NationStates Jolt Archive

"A diplomat who says 'yes' means 'maybe', a diplomat who says 'maybe' means 'no', and a diplomat who says 'no' is no diplomat." - Charles M. de Talleyrand

The following is an excerpt from the Times of Chelmar, international edition.

Dagora to Journey to Wagdog

AJER, YAFOR 2 - It has been a long time since a foreign policy decision made by Eliana Dagora, the Elected Duchess of the Grand Democratic Duchy, has been met with acclaim and agreement from the opposition members of her government. With the announcement that she will soon be departing on a state tour to Wagdog, however, she has received a fair amount of support from members of the Libertarian-Capitalist Party, as well as the YKMK-PLP bloc which has been veering solidly towards her. She has even begun to lose the criticism of the base of her party, where she has been most heavily lambasted. However, to sustain that, this trip will have to be very successful.

Ms. Dagora has faced the most opposition from the left wing of her own Socialist Party, at least on the issues of foreign policy. Since her election (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=537327) one year ago on a platform of being an leader who would be far more focussed on internal affairs, Eliana Dagora has come under heavy fire for her aggressive foreign policy. During the election campaign, many members of both her party and others had expressed reservations about her foreign policy inexperience and the fact that she had campaigned on a platform of a more interventionist foreign policy - a radical departure from the Sodo Doctrine of the past. In the end, many believed she had been elected for her internal affairs experience, not for her foreign policy stand.

And yet, it is on the issues of foreign policy that Ms. Dagora has made her largest impact. Her radical decision to take a far more partisan relationship to the two blocks that inhabit the world was a surprise to many, as was her decision to increase ties, and finally become a part of, Gholgoth. The Grand Democratic Duchy had, many believed, benefited greatly from the neutrality that Rudiv Sodo, the former Elected Duke, had favored as a foreign policy. Instead, despite the fact that the Grand Democratic Duchy was already involved in very close ties with Gholgoth via connections from the Alliance of Progressive Nations, many Yaforites have agreed that the entrance into the prestigious regional alliance has barely benefited them - as it has put them "on the same side" as their ancestral enemies Aleos.

It has been far more of a surprise to Ms. Dagora's former supporters that she has not been more active in matters of internal policy. Her largest move in this regard has been the more aggressive crackdown on the mafia, arresting even a national team football/soccer player, Idurv Odakale. This has come with great acclaim from the populace, as it has drastically cut down on the illegal smuggling that has greatly plagued the Grand Democratic Duchy for nearly a thousand years. However, it has been more of a surprise to her supporters that she has not continued in the reformation of internal affairs that she did at the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Welfare, where she took programs that had been costing the government millions of mulcs and instead made them easy, efficient, and quick. The lack of such interest on a national level has caused many supporters to desert her.

Recent polls among the strongest Socialist Party voting blocks in Uharan and Chelmar have shown Ms. Dagora's declining popularity. At the time of her election, her support among her key constituents, according the IYPS, was around 83%, and the number who believed that she was the right choice as leader of the Grand Democratic Duchy was near 93%. Since then, her numbers in the former category have dropped to about 21% and in the latter to around 32%. Meanwhile, Ms. Dagora has struggled to get anything passed in the Business Council, as not only have the oppositions LCP tried to block everything that she has tried to advance with, but also her own party have deserted her - mainly due to her abandonment of the Sodo Doctrine of non interventionism, which had great support among the Socialist Party.

Meanwhile, Ms. Dagora has also found herself in a hole with parliamentary elections coming up soon. Recent IYPS polls find the Socialist Party running a distant third place in all three councils, even falling to a minority in their traditional stronghold Business Council. If the polls are correct, the YKMK-PLP Bloc may find themselves holding all three councils, and may then try to force another ducal election, to see if they can get a candidate from the center back in power - names such as the half-Buchianan diplomat Nakhran Narimov (a foreign policy superstar since he engineered closer ties with Generia) have been bandied around. Many Socialist Party member have begun to distance themselves from Ms. Dagora, in an effort to remain in control of their seats as elections approach.

The move for a state visit to Wagdog has been greeted with vast support from all sides of the aisle. The Nova nation, who are known for the fact that they are similar economically and politically to the Grand Democratic Duchy, are close allies of Yaforite allies Damirez, and a state visit there would do well to solidify ties with another like-minded state. Many see this as a turning point for Ms. Dagora, a possible new start for a beleaguered Elected Duchess.

"A diplomat who says 'yes' means 'maybe', a diplomat who says 'maybe' means 'no', and a diplomat who says 'no' is no diplomat." - Charles M. de Talleyrand

The following is an excerpt from the Times of Chelmar, international edition.

Dagora to Journey to Wagdog

AJER, YAFOR 2 - It has been a long time since a foreign policy decision made by Eliana Dagora, the Elected Duchess of the Grand Democratic Duchy, has been met with acclaim and agreement from the opposition members of her government. With the announcement that she will soon be departing on a state tour to Wagdog, however, she has received a fair amount of support from members of the Libertarian-Capitalist Party, as well as the YKMK-PLP bloc which has been veering solidly towards her. She has even begun to lose the criticism of the base of her party, where she has been most heavily lambasted. However, to sustain that, this trip will have to be very successful.

Ms. Dagora has faced the most opposition from the left wing of her own Socialist Party, at least on the issues of foreign policy. Since her election (http://forums.jolt.co.uk/showthread.php?t=537327) one year ago on a platform of being an leader who would be far more focussed on internal affairs, Eliana Dagora has come under heavy fire for her aggressive foreign policy. During the election campaign, many members of both her party and others had expressed reservations about her foreign policy inexperience and the fact that she had campaigned on a platform of a more interventionist foreign policy - a radical departure from the Sodo Doctrine of the past. In the end, many believed she had been elected for her internal affairs experience, not for her foreign policy stand.

And yet, it is on the issues of foreign policy that Ms. Dagora has made her largest impact. Her radical decision to take a far more partisan relationship to the two blocks that inhabit the world was a surprise to many, as was her decision to increase ties, and finally become a part of, Gholgoth. The Grand Democratic Duchy had, many believed, benefited greatly from the neutrality that Rudiv Sodo, the former Elected Duke, had favored as a foreign policy. Instead, despite the fact that the Grand Democratic Duchy was already involved in very close ties with Gholgoth via connections from the Alliance of Progressive Nations, many Yaforites have agreed that the entrance into the prestigious regional alliance has barely benefited them - as it has put them "on the same side" as their ancestral enemies Aleos.

It has been far more of a surprise to Ms. Dagora's former supporters that she has not been more active in matters of internal policy. Her largest move in this regard has been the more aggressive crackdown on the mafia, arresting even a national team football/soccer player, Idurv Odakale. This has come with great acclaim from the populace, as it has drastically cut down on the illegal smuggling that has greatly plagued the Grand Democratic Duchy for nearly a thousand years. However, it has been more of a surprise to her supporters that she has not continued in the reformation of internal affairs that she did at the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Welfare, where she took programs that had been costing the government millions of mulcs and instead made them easy, efficient, and quick. The lack of such interest on a national level has caused many supporters to desert her.

Recent polls among the strongest Socialist Party voting blocks in Uharan and Chelmar have shown Ms. Dagora's declining popularity. At the time of her election, her support among her key constituents, according the IYPS, was around 83%, and the number who believed that she was the right choice as leader of the Grand Democratic Duchy was near 93%. Since then, her numbers in the former category have dropped to about 21% and in the latter to around 32%. Meanwhile, Ms. Dagora has struggled to get anything passed in the Business Council, as not only have the oppositions LCP tried to block everything that she has tried to advance with, but also her own party have deserted her - mainly due to her abandonment of the Sodo Doctrine of non interventionism, which had great support among the Socialist Party.

Meanwhile, Ms. Dagora has also found herself in a hole with parliamentary elections coming up soon. Recent IYPS polls find the Socialist Party running a distant third place in all three councils, even falling to a minority in their traditional stronghold Business Council. If the polls are correct, the YKMK-PLP Bloc may find themselves holding all three councils, and may then try to force another ducal election, to see if they can get a candidate from the center back in power - names such as the half-Buchianan diplomat Nakhran Narimov (a foreign policy superstar since he engineered closer ties with Generia) have been bandied around. Many Socialist Party member have begun to distance themselves from Ms. Dagora, in an effort to remain in control of their seats as elections approach.

The move for a state visit to Wagdog has been greeted with vast support from all sides of the aisle. The Nova nation, who are known for the fact that they are similar economically and politically to the Grand Democratic Duchy, are close allies of Yaforite allies Damirez, and a state visit there would do well to solidify ties with another like-minded state. Many see this as a turning point for Ms. Dagora, a possible new start for a beleaguered Elected Duchess.
OOC: Warning, fluid-timing ahoy!:p
IC
Stewardess' Residence, Palace of the Revolution; Tailville DR, Wagdog
Reading the Times of Chelmar while still sipping her first coffee, Stewardess Christine Friedrich smiled at yet another triumph for patient and quiet diplomacy. Not to mention a good turn after the series of trials that was Theeb III; GUH! She herself felt as satisfied as could with the outcome; but nonetheless it would indeed be good to spend some time with someone hopefully not operating under an utterly divergent moral system as far as Christine knew of her, nor so flush with the military power of years of aggressive expansionism as to flaunt that divergence in Christine's face so greatly as to almost demand she submit to it.

Sitting with the cup warming her hands, the orange sunlight streaming through the penthouse windows with their blinds, Christine Friedrich "By the Grace of Progress Stewardess of the Revolution for the Revolutionary Commonwealth of Wagdog and Its' Dominions" was starting to perk up again indeed. Hazel eyes darting over the Duchess' itinerary that had been drawn up between the two nations' State Departments. "Speaking to the National People's Congress first..." Christine knew that could always get some down, even if Wagdog's legislative body was unicameral and relatively restricted compared to the executive despite growing in power compared to the constrained role it had served during the outright-Socialist days. Unlike back then, when only the Revolutionary Command Council could issue a vote of confidence on mine or Charles' policies, now the Congress has that power; not that they're inclined to use it yet. Leaving the shifting tides of politics alone from there, Christine began going over the remainder of the itinerary before she dressed to meet the Duchess on arrival at Tailville DR International Airport; no sense in dwelling on the already agreed-upon after all...

Print Division Office, WIBC News; WIBC Headquarters 14th Floor
Francine Godot sat at her computer, for perhaps the first time in five years not seething to at least some degree. Finally, a leader coming over whom by party isn't a card-carrying imperialist for once. Elective-Royalist, maybe; but even an old partisan like Godot could recognize the distinction when necessary. She continued typing her editorial accordingly. After they shut down Channel 2 when the hardest-line decided to try regaining control here, they shoved me into this dead-end as my 'penance' as it were; pfeh! The pigtailed redhead seemed herself an anachronism; white streaking her flame locks yet still she dressed as if she were an agitator back during the Cultural Revolution. To each their own, especially so in Wagdog compared to some others; but given the past five years' changes Francine Godot was by far more a woman apart than she had been when the country had emerged into world affairs after the Strator War and its' arguably-ongoing fallout even sixteen years later.

Finishing, she looked the article once-over again and was satisfied. Nothing too inhospitable, but not coddling either; the Elected Duchess would be weighed to the grain and measured to the hair. Francine would see to it that the Left's voice would be heard on this matter; the real Left in Wagdog, or that which remained at least, rather than what Francine saw as the capitalist-coopted welfare-wishy-washies that had once called themselves Communists before being seduced. Yes, Francine Godot would indeed be heard; no more waiting...

Waiting for Dagora
Shall Two Limousine Liberals Restore Each Others' Political Fortunes, Forge New Regional Ties?
Editorialist: Francine Godot

As is no doubt known to anyone not on the run under sentence of proscription or else abroad at the whim of the National Guard or so-called 'Revolutionary' Navy in various missions motivated by our nation's surfeit of allies-in-need, the Yaforite Elected Duchess Eliana Dagora has decided to grace our nation with a state visit; supposedly to herald the formal opening of ties between our nations. Her arrival today is hotly anticipated, word having it by reliable sources that Stewardess Friedrich will spare no expense in Committee of Public Safety agents or in pomp and circumstance to greet the Gholgothan constitutional monarch; greet her and introduce her to our nation and its' presumed 'wonders'.

One may perhaps forgive any bitterness in my tone, for I make no bones about being an old-school Communist; and thus my distaste for both so-called 'elective monarchies' and so-called 'Socialist' parties that see fit to do away with Marxism-Leninism and its' fundamental commandments. Alas, however, I am no longer an affiliate of any party in effective power in this nation; indeed I'm only typing this at all because I was apparently too opinionated to be considered safe if left with my studio as before. But I digress.

To be fair, Ms. Dagora comes with a fair reputation for carrying out her duties well when she was heading the Grand Democratic Duchy's Education and Welfare Departments; well if perhaps in too Menshevik a fashion for the tastes of some. And although I might be inclined to note dissatisfaction with the 'police actions' in Marerius which Duchess Dagora has consistently supported, nonetheless when my own nation supports a tribal monarchy in Vetaka I indeed know my place and what requires priority in terms of criticism.

If nothing else, both these women our Stewardess and the Elected Duchess seem to be quite the chameleons. The Elected Duchess ran on an internally-focused platform, with the main military focus supposedly being the aforementioned Yaforite imperial entanglements and naval expansion programmes as well; only to later bring the Grand Democratic Duchy straight into Gholgoth itself as part of what I can only say for myself is a complete turnabout from her sworn prior focus. And equally, our Stewardess was once "Comrade Deputy General Secretary" before some other Comrades in my own People's Revolutionary Party, Orthodox Revolutionary Party and even her own Revolutionary Party saw fit to attempt to remove her common-law husband General Secretary Charles Lind from power under the restored banner of the Wagdian United Communist Front. After, she as the new Paramount Leader with her Elven-inspired faux-royalist title saw fit to dissociate the Revolutionary Party from its' Communist origins nigh-entirely; embracing the bourgeois ideologies of the various 'open society' schools of thought that now predominate in our nation's institutes of prattle. Yes, if indeed two women of supposedly 'Socialist' extraction were ever made for each other it is these two; though whether the infamous Molly DeLean of Animarnia will share Christine in such a way is another matter entirely.

As far as my expectations go from this visit, personally, they are pedestrian. A speech will be made before the Congress, no doubt praising those deserving scorn and scorning those deserving praise for bearing the unbearable and tolerating the intolerable these last five years of this counterrevolutionary 'Second Revolution'. An embassy will be opened, and with it a line of communication into Gholgoth that will no doubt do still more to inflame opinion among the slaver-sycophant arch-reactionaries of the Alliance for the Preservation of Civilization against our nation for all the wrong reasons, even if they indeed would have the right target; and most likely the various diplomats from the other embassies will gather together and congratulate themselves on how beautiful and merciful and intelligent they are, honorary Saviors of Humanity all and nearly every one of them languishing in the depths of false consciousness.

But then again, I don't make the news any more; I merely gripe about it to sell papers for the masses' consumption. If perhaps though I can draw attention to the idiocies of this government and its' willful desecration of any and all true 'Revolutionary' values in its' quest for naked power, then I don't view this job as an exile at all after the cancellation of the Red Channel broadcasts of old. In fact, I have returned to the frontlines of the Proletarian Information Revolution I may say; a privilege I as your commentator shall endeavor steadfastly earn as I keep the light shone upon where it belongs. A Light Upon the Real Truth, shone without Fear or Favor!

-This Column Represents the Opinions of the Author Only, and not necessarily Those of WIBC News or any Affiliated Organizations whether Governmental or Otherwise.-

[OOC: Apologies for the wait - as you know, I've been out of town/busy with state debate tournaments in successive weeks.]

The Tarmac, Tailville DR International Airport

Elected Duchess Eliana Dagora smoothed back her black hair, embracing any chance to occupy herself. Thoughts swirled through her head, thoughts of what could possibly come in the next few hours, thoughts of what possible might occur. Whether she liked it or not, this was a momentous occasion, made even more so by the fact that she was running an administration that, she tried not to admit to herself, but was forced to, was running into the ground. She was, to be blunt, the helmsman and captain of a sinking ship, one that, instead of heading back in the direction it was coming from, continued to tear forward into the harsh winds and storms, without heed for the possible dangers ahead. She had not been known as a gambler before running for office, but, to many, she was akin to one who had entered a casino and, immediately, headed for the tables.

Running her hands over the folded papers in her lap, the Elected Duchess sought reassurance. For a brief second, she found herself envying Rudiv Sodo - one of his gifts (one which had endeared him greatly to the Yaforite people) had been his ability to speak flawlessly in front of a crowd, to ad-lib words that stirred even the most apathetic of men, that could make the toughest feel pity or pain. He had been a brilliant orator, and one who Eliana admired, for that very reason. Speaking came less easily to her - she had to have everything written beforehand, and Eliana often had trouble with getting exact cadences and inflections that separated a good speaker from an orator. When Eliana spoke, each pause seemed almost hesitant, at least in her mind. That was one of the reasons she wasn't looking forward to speaking in front of the National People's Congress.

It did reassure her, however, to know that they expected as little from her speech as she did. Her speech, as it was written, was nothing more than empty air, politeness, a bit of condemnation of nations such as Doomingsland, and some standard anti-imperialist jargon. She wasn't yet convinced that she was going to follow the speech, but, as it was written, her speech was exactly what anyone would expect from a standard diplomatic visit - a lot of hot air, a lot of wasted time, and a lot of diplomat-speak for "this is a public place and everything that we are going to get done will get done indoors and not in front of you people", which, as it was with many such speeches, the complete and total truth.

This wasn't just a standard diplomatic visit, and that was what unnerved Eliana the most. To tell the truth, she had no idea what she really wanted from Wagdog, and, chances were, they had as good an idea as she did. Both countries were left to flounder in what was really a world that was friendly to neither. That was the real purpose of this meeting, the keystone of the arch that made up the yet-to-come relationship. She needed this boost and, if what she read about Christine Friedrich was only half true, then so did the other leader. And, to be honest, that was really what unnerved Eliana about this whole process - the fact that this meeting was somehow "forced" and, yet, at the same time, entirely voluntary; the fact that both sides needed something, but were not sure what; the fact that, to be brutally honest, the entire future of her political career hinged on this.

There it was - the fact that Eliana had been steadily maneuvering her mind away from - the simple truth that stood in front of her, naked to her eyes. She needed this, more than she needed anything else in her life. She needed to be able to return to Ajer and say "look what I have done! I have gained us allies who will be faithful and who are like us now!" and she needed the country to say in response, with one voice, "yes!". She needed the support, she needed the room, but, most of all, Eliana Dagora longed for some of the pressure to leave her, for some of the pressure to dissipate. And when she had left Tailville, she was sure, political analysts were sure, some of that pressure would disappear. It had to. It had to.

"They are ready for you, Eliana." Foreign Minister Jyorin Kiamelar, veteran of so many past diplomatic events, a man who some saw as the possible next Elected Duke, wore the same expression he always did - one that conveyed both worry and contentment. He had been the one who had been responsible for the deals with Scolopendra (he claimed that that deal had been a result of skilled diplomacy by Yaforite Ambassador to Tiburon Amalria Godarian, but Eliana knew better), and he had been one of her primary supporters on this venture. Despite the fact that he was from a party that, in truth, was polar opposite from her own, Eliana trusted his judgment - he was intelligent and knew what he was doing.

The Foreign Minister sighed. "It will be fine, Eliana. You'll get what you need." Those words, those words, rang through Eliana's mind as she rose. "Thanks Jyorin. I needed that." Exiting the plane, she gracefully walked down the steps towards the waiting delegation from the government of Wagdog.

Seeing Elected Duchess Dagora descending the stairway from the plane, Christine could read some of the woman’s posture; an appraisal her attitude naturally followed. Damn that Godot for writing her Maoist babble now! Christine may have had to respect freedom of the press per both law and her better judgment even apart from it, but that didn’t mean she had to like it when it was so patently abused as she saw things; and if what that article had done to Dagora’s spirits was any indication it had indeed been abused. The fact that until the minority of orthodox Communists had finallly pushed their luck too hard five years ago Francine Godot had been the popular ‘voice’ of Wagdog both domestically and among Socialist nations for some twenty years running, in her former role as anchorwoman for WIBC Channel 2 News or “The Red Channel” to contrast Channel 1’s “Pink Channel” of more social-democratic and even (at times) neoliberal orientation for ‘abroad’ audiences, was still an embarrassment at times. I’ll just have to turn the charm on double.

The honor guard band cued the national anthem, The Day it Rained Forever sounding most unusual coming from trumpets and drums given its’ origins as a trance ballad but having replaced the old Internationale on Christine’s personal championship even during the last of the United Socialist States’ years. Few knew exactly why, but it could be found with the right effort. The song reminded her of her stillborn child; who would’ve been Harold Friedrich Lind had he lived and, depending on whether he were born after surviving the timewarp that had cost Wagdog two decades of existence and growth from 1976 to 1996, or else born without the warp happening at all, would’ve be well into either his twenty-seventh or forty-seventh year of life by now. Probably having my job now, Christine thought ruefully; which sad fact she used to make herself press on in his name.

After the honor guard snapped their vintage, polished SKS rifles high with bayonets fixed, Christine intoned happily, “Your Excellency Elected Duchess, It’s indeed my supreme honor and privilege as Stewardess of the Revolution for the Revolutionary Commonwealth of Wagdog and its’ Dominions to welcome you here in friendship.” She walked over, shaking Dagora’s hand while beaming with her usual puckish smile and the hazel eyes of a girl who knew she was the host of this ‘party’; intending thoroughly to enjoy it. While shaking she whispered to Dagora, almost audibly, “I hear you’ve had your share of trials, and indeed been ‘handed a bill of goods’ as some might say; well you’re not alone.” There was only so much confidence building Christine could do right now, but the Elected Duchess looked like she needed every bit of it. Hopefully it would help, especially the parts left unsaid, which Eliana could learn about later or even might know some of already.

Motioning past the honor guards, drawn from the Second Motor-Rifle Corps aka “The Stewardess’ Own Regiment of Foot,” Christine pointed to the state limousine and said quite quaintly, “Your Chariot awaits, Duchess.” She did so love playing tour guide although Tailville DR should’ve been famous enough with its’ mixed districts of all of Soviet neo-Gothic style buildings from the early years, modern corporate skyscrapers from later in all manner of styles both edgy and stodgy, and quaint residential boroughs from either time drawn from many global traditions but mainly Anglo-Dutch or else Spanish colonial styles; international repute brought a certain “too long; didn’t read” aspect to a nation’s tourism unless they were careful to keep things interesting…

***

Sergeant-at-Arms William Van der Youten of the National People’s Congress was getting just somewhat nervous by this point, yes. Standing at attention under the withering gaze of Speaker Curtiss Hallhoff was enough on its’ own even normally, but the pug-faced and graying-platinum-blonde parliamentarian from the majority Wagdian Social Democratic Party only factored in now as an adjunct to the Stewardess’ own lateness with the guest of honor from Gholgoth. True, those ‘in the know’ knew that Yafor was about as far from the generally-assumed archetype of a Gothic nation as one could find; but alas although there were all of pro-Freeks and anti-Freeks and even Congressmen with an attitude of “why bother?” Much about the balance between those camps and others would be determined by the success or failure of this diplomatic jaunt.

Finally, Van der Youten’s pager rang and he knew they’d arrived. Moving to the mahogany-paneled door and grasping its’ gilded handle, he opened it wide. As Stewardess Christine and her party entered the hall dominated by a statue of Marianne, Muse of the Revolution done in much the likeness of a certain vanished Vetakan President from years back, Duchess Dagora and her party in tow, Van der Youten proclaimed in his fight-promoter’s voice, “Ladies and Gentlemen of the National People’s Congress, the Stewardess of the Revolution Christine Lind Friedrich wishes to speak!”

While the applause rattled, Christine was motioned up to the Speaker’s podium by said politician himself; hastened by a “Make it a good one Angel; some are antsy, and the waiting didn’t help.” Whether he was one of said ‘some’ or not, was something he didn’t hazard too strong an implication of. All too typical, even for a coalition partner with Christine’s own Social Revolutionary Party; one never got a break in this business.

Once the applause had died down, Christine began simply and earnestly. Why not? “Comrades and Citizens of the National People’s Congress, of all parties and opinions, I thank you for your welcome. And in particular for allowing me the privilege of inviting unto us someone whom I consider potentially a worthwhile friend; one much like us, from a place that many might be misled to think had no such if all they bought were the regionalist tropes peddled by the likes of the so-called ‘Alliance for the Preservation of Civilization’.” Christine’s opinion of that alliance was hardly a secret at all; some members she despised as ‘trusty shooters at the right hands of slavery and reactionism,’ whereas others (and not all of them recruits either) she merely scratched her head at and pitied understandingly for what she could only guess was their best attempt to play one minority group of 'nasty customers' from their region off against similarly-nasty ones from another for survival’s sake, but the effect was the same. Whether dedicated or duped, fanatics were always dangerous; and APOC qualified for both factors distinguishing a fanatical group from one not. They refused to change their minds about the ‘Gothic Threat’, and equally refused to change the subject.

Well tonight she would change it for them, and they could just chew on that for a bit and see how well it digested. “But they do exist, and I have the Head of State of one of them among us to prove it. Comrades, Citizens, Congressmen, I give unto you: Elected Duchess Eliana Dagora, of the Grand Democratic Duchy of Yafor!” The applause thundered forth again from the assembled representatives of every Commonwealth Realm as the floor was yielded; perhaps loudest among the Social Revolutionaries and Social Democrats, likewise the Valarin League pagan religious parties both of Wagdhellen or Neo-Númenorean branches depending on if their membership was Elven or Human, while the United Communists were more skeptical and the only recently-legalized Wagdian National Party looked ready to impale the speaker with their stares.

There were others even still; since the Communists’ attempted coup against their ruling offshoot Social Revolutionaries also on top five years ago brought the old limitations on which political parties would be allowed and which banned distinctly out of fashion, all the better to keep them from trying their luck twice after all, Wagdian politics now resembled more than anything else a bazaar of competing extremists all only just kept from each others’ throats by the Social Revolutonary-Social Democratic-Green Labor radical-plus-liberal coalition. Tonight Duchess Dagora would get to see the pit of vipers Christine had to charm for a change of pace; indeed, would there be any difference between Christine’s and hers worth writing home about to tell?

OOC: Thread reboot with OP's permission. Also, fluid-time alert about the APOC reference since this is fluid-set back to early in the Alliance's second incarnation. The sightseeing for Eliana on the way in we can cover on IRC.

National People's Congress, Wagdog

Foreign Minister Jyorin Kiamelar was a veteran of diplomatic events - from the APN-sponsored meeting in the Grand Democratic Duchy to the Menelmacari diplomatic party, it had been the foreign minister who had been the one constant, to provide that base of knowledge that was so valuable for a diplomat. He had been the first choice for Eliana Dagora - the first person who she had chosen to accompany her on what really was a first for her administration - a journey to speak in a country with whom the Grand Democratic Duchy had few, if any, relations. Eliana had been to Pacitalia, almost directly after being elected for her job, but that was different - the Pacitalian-Yaforite relationship was long, storied, and at a down-low. Here, she would have to make a good first impression on a group of people she only knew through meticulous research of political books. She wished, again, briefly, that she had Rudiv Sodo's oratorical talent - she was a Yaforite, meaning that she could speak better than the average non-Yaforite, but Sodo had been an exceptional orator even among Yaforites. Eliana, however, was not. She was now relying on the Twin Gods (and her Foreign Minister) to bring her success at the podium.

"It isn't difficult, Eliana. You know these people. You've practiced. Now go out there and stun them all." The soft words from her ordinarily-taciturn Minister of Foreign Affairs had a strange effect on Eliana. It wasn't like they increased her confidence, or anything cliched like that - no, they simply reaffirmed what she already knew. They simply guided her. And Eliana stepped up to the podium, easily shuffling her papers that held the full text of her speech on them. She looked out into the crowd, seeing them look back at her - some hopeful, as if she could show them something, some despairing, as if they saw her fear in her face and posture, some angry, as if her very presence there was a threat to them, and some almost ignoring, as if she should, because they would not listen to her, no matter what. Looking at the crowd, Eliana glanced down, uncomfortably, to her lines, and then began.

"To the members of the National People's Congress - thank you for letting me speak today." It was the obvious beginning, and no one was surprised to hear it from her. Nonetheless, Eliana had begun in a conventional way because she was here, basically, to say nothing, albeit in an elegant manner. That was her job in Wagdog, and it was a job for which Eliana hoped she achieved her goals "I'm very glad to be allowed to speak here, to be honest. After all, with all the propaganda and threats and such that seem to be riding the newswires of basically every country around, it's slightly remarkable - and very heartening - that a country like yours would allow a leader such as myself - a leader from Gholgoth - to speak inside your borders." It was the truth, a compliment, and Eliana knew very well that they would accept it and move on. Perhaps some members of the National People's Congress would take it for a compliment and be glad - most would be waiting for the substance of what would be said. As it was, Eliana was trying her hardest to make sure that there would be no real substance coming.

"To see such commitment to understanding from other nations is wonderful." "I sound like a girl!" she thought herself, silently cursing her tone of voice. "More than that. With propaganda coming from both the APOC and Gholgoth," the use of both blocs reduced the partisanship of the phrase, although, in reality, it was essentially wholly partisan, "it takes very intelligent people to allow themselves to use their own abilities to judge others." That wasn't a compliment - it was a message, almost telling the Wagdogians that ought to judge her based on what they saw of her, not what they had heard. It was a very subtle message, of course, and one that the majority of the people in the room would probably not recieve. Then again, she didn't really know. These people from Wagdog seemed very sophisticated, from what she had seen so far. Far more extreme ideologically, but very sophisticated nonetheless (which was an interesting, if rare, combination).

"And that is why I am here. I want to show you how similar we are, despite the fact that we are miles - and alliance blocs - apart." The people who had expected her to arrive at a point - perhaps, have some substance to her speech, seemed surprised. "The Grand Democratic Duchy is open to you, just as you have been open to me. We are willing to show you our parks, our architecture, our cities, our people, just as you have shown me your parks, your architecture, your cities, and your people." Eliana nodded somewhat to the Stewardess. Let the others in the area know that their leader had done her job as a guest. "More than simply us, however. Gholgoth is willing to be open. We are not killers, not murderers, as others, less educated, claim." It was a clear shot across the bows at the APOC, who, among other things, had claimed that Gholgoth were all of those, including "uneducated", thus result in Eliana's last statement.

"That, truly, is why I'm here. I'm a person like any of you - a leader, who sometimes struggles to placate her populace," a ripple of laughter moved through the room as people clearly saw the allusion to Wagdog's own internal political state. "and her opposing parties of course," this time there was a bit more laughter, "and, above all, herself. I see what others think of Gholgoth - and, by extension, the Grand Democratic Duchy, and it pains me, as if someone had defamed me personally." That was utter plagiarism - Rudiv Sodo had used that metaphor many, many times in his career, and Eliana had taken it, because it stood well with crowds, most of whom understood the feelings to which the metaphor alluded. Eliana almost nodded towards her Foreign Minister, who had suggested that she blatantly steal the phrase from Rudiv Sodo's handbook. From reactions (though facial reactions tended to be rather unreliable), it had gone over fairly well.

"So I've come. Wagdog is a like-minded nation to us - you, too, believe in the basic rights of man, in liberty, in free speech, in a health life." They were standard and structured to be as vague as possible, so that even the hard-line communists in the National People's Congress (of whom there seemed to be quite a few) would be appeased by those words. "We, too, believe in the same ideals as you, believe in the same possible future as you do. And, as such, I've come - to see your country, to meet your people, and to expand our relations to a level beyond what they are now. You would be great friends to us and this is a friendship I wish to begin."

"We are not monsters. We are people, just as any other - people who can see the same world you do. Let us, as people, come together in unity." She stepped off the podium to polite clapping from some sections and rousing applause from others. "Now comes the hard part", she thought.

[OOC: Sorry the speech is so short - I really didn't have the time to make it massive/good.]

The National People’s Congress rose in the expected applause for Her Excellency, and in fact Sergeant-at-Arms Van der Youten was even pleasantly surprised to see some numbers from the neutral and anti-Gothic factions among them. “Well, the girl delivered.” Of course, those he recognized as having been the least likely to personally accept this olive branch were merely aping the applause, looking the matter too; but whatever since that was that and they weren't in the spotlight now anyway. He counted… Yep, a minority; let ‘em then.

After Dagora concluded, Friedrich was practically knuckle-smacking the CPS agents near her with her wide applause. Go girl… The politician within simultaneously thought, A bit generic perhaps, too much hedging; she'll need to come on more confidently at the embassy opening… But given the circumstances, quite excellent besides; now the substance was to come. Christine stepped up and summarized for the gathering, an idea having occurred to her.

“And we are open to you, Your Excellency. With the deadly dichotomy that seems to be consuming more nations’ policies in its’ grasp these days, even to the detriment of their own sovereign well-being, that openness is more sorely needed than ever.” With the practiced measurement of a veteran, she moved on in the best attempt to appear seamless; no sense belaboring what Dagora had covered so well if it risked outshining her. “To that end, later this evening I say, to the Congress and the Nation more broadly, that I myself shall not only officiate at the opening of the Yaforite embassy at 1947Aurora Avenue in this very city. I’ll be giving the honor of cutting the ribbon to none other than Her Excellency the Elected Duchess herself; the plot would be her sovereign territory once things are concluded, so why not acknowledge such ahead of time as a nation of grateful guests?”

The applause from the NPC continued, somewhat abated due to the unscheduled change in the ceremony plans just announced; but it wasn’t totally ceding the occasion so the majority remained sufficiently enthusiastic to be deemed sincere by most observers. As the events in the Palace wound down, the scene would of course change to that of the embassy plot. Hopefully nothing would upset the smooth course so far once there; Christine could sure use something lately going off without a hitch.

[OOC: As I warned you, this post isn't going to be that good - as you know, I'm rather sick and don't have the patience to craft something beautiful at the moment. Apologies.]

It wouldn't have been exactly true to say that Eliana Dagora was necessarily pleased by the reception to her speech, but it was certainly encouraging. As anyone who had followed her throughout her administration knew, public speaking (or, at least, in comparison to many other prominent Yaforites) and the way many Wagdogians had responded was certainly a plus, in that regard. Naturally, as she quickly scanned the room, she did a swift counting of the delegates who were standing and applauding - it seemed to her from this that she had managed to add several delegates who would have otherwise not been prominent supporters of her. Eliana Dagora gave herself a mental pat on the back.

She stepped off of the podium, letting Christine Friedrich take the stand and quickly announce the change of plans. Shooting a glance towards her Foreign Minister, she quickly perceived his fiery response. From his gaze and his rapidly-moving hand, she perspicaciously noted that he was attempting to tell her to face the audience with confidence, as if she had known the change. Turning, her face continued the look that it had kept (a sort of non-expression that, given the viewer, could either indicate anger or fright or anything in between) and raised her back a little straighter. If she appeared overconfident or even proud, that was good, as she thought to herself.

As Christine Friedrich began to escort her off of the stage, she moved slightly closer to the leader from Wagdog. "What is this? I thought that we had a schedule planned!" It had come out a bit more forcefully than Eliana Dagora had intended, but the more forcefully, the better. If Christine Friedrich glanced over to face her, she would have noted that the Yaforite Elected Duchess was somehow both expressionless and talking at the same time - although here expression seemed a little more unchanging than before. It was a skill that she had perfected at Internal Affairs, where she had had to deal with paper-pushers and bureaucracy and the necessity to maintain an outward appearance and an inward fury had been unparalleled. It was a skill that, Jyorin Kiamelar had informed her, would be invaluable regarding foreign policy.

Part of her seeming anger in response to the change of plans came from the Yaforite dislike of having things removed from their comfort zone. Yaforites were traditionally very methodical and intelligent people, who found surprises to be, in the least, an irritant. That side of Eliana was far less strong than it was for someone like Kurisir "Nabo" Toralen or Anton Nikolayev (the Yaforite ambassador to Praetonia), but it still impacted her a fair amount. As a result, her words had been tainted, somewhat, by cultural prejudice and part of the seeming anger in her voice had come from there. Almost immediately after she had delivered those words, Eliana found herself berating herself on the inside and immediately wished she could take them back.

"Of course, I assume you have your reasons..." For a brief second Eliana found herself in the difficult position of trying to ask Christine "why?" without sounding weak herself or sounding accusatory towards the Wagdogian. "I mean, I mean no offense or anything, but could there have been a little bit of warning?" That leaned towards both the latter and the former, but was somewhat in the lines of what was wanted. "It is a welcome surprise, of course, but a surprise nonetheless." Hopefully, the Wagdogian leader understood the undertones of Eliana's statements.

To the side, Eliana caught, out of the corner of her eye, Jyorin Kiamelar (the Foreign Minister) deep in conversation with some Wagdogian official - given the way he held himself, clearly someone of importance - perhaps an opposition leader, Eliana thought. After all, Jyorin was very likely to find out whoever else was a "veteran" in the room and engage them in a discussion of foreign policy between the two countries - which was, of course, his role on the trip. Nonetheless, Eliana felt a certain ring inside of her as she realized that the rest of the trip (assuming Jyorin was indeed talking to someone important, as had been planned) she would do on her own - without his aid, as it was. It would be a good experience for her, of course, but it was also tempered by a certain fear of the unknown.