attempt to make use of territory in Kalistan to assist their revolution," said General Katherine Williams today. "His Imperial Majesty has made it clear that Kalistan will neither help nor hinder the progress of the revolution, and we encourage other nations to allow the Baltusians to work this affair out for themselves without internationalizing the matter."

The General was responding to the deepening revolution that is ongoing in Baltusia. "This is a specifically Baltusian matter," said Dame Jacqueline DuMont, His Imperial Majesty's Foreign Minister. "Not only do we condemn the human rights abuses by the National Government, but we are also prepared to condemn international intervention in the matter. We stand prepared to observe the events, and quite honestly, foreign intervention of any kind will only make matters worse. Nobody benefits from foreigners intervening in domestic conflicts anywhere in the world, least of all in Seleya."

The Kalistani forces consist primarily of the 5th and 6th Artillery Regiment, as well as two tank brigades, and the 1st Mechanized Infantry Division. The three units are supported by Kalistani Regular Air and the Institutional Militia units associated with the Duchy of Suldanor, who are operating ahead of the lines and providing recon services. "We don't anticipate any incursion of the border," said General Williams. "The general staff is characterizing the revolution as a primarily urban affair. But we want to make sure that Baltusian rebels don't end up sneaking over the border where they might view things as somehow safer. The Government of Kalistan is clearly not on the side of the Revolution, but they are also not interested in assisting the Government against the Rebels due to ongoing human rights violations. So the position of Kalistan is to arm the border against both sides."

The Kalistani rules of engagement state that any armed or uniformed Baltusians are to be stopped, detained and disarmed. If there is any resistance, Kalistanis are ordered first to warn, and then if warnings are disobeyed, to fire to injure. If at any point, any militants surrender, they are to be treated well and returned to competent authority in Baltusia as soon as possible. "Our goal here is to help Baltusian civilians get away from the crisis, not to engage the Baltusian military or rebels," said General Williams. "We have adopted rules of engagement that will allow us to maximize our humanitarian mission along the border."

The mobilization on the border complements the naval action at sea which has established a defacto naval cordon off the coast of Althosia, also known as "Santiago State". The cordon is aimed at containment of the crisis and prevention of its internationalization.