Kalistani Major History

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Kalistan takes measured approach on Vascania
Criticism of militarism "borders on hypocrisy", says new FM
Yoshimi, Duchy of Suldanor
February 20, 5538


Dame Jacqueline DuMont, His Imperial Majesty's New Foreign Minister, restates policy of Non-Alignment

The incoming foreign Minister, Dame Jacqueline DuMont, gave a major policy speech on the campus of the University of Kalistan, in Yoshimi this week. The topic of the speech was on Vascania's invasion and annexation of the islands of Rapa Pile. "It is the policy of His Imperial Majesty's Government that Kalistan remain non-aligned on the matter of Vascania," said Dame DuMont. "Non-Alignment does not however mean isolation, nor does it mean neutrality. While Kalistan does not adopt a side in the conflict either pro or anti, Kalistan does reserve the right to call out policy that borders upon hypocrisy in the response from the rest of the world."

The Foreign Minister specifically noted the sanctions placed on Vascania in absence of World Congress resolutions. "We ourselves condemn the war, the invasion, the illegal occupation and the unlawful annexation of Rapa Pile by the Empire of Vascania. That said, we also do not do so because we opposed the concept of settlement of legitimate territorial claims: We just have not determined, for ourselves that the claim to annexation of Rapa Pile was legitimate. And if it is not legitimate, then the invasion and occupation of the islands are also illegitimate. We encourage Vascania to resolve the matter peacefully, restore the independence of the Pilese people. In this sense, the sanctions that are called for to put pressure on Vascania would be something that is just, and we hope that Vascania will rectify the relationship with their neighbors and the world."

The Foreign Minister then noted that the condemnation of some nations seems to be inconsistent with their actions in other parts of the Globe. "Kalistan has been traditionally reluctant to call out our friends in Lourenne," said Dame DuMont. "However, it seems very inconsistent for Lourenne to take such a strong stance against militarism, while themselves proliferating weapons of mass destruction to their colonial possessions. According to their newspaper, we read that they are transferring an aircraft carrier EACH to every nation in the Canrillaise Empire. This is not only a dramatic increase in Lourennais Power in Southern Seleya, but also defies comprehension with regard to how many aircraft carriers had in its possession that it has simply proliferated around the globe now. It makes liars of those in Lourenne who claim they support peace: You can not credibly claim to be for peace while maintaining a hegemonic naval capacity that dwarfs the rest of the world's capacity combined."

Dame DuMont contrasted the new Lourennais naval doctrine of global projection with the Kalistani doctrine of armed self-defense. "Compared to the capacity of Lourenne, and nations like it who are constantly involving themselves with war, and are often the instigators of war, Kalistan and other members of the Non-Aligned movement practice something more along the lines of non-Projection and defense in depth. The Kalistani Military Doctrine will never place our armed forces on another nation's door steps. We are not the world's police, nor do we think we should be. The Non-Aligned Position, which is the one that Kalistan is unequivocally committed to, believes that alignment into military blocs encourages militaristic behavior: If you have the weaponry, eventually, you are going to use it. We can be secure without bowing to the great powers of the world, but it is just strange that those great powers believe that their massive military contributes in any way to anything other than war."

The Foreign Minister finished her speech with a word of hope. "These comments should not be read anywhere as a breech between Kalistan and Lourenne," said Dame DuMont. "Though Kalistan sits outside the monetary regime, we still trade with Lourenne. Any criticism we offer is strictly to encourage our neighbor to adopt the road of peace. Aircraft carriers are a status symbol, but they carry dangerous implications, and they are threatening. They are like toxic waste, and proliferating them to other, far less politically or economically stable nations is like handing poison to them. Lourenne is a trusted international leader, and their projection has been accepted by most of the world because most of the world benefits from it. Other nations striving, almost obsessively, to acquire them, or even worse, just being given them, is like planting the seas for future wars. We encourage Lourenne to reconsider its military expansion, because otherwise, it undermines their credibility as a partner for peace, both in Vascania and in the rest of the world."

The Foreign Minister added as a post script: "The worst thing in the world to be seen as is a warmonger. If one proliferates weapons of war, especially ones as dangerous as forward projections systems like Aircraft carriers, there is little to differentiate what they are doing with what they are criticizing and condemning. We hope Lourenne will choose peace."

The speech was generally well received by the audience, though there was some expressed concern that it was perhaps a bit too provocative, when nothing is likely to come of it. "Nobody cares what Kalistan thinks," said one professor who heard the Speech. "Kalistan frequently punches well above its weight class, only to be reminded time after time that its opinion carries no weight, or is ever even asked for, when put up against the whims of Great Powers. "