Kalistani Major History

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Prince Regent orders a review of Treaties
"We need to see if some of these treaties have outlived their usefulness to Kalistan" says analyst
Kaliburg, Grand Duchy of Ananto
April 3, 5531


Imperial Government to review terms of Kalistan's Treaties

His Highness, the Prince Regent Bjorn has ordered the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to review Kalistan's Treaties in light of tensions in Northern Seleya. "It feels that the political earth has shifted under our feet since the Empress died," said political analyst Michael Bennots, from the University of Kalistan in Yoshimi, Suldanor. "The Prince Regent is no longer convinced that all of our international agreements serve us as they once did. So they are doing a review of the treaties and international relationships to see if those agreements have outlived their usefulness to Kalistan."

Bennots, who leads the FP thinktank Forward Sulari, did not say which treaties the Ministry was focusing on. "Things like ODEN are probably pretty safe," said Bennots. "And I am sure the effort might be more in line with a desire to recommit to the Non-Aligned movement and pro-Seleyan initiatives, as opposed to other agreements. Tensions with Baltusia are not the only thing that the Foreign Ministry is dealing with right now, and if feels that Kalistan has almost done an about face in recent years with regard to its role in Seleya. This might have something to do with the Andalay and Vintalli claims, it might have something to do with Baltusia, it may have something to do with Kalistan feeling that it is neglecting our home while trying to reach out to other international actors."

The move to evaluate treaty relationships has historically preceded periods of less internationalism in Kalistani policy and often more isolationism. "Kalistan tends to do what is good for itself, regardless of what others would have Kalistan do," said Bennots, "but this might be a personal thing. I think the Prince Regent is trying to live up to his Wife's memory, and rule as he thinks she would to leave an unbroken legacy for the Minor Emperor, but Nicolette II's policy was complex, and she benefitted from the extremely competent imperial state left to her by Nicolette the Great. Today, years later, Kalistan finds fewer allies in the world around it, and feels the pressure from a number of quarters. The Prince Regent may be responding directly to this, and may be looking to make new friends to replace ones he feels he is losing."

If Kalistan becomes more Seleya-focused, Baltusia could be the first place Kalistan might turn for good relations. "Baltusia is a fairly major economic player in the region," said Bennots. "Increasing trade and cooperation with Baltusia would make a lot more sense than some of the other arrangements Kalistan currently maintains. Lodamun has kind of gone dark, Luthori and Gaduridos are absent. Beiteynu has completely fallen off the radar. And our trade with Dolgava, Hutori and Lourenne have slipped significantly in recent decades, especially with Kalistan's refusal to denominate in any currency other than the Ruble. If Kalistan starts making new friends, this might be a great opportunity for countriesothr than the usual suspects to seriously commit to building good relations with Kalistan, especially since the Prince Regent has a more open mindset to finance, investment and trade, but also to change in diplomacy."

It is unclear what will be the result of the review. "We probably shouldn't read much more than a desire for reinvigoration into the Prince Regent's review of the treaties," said Bennots. "It is good to periodically go through our agreements and see which ones are currently resulting in a net positive for Kalistan, and for those which are not, to unsentimentally jettison them. This might not please everyone, but Kalistanis care about Kalistan first. If others happen to benefit, that is a coincidence. Kalistan acts like every other nation, and any suggestion that actions are done for altruistic reasons, or at a present loss for Kalistan in exchange for a completely uncertain possibility of a future gain is just propaganda. That might tell us something about where the Foreign Ministry is going, but maybe not the whole story."