NationStates Jolt Archive

(OOC: This thread is closed to all but Kulikovia)

Lucrezia stepped off the gates of the train she had taken from Venice. She had decided not to fly, opting instead to enjoy the solitude and quiet of the long train ride through Europe. Her life these days consisted of so much hustle and bustle, she hardly ever had time to just relax anymore. Besides, she wanted to see Kilikovia for herself. It certainly was a beautiful country. Rolling countryside and farmland bled into major metropolitan areas like watercolor paint, blurring the lines between agriculture and technology as only Kulikovia can. She noted how clean the country was, compared to the more urban areas of the world like Milan and New York. Everything seemed to gleam in the early morning sun, sparkling like a jewel in the midst of a garbage heap that was the world these days. That Kulikovia was able to resist the lure of modernization and yet house such spectacular modern cities was built on a balance that Lucrezia truly admired.

But the train ride also gave Lucrezia time to collect her thoughts. She had been the "clean-up crew" for the league of Venice since she joined, constantly rebutting radical Austria's all-too-present voice in their diplomatic system. The one-woman damage control team was tired, but determined. She considered her own President Savatore DiSano to be the most pig-headed and stubborn man she's ever met, and she was able to convince him to join the League. the fact was, Austria and Italy had very different views on the league, but both found it necessary for a common goal. Luckily, Lucrezia was a stellar diplomat, else they would surely been to war because of Austrian diplomats' hastily-chosen words.

She stepped into the monolithic and epic-looking Presidential House, where the meeting was to take place. It was a magnificent structure, housing an almost flawless system of government; as it was perceived by an outsider. Lucrezia had been involved in politics long enough to know that no political body was flawless, but she let herself suspend her disbelief and be fooled by the immaculate structure of their governing body.

"I am here to meet with President Nevsky," Lucrezia stated to a young, blonde secretary who looked too young to be working here, yet seemed to move around with the efficiency and confidence of a seasoned veteran.

"One moment, please." She stated. "I'll buzz him to assure that he's ready to see you."

The buzz from the small speak on his desk startled Nevsky who shot up in his chair, almost spilling the small glass of vodka he poured for himself. It took a second to register that he had a meeting to attend to. He spent the previous few hours reading up on Lucrezia Dellatorre as well as the Med Alliance's stance on the League of Venice.

"Shit!" Nevsky hissed in a low tone and reluctantly bolted the vodka down his throat and felt it brun all the way down. His jaw set and braced itself and the feeling passed, "Yes Jolanta?" he asked, his voice set.

"Ms.Lucrezia Dellatorre is here for her appointment"

"very well, send her in" Nevsky put the glass in a drawer and stood up, smoothing his toe and coming out from behind his desk. Nevsky stood at six feet even with a salt and peppered beard.

(OOC: If you have AIM, you can IM me at Dax In Dementia and we can communicate through there :))

Lucrezia stepped into the office of the President of Kulikovia. The first thing she notice was how small it was. The room was about the size of a standard government office, which for a president, is tiny. The room was also not as extravagant, yet cold, as she was accustomed to, either. Most presidential offices that she had seen were large, expansive retreats that screamed of overstated authority, yet still remained minimalist and... almost lifeless at the same time. President Nevsky's office was almost the exact opposite: the message of authority was heavily understated, replaced instead by a classic elegance that permeated through every minute detail. Earth tones dominated the room, making it feel warm and welcoming. The decor was simple, yet effective, and reminded Lucrezia more of a study rather than the office of the most powerful man in the country. The confidence of President Nevsky did not go unnoticed; she suspected he was an esteemed man who took his authority seriously, but was never commandeering or demanding. She hadn't spoken to him yet, and already she respected him a great deal.

"President Novsky, it is my pleasure to finally meet you. I hope we can accomplish a great deal here today."

A broad smile crossed over Nevsky's face. It was the smile that reassured his nation that it would not abandon its' Socialist roots which tied the ethnic groups together. It was the smile that was a vibrant contrast to Gunther Rhinehardt who seemed humorless and coarse in his speeches. This factor helped Dimitri Nevsky reach the highest seat in government.

"It is an honor to meet you as well. A delegate I sent to the League of Venice spoke highly of you" Nevsky replied, extending his hand out and giving a firm handshake. "Please, sit down" he swept his arm to a chair sitting opposite the desk.

Lucrezia made her way to sit in the small, yet well-cushioned chairs in the front of the President's desk. Even the chairs in this room were inviting, as if when you sat down, you didn't ever want to leave. Perhaps this is how he convinces the Senate to approve of his bills, Lucrezia joked with herself as she settled into what was sure to be the most comfortable chair in Kulikovia.

"Thank you, Mr. President." Lucrezia eyed him for a moment, sizing him up. The man seemed genuinely interested in what she would say next, and despite her rather harsh spat with his delegate at the League of Venice conference, he seemed to harbor absolutely no hostility towards her. Perhaps he knew how hot-tempered his Karlovy could get; perhaps he was the kind of man who heard both sides of a story; perhaps he was really planning on trapping her here and killing her. Lucrezia didn't know, but whatever the reason, she felt more comfortable in this office than she did in most of her peers' offices back in Italy and Greece.

"Yes, Mr. Karlovy is an... interesting character. He gave me quite a fight. He's admirable for it; few people can debate with me so heatedly these days."

Lucrezia chose her words carefully from this point on. "However, there are a few impressions that he seems to have that are simply false, and it seemed unlikely that he will accept our invitation to join the league, so I wanted to visit with you personally in order to clear up a few misunderstandings that you may or may not have about the League of Venice. If you were to decline to join after our meeting today, that's entirely acceptable, and I hold no bitterness towards you for it. However, it is my duty as one of the spear-heads of the League that if you were to decline, you decline for the right reasons."

((OOC: Before I spell it out, I'll await your response :-))

So, this is the woman who so fiercely contested words with Andel, eh? Nevsky thought as he went back behind his desk and seated after she did so. It didn't take him long to figure she was a tough woman who was doing a man's job. Politics are dominated by men but women are making their way through, and fire-spirited women like Lucrezia were spear-heading that evolution in politics.

He crossed his hands as she spoke. It is true...Karlovy was not spurpised that he had gotten into it with the Austrians and Ms. Dellatorre. He listened, soaking in her words and waited patiently for an opportunity to reply.

A smirk appeared on his face when she mentioned Karlovy, "Yes, he is an interesting man. His style of politicking sparked my interest and that is why I hired him. Due to the fact that he doesn't sit back and kiss up to people only to stab them in the back later. He is a truthful man but does not carry the weight to delcine nor accept our entry into the League of Venice"

He cleared his throat, "I; however, do. His report outlined some as I'm sure you can understand, troubling points. The Austrians seem hell-bent on returning Europe to its' former position as rulers of the world, as well as making...Christianity a powerful religious force. These two points were alarming to me. It is an abrasive and coarse attitude to take towards non-Europeans whom I'm sure were insulted, rightfully so.

I am open-minded to an alliance of European nations to solidify us in this world and support eachother, economically, militarily, and socially. Of course, if this League akes the avenue the Austrians outlined, then I'm afraid we must decline. However, is this alliance is as you describe it, an organization to keep Europe strong in the wake of rising Asian economic dominance throughout the world but at the same time being a force for good in the form of humanitarian aide, international trade, and peaceful solutions to disagreements...Then I will guide the Worker's State towards a path leading to League. Right now, many of the people are against Kulikovian entrance into the League as a result of the ranting and raving of the Austrians as well as their Imperialistic aims. If I decide to enter the League, then we will have to do damage control and bring to light, the noble aspects of the League which if done, will turn the people into supporters"

Lucrezia nodded her head at the President's sentiments. Indeed, it seemed to be the sentiments of many leaders in Europe and abroad. By this point, she was used to doing this type of damage control, but if repeating herself constantly is what it took to reach her goal of a united Europe, then she her words of repetition would be carved into her headstone.

"I completely understand your position, President Nevsky, and I appreciate the forward honesty."

She cleared her throat and began to outline the nature of the League of Venice. The words almost seemed to come from a script, but she'd repeated it so many times, she'd practically memorized the speech.

"In order to understand the League of Venice and its motives, you have to understand the nature of the relationship between Austria and I. As you well know, Italy and Austria have a colorful history together. We have been enemies since the damn of our respective nations' birth. it is understandable that so many are wary of our alliance together.
However, Austria's politics are something of an enigma. It has a fairly peaceful centrist governing body, but it also has a group of extremists. All nations have extremists in their nations and governments; this is nothing new. However, Austria is somewhat unique in the sense that unlike other governments, whom attempt to silence their extremists, Austria does not. Therefore, their extremists have a pretty big political voice, even if it is not representative of the size of the group. It's a case of the extremists not being large, but loud.
Austria's extremists call for an imperialist Europe. That is also not a secret. They have made it abundantly clear what they desire. However, along with that, they also desire a united Europe against all opposition. While the Italians may not agree with the imperialist nature of their statements, we do, however, agree that a united Europe is necessary, even if not for the same reasons Austria does. The Italians have thought about this carefully, and came to the conclusion that having two groups focused on a united Europe competing with each other would ultimately prove counter-productive, as the two groups would fight more than anything, leaving us wide open for attack from opposition. It is also no secret that the Asian and African and South American powers harbor resentment towards Europe, and I highly suspect that they do not plan to sit and brood in their hostility. I believe that they will attempt to attack Europe, and a united Europe is the only way to deflect that. The Italians have no desire for Imperialism, but we agree with Austria on certain points.
With this in mind, the Italians came to an agreement with the Austrians that if their extremists were kept at bay, Italy would ally with them, providing that we take the reigns in all public relations; it is increasingly clearer that Italy has far better diplomats than Austria." The last comment earned a chuckle out of the President. Lucrezia smiled as well, despite herself.

"So, as you can see, Italy and Austria have very different goals, but we plan on keeping Austria in check with its imperialistic tendencies. However, we cannot do that alone. We need help from other European nations to aid Italy in keeping the balance tilted in our favor. For this, we come to Poland."

Poland, we try sooo hard to unite ourselves but everyone still seperates us. Nevsky is used to the Italian's comment and many similar to it. Ever since the end of WWII and the merging of Poland and Czechoslovakia, the government and the people seemed to be forcing a square peg into a round hole. Of course, they've been forcing it for so long that it is actually fitting, thought roughly. The struggle for a united identity continues today. A point that opposition to the State exploit at every turn. There are so many ethnic and religious groups within the borders and each still try to retain their own identity while being stagnate in their attempts to forge a national identity.

"There are more than one way to attack Europe, Ms.Dellatorre" Nevsky began, "China and India, just to name two are emerging economic powers. They are already eclipsing the Americans. A European alliance will strengthen and solidify our economic strength which as you can obviosuly see, will be beneficial. Influence is another avenue of power. If developing nations see Austrian saber-rattling, then they will turn to the other powers for aide, and other ties. before long, the world will surround us if this Imperialistic rhetoric goes unchecked. So, we must influence the world, portray a positive image of assistance, cooperation, and peace.

If we can do this and wash our hands clean of Imperialistic intent, then I will sign the agreement. Can you promise me this? Can you look me in the eye and say this is what the League will stand for? Not only a better Europe but a better world?" Nevsky leaned in, his eyes focused, bright with honesty.

"If we can do this and wash our hands clean of Imperialistic intent, then I will sign the agreement. Can you promise me this? Can you look me in the eye and say this is what the League will stand for? Not only a better Europe but a better world?"

This question rang in Lucrezia's mind for what seemed like eternity before she could muster the energy to answer. She looked directly into President Nevsky's eyes; he was so honest, so naive. So obviously overwhelmed in the tragedy that had become the world we live in, and he was never once jaded by it. She saw a strength in Nevsky's eyes that was only attained through the hardest of avenues; hope. It was moving and disturbing to her at the same time. In that moment, Lucrezia would have said anything to reassure the President that everything would be fine. But she was an honest woman; honest to a fault. She couldn't lie to the hopelessly hopeful face in front of her, even if that meant breaking that faith.

"I am an honest woman, President Nevsky. As such, it would compromise my very nature if I stood here and made those promises to you. I cannot promise you a better world. I cannot, in good faith, promise you that Europe will not be war-stricken until it is struck down from the heavens. But I can promise to try. I can promise to do all my best to do what is right for Europe, and indeed, the world. That I can promise you. But I can also say, I cannot do it alone."

Lucrezia stood out of the chair to stand in front of President Nevsky's desk. She extended her hand to him, hoping - nay, praying, for the first time since she was a child - that the President would take it.

It was very moving to listen to. An honest politician is like a diamond in the rough. The words that rang from her voice were the words he so desperately wanted to hear from the delegate. A better world is what Nevsky wanted, not just for the people of Kulikovia to live peacefully, but for all people across the globe. It was a fool's hope; however, if someone doesn't hope, who will?

He sat there for a thoughtful moment, then, a large smile breezed with ease across his face. Nevsky stood up and grasped her hand.

"That was the answer I was looking for" He answered, "If you had promised me world peace on a platter, I would've said no. But, you are honest...that is a rare thing these days, to stand face to face with the leader of a nation and not to bullshit him. Together, perhaps our nations can at least get the ball rolling towards a better future. Tomorrow, I will appear before the Senate and Chamber of Deputies to announce my intention's for The Worker's State to enter the League of Venice"