Third Esquarian Summit [Esquarium Only | IC]

[Luziyca]

After the brief exchange with the President-General of Namor, President Svensson proceeded into the center, and down the red carpet towards the elevators. She pressed an up button as soon as she arrived.

Soon, one of the doors opened. She made her way into the elevator, and then pressed another button. The elevator began going up, and Svensson remained silent.

Once the doors opened, she was taken to the conference room. As soon as she entered, she was awestruck by the skyline of Xiangmen.

She thought to herself that "Namor made a right choice in choosing Xiangmen to host this," but felt that "Namor missed an opportunity to have the summit in Po'ai."

She was taken towards her seat, which would be right in between Premier Ohanka Jon Bak-su of Koryo and Prime Minister Johanna Carl of Lyonsland. In front of her was a cup of Namorese herbal tea.

"This is madness," she thought. "Who would drink a hot beverage during a heat wave?" Yet, she could not resist trying the tea: for all she knew, she did not want to annoy the hosts.

As soon as she took a sip, she smiled. It was somewhat decent, and considering that it is the only option available, she knew she had to put up with the tea. She would rather drink a cold drink, like iced tea, in a time like this. However, as the old proverb said, "while in Rome, do what the Romans do." She may as well try to drink the tea.

Thus, she took another sip.

[Pavonistade]

Having greeted the three Namorese leaders, President Eric Oppenheim was then guided inside the Minjian Regional Convention Center. Simiarly to all national leaders and representatives that were to attend the summit, he was lifted to the third floor of the venue by one of the three elevators provided at the guest's service.

President Oppenheim entered the conference room after walking the length of the hallway separating the elevators from the room. As he slowly proceeded, he took note of everything that this place had to offer, from the imposing view to the sizeable glass table to the expected reporters. He duly gave a grin to most of the reporters, acknowledging them only as briefly as the Regent of Tuthina did, whether or not he knew it.

"Thank goodness," the president thought to himself while accounting for the comforting, air-conditioned climate. The heat experienced in Xiangmen was rather routine in Pavonistade. Such heat, though, always burdened Pavonistadians and President Oppenheim was no exception; he sweat lightly under the punishing daylight.

Quickly bringing himself to his seat, President Oppenheim began mentally assessing the possibilities resulting from the summit and preparing for what would be an intriguing international conference. Next to the president were the seats of two leaders whose countries contrasted in God-knows-how-many ways with Pavonistade.

Though he had a cup of Namorese herbal tea as would all attendees, he only sipped once from his cup.

[Aucuria]

Uspelevičius, Alduris, and their aides filtered into the room as the various national delegations began to make their way up to the conference room. Ahead of them were a motley crew of politicians, royals, and advisors who had showed up to the conference center before them. Looking around, Uspelevičius recognized several individuals immediately- Yksteldehs Oppenheim of Pavonistade, Sera Svensson of Luziyca, Qassem Akbari of Ankoren, Tuomas Hyvärinen of Nevanmaa, and Troy Brown of Arkiasis among them- but there were others he could not immediately place- a Monic woman in a business suit, a man in a suit and tie gazing warily at Akbari, a Monic man with a brightly colored flag pin, a Latin woman with short hair attempting to communicate in vain with the EC's Everàrd Torsièl. It was no matter; they'd all find their places soon enough, and then they'd be easily identifiable.

Alduris looked down out of the great glass windows, and pulled Uspelevičius aside. "Ulrich's arrived," Alduris said quietly. The two were able to watch as the Teutonian dictator stepped out of his limousine, flanked by blackshirted members of the SS, and shook hands with Shohai Antelope. "I was almost hoping he wouldn't show up," Alduris continued softly. Uspelevičius nodded understandingly; Teutonia's belligerence in was worrying for all Aucurians, but it was especially unnerving to Alduris and other Aucurian Jews. The Aukurish community would no doubt be one of the hardest-hit demographics in any Teutonian invasion of Aucuria. "I suppose we can't always get what we want," Uspelevičius responded, cracking a slight smile. Alduris smiled faintly in response.

Turning from the windows, the Aucurians found their seats, marked by a small Aucurian flag- red and green, with a white eight-pointed star in the middle- and a placard in English, Namorese, and something that Uspelevičius assumed was Literary Tuthinan or some similar language. There was a headset and a microphone sitting behind the placard, and a small cup of greenish liquid. Uspelevičius, still standing, picked up the cup and took a sip. "Some kind of tea," he said to Alduris. "Green tea, or maybe herbal tea of some sort. Not the sort of stuff we'd normally drink." When tea was served in Aucuria, it was typically black tea, offered with milk and sugar. Uspelevičius set the cup down gently. "I'm going to talk to President Svensson," he told Alduris. "Talk about recent developments in Nordania and Artisia, and about maybe setting up some new military agreements between Aucuria and Luziyca, seeing that the Treaty of Bethlehem is set to become defunct with the end of the Esquarian Union." Alduris nodded. "I'll remain here," he responded. "I might wish a happy Rosh HaShanah to the Cedarbrookese, but nothing more."

Uspelevičius nodded, and headed over to President Svensson's seat, where the Luziycan leader was quietly sipping from a glass of tea. "Good day, Madam President," he said, speaking quietly in fluent Luziycan to hopefully add a little privacy to their conversation. "If it's alright, I'd like to talk to you for a bit before the conference begins about the possibility of reaffirming Luziyco-Aucurian military ties. While the Treaty of Bethlehem and the military agreements within are set to expire, I think we can both agree that recent history makes it clear that Luziyco-Aucurian military ties are more needed than ever in the face of continued aggression from the Iron Pact," Uspelevičius intoned. "I would like for our two countries to continue working together to preserve liberty and democracy within Esquarium, and I believe it would be in both of our best interests for our countries to sign some new treaty agreement of mutual defense to replace the Treaty of Bethlehem once it expires." He stopped, and waited for her response.

[Namor]

"Mr. Issac Feld, President of West Cedarbrook."

The President-General eyed his watch without moving his head to avoid speculations that he was losing his patience. 9:15, he thought. I'll have to be in the conference room in less than 5 minutes. He wondered what is taking the Prime Minister of Ainin so long, such that he had shaken hands with unfriendly despots first.

Before he could continue wondering, Feld extended his hand. The President-General quickly took it.

"President-General Antelope, Prime Minister Jingyi, President Jiading, it gives me great pleasure to send greetings on behalf of the people and government of the Kramden of West Cedarbrook. Secretary Kansky and I especially want to thank the people of Namor for their gracious hospitality, and we look forward to productive sessions in addressing the issues impacting all of Esquarium," the Cedarbrookese president.

Li and Hua glanced at each other for a split second, as Feld had referred to them by their given name. But the President-General didn't care to notice, as Feld isn't Namorese or Monic and it's only natural when foreigners don't get Namorese or Minjianese names right.

"Mr. President, Mr. Secretary, it is a pleasure to see you in Xiangmen," the President-General replied, addressing both Feld and Kansky before beckoning for everyone to face the cameras for a picture and sending the Cedarbrookese off. As he waited for the latecomers to arrive, he wondered how things were going inside the Convention Center, with allies and enemies now under the same roof.

[Union of Akoren]

As the Prime Minister and his entourage passed the Namorese into the lobby, Akbari tightened his robes, these poor people sweating in this mild heat was pitiful, with 41 degrees being reported in Zahedan and 38 degrees in Estanban the previous morning, this was nothing to the seasoned Nautasians. They approached the lift along the red carpet, directly behind Svensson, however just as Akbari's aide was about to press the button, his senior expert guest, the Foreign Ministry's Chief Secretary of International Affairs Aslan Bolat pulled him aside.

Passing his smartphone to the Prime Minister, he quickly perused the email sent from the General Staff Headquarters informing him that the ANA and Supreme Command for Jihad and Unification had taken three towns north of Habroun, cutting the Luqya-Habroun Highway, denying the city supplies and reinforcements. It was much awaited news, Habroun is the greatest prize in Southern Irvadistan and the operation that saw Ankoren deploy 500,000 soldiers was probably the key reason it had been invited to this unmatched international event.

"This is great news, Sajjad post a message congratulating of our sons and their great victory" Akbari beamed, his iconic smile shining for all to see.

"Oh another email, from the State President's office, they're now wanting your terrorism speech to be more forceful on the foreign ground troops issue" Akbari's aide reported, passing his own smartphone to the cleric.
"God have mercy upon us" Bolat spat, this was the third time the terrorism speech had been altered.

"Well, Sajjad you'll have to edit the speech as soon as possible, before I have to address the Summit and if any other emails come through demanding the speech be changed, don't tell me" Akbari dismissed the change issue, he just wanted it sorted so he wouldn't humiliate himself before the world's most powerful leaders, which would surely see him be sacked by the State Council.

"Yes Prime Minister" Sajjad noted, putting his phone away. The Ankoreni delegation made their way to the lift, coming behind the Aucurians.

In the lift there was silence, not awkward, more of a collective "only God knows what's up there". Till Bolat remembered to inform the Prime Minister of the seat arrangements.

"Oh Prime Minister, I was informed that our request was also shared with the Aininians who made the same, so you're positioned between President Yksteldehs Oppenheim of Pavonistade and Fuhrer Ulrich" Bolat held his breath.

"Well President Oppenheim will have to do, I can't pronounce that. Will be interesting to meet the infamous Ulrich" Akbari laughed.

"We're fortunate to be praised by the Teutonians, being brown" Sajjad sarcastically commented.

"We're the destined leaders of a united Nautasia for a reason Sajjad and being brown plays no part" Akbari shot back as the doors opened. Revealing the main hall for the meeting, Akbari, Sajjad, Aslan and his hijab wearing "scribe" (the unofficial civil service speak for someone who takes notes for the primary delegate, be it comments to be made in response to a speech or notes on what to keep in mind prior to speaking), Elçin Çevik was a woman of the "Millennium Generation", the most educated in academia and the most educated in the revolution and Islamic Collectivism, they were the ruthless business people, ruthless ideologues of the future. Çevik was the epitome of the generation, middle class, wealthy parents, a masters degree, good connections to the regime and on a personal note, exceptionally atractive, her hijab also didn't cry out modesty, golden rims with a light orange tan colour, spotted with diamantes, she was the poster girl of 21st century Ankoren. She'd been silent since they left the limousine as she noted everything down from the emailed dossier, the personality of every single leader, their attitudes and opinions of Ankoren and Nautasia, she was not going to let her boss come unprepared.

The five Ankorenis walked down the lengthy hall from the elevators to the hall, with a stiff and steely appearance - ready for anything and highly capable. As Akbari neared the glass table, the view of the new Namor was clear to see, this is what progress looks like, not that soft and nonsensical liberal tripe pushed by the arrogant powers, especially the "Northern Devil" (Ainin, naturally). Bolat smiled to Sajjad who passed the Prime Minister's bag to Bolat, as if the Deputy Commander of the Union would carry his own briefcase. With that done, Sajjad turned with the translator and headed towards side room; Akbari, Bolat and Çevik took their seats opposite the empty spot set for Ainin's Prime Minister.

Akbari took the middle seat directly behind the plaque and crescent flag, turning to his left he stood up once more and extended his hand to President Oppenheim.
"An absolute pleasure President Oppenheim, I hope your journey was comfortable" he said with his staple grin.

This was going to be a long process, best do it with a comfortable neighbor.

[West Cedarbrook]

After the greeting of the Namorese leaders, President Issac Feld, Secretary Kansky and accompanying security hustled as then guided inside the Minjian Regional Convention Center, where they were rapidly brought to the third floor by elevator.

The delegation found and took their seats, Feld affixing his flag lapel pin above his White and Violet 19th Division Veteran's pin. Over at the reporter's gathering he saw the press pool for most of the West Cedarbrook news feed, Fox News Eretz, West Cedarbrook 1, Cedarbrook Broadcasting System, and the print boys from the Wrycova Morning Star, The Steinhouse Press, and the Port Yehoshua Standard. He grinned broadly and gave them a Presidential wave as Kansky arranged his papers, and went over plans for the opening session. The hall was comfortably cool, more in tune with a West Cedarbrook coming to life in the early spring than the oppressive heat outdoors in Xiangmen.

Thirsty, the President considered the cup of tea provided by the hosts. A little puzzled, his first thoughts were "tea - who's sick?", but then took a swallow of the bland offering. "Not bad", he thought. "Still gonna need a good cup of coffee later on".

As Kansky fiddled with his papers, Feld surveyed the assembled leaders. He did not see Prime Consul Cédric Liet of Francilie, and Montecara's Foreign Minister Odeta Luciàn seemed to be otherwise engaged. So absent the opportunity to talk with CSA leaders at the outset, he continued to scan the gathering. After a couple of minutes, he decided to meet early and informally with former Greenwich Area states, touching base on his plans for the summit. Uspelevičius of Aucuria was in discussion with Sera Svensson of Luziyca. At the far end of the table he saw Pavonistade's President Yksteldehs Oppenheim. Feld got up from his seat and glided over to President Oppenheim, confidently striding past neighboring delegations and the various leaders in discussion. Kansky and security struggled to keep up the pace.

President Feld and the delegation stopped short of Pavonistade's Oppeneim. By the time they reached him, he was talking with the Ankoren Prime Minister. They waited patiently, and after the Ankoren delegation finished their meeting with Oppenheim, Feld nodded without expression at Akbari, Bolat and Çevik as they returned to their business, then stepped forward to greet Yksteldehs.

Wearing a big smile and extending his hand, President Feld introduced himself to Oppenheim. "Mr. President, I want to thank you on behalf of the people of West Cedarbrook in providing us this opportunity to listen and be heard at this summit". Feld shook Oppenheim's hand vigorously and rather longer than the traditional curt Cedarbrookese handshake. "I want you to be the first to be reassured that Greenwich Area trade rules will remain in place with all former members for our part, as I'm sure External Affairs has informed your Ministry of Foreign Affairs, as well as representatives of your firms doing business with The Kramden. I'll be touching base with the other former Greenwich members as the opportunity arises. Understandably, most of our concerns on the issues at this summit are the impacts of trade on West Cedarbrook and on the greater community of Conitia. I think you are probably aware that we feel somewhat constrained in what we can propose and on followup, given that we like to move in concert with the Latin Block, and the Lazarene nations are not present today. But in any event, thank you again for the summit invitation. If there are any issues at these sessions where you feel the need to consult with us, both me and Secretary Kansky will be available for discussion."

[Luziyca]

Uspelevičius nodded, and headed over to President Svensson's seat, where the Luziycan leader was quietly sipping from a glass of tea. "Good day, Madam President," he said, speaking quietly in fluent Luziycan to hopefully add a little privacy to their conversation. "If it's alright, I'd like to talk to you for a bit before the conference begins about the possibility of reaffirming Luziyco-Aucurian military ties. While the Treaty of Bethlehem and the military agreements within are set to expire, I think we can both agree that recent history makes it clear that Luziyco-Aucurian military ties are more needed than ever in the face of continued aggression from the Iron Pact," Uspelevičius intoned. "I would like for our two countries to continue working together to preserve liberty and democracy within Esquarium, and I believe it would be in both of our best interests for our countries to sign some new treaty agreement of mutual defense to replace the Treaty of Bethlehem once it expires." He stopped, and waited for her response.

Sera Svensson sighed as her Aucurian counterpart headed towards Svensson's seat. All she wanted was to drink her tea in peace, and here she was, everyone demanding a pound of flesh.

She felt obligated to oblige to the Aucurian requests. "Go ahead," she said in a tone of resignation. God hopes it wasn't about Narsete La Via again... he is currently on the stand for being part of a terrorist organization (the Purity Congress).

Svensson then proceeded to listen. As she heard her Aucurian counterpart speak, she felt relieved. Plus, he is actually putting in the effort to speak Luziycan, and it sounded good, although there seems to be a noticeable accent.

President Sera Svensson then replied in Luziycan (in a Swedish accent), "I feel that it will be a good idea to continue our alliance between Aucuria and the Christian Republic, considering its strategic location near Teutonia and other Iron Pact nations. I will look into the possibility of getting Congress to at least consider a mutual defense agreement, or hell, even joining the Esquarian Community."

She took another sip of tea, thinking to herself, "I hope nobody else seeks to disturb me."

[Pavonistade]

Oppenheim had a much greater preference for strong black coffee, but some Namorese herbal tea was not a bad idea and it did help quench some of his thirst. After he placed his cup onto his table, he studied the leaders that were arriving one by one. Among these leaders was Ankoreni Prime Minister Qassem Akbari, who was to sit next to Oppenheim. Considering that the two were sitting next to each other, Oppenheim expected a conversation - and he was later proven right.

"An absolute pleasure President Oppenheim, I hope your journey was comfortable," his neighbor stated, having stood up and also extending his hand.

In a respectful gesture of goodwill, Oppenheim also stood up to shake his hands and replied, "Prime Minister Akbari, it is a great honor to be alongside you. It is my desire that all the nations are to be benefited, including ours."

After his encounter with Akbari, Oppenheim turned around and noticed that the Cedarbrookese were also interested in conversing. Particularly there was President Issac Feld, who began speaking, "Mr. President, I want to thank you on behalf of the people of West Cedarbrook in providing us this opportunity to listen and be heard at this summit."

It was true that West Cedarbrook was participating thanks to Pavonistade's invitation. Oppenheim shook Feld's hand just as he did Akbari's, and he responded, "It is indeed a pleasure to have you in attendance. Our country recognizes the importance of West Cedarbrook in the international stage." Oppenheim listened to much of what Feld had to say before he concluded that he and Secretary Vernon Kansky were open to talks whenever necessary.

"We" - Oppenheim referring to Pavonistade as a whole - "will be hapy to discuss any issues if needed be." Oppenheim then seated and then decided to sip a second time from his cup. While savoring the tea somewhat, the president had a feeling that more people thought of talking with him.

[Aucuria]

Uspelevičius nodded, and headed over to President Svensson's seat, where the Luziycan leader was quietly sipping from a glass of tea. "Good day, Madam President," he said, speaking quietly in fluent Luziycan to hopefully add a little privacy to their conversation. "If it's alright, I'd like to talk to you for a bit before the conference begins about the possibility of reaffirming Luziyco-Aucurian military ties. While the Treaty of Bethlehem and the military agreements within are set to expire, I think we can both agree that recent history makes it clear that Luziyco-Aucurian military ties are more needed than ever in the face of continued aggression from the Iron Pact," Uspelevičius intoned. "I would like for our two countries to continue working together to preserve liberty and democracy within Esquarium, and I believe it would be in both of our best interests for our countries to sign some new treaty agreement of mutual defense to replace the Treaty of Bethlehem once it expires." He stopped, and waited for her response.

Sera Svensson sighed as her Aucurian counterpart headed towards Svensson's seat. All she wanted was to drink her tea in peace, and here she was, everyone demanding a pound of flesh.

She felt obligated to oblige to the Aucurian requests. "Go ahead," she said in a tone of resignation. God hopes it wasn't about Narsete La Via again... he is currently on the stand for being part of a terrorist organization (the Purity Congress).

Svensson then proceeded to listen. As she heard her Aucurian counterpart speak, she felt relieved. Plus, he is actually putting in the effort to speak Luziycan, and it sounded good, although there seems to be a noticeable accent.

President Sera Svensson then replied in Luziycan (in a Swedish accent), "I feel that it will be a good idea to continue our alliance between Aucuria and the Christian Republic, considering its strategic location near Teutonia and other Iron Pact nations. I will look into the possibility of getting Congress to at least consider a mutual defense agreement, or hell, even joining the Esquarian Community."

She took another sip of tea, thinking to herself, "I hope nobody else seeks to disturb me."

Uspelevičius smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Madam President," he replied, before returning to his seat.

When Uspelevičius returned to the designated seats for the Aucurian delegation, Alduris stood up, "I'm going to meet with the Cedarbrookese and wish them a happy Rosh HaShanah." Uspelevičius nodded, aware that the Jewish holiday was approaching rapidly. "If it's alright," Alduris continued, "I'd also like to discuss what to do about the Teutonians." Uspelevičius raised an eyebrow quizzically, but nodded. "We need all the allies we can get when it comes to standing against them, especially as they grow more belligerent," Uspelevičius responded. "Of course, nothing will be official until the Saeimas, Foreign Affairs, and myself have all had their say, but it's not a bad idea to get some ideas circulating." Alduris nodded and smiled. "Thank you," Alduris said demurely.

Alduris headed over to to where President Feld and Secretary Kansky were standing, in discussion with President Yksteldehs Oppenheim of Pavonistade. Waiting until their discussion with the Pavonistadian president had ended, Alduris greeted the pair. "Shanah tovah umetukah," Alduris began, using a traditional Hebrew greeting used on Rosh HaShanah. "I hope you two are doing well. I would like to talk about potential Aucuro-Cedarbrookese cooperation with regards to the Teutonians- purely hypothetically right now, since all of us will have to work with the remainder of our governments."

[FreYhill]

After Encountering President-General Antelope, Prime Minister Mats Lundgren & his Entourage comprised of his Chief of Staff, Close Guards & Numerous Department of Foreign Affairs Diplomats had walked into the Elevator directing Esquarium’s elite into the Convention Room.

“Mr. Prime Minister, I’ve received information on our placement on the Summit’s Table.... We’re next to Ohanka.”

Clearly Disturbed that he was placed next to the Commonwealth’s Hostile Northern Neighbor, Lundgren began to talk; “Oh Fuck, can we switch spots with anybody?”

“No Sir, the placements have been finalised” Lundgren’s Chief of Staff Replied to a visibly angered Lundgren.

“Very Well, we still have work to be done.” Lundgren Murmured after realising that he would be next to the “enemy” over the coming days.

After Exiting the now Motionless Elevator, Lundgren had been prompted to enter a rather large convention room already filled with some of Esquarium’s most powerful delegates. “Prime Minister Lundgren, your spot is over there, on the right” Stated a rather young Namorese Female, who Lundgren assumed worked for the People’s Republic of Namor.

“Thankyou” Lundgren stated whilst walking on a rather fine carpet laid out for the summit. Regardless of knowing that he's on “business”, the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth had pulled out his rather new YouTouch 7 and began to text Minister for Foreign Affairs Won Chi Hun.

Moments later, Lundgren pressed “Enter” after texting “We’re Next to Ohanka.”

After Arriving at the Commonwealth’s Spot at the Summit Desk, Lundgren had decided to sit down for a few minutes and drink what appeared to be Namor’s version of Herbal Tea. Seconds Later, Won text back; “Oh Shit, looks like that the table organisers didn't take much thought into the placements. Interact with other Leaders! Xx”

After looking around the Summit Table, Lundgren could see some notable Leaders such as President Svensson, President Oppenheim & Regent Anteko. “Hmm, Svensson looks rather disturbed,” Lundgren thought in his head, “Let's Talk to Anteko”.

“Good Morning Madam, I’m Prime Minister Mats Lundgren, the Leader of the Commonwealth of Freyhill”.

[Ainin]

Xiangmen, Minjian

---

The ride to the meeting hall was rather uneventful, to say the least. From the back of their limousine, Prime Minister Marianne de Lotbinière, Foreign Minister Remy Micheaux and Defence Attaché David Ko were in no mood to talk. The radiocommunications at Huimont's Gérard Hébert Airport were out of service because of heat wave damage to a key receiver, forcing the prime minister's delegation to be rerouted to a military air base in nearby Tourres. If only to add insult to injury, the aircraft had to delay takeoff for what seemed like a millennium due to a storm over the East Namor Sea.

Now they were late. Not fashionably late, just late. Even the Teutonian dictator who travelled by slow-moving warship was ahead of them. And now Marianne would have to explain why to both her hosts and the media, ad the limousine finally pulled up at the meeting hall. When she got back to Huimont, heads would roll.

Almost jumping out of the car as soon as a valet opened the door, she walked quickly towards the waiting Namorese leaders, who were surely getting very impatient. Behind her, Ko and Micheaux kept a respectful distance, keeping themselves out of of the picture.

She approached the three Namorese leaders with an apologetic and sheepish smile and shook their hands.

"Mr. President-General, Mr. Premier, Mr. President, I am tremendously sorry for keeping you waiting. Out of all days, nature chose today to take down Huimont Airport's radio towers." A pause, another awkward smile.

"This hasty entrance notwithstanding, we hope that great things will come out of this summit."

[Namor]

OOC: I'll give some more time for leaders to wrap up any remaining sideline discussions.

"Mrs. Marianne le Lotbiniere, Prime Minister of Ainin," the aide introduced.

"They're finally here," President Li muttered in Minjianese. "I really thought we will die of heat stroke right here and now."

"Not so loud," Prime Minister Hua snapped back. As the Aininian entourage exited the limousine, all three Namorese put on their smiles as if they were never impatient.

The President-General extended a hand to Lotbiniere and the other two Aininians.

"Mr. President-General, Mr. Premier, Mr. President, I am tremendously sorry for keeping you waiting. Out of all days, nature chose today to take down Huimont Airport's radio towers," Lotbiniere explained. "This hasty entrance notwithstanding, we hope that great things will come out of this summit."

"Better late than never. What's important is that you're here, and your country's attendance is pivotal to a successful summit. Prime Minister Lotbiniere, welcome to Xiangmen," the President-General said, his smile still on.

Everyone faced the cameras for a final picture, and the Aininian entourage was escorted to the Convention Center.

"Well!" the President-General read his watch, then faced Li and Hua. "It's 9:18 and everyone's arrived. We'll meet again at six." The three shook hands before parting ways, with Li and Hua returning to the regional government offices located blocks away.

Accompanied by the aide, the President-General waved one final time at the cameras before entering the Convention Center. Immediately, artificial cold air blew across his face and his energy, sapped by the scorching heat, experienced a rebound. He wiped off the sweat with his tissue to assist the cooling.

[West Cedarbrook]

President Feld stepped forward, and regarded Alduris. He extended a hand to the Defense Minister, and replied L'Shona tova tikausevu, carefully using his best holiday Hebrew, carefully rounding the vowels, but slipping into the vernacular sof instead of tof the last word. Switching into English, he continued, "And a happy and healthy year to you and your family. And send our regards to President Uspelevičius, whom we hope to meet during these sessions. I would like to meet with him and President Svensson, regarding our continuance of trade arrangements with the former Greenwich Area members. We would be happy to discuss matters of security with you, and the Luziycans as regards concerns. I would have you follow up with Secretary Kansky. Very good to meet you." Feld moved away, back to his seat at the conference table, while Kansky stepped forward.

"A very good Rosh Hashanah to you and your family", Kansky offered, slipping into more proper Heberw "Shanah tovah umetukah. Let's move over out of the aisle. I would like to arrange the meeting President Feld proposed, perhaps for this evening. Are you in contact with the Luziycan delegation?"

[Aucuria]

Uspelevičius smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Madam President," he replied, before returning to his seat.

When Uspelevičius returned to the designated seats for the Aucurian delegation, Alduris stood up, "I'm going to meet with the Cedarbrookese and wish them a happy Rosh HaShanah." Uspelevičius nodded, aware that the Jewish holiday was approaching rapidly. "If it's alright," Alduris continued, "I'd also like to discuss what to do about the Teutonians." Uspelevičius raised an eyebrow quizzically, but nodded. "We need all the allies we can get when it comes to standing against them, especially as they grow more belligerent," Uspelevičius responded. "Of course, nothing will be official until the Saeimas, Foreign Affairs, and myself have all had their say, but it's not a bad idea to get some ideas circulating." Alduris nodded and smiled. "Thank you," Alduris said demurely.

Alduris headed over to to where President Feld and Secretary Kansky were standing, in discussion with President Yksteldehs Oppenheim of Pavonistade. Waiting until their discussion with the Pavonistadian president had ended, Alduris greeted the pair. "Shanah tovah umetukah," Alduris began, using a traditional Hebrew greeting used on Rosh HaShanah. "I hope you two are doing well. I would like to talk about potential Aucuro-Cedarbrookese cooperation with regards to the Teutonians- purely hypothetically right now, since all of us will have to work with the remainder of our governments."

President Feld stepped forward, and regarded Alduris. He extended a hand to the Defense Minister, and replied L'Shona tova tikausevu, carefully using his best holiday Hebrew, carefully rounding the vowels, but slipping into the vernacular sof instead of tof the last word. Switching into English, he continued, "And a happy and healthy year to you and your family. And send our regards to President Uspelevičius, whom we hope to meet during these sessions. I would like to meet with him and President Svensson, regarding our continuance of trade arrangements with the former Greenwich Area members. We would be happy to discuss matters of security with you, and the Luziycans as regards concerns. I would have you follow up with Secretary Kansky. Very good to meet you." Feld moved away, back to his seat at the conference table, while Kansky stepped forward.

"A very good Rosh Hashanah to you and your family", Kansky offered, slipping into more proper Heberw "Shanah tovah umetukah. Let's move over out of the aisle. I would like to arrange the meeting President Feld proposed, perhaps for this evening. Are you in contact with the Luziycan delegation?"

"President Uspelevičius met with President Svensson, but the meeting was brief. She doesn't seem in the mood for conversation," Alduris responded. "They did discuss the possibility of reestablishing a mutual defense agreement between Luziyca and Aucuria, and from what I could gather from President Uspelevičius, she seemed receptive to the concept. As for trade, I am sure that Aucuria would be supportive of continuing our strong economic relations with West Cedarbrook."

[Pisdara]

Entering the conference centre, Speaker Herve Bouchard breathed a sigh of relief. Although he was use to the hot weather the Piusdari islands often had, the heat wave decimating Namor was too much. Collecting himself, the Speaker was guided to an elevator, which quickly took him to the main conference room.

Entering the large room, Herve Bouchard paused to take account of the situation. The Ankoreni Prime Minister was already seated, gabbing away with the President of Pavonistade, luckily a distance away from Pisdara's "seat". Various other leaders were there as well, having their own small conversations or looking over papers or sitting quietly. When Herve Bouchard realized who he was sitting next, he knew he's be doing the latter. To his left would be the Regent of Tuthina, and to his left would be the notorious Leader of Teutonia, Friedrich Ulrich. The Tuthinian Regent, an older woman the Speaker knew went by the courtesy name of Rinka, was already seated rather quietly.

As he sat down, Herve Bouchard began to think "Well, this is an interesting seating plan. I know nothing about the Tuthinians (and they probably the same about us), and the less said about Teutonia the better. God, does the rest of the world hate me or something?" Staring at the herbal tea placed in front of him, he began to sit as he thought some more "The Aininians and Ankorenis are separated. Guess Shohai doesn't want a bloodbath. God, why the hell is it so hot?" Murmuring under his breath, he exclaimed "Mon Dieu, il est fou!", both about the heat and his seat. Drinking his tea some more for a few minutes, he decided it would seem rude for him to not at least introduce himself to the mute woman beside him.

"Hello Madam, crazy weather today, isn't it?"

[Luziyca]

Sera Svensson sighed as her Aucurian counterpart headed towards Svensson's seat. All she wanted was to drink her tea in peace, and here she was, everyone demanding a pound of flesh.

She felt obligated to oblige to the Aucurian requests. "Go ahead," she said in a tone of resignation. God hopes it wasn't about Narsete La Via again... he is currently on the stand for being part of a terrorist organization (the Purity Congress).

Svensson then proceeded to listen. As she heard her Aucurian counterpart speak, she felt relieved. Plus, he is actually putting in the effort to speak Luziycan, and it sounded good, although there seems to be a noticeable accent.

President Sera Svensson then replied in Luziycan (in a Swedish accent), "I feel that it will be a good idea to continue our alliance between Aucuria and the Christian Republic, considering its strategic location near Teutonia and other Iron Pact nations. I will look into the possibility of getting Congress to at least consider a mutual defense agreement, or hell, even joining the Esquarian Community."

She took another sip of tea, thinking to herself, "I hope nobody else seeks to disturb me."

Uspelevičius smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Madam President," he replied, before returning to his seat.

As soon as her Aucurian counterpart returned to his seat, she felt a sense of relief. "Thank god," she thought.

She took yet another sip of tea, and began organizing her folders and files. She didn't care if they were even tangentially related to the topic at hand, she wanted to make it appear to others that she is busy, she should not be disturbed.

She hoped the actual summit would start soon...

[Tuthina]

-sip-

“May you be in good health, Mister Lundgren. May I assume all is well in your realm?” As the rather carefree leader of Toksan approached and greeted her, Anteko turned herself towards him, raising her hands and returning the greeting in the traditional Tuthinan way. As of pretty much everything that would occur in this conference room, it was but another courtesy. Not long ago, the country of Toksan apparently saw it fit to hold a referendum and succeed in severing its age-long relations with the Empire.

Perhaps surprising to many, the secession itself was responded with only silent contempt in the Imperial Court - the awkward silence in the grand halls of the Imperial capital the next day was quite a sight to see for those who were not as well-versed in Imperial politics as her. At the end of that day, the only time Toksan was mentioned beyond private whispering was the reaffirmation from the Foreign Office that citizens of Toksan would still be able to obtain Imperial citizenship without additional requirement if they saw fit after independence.

What was more frustrating, though, was the brief exodus of investment from the Home Islands to the newly independent Toksan. This time truly without government intervention, the general population did not necessarily approve of this meaningless political bickering. If anything, the government would have intervened to aid Toksan if not for the awkward moment at the time.

-sip-

Curiously enough, the next one to approach was the one who would be sitting next to Anteko for the duration of the summit. Coming from the newly independent Pisdara, the former component of Ainin might serve as an interesting sample to see how the future of the Empire would be with its former parts.

“Indeed it is, Mister… Herve Bouchard, if I am not mistaken.” Anteko greeted the seemingly leisure man next to her the same traditional way as she greeted others.

“I believe this is one of, if not the first time the country of Pisdara represents itself in international politics as an independent polity. It is truly a pleasure to see you here. The Most Serene Empire will be looking forward to establishing a cordial relations with your country.” She continued with a smile, before taking a sip from the local herbal tea without any sign of discomfort drinking a hot beverage in a hot day.

[Namor]

Inside the Conference Room

---

Cameras inside the conference room flashed like crazy as the President-General passed the doorway, revealing himself to the other attendants who had already made themselves confortable. The President-General waved at the journalists, knowing that he need not worry about them capturing heated exchanges later on due to the temporary nature of their stay.

Scanning the room, he saw an Aucurian minister conversing with Feld and Kansky of West Cedarbrook, Toksan's Lundgren - visibly irritated by the location of his seat - talking with Tuthina's Anteko, and Luziyca's Svensson minding her own business. The rest, presumably, were in their seats.

He found his seat - situated farthest away from the entrance - next to Aininian Prime Minister Lotbiniere and Xiaodongese First Minister Xi. As he sat down, he shook hands with both leaders for a second time.

Seeing that the President-General is about to deliver a welcome address, all guests put their headsets on. Anything the President-General said would be translated from Namorese to the respective languages of the other attendants.

"Distinguished guests from all four corners and eight directions of the world," he began, "on behalf of the people of the People's Republic of Namor, I welcome you all to the city of Xiangmen for the 3rd Esquarian Summit. The honor is mine, to have the leaders of many countries in this Convention Center discussing issues that impact millions of people worldwide.

"The world is changing for the better. At the same time, the world is facing new challenges - challenges that cannot be tackled by one nation or one leader alone. The answers to these challenges aren't easy to find. But as politicians, we have a responsibility to find a path forward for the sake of the people whom we serve. In doing this, not only do we leave a better world for our children and grandchildren, but we leave them with a better ability to solve the problems that confront them.

"Today and tomorrow, I hope we can reach a consensus on a multitude of issues, the foremost being terrorism. With terrorism becoming a more prevalent problem, it is necessary that we set our petty interests aside, get our priorities straight and form a common bond to confront a common enemy. We can confront terrorism abroad by making sure that those who are in the frontline of the fight get the necessary tools to do the job effectively. For those who are not at the frontline of the anti-terror fight, it is necessary that we work to keep our people as united as possible and alienate as few as possible. Understandably, recent developments are causing some to frustratingly embrace easy answers to complicated problems. It is important that we keep our people informed so that they do not fight ignorance with ignorance, because the struggle against international terrorism is not one between two evils.

"The second issue is one that has been discussed in past summits but will not go away until a real solution is reached - climate change. Many in this room probably complained about the heat wave today. The years just keep getting warmer, and at the same time the international community has failed to agree on a blueprint to address the problem. An agreement on climate change - one that mandates countries to cut back on carbon emissions and work towards energy diversification - is a good place to start. It is my hope that, by the end of this summit, we can at least set the foundation for such an agreement.

"The third issue is the economy and trade. The recession continues in many countries, affecting millions of people - including those who propel it. Our solution to this problem shouldn't embrace some and leave others out in the cold; rather, it should be inclusive and rational. Trade doesn't have to hurt domestic industries or outsource jobs. Protectionism doesn't have to inhibit economic growth. Economic growth doesn't have to translate to increased inequality or endemic corruption. As leaders, we can improve the global economic situation while striking a delicate balance between various extremes.

"Finally, I hope the summit can reach an agreement on eventual chemical and biological weapons disarmament. The use of chemical weapons against civilians in Kraq has been widely documented and condemned, but since then there has been no move towards disarmament anywhere. Numerous countries attending this summit - including Namor - possess these weapons, which not only pose a dehumanizing threat when used but serve no purpose. Right now, we in Namor are pushing for a chemical and biological weapons-free South Velkia, but for the sake of humanity I am willing to go further. I am looking forward to an international convention that outlaws the use, stockpiling and development of chemical and biological weapons, as well as their precursors.

"Having gone over my hopes for this summit, I hereby declare this summit to be open."

The President-General shuffled his papers. Away from the table, security started escorting journalists out of the room. Seconds later, the President-General resumed.

"Our first issue is international terrorism," he said. "Obviously...the most intimidating of the terrorist groups right now is the self-proclaimed Caliphate group that continues to murder and rape innocent civilians in Kraq and Irvadistan. While some advances against this group have been made, the group is still active and most if its leaders remain at large. Although we have a large coalition of countries that are directly confronting the group, that coalition hasn't been much of an alliance, with certain parties reluctant or outright opposed to sharing intelligence with or supplying others who are fighting the same enemy.

"I believe it's about time we voice our unequivocal support for all operations by all parties involved that are effectively curbing the Caliphate's influence. This includes ongoing operations against the group in southern Irvadistan, which, according to reputable sources, has made tremendous progress in the past several months."

He shut off his microphone in a sign that all had been left to the floor for discussion. Reaching for his untouched cup of herbal tea, he quietly hoped that a fight wouldn't ensue immediately after this.

[Luziyca]

As President Sera Svensson listened to President-General Shohai Antelope's address, she felt that as the leader of the free world, she has to take the initiative to curb international terrorism.

Following Shohai's speech, Sera Svensson took the initiative. She turned on her microphone: fully confident that whatever she said will be translated into other languages.

She said, "In regards with the Caliphate, I think what we need is strong and decisive action to stop the Caliphate. We need to mandate that every country participating in the fight against the Caliphate provide all intelligence related to this terrorist organization to all other countries, and we must expand our commitments so that by this time next year, the Caliphate would all but disappear." Svensson paused for a moment, and had a quick sip of tea.

"However, this is only a short term solution," she warned. "Even if we defeat the Caliphate, we need to include a long-term strategy to reduce the risk of radicalization and to prevent the rise of similar terrorist organizations in eastern Nautasia for the forseeable future. If we only destroy the Caliphate and do nothing else, it will be very likely that something worse will emerge in its place."

"Thus," she declared, "I believe that we need an agreement to create strong democratic nations in eastern Nautasia that are also compatible with their traditional Islamic values. These nations need to have their economies rebuilt, and to be integrated into the global economic system."

She had another sip of tea: her glass was almost empty.

"If we create these nations; if we get rid of the autocratic systems that have been in place, and institute a system of liberal democracy, the people would have quite a lot to lose if they were to try another act of terrorism," she concluded.

She then finished her tea.

[Union of Akoren]

As the words terrorism left Shohai's mouth, the entire Ankoreni delegation snapped to attention and readiness, this was the main reason the Union had been invited in the first place (at least that was Estanban's assumption), they knew that every state in the hall had its agenda hidden behind its words of unity and cooperation, as did Ankoren naturally. Yet, the intention was to stake Ankoren's claim as the principle power capable of defeating the Caliphate and restoring security and unity to Nautasia - though through the spreading of Islamic Collectivism and the unification of the nations into one harmious Nautasian super state.

The Koy had failed, they're only success was keeping the Irvadi rump state alive, and the current "international response" was merely a paper declaration, offering very little effect on the ground. With the Koy utterly incompetent and more consumed with controlling Amin Kamel, only Ankoren could be trusted to fight the beast, the Nautaryans were weak, the Kraqis were being obliterated by the Caliphate and Samchania doesn't even constitute a modern nation-state, at least this was the universal view of the Ankoreni military regime.

Then came Svensson... her answer caused Akbari to gasp, albeit quietly. Çevik stopped taking notes and looked at the Luziycan president as if she'd declared herself a baby killer. Bolat for his part couldn't hold it in, whispering in Ankoreni under his breath "stupid bitch". She must be from a different universe to say such things, do these people not realise that's the cause of the problem? Akbari thought to himself.

As she completed her declaration for further abuse and anarchy in Nautasia. Akbari cleared his throat and opted to stand to address the Summit, this was his moment to stake Ankoren's claim afterall. 90 million people were watching him, the State Council was watching him, if he humiliated himself now, he'd return home as an ordinary citizen, stripped of his position and his membership of the Islamic Union Front.

Speaking in his natural Pasdani he began.

"Praise be to Allah, Lord of the two Worlds, and peace be upon our prophet Mohammad, his family and companions.

Today is an historic day for Ankoren, today marks the day that it truly reaches the top table of international diplomacy, firstly on behalf of myself, State President Evren Volkan and the proud citizens of the Union, I thank you for this opportunity and to also express the pleasure it brings us in working besides the great nations.

Terrorism is a cancer that consumes our continent, it consumes our fellow Muslims and our Nautasian kin. It is a ceaseless, restless black mass, that should it succeed in consuming the continent, will surely seek to consume the world. On May 10th of this year, the Union took a deep breath and collectively stepped into the mass, the turmoil and chaos.

With dogged determination, a righteous cause and unrelenting desire for victory, the Union has made exceptional progress. As I speak now, the honourable men of the Ankoreni National Armed Forces and the liberators under the Supreme Command for Jihadi and Unification encircle and advance against the terrorist stronghold of Habroun. Time and time again, we have seen victory, we have liberated village, town and farm alike time and time again. Our air force has pounded the takfir terrorist movement's financial and economic assets, we have assassinated their foul and criminal commanders, we are winning on the ground.

Yet as the Union proves itself to be the only viable state, capable of waging a long-term ground war, we are faced with some very unfortunate realities. The first is that we cannot wage the necessary air operation to utterly repress the terrorists alone. Whilst the Ankoreni Air Force can assist the ground war exceptionally well, it cannot do so and degrade the terrorist's infrastructure, leadership and assets on the level necessary to obliterate its capabilities.

The second is that more must be done to stop foreign fighters reaching its ranks, more must be done to cease foreign funding for the movement, if individual Muslims elsewhere in the world, who have succumbed the takfiri's vicious and murderous ideology and offer their money, then our efforts are undermined.

The third issue is the most stark and unfortunate. Every day in Irvadistan, young vulnerable Sunni Muslims turn their loyalties away from their government to the takfiri terrorist gangs, they do this for two distinct but connected reasons. The first, is that they see on their streets, foreign soldiers. Non-Muslim, non-Nautasian soldiers. Who look different, speak different, worship different and think differently about the abyssal the country hangs over.

The second reason is that they may not agree or wish for this presence to continue or even be the case in the first place, the issue being, that their government for whatever reason won't listen or can't listen. If young, angry and vulnerable minded Sunni Muslims choose to turn to the takfiris to rectify this wrong, then that too undermines our cause and progress. For instance, the Ankoreni forces could neutralise two thousand, three thousand terrorists, the continued presence of non-Muslim, non-Nautasian soldiers may well lead to the recruitment of two thousand or three thousand terrorists.

If we can keep neutralising their fighters, but if foreigners remain on the ground in force, they will be recovered and our efforts will be undermined and the war and process will be prolonged. This could lead to further international attacks, such as the horrific events we saw in Francille, this will lead to more refugees, more pain, more grief and more inhumanity. In short, if terrorism is to be defeated, non-Muslim, non-Nautasian ground forces are not the answer and should really, depart for their homelands, lest we continue to grant the terrorist movement a recruitment tool.

The solution to the third issue is that, we urge powers on the ground to withdraw, yet we do not ask for complete withdrawal, assistance of this kind is best served in the air, we can fight the war, but we need help fighting the terrorist's infrastructure and apparatus. As such, the Union will be officially proposing this: any nation that wishes to assist us in the effort against the terrorists through air power, will be permitted to utilise an entire air base facility in northern Ankoren, free of charge.

This base will be supported with the creation of an International Strategic Operations Centre, where officers of the Ankoreni military and those hosted in the base, will be able to fully cooperate and integrate our collective efforts. Only together, through full spectrum assaults on the terrorist's ground forces and assets can we defeat them. I urge nations present here today, to take up the offer, assist us in the ground war and we shall end their threat. Only through this action can we destroy the threat of terrorism, only through this and the withdrawal of foreign ground troops can we defeat them.

Not through misled ideals of democratisation and liberalism, where such ideas will only lead to a repeated maelstrom of violence and horror. The Union is the only viable nation to wage an effective ground war against the so-called Caliphate and its hordes of murderous cultists, aid us in this great endeavour and watch as a new Nautasia arises from the ruins of the continent's darkest period.

Thank you." Akbari sat back down, patting down his robes and taking a sip of water, he wouldn't be drinking the tea today.

[Namor]

The President-General listened to Svensson's speech with a disapproving frown. To him, Svensson's calls for building liberal democracies in Nautasia and integrating them into "the global economic system" were outright absurd. Not to mention Svensson's call for a "strong and decisive action to stop the Caliphate" - Captain Obvious would have been proud, he thought to himself.

As soon as Svensson finished her tea and the Prime Minister of Ankoren picked up from where she left off, a young tea girl wearing traditional Minjianese garments and holding a tray containing five cups of herbal tea walked up to her and asked, in English, "More tea?"

Compared to Svensson's remarks, Akbari's statements sounded way more reasonable. Not only does the Ankoreni Prime Minister appear to understand that democratization in a place like Nautasia is a goal best left for future generations, he also seems keen on having Nautasians handle Nautasia's problems. All of this sounded nice to the President-General, whose party has long styled itself to be a bastion of sovereignty and stability. But taking a quick glance at the Aininian Prime Minister sitting next to him, the President-General wondered if Lotbiniere or anyone else can trust Ankoren alone with fighting the Caliphate.

The President-General turned on the microphone and spoke up.

"I would like to thank...President Svensson and Prime Minister Akbari for their insight on the issue of terrorism," he started. "I would now like to elaborate my own thoughts on the matter.

"I believe that, however much progress a multinational coalition can make, all progress will be eventually undone if Nautasians themselves do not have the capability to further contain any terrorist threat. The international community should not find itself in an awkward situation where terrorist threats outlive the presence of overseas forces simply because local forces are unable to defeat them. This is why training local soldiers and raising them to become a world-class anti-terror force is very important. Groups such as the Irvadi military and pro-government Irvadi militias should be given more advanced weapons and the training needed to defeat the terrorists. They need to be given the necessary intelligence needed to know the terrorists' whereabouts.

"As for foreign ground troops, they cannot stay in Nautasia forever. But out of a practical necessity to defeat the Caliphate group, they cannot be withdrawn overnight. What we need is a slow process that shifts the responsibility of fighting the terrorists from foreign troops to local forces, ensuring a smooth transition that does not disrupt counterterrorism campaigns. I also support continued air operations from foreign countries. Not only are they effective, but it is clear that local forces, including the Ankoreni military, are unable to carry out equally effective operations at the moment.

"I do not see any theoretical problem with Prime Minister Akbari's proposal for an International Strategic Operations Center, where non-Nautasian officers assist Ankoreni boots on the ground. However, I'd like Prime Minister Akbari to explain in detail what will happen to Irvadistan once all territories under the control of the Caliphate are recovered by Ankoreni forces. Will Ankoren dissolve its provisional authority and transfer the territories back to the Irvadi government, thereby respecting Irvadistan's territorial integrity? It seems to me that some parties may not trust Ankoren with fighting the Caliphate because of their suspicions regarding Estanban's intentions.

"Finally, I should remind President Svensson that the number one priority right now is reducing the threat posed by terrorist groups, namely the Caliphate. Supporting liberal democratic causes in Nautasia might be a noble thing to do, but given historical and current realities it is all but futile at the moment."


He shut the microphone as the next person prepared to speak.

[Lyonsland]

Prime Minister Carl had sat back anxiously, in between the speeches of Svensson, Akbari and Antelope and the rather tense, long pauses as the leaders waited for one of their own to voice their thoughts. Johanna Carl was fully aware that the focus was on the Caliphate and that everyone, including herself, had hoped for a non-aggressive summit, but she felt like she could not restrain her feelings for a certain member of the permanent bloc of leaders. Carl had found it almost hilariously ironic that a large focus of the summit would be on the issue of terrorism given that there was a man at the summit who had happily authorised the devastating attacks that battered Nordania on the 3rd of June. The debate she had with herself over whether or not to bring the issue up at the round-table discussions had occupied most of her thoughts since stepping out of the limousine, as well as at what point was best to interrupt.

In the end, she couldn't keep it to herself at that point. After a half a minute pause following Shohai's thoughts on Akbari and Svensson's contributions, she turned her microphone on. She scanned the room as the attention began to focus on her, most leaders were putting safe bets on what she would bring up.

"I would first of all like to once again thank you, Mr. Antelope, on giving us a warm welcome to this summit," she began, as she looked around at the various faces anticipating the inevitable.

"May I add that while Lyonsland has made quite clear that the current situation in Irvadistan is not a battle that we feel we should partake in, we will continue to supply aid to those displaced by the disastrous impact of war and extremism. We have had many threats to our security from groups such as the Caliphate in the past.

I am pleased that the issue of terrorism is being talked amongst us at this assembly, as it is all unanimously agreed that it must be tackled head-on, whatever form of terrorism it is -

Oh, my apologies! I didn't see you there, Führer." she continued, staring directly at Teutonia's Fredrich Ulrich for a few seconds before continuing to make eye-contact with the other leaders, many of whom were taken aback by the comment.

"How can we have a serious discussion on terrorism when one of the biggest terrorists alive is sitting at this god-forsaken table? If you need reminding, this man gleefully authorised a day of mass terror on June 3rd. This man put suicide bombers in two subway stations, three government buildings, a stock exchange and an airport. This man put hijackers on a plane and had them crash it into a shopping complex. This man killed a thousand people in an hour. This man had teenagers kidnapped and indoctrinated into an ideology of terror and yet he still gets to decide how to tackle regional terrorism?

I feel like I've made my point clear. That piece of shit should not be within 50 miles of this table." she finished by turning her microphone off, before she could explode even further.

[Luziyca]

Sera Svensson replied in Namorese, "Yes please." As soon as she got her tea, she was prepared to listen.

She then proceeded to listen to Akbari's speech, and then Shohai Antelope's response to both of them. Akbari's speech seemed too forceful and a little too demanding. But Shohai Antelope was thoughtful, refined, and peaceful.

Once Shohai was done, she had to listen to the Lyonese leader. As soon as she flipped out against the Fuhrer, Svensson said out loud, "Can you at least keep those thoughts to yourself?"

After the tirade by the Lyonese leader, Svensson was ready to take the stage. She did not want to even mention that... incident.

"I second Shohai's suggestion, although I think liberal democracy should be the long-term goal for Eastern Nautasia," she said. "Many people have felt that the only effective opposition to the dictatorships in Kraq and Irvadistan was the Caliphate. If we are to permit liberal democracy, I cannot help but know things will improve. After all, there are many Islamic liberal democracies: we got Atlia, an autonomous region in Aucuria, which is democratic."

She paused.

"We also got Pisdara, a newly sovereign nation, which has also emerged from a genocidal white supremacist regime," she declared. "And I am sure there are a few other Islamic liberal democracies. However, in these regions, the evil hand of terrorism, the evil hand of the Caliphate has not infected these nations. And do you know why?"

"Because these nations permit people to express their grievances without having to resort to violence; to terrorism! They have strong constitutional guarantees to freedom of speech, press, and of thought. They won't arrest you just because you criticize their regime," she replied. "Meanwhile, in Kraq and Irvadistan, there is no freedom of press, speech, and thought. They arrest opponents of their regime, and constitutional protections are weak."

"If you have to endure these regimes," she explained, "anything may seem like a better alternative. Even if they are fundamentally the same at the end of the day, or slightly worse, they probably would feel like that they have nothing to lose at all. If it was a liberal democracy, they would have more to lose if they join the Caliphate."

She had... yet another sip of tea. She tried to organize her thoughts, but... she decided to let someone else speak.

[Aucuria]

President Uspelevičius stood up, still slightly shocked- though only slightly- by Johanna Carl's outburst. The Aucurians, too, had severe concerns about Teutonia, but the outburst came as a shock during an otherwise civil summit. "Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Esquarians, I am... well aware of my country's size as we begin this summit in earnest," he began, speaking quickly in Aucurian, hoping to firmly wedge himself between Carl's outburst and any possible Teutonian response. "I know that Aucuria has not been able to make the same contributions to the fight against international extremist terrorism as a result. But we are just as committed as all of you to ending the threat of terrorism, wherever it may be."

"I would like to continue with the discussion on the Caliphate, and to restoring rule of law and human decency in Nautasia. I agree with President Svensson, Prime Minister Akbari, and President-General Antelope on some- though not all- on what they have said. I agree with Prime Minister Akbari when he says that this war cannot be won if we do not work with Irvadis, Kraqis, and the other Nautasians most brutalized by the Caliphate's reign of terror. I think his proposal of an International Strategic Operations Center is sound, and I believe that the Saeimas and the Aucurian people would support such a body if it were created, in whatever ways we could. I agree with President-General Antelope when he says that we should work together for a common goal wherever possible. And I agree with President Svensson when she says that there must be fundamental political and economic changes in Nautasia if we want to create a lasting peace in that region."

"The Honorable Prime Minister of Ankoren is absolutely right when he says that foreign troops in these countries can help inspire young Nautasian Muslims to radicalize. Often times these troops are seen not as liberators or as protectors, but as conquerors and occupiers. They inspire memories of the years when the great powers of the world seized control of Nautasia through bloodshed and exploited the continent and its people for callous monetary gain. That's part of why his proposed International Strategic Operations Center is as valuable as it is, and it's part of why we have to do everything in our power to rally Kraqis and Irvadis to our side, and to have them play a critical role in repelling the Caliphate threat. Of course, President-General Antelope makes a good point as well- we cannot simply pull out immediately. But it is clear that we must increase the prominence and the role of local anti-Caliphate forces in this fight."

"But there is more we must do. If we truly want to end terrorism in Nautasia for good, we have to change the way we operate once we think our mission is complete. We cannot simply pull out, having let war utterly ruin a country's infrastructure and economy, if we want to prevent future terrorism. Many Caliphate recruits are individuals without economic hope- youth unable to find jobs, struggling to survive." Uspelevičius spoke emphatically, trying to impress upon his fellow leaders the importance of replacing lost jobs and ruined infrastructure. "If we want to prevent terrorism from rising again in Nautasia, we must make an effort to improve infrastructure, to rebuild the schools and hospitals and places of worship destroyed by war, and to provide these people with a situation in which they can live and thrive. President Svensson addresses this correctly when she says we must work to integrate these nations into the global economy, and provide them with an influx of economic opportunities that will allow Kraqi and Irvadi families to make a living for themselves. Decades of colonialism, imperialism, and instability have obliterated the infrastructure and the economies of these nations. If we want to prevent terrorism, we must work to rebuild both."

"But there is more than that. Above anything else, we must stop creating states that fail to live up to their duties to the people. 'All sovereign power is vested in, and thus consequently derived from, the supreme will and consent of the people. The offices and officers of government are the servants of the people, and are at all times beholden to them.'" He enunciated the words- a quote from the Declaration of the Rights of the People, a statement on human rights drafted in 1790 by the founding fathers of Aucurian republicanism amidst the Aucurian Revolution- clearly and passionately. "For too long, the governments of Nautasia have ignored the rights and liberties of their citizens, and they have consequently ignored their duties to their citizens. These governments are the ones that unjustly favor one political ideology, one religious sect, or one way of thinking over all others- authoritarian regimes with records of illiberalism and abuse."

Carefully not looking at any one foreign leader in particular, Uspelevičius continued. "And more often than not, these governments have been far more loyal to foreign capitals- in other parts of Nautasia or in Velkia and Nordania- than to their own people. Is it any surprise that- as Prime Minister Akbari says- so many people feel no loyalty to their governments? It is because these governments feel no loyalty to their citizens! So long as we back puppet states, kleptocracies, and dictatorships, there will be angry people willing to engage in terrorism, willing to be recruited into groups like the Caliphate. If we want to end terrorism, we must create governments that respect popular sovereignty, that are beholden to their people before foreign regimes, and that are committed to the concepts of liberty, democracy, and coexistence. Some might dismiss this concept as impossible or farfetched-" inadvertently, his eyes rested on Akbari for what might have been a few fractions of a second too long- "but President Svensson is right when she says that it is not. I can speak to this personally. In Aucuria, the more than 1.3 million Muslim inhabitants of the Autonomous Province of Atlia live in a functioning democracy. They have an elected legislature and executive, freedom of thought and of worship, the right to protest and to privacy and to fair trial. For a million Atlians, democracy functioning alongside Islam is not impossible, it is not a fantasy, it is not a pipe dream- it is reality. Anyone who says that democracy is incompatible with Islam has my invitation to come to Aucuria, to come to Atlia, and see how wrong they are."

"There must be a total change in how we handle the issue of terrorism if we want to end it for good. We have to be committed to making the lives of the people of Nautasia better. We have to stop setting up petty despotates that show no respect for the citizens they are supposed to serve. We have to stop destroying infrastructure and then leaving without rebuilding it. We have to work to address the root causes of why so many young Muslims find the Caliphate appealing. And we have to guarantee that Nautasians are the ones in control of their own future. A better future for Nautasia and the world is within reach- but we have to reach out and grab it. Thank you."

Having concluded his speech, and hopefully prevented a shouting match between two of the attending delegations, Uspelevičius sat down and exhaled.

[Pavonistade]

President Eric Oppenheim gave his full attention to the President-General while he went through with his speech and commenced the summit. As the national leaders move to the topic of terrorism, Oppenheim sipped from his cup on an intermittent basis, listening to what the various representatives had to say on the first topic.

He tuned into President Svensson's proposal. From Oppenheim's view, establishing democracy would be a righteous move, but would also simply be a dream. It's not to do with democracy and its compatibility with Islamic views, it's to do with the instability and chaos in Nautasia. Prime Minister Akbari's proposals were much more agreeable; stopping the Caliphate would better be done by minimizing radicalization (in the sensible way) and providing support with an International Strategic Operations Centre. Prime Minister Carl's lash against the Teutonian Führer came across as very much unnecessary, though was in some way understandable.

At the time that the Lyonese leader was done with her tirade, Oppenheim finished his cup of tea. He allowed President Uspelevičius to conclude, before he began speaking.

"Greetings, leaders of esteemed countries."

"In the international confrontation with the Caliphate, Pavonistade's role has been restricted to the provision of humanitarian aid. Nevertheless, I concur with the proposals put forth by Prime Minister Akbari. It would be very useful to have an International Strategic Operations Centre, which should allow for a better coordinated approach against the Caliphate. I also concur with the need to withdraw foreign forces from Nautasia and attend to air support for Nautasian forces on the ground. But as suggested by President-General Antelope, the process of such withdrawal cannot be done too quickly and must be paced correctly to avoid jeopardizing the anti-terrorism campaign."

Most of the reasonable points were made by Akbari and those that spoke after him. Oppenheim was merely affirming his alignment, but there is a point that he was interested in touching upon.

"Prime Minister Akbari did mention that effort must be made to stop foreign support for the Caliphate, and indeed that is a part in curbing the Caliphate and terrorism. As of 2015, 150 Pavonistadians have been radicalized and this number is expected to rise by the end of this year. Though I trust that most countries are taking steps to minimize efforts to aid the Caliphate or any terrorist operations, a serious problem can still emerge from not properly addressing radicalization, terrorism financing, and support in any form.

"The Pavonistadian government is pledging to a national campaign that includes further combatting the financing of terrorism, reaching out to people - especially the young - that are susceptible to radicalization, and strengthening the already-rigorous border services and enforcement. It is hopeful that through greater multinational participation in the elimination of radicalization and terrorism support, relief can be provided for the countries engaged in military operations against the Caliphate."

President Oppenheim relaxed and hoped his idea was not too far-fetched.