Honored delegates of this sacred body,
I do not come before you as a representative of the Selucian government. That privilege belongs to our nation's ambassador to the World Congress. I merely represent the views of the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Selucia, and these views do not necessarily reflect those of the Selucian government. Regardless, I
arrived on Whale Island to show solidarity with the anti-nuclear protest of the Cultores Deorum, and I have been empowered by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Selucia Hiroto Yukimura to address this holy organization and outline the Ministry's views on the current international climate.
Honored diplomats, the Selucian Ministry of Foreign Affairs is appalled by the warmongering and punitive statements uttered by various governments in these divine halls, and it is the desire of Minister Yukimura to present our condemnation of the irresponsible escalation brought forth by a number of diplomats, threatening world peace and the development of Majatra. It is our belief that the Vanukean nuclear strike was foolish and established a horrible precedent that we pray to the Supreme Being will never be followed. The actions of the Kingdom of Vanuku harmed the cause of peace and escalated a conventional war to nearly unprecedented heights. As such, the Kingdom became a serious threat to Majatran peace and stability. But what we see as a far greater threat to international peace is the punitive response by the Northern Council. They have committed the capital error in international diplomacy: they are backing their opponent into a corner, threatening excessive retaliation, and ultimately encouraging Vanuku to remain defiant and increase their perception that the world, or rather the opposing military alliance, is out to get them. Calls for disarmament are, on their own, admirable. They become far less so when issued by self-interested actors who have a clear stake in seeing their opponent weakened and humiliated. Mr. Dubos and Ms. mSayty, do not issue threats you are not willing to fully carry through. If you wish to see Vanuku disarmed and threaten military force to see that happen, you better be prepared to act on those threats. Otherwise they are mere saber-rattling and an irresponsible international dick-measuring contest. But if those threats are genuine and the Northern Council and its friends and allies truly wish to commit every means at their disposal in seeing Vanuku disarmed, then the Northern Council is not just foolish. It is dangerous and the harbinger of the apocalypse. You have failed to see that no wrongdoer is willing to comply with an imposition that they regard as illegitimate and which will leave them humiliated. If Hosians value their religious freedom above anything else, then throwing them to the lions will only strengthen their defiance and their willingness to undergo martyrdom. Similarly, since Vanuku values her military independence, then requests that they abandon it, especially coming from a rival alliance, will only make the Kingdom more defiant and more not less willing to maintain and expand their military capabilities. Instead of issuing empty, or, God-forbid, genuine threats, it is better to leave the axe of sanctions hanging above Vanuku's head while engaging in constructive diplomacy. What Majatra needs is for the causes of the conflict to be examined, ensuring that what has occurred will never happen again, and, as much as possible, the restoration of those wronged. The Northern Council never bothered to ask the very victims of Vanuku's irresponsible behavior what they want. Perhaps they do desire to see the wrongdoers punished, but I feel that what they want more is for their status to be restored, their grievances addressed, and assurances that they will not find themselves victimized the same way ever again.
Honorable representatives, the delusional solutions that have been brought to bear in this conflict ignore the very nature of modern wars. They are not caused by disputes between homogeneous unitary actors, but rather by fragmentation and low legitimacy of weak states and ethnic and religious divisions exploited by more or less well-meaning warmongers who wish to plunder weak states for their own benefit. The conflict in Jelbania that saw the nuclear escalation is no different. Thus a top-down elite diplomatic solution will do nothing to prevent further war and will just serve as a cover for rapacious Vanukean and Istalian corporations to further plunder Jelbanian resources under the cover of "reconstruction" while ignoring the very grievances and age-old hatreds that have led to the conflict in the first place. Instead of leading to peace and prosperity, reconstruction will only cause more resentment and fuel further and perhaps more disastrous conflict. What is needed is a bottom-up system of restorative justice that would help rebuild state legitimacy, heal ethnic divisions, and undercut warmongers, complemented by top-down diplomacy and negotiated cessation of hostilities. It is not just Deltaria and Vanuku that need to join a peace conference. The victims of the nuclear strike, survivors of the Katonid genocide, leaders of the warring parties during the height of the conflict, including in fact Duke Brnó Zhtál and former King Juhn and their close families must also participate. What the conference must do is determine responsibility, shame but not humiliate the wrongdoer, and seek ways to restore the situation, repair the damage as far as possible, explore the deep causes of the conflict, and obtain guarantees that this will not happen again. We find the actions of the new Vanukean government and Queen Mrjmai, long may she reign, encouraging and on the right track to peace. But we believe that more is needed; not just economic reconstruction and rebuilding, but also a clear assumption of guilt, the reintegrative shaming of the perpetrators, addressing the genuine grievances of the victims, and a clear framework towards establishing lasting peace in Jelbania and the rest of the continent. Otherwise any peace agreement will be bound to fail and the continent and the rest of the world will be plunged into darkness.