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Offline Nova

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« on: July 17, 2020, 05:18:45 PM »
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« Last Edit: April 10, 2023, 04:46:11 PM by Nova »

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2020, 07:55:38 PM »

Director Debeauson,

We would welcome the chance to discuss further cooperation for the success of democracy in Izhitsa. Our ideological conflicts with the communists in the east have put the security of Izhitsa and the future of our constitution in the balance. I personally invite a delegation from your nation to Izhitsa for a conference on 25 July 2020, or in your calendar, 8 Thermidor CCXXVIII. Your delegates will be met by a Yachese diplomat at Tilhuitnah Airfield, upon which they will be taken to the Zhemislovtsy summer house outside the city for the conference.

Regards,
Antek Dzhavid, High Lord of Yach

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #2 on: July 28, 2020, 11:36:56 PM »
"Hello, Director Debeauson," said Bartolomey Hatsek in his rather uncertain Fleuroix. "Welcome to Tilhuitnah! You remember me from the talks earlier this week, yes? I think this time, at least, you'll find the location to be far more to your liking." He led the Fleuroix diplomat to his car, a Zastava Fichko which had outlived six of its owners through the civil war with barely a scratch on it. Bartolomey thought that meant the car was lucky. The widow he'd bought it from disagreed.
As he drove out of the city, he pointed out its various sites. "That's the Yachese Parliament Hall. In safer times, you could watch them vote from a balcony. These days, you have to fake a press badge if you want to get in. Oh, to our left is Club Beta. Most of Izhitsa's best bands got their first break there. Well, I say best. I mean loudest."
Eventually, the city turned to plains, and the plains to woods as the car plodded up the Ayur River. They arrived at a clearing, where rows of grape vines grew for a modest distance before ending at the foot of a villa.


The villa as it appeared to the visitors.

"Here we are!" said Bartolomey. "The Zhemislovtsy Summer House. Of course, since their deaths at the hands of the nationalists, the only thing it's good for is making wine." He coughed. "I hope the idea of meeting in a king's home doesn't offend your Republican sensibilities," he said, with all the care of someone who's practiced a sentence in front of a mirror a few times, trying to make it sound natural. "The High Lord is waiting inside." He took the Fleuroix diplomat inside and introduced him to a short, stocky man with glasses and a grim face. "Director Debeauson, you'll remember the High Lord, Antek Dzhavid. Lord Dzhavid," he said, switching to Yachese, "you'll remember Director Alexandre Marc Michel Debeauson."
« Last Edit: July 31, 2020, 04:45:41 PM by Izhitsa »

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #3 on: September 05, 2020, 05:33:23 AM »
The High Lord gave Debeauson a firm handshake as the Izhitsans led him to a well-lit study.
"The Director was just remarking on how modest the villa seems to be compared to the rest of the royal residences," said Bartolomey.
"I think that was rather the point," said Dzhavid. "It was commissioned by King Stanimir I's third son, Zde'nek the Shadow. He fought in the Unification War, you know. He was there when his father crowned himself king of Izhitsa, only to form a parliamentary government. The impression I have from his writings is that he felt that for all the trappings of royalty that the family had, the monarchy was nothing but a farce. This villa was the only thing that seemed real to him."
Bartolomey translated for Debeauson, adding his own comment to the effect that the wine probably made the house more attractive despite its size. "Speaking of which," he said, "we must have some. Just a glass, to satisfy our visitor's curiosity."
The caretaker of the house, an elderly Yachese man, brought out a bottle. "1996," he said. "That was a good year. For the wine that is. Everything else was like hell."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #4 on: October 17, 2020, 06:28:16 PM »
The caretaker sighed. "That was the year the Revna collapsed," he said, as Hatsek translated. "The banking crisis and a drop in aluminum prices were driving mining companies out of business. Izhitsan Parliament tried to save them, but they ended up spending so much that the currency crashed. Most of the companies folded anyway. Bartosh-Zenit, Demian Metals, Dozortsy Hlinik, all gone, just like that." He noticed the surprised look on Dzhavid's face. "What?" said the caretaker, smirking, "You think someone who spent all their time around kings doesn't know a thing or two about politics? I'll be on my way. There are some things needing washing up."
The caretaker left the room, humming a folk song to himself.

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2020, 01:00:04 AM »
"Oh, yes," said Dzhavid, in reply to Debeauson's comment on making money with money. "For too long our government has been in the business of propping up its old, decaying half while ignoring its vibrant future. No longer!"
He had to think a while when asked about the aluminum. "Yes, well, most of it, I'm afraid, is in the communist zone. But, that's not to say that Yach doesn't have its own wealth of resources. Lead, aluminum, iron ore... You know, we used to even have gold mines here. That's why the Izhitsans wanted this place so much in the first place. Not anymore, though. I think the last one dried up just after the Great War. In fact, though, our plan is to encourage manufacturing in Izhitsa. A strong manufacturing sector has always been the backbone of economic development. Ideally, we can get foreign investors as well."
Dzhavid smiled at Debeason's opinion of the wine. "Perhaps not all our gold mines have dried up after all."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #6 on: November 19, 2020, 12:27:57 AM »
"That's... mm..." Dzhavid was having a harder time with this question than he thought he would. "It's complicated." He decided the tactful approach would be best. "Most Yachese are interested in improving our status in Izhitsa. For a long time, I have advocated for greater autonomy for our country and greater safety for our culture, but there are certainly others who want to split off from Izhitsa entirely. They're fools, of course, but I understand why. You know the usual complaints. Centuries of exploitation from a colonising power, too small a voice in Izhitsan Parliament, and, of course, these days, there's the economic issue. The rest of Izhitsa is devastated because of the civil war. In Yach, they only got as far west as Butlddula. We're on track to become a local economic power, if we play our cards right. G'ua Yach, er, the people who want Yachese independence, don't realise that we need the Izhitsans just as much as they need us. We've been linked for hundreds of years religiously, culturally, and historically. And then there are the practical concerns. Separating from Izhitsa entirely will reduce the burden of helping those people, but in the end it'll hurt our trade and harm our economic recovery."

Hatsek translated this for Debeauson, then frowned. "High Lord," he said, "Those are nice sentiments, but I'll notice you haven't actually answered his question."

"Oh, yes," said Dzhavid. "I think we'll see what people think of staying with Izhitsa in the next elections. If G'ua Yach get into power, there will probably be a referendum, and they'll probably win. I don't think that'll happen, though. Most of us Yachese know what's best for us."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2021, 10:16:37 PM »
Dzhavid's face twitched as Hatsek translated Debeauson's words. This talk of crimes against humanity wouldn't do. He knew that when Yach chose to rely so heavily on irregular troops during the civil war, there would be problems. He had chosen to forget about them, but in his heart he knew that he would always remember his decision to forget. But there would always be rumors of ethnic cleansing and genocide in the war, and some of them would even be true. It was inevitable in a war intended to pit one people against another as the nationalists did.
"I fear a lot for our people as well," he said. "The communists, so far, seem bent on remaining in power in their administrative zone, and they're attempting to set up soviets here as well. Meanwhile, their success in the south has displaced most of the Izhitsan nobility, but the nobles still retain most of their wealth. I'm worried a lot of them will end up joining the monarchists. And then there's the case of our missing nationalist fighters. We've been able to trace some vandalism and thefts to possible hidden nationalist groups, but frankly our intelligence corps is too disorganised and ill-equipped to actually find them. The communists tell me they've had similar problems. The peace here is not stable, and I'm not sure how many mistakes we can make before it crumbles."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2021, 07:35:10 PM »
Dzhavid took a moment to consider. "Well, I don't think the communists could really object to having security advisors around, at least not when we have a common enemy. And they certainly couldn't object to Izhitsans getting educated abroad. I think we have a plan." Dzhavid made a mental note to give Karamovo a call when this was over.

"As for the nobles," he added, "That's a tough issue. Izhitsa's hereditary nobility was already on the way out when the civil war began. They only held actual land in Dzelo and Shta, but even in the rest of the country, they opposed free markets for their own benefit. I spent a large part of my career trying to take back monopolies and exclusive trading rights from Izhitsan nobles who'd had them for generations. In fact, I believe a few even joined the nationalists because they thought they could get those monopolies back. Of course, most of them have been forced off their lands by the nationalists or the communists, but you can see where our difficulties come from. What we really need is an ally among the nobility to advocate for a strong, democratic Izhitsa. But that's our problem. We already have a few people in mind."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #9 on: February 01, 2021, 08:18:53 PM »
"Oh, we don't want to be accused of outright bribery, Mr. Debeauson!" said Dzhavid. "But I'm sure that if a manufacturing magnate with democratic ideals found themselves suddenly able to make connections with foreign investors, they'd have much more time to devote to their, uh, political hobbies. And of course, it's not as if Izhitsa is a bad place for foreigners to do business. We've got inexpensive labor, friendly investment laws... All just waiting for an enterprising Fleuroix businessman to come along."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2021, 10:18:55 PM »
Dzhavid carefully considered his answer. The z Modry family as a whole weren't well-liked among the other great houses of Izhitsa, but there was one of that clan who, they agreed, was different. "Radim z Modry." Dzhavid wrote some contact details on the back of a card. "I forget how he fits into the family line. To be honest, I think the z Modrys sometimes forget he's one of theirs." Dzhavid realized the implications of what he'd just said. "Oh! But don't take that the wrong way," he said. "He's one of the most powerful of that line. He controls their textile interests. It's just that his connections with the other families are very, very deep. He's the sort of man you could have a glass of wine with, and if you didn't want to meet him he would find a way to meet you. I've spoken with him on multiple occasions. He's no radical, but he believes enough in reform that he could be... persuaded to help us."

After Dzhavid finished speaking, Hatsek said something to Dzhavid, who nodded. "I can personally confirm what the High Lord is saying," said Hatsek. "Radim is a friend of mine. He looks out for himself, but he has a conscience too. And good God, can that man argue! He can and will advocate for us with the other nobles. All he needs is a push."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #11 on: August 23, 2021, 06:59:45 AM »
Dzhavid considered. "His ideals? Murky, as with any of these nobles. If I had to put him down for anything, though, I would say he mostly closely falls into the Liberal camp. Small, democratic government, uninhibited trade, deregulation, that sort of thing. An ideology built for those who already have economic power, but a useful one for us. His factories were hit hard in the war, especially near the end. I'm sure that with a sizable loan in Fleuroix currency, with favorable terms, he'd, ah, find more time to participate in the political process rather than work on rebuilding his factories. The exact details would have to be worked out, but once he saw the benefits of working with us, he would come around."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #12 on: August 23, 2021, 11:20:37 PM »
"Then I'll arrange it," said Dzhavid, making a mental note to arrange a meeting with Radim z Modry when he got back to Tilhuinah. "Now, on to this matter of reconstruction. As you may recall from our last meeting, Yach is currently housing millions of refugees, particularly from Dzelo, where the worst of the civil war took place. Our eventual goal is to help these people return to their homes, but to do so, we need to fix our roads, rebuild power stations, repair sanitation and water systems, and when that is over, ensure that they have homes to return to. The food aid will help them stay alive, and the foreign demining operations are going to help immeasurably, but to achieve this, we need investment. Funding for construction companies, small loans for new businesses, that sort of thing. The problem is that we don't have the political capital to print enough new currency to fund projects on this scale without causing the public to lose faith in their money. A few loans would go a long way." He frowned. "Normally I wouldn't advocate for paying Yachese and Izhitsan people in foreign currency. But they take it, and at very good rates too. And it's a better problem to have than hyperinflation."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #13 on: September 25, 2021, 09:14:07 PM »
"An excellent proposal," said Dzhavid. "Of course, I recognise the dangers of tying ourselves too closely to any nation, even an ally, but if there's anything that we learn from history, it's that we don't achieve great things by avoiding risk. In any case, better to be indebted to a friend than locked in battle with an enemy."

Offline Izhitsa

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Re: A bridge for democracy (Izhitsa and Fleur)
« Reply #14 on: October 04, 2021, 10:57:00 PM »
"There is the matter of," Dzhavid struggled for the right word, "defense. There is some concern in Parliament that if talks with the communists go awry, we could have serious trouble keeping western Izhitsa under democratic control. Recruitment isn't a terrible concern, but we frankly don't have the materiel. We need more---and better---anti-tank and anti-air weapons, at least And that's just to defend. If we wanted to pursue a fight against the communists... but I get ahead of ourselves. The point is, some material cooperation would be greatly appreciated. Even better if we could acquire Fleuroix designs and replace some of the older equipment ourselves.
"This is all something that we can solve ourselves, but it would take a lot of political will---a real crisis---to get started. And I'm not sure if we have time to wait for one. If there's will in Fleur, this is another thing we could coordinate through your consulate."