Empress Emerita Calls On First Empire, Cross-Straits Institutions To Recognize Rebels As TerroristsEmpress Emerita Evanthe Rhodes has issued a call to action regarding the Clysperi Civil War. In an impassioned call, Empress Emerita Evanthe Rhodes has called upon the First Empire and the Cross-Straits Institutions to recognize the Clysperi rebels as a terrorist enterprise and for the First Empire to stand for its principles "without bias." The remarks of the Empress Emerita follow in full.
"Roadside executions, violence perpetuated against religious populations and their centres of worship, the looting of the Clysperi cultural heritage; many of these are actions which represent crimes which the First Empire has spoken out against in the past yet the best we can do today is to state our non-involvement? When it was the Seaforth Catholic Church engaging in a eugenics program the First Empire dispatched the Imperial Rokkenjiman Navy, engaging their vessels and assisting the legitimate government in resuming control of the Kingdom. When it was the Followers of Earagon in the United Soviet Russia who faced genocide at the hands of Stalin, the First Empire brought the whole of the international community together to condemn their campaign of religious extermination. If it were not Clysperis facing these horrors, would we be so willing to remain silent and watch from the sidelines as yet another book of atrocities is written in Clysperis?"
"Whether we like it or not, the government of Pharaoh Akasha is the legitimate government of the Kingdom of Clysperis. Whether or not we agree with her policies, the People of Clysperis have shown support and reverence for the Pharaoh and, as a nation which has stood for the right of a People to choose their government and representatives, these are matters which we must respect. The time and date will come later to address our differences with the Kingdom, including the position Empress Beatrice has taken in regards to the Kingdom's stance on the conflict in Kaitaine; that time is not now. When we have reports in hand, verified by our Achkaerinese allies, that crimes are taking place against the Clysperi People at the hands of the rebellion, our first priority must be in addressing the immediate threat: the Clysperi rebel forces behind these atrocities."
"Today, I issue a call to the First Empire to stand up for our values without bias and initiate the process to recognize the Clysperi rebels as a terrorist enterprise under the Terrorist Enterprises Act. With an increasing number of foreign nations openly aiding the rebellion's cause as a legitimate government, first New Derusmia and now the Republic of Fleur, it is my concern that an absence of treating this situation as we would if it were transpiring in a nation which the First Empire holds cordial relations with risks eroding the very principles of order and precedent which have guided the community of nations in the modern era. If we are silent when it is Clysperis, the precedent is set that when any number of nations are not fond of a nations government they may overrule the sovereign authority of
any government, even against the wishes of the People, if it is for the purposes of "revisiting the current system," to borrow the words of D.A.D.C. Debeauson."
"I also call upon the Cross-Straits Union and the Cross-Straits Treaty Organisation to begin their respective processes to effect recognition of the Clysperi rebels as a terrorist entity. When the Borlanders sought recognition and legitimacy our nations did not remain silent and, while there may have been a divergence in opinion in some specific matters, I have little doubt that we all knew that the establishment of a "legitimate" Borland nation would have vast repercussions long into the future. We cannot afford to legitimize the utilization of terrorist means to seize control of a nation, its People and resources and expect to hand down a stable and tranquil world to future generations. This is why, despite any differences we may hold with Pharaoh Akasha or her policies, we must at the very least recognize that the rebels aligned against her are indeed illegitimate, we must recognize that those who employ the tools of terror are themselves terrorists, and those who support terrorists are sponsors of terrorism."
"Precedent is a double-edged sword," the Empress Emerita continued, "one which has the potential to establish accepted behaviour which can either benefit all Peoples, or harm the future interests of all. Respect for territorial waters is a precedent, enshrined in the Fair Seas Concordat, but it is one we have not done our best to safe-guard as another precedent, that nations may violate the Fair Seas Concordat under certain conditions, is also seemingly becoming entrenched in international thought and policy crafting. We cannot afford to get this one wrong; either we see the Clysperi rebels for who they are, or we grant legitimacy to the position they put forth that usurping the sovereignty of the People through slaughter, purloining, terror and persecution is a legitimate path for those who seek power to obtain it."
"There is no middle ground. We either make the right decision and stand by our principles, irregardless of whatever biases our nation(s) may hold, or we say that these actions are acceptable. Let us not make the wrong decision and consign the future of Mundus to utter chaos and uncertainty."