Empress Emerita: Heyran Republic 'Obliterates Its Diplomatic Capital'"In one fell swoop the Heyran Republic has obliterated its diplomatic capital." The Duchess of Somerset, Princess Evanthe of Arovium, spoke with the RBC at length regarding the release by the Heyran Republic of notes on the meeting between Empress Beatrice and President Blackwind, as well as a recorded telephone call between the two leaders. "Unprecedented," the Duchess said at first before elaborating. "In one fell swoop the Heyran Republic has obliterated its diplomatic capital, sowing seeds in the minds of every foreign leader and diplomat that no expectation of confidentiality can be had when dealing with the Heyrans. I doubt the switchboards at the Defense will be handling very many foreign calls, just as calls
from there will likely go unanswered."
"Never before has a Head of State released audio of a telephone call held with another Head of State," the Duchess continued. "Everything from intelligence to vital conversations are going to be seriously doubted as the Heyrans have shown they have no concept of diplomatic norms or protocols, severing several crucial links which will no longer be available to them. In my years as Vicegerent, Imperial Diplomatic Liaison to the Empress, Secretary-General of the Covenant of Nations and Commonwealth Treaty Organisation, never has something like this ever been ruminated upon due to the sheer stupidity and shortsightedness such an action entails."
"The Heyran breech of diplomatic confidentiality has grave, far-reaching consequences for the future relations between any two nations, though especially those between any nation and the Heyran Republic. Diplomatic capital, trust, faith, these are currencies worth far more than their weight in gold, and Heyra has essentially pissed them away, excuse my language. Heyra may very well find that it has also undermined talks regarding Nurashima/Barnacle, placing its objectives yet further away in an attempt to take a shot at the Empress of Rokkenjima. The world can no longer hold talks in good faith with the President of Heyra, nor likely his diplomatic agents; essentially, we've seen the Heyran Senate aim a missile at the First Empire which ultimately found its target as Heyra's foreign endeavours."
"Now if we look at the meeting itself, the topic matters, the treaty; not the best situation for the Empress, however, knowing her for many years and working with her in Pyrena Castle you notice that the Treaty was not signed. With the precondition of recognizing Heyran sovereignty over the Islands what I see, from my experience with the Empress, is that she saw a Treaty based on depriving a People of their self-determination was itself rotten from the core. The bases themselves, often a talking point, proved inadequate to move the Empress to the point of signing, knowing full well the firestorm a base on Redfern would provoke. Essentially she was presented with options, she considered them, and ultimately dismissed them as not being worth the cost."
"It certainly doesn't look good, however, her rejection of the Treaty is an action which does speak. In the follow-up call to Blackwind which, if ill-directed and worded at times, was ultimately well intended. You can hear the nuances in her voice as she urges Blackwind regarding
'those upon Barnacle who desire independence and those who wish to remain Himeyaman just as greatly as those who desire reunion with Heyra'. I can see the strategy she was pursuing, however, at this point appeasing the idea of Heyran sovereignty was likely a vehicle to impress upon Blackwind the importance and necessity of a referendum. The Empress will pick up the finer points the longer she's back, but one must remember she has been away for some time; this is an issue I believe will see some remedy in her selection of a most capable Vicegerent."
"If we look at the points raised, the Empress ran into a brick wall at times in their conversation, ultimately moving her to end it as no progress was to be made; his mind was made up, and that was that. A deployment of combat troops, to a contested territory by one of the contending powers in a time of natural disaster is also not the best manner in which to announce good intentions. Heyra's goal of bringing Nurashima/Barnacle under its sovereign control is well known, the same goals could have been accomplished by working with the forces aligned in assistance and would have been a neutral option which would not have had the spectre of fueling the flames. As for Senators elected from 'Barnacle Prefecture' the point is irrelevant as we're talking about the concerns of those Islanders who desire independence. It is
their voice which remains unrepresented, and a cloud which I said continues to hang over the process. Would the citizens of Hake-Shima feel their voice is represented in these talks because of these Senators?"
"Now as you may be aware I sat upon Chrysanthemum Throne for a while, so I
might have an idea how the Imperial Government works as well as its relation to the People. Following the Second Patriotic War the Anselmo Restoration returned to the People their culture, language and liberty from foreign and corporate owned thieves masquerading as democratic leaders. This resulted, naturally, in a measure of distrust in the elected Government which is still being combated to this day. Empress Beatrice is seen as a liberator and the first advocate of the People who trust the Crown to ensure that the sordid state of affairs under the Federal Republic never takes root again. This saw the birth of
Rokkenjiman Democracy which has continued to evolve since the Anselmo Restoration."
"As time passed, the Empress routinely granted more power and authority to the elected Government, to the point where today they hold an effective review of foreign policies initiated by the Crown. Prior to that the Empress devoted great efforts and was an early pioneer and advocate for e-democracy which has been incorporated throughout the Imperial Government. It was also a prime concern of the Empress to ensure the People had a direct line to the Crown, while other initiatives such as reforming the Imperial Diet to ensure more local representation have further strengthened the Rokkenjiman democratic foundation. So as the years pass and public trust equalizes between the institutions of the Rokkenjiman Government we have seen an Empress who willingly sheds power to the elected officials, as has been her stated goal since the Anselmo Restoration."
"No boots, no misunderstanding of democracy, only an ignorance of the Senate upon the workings of the Imperial Government. As we have seen through actions of the First Empire, East Moreland, Achkaerin, Seaforth, Dartfordia and others there is a will among international powers to assist Peoples and Nations beyond self-enrichment. From the breaking of the Soviet Blockade, the interventions in Safraen (and Themata before it) nations have come together to challenge injustice wherever it may spring from, advocating for those with no other advocate. That conflict with the USR and its WARSAW allies led to Rokkenjima arming itself accordingly, not in the pursuit of expansion; though on the nuclear arsenal we have the Republican administrations to thank for that. So afraid of losing their power, I am pleased to see Empress Beatrice turn that wretched thing into the Strategic Energy Reserve which will power all manner of peaceful and humanitarian endeavours."
"Equating elections on an Office appointed by the Empress, through her power represented in the Constitution, to a referendum which ensures a People their right to self-determination is a false equivalency. Nurashima/Barnacle remains a contended territory, thus the process becomes much greater than a question of an internal affair. To summarize those points remaining I understand the Empress enjoys an approval rating somewhere near 68%, with individual policy matters scoring higher than this average approval rating, in a Government that holds democratic principles throughout it. The only sword which hangs over the Illumic, Mhorish and Kyne Seas is that of Heyran origin; and it is a most dangerous path upon which they could have embarked had they not effectively bulldozed their Foreign Affairs apparatus. Without the diplomatic capital and international confidence with which to execute their foreign policy, Heyra has effectively neutered itself on many, many fronts in such a way I never thought was possible."
Shifting gears the Empress Emerita touched upon implications in regards to East Moreland. "As I said before the Empress and President held discussions, she was presented with proposals but, when the deciding moment came, the Empress declined to bind Rokkenjima to this Treaty. In effect this shows that she is committing to the reductions promised to East Moreland, untangling Rokkenjima from any further direct roles in the Illumic and showing a clear preference for a future aligned more closely to East Moreland than that of the vision presented by President Blackwind. At the end of the day the Empress valued the self-determination of Nurashima/Barnacle while rejecting an appeasement of Heyra; regardless of the process which saw that resolution it is one I think is certainly worth consideration. I am certain the Empress will address these questions herself, however, until that happens that is my assertion based upon my knowledge of the Empress."