Callianan Office of Public Relations (Q&A|IC & OOC)

[Calliana]

OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
of the
UNITED REPUBLIC OF CALLIANA

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Greetings comrades, friends, and distinguished delegates,

And welcome to the official inquiries department of the Callianan Office of Public Relations. Here, we encourage you to ask any questions you may have regarding our nation's government, history, culture, or any other aspect of Calliana which you would like clarified, or are simply curious to learn more about.

For those who are unaware, the United Republic of Calliana is a federal socialist state bordered by the Republic of Columbia to the South, the Commonwealth of Borealia to the west, and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans to the east and north respectively. Home to around 100,000,000 Callianers (colloquially known as Norwesters, although this label is certainly more common among mixed-race citizens), we are an ethnically diverse nation, consisting of 12 Provinces and two semi-autonomous territories. Since 2018, we have been ruled by President Lesharo Wiker and the National Revolutionary Party, which promotes Left-Wing Nationalism and Syndicalist-Socialism.

But this is only a quick summary of our nation. We encourage you to come forward with any further inquiries.

Regards,
Johanna Devane,
Head of the Office of Publicity and Information

[Zhouran]

Ministry of National Culture of the People's Republic of Zhouran Message To Alice Lovas, Director of the Office of Public Relations of Calliana As part of properly understanding the inner workings of your nation, we have a couple of questions to ask: 1. Considering that Calliana just went through a blood-soaked revolution just a few years ago, how did the Callianan economy grow towards its current GDP size? Did the revolution actually have any effect on the national economy as well as national industries? 2. What are the methods the Callianan government uses to alleviate unemployment and promote social mobility and labor participation, especially since your nation went through the revolution? 3. What is Calliana's relations with Western and Northern Europe, especially during and after the revolution? 4. Does Calliana provide foreign aid to developing nations? And if so, how much does Calliana donate financially and does the country assists in infrastructure projects in developing nations? 5. What is the official Callianan foreign policy, if any, and what is your government's opinion on a multipolar world? 6. What is your government's opinion on non-marxist-leninist socialist states as well as alternative economics such as Zhouranese economics, Chinese socialist market economy, syndicalism and social corporatism? These questions should at least give a bit of beginner's insight into the politics and economics of Calliana. Regards, Ministry of National Culture of the PRZ

[Calliana]

OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
of the
REPUBLIC OF COUNCILS IN CALLIANA

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To our comrades in Zhouran,

We would like to thank you for taking the time to inquire about such a wide array of topics, which we will attempt to answer.

1 - Throughout the course of the Revolutionary War, the vast majority of fighting was centred around major population centers in the south. This, of course, took a toll on infrastructure in these cities which caused strain on the economy in the years immediately following the conflict, while also allowing heavy industry in the north to survive the war relatively intact. The fact that the backbone of our economy (i.e. the Mining Sector, Automotive and Heavy Machine Production, Timber and Logging, all centred around Northern Calliana) did not provide the backdrop for the revolution's costliest battles allowed economic recovery to occur rather quickly. That said, the effect on the Callianan economy during the war was certainly noticeable, and we still suffer certain shortcomings due to damaged infrastructure. OOC: Looking at my factbooks I just realized I set it rather high given the circumstances. Nerfed it a bit xp

2 - Despite common misconceptions, unemployment benefits in Calliana are comparatively low, even compared to the standards set by the United States and other liberal nations. Our social safety net seeks to reward hard work and merit rather than to foster the growth of parasitism. That said, there is no shortage of jobs as we have sought to build an economically independent Calliana. Our growing economy requires new infrastructure, and a population ready both to provide said infrastructure and work to maintain the growth of Calliana.

3 - During the revolution, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, our relationship with most of Europe (that being the relations of the De Facto Republican Government with Europe) was rather cordial. Starting in the 90s and going on into the 2000s and early years of the war, the Republican movement had a rather broad base of support at home, from Conservatives and Liberals to Socialists and Syndicalists, and even far-right nationalists. By around 2013 much of the western world was to some degree or another supportive of the Republican Convention and Revolutionary Army. As the socialists took power by the end of the war, this attitude saw a substantial shift, turning our relations frosty at best. Our partnership with China and Russia ultimately cemented Calliana's current status as a western lepper - shunned by most of Europe. Our historical alliance with France and cultural heritage in Norway and Sweden have seen some level of understanding arise between us, although these relationships could not be described as anything but tense acceptance.

4 - At the moment, we have prioritized our own internal needs rather than that of foreign nations. However, we have made an effort on a small number of occasions to extend a helping had to our allies. In early 2019 some 1,400 Callianan doctors were sent to Bolivia to deal with the current political crisis, although to date this and a handful of similar cases comprise the extent of our foreign aid efforts.

5 - Both unipolarity and bipolarity present unprecedented threats to the right of self-determination, which is not only one of the principles which unified our revolutionary movement during the war, but is also one of the driving guides of our foreign policy and government as a whole. As an officially non-aligned nation, we seek to forge a road independent of both NATO in the west, the Soviet Union in East Europe, and China in the Far East. We are currently seeking to build alliances across Latin America, Africa, and Asia to form a bloc of independent nations in the face of imperialism, regardless of the flag under which it appears. That being said, we have more often than not found ourselves to share common interests with the Chinese and Russians which have contributed to a sense of comradery and friendship between our peoples and governments.

6 - The Chinese model is something that we can admire from a distance, though not something we wish to replicate in Calliana. While we ultimately hold that socialism is an inevitability we understand the requirements of nation-states in our era are varied, and in the pursuit of similar goals, different routes must be taken. The processes of industrialization in Calliana and China were drastically different in both time and in practice, and to continue to evolve as nations we must pursue different methodology. As for non-marxist socialist states we are, shall we say, less understanding. Perhaps that is not the best way to phrase that... We are certainly not necessarily opposed to these states by any means, and quite often find our interests to be aligned. Neither are we opposed to collaborating or allying ourselves with such states; the Koreans and Nicaraguans being two examples. We find their ideology to be flawed, but fully embrace them as allies in a common struggle. We could say the same for the Zhouranese Model which, despite fascistic tendencies which are cause for concern, possesses admirable qualities as well.

I hope you found these answers satisfactory. If not, do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

Regards,
Alice Lovas,
Director of the Office of Public Relations

[Calliana]

- Bump -

[Silver Commonwealth]

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Silver Commonwealth's Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs

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To: OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS of the CONFEDERATIVE REPUBLIC OF CALLIANA
From: The Silver Commonwealth's Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs, and Supercomputer Tom

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Greetings

''We have followed the Callianian revolution, and reaction of the outside world with a great interest. We are impressed to see, that at last, Canadians in some timeline can throw off the monarchy for once. Still, we had a few questions in mind.''

''1. Is it true, that you used cavalry divisions during the Callianian Civil War? I mean, we have nothing against it, as we still have cavalry units in our army, and in some of our regions, horsemanship traditions even have been slowly reviving, but still - in age of tanks, and stealth jets, does cavalry still have a role in the major battles?''

''2. How different is the geopolitical situation of western hemisphere in your nation's universe? We mean, how many countries are there, what political systems they have, how big they are, what are the alliances/regional blocks, etc.''

''3. What is the Calliana's government's official opinion on indigenous Inuit religions? As a lot of religious figures probably supported monarchists during the civil war, we don't think, that Christianity has a great time there, but how about the indigenous shamans?''

''4. What is your opinion on our own version of republicanism, economical system, and nationalism? What do you think of Tom, and our decentralized, world government system, with system similar to medieval age vassals, where ruler would control some land directly, while the rest would be controlled by vassals, which would swear allegiance to the country, but in practice govern pretty independently?''

''5. What kind of literal fiction is popular in Calliana? What are the best seller books, and are there any special theater traditions? How diverse is the society of Calliana?''

''6. What are your country's major exports to foreign countries? What are the major imports? How industrialized is the country - parts of it, most of it, only a bit? Is there a special food, or recipe, which is associated with Calliana?''

''This should be all for now. We will perhaps return, if we will have anything more to ask.''

''Regards,''


Supercomputer Tom
The General Secretary, and Eternal President of Silver Commonwealth

OOC question: What is your favorite, and most interesting historical period of Canada?

[Calliana]

OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
of the
REPUBLIC OF COUNCILS IN CALLIANA

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To Supercomputer Tom, General Secretary, and Eternal President of Silver Commonwealth

We'll do what we can to answer your questions, to the best of our abilities.

1. It is true that republican troops used mounted units over the course of the Revolutionary War. And yes, it is true that the era of horsemanship is switching to its dinner menu, so to speak. Tanks, jets, armoured vehicles and other modern creations form the backbone of modern warfare, although given the circumstances our forces found themselves in during the first years of the war in particular, we were ready for anything but a modern war. The Black Army began as a handful of Union men, workers, and farmers - Technological marvels were simply something we had no means to obtain. So yes, we used anything we could get our hands on, and horses were something we had in abundance. They typical served support roles - Helping bring supplies to troops in areas trucks would have difficulty accessing. They did see combat on occasion, but instances such as those were few and far between. Since the war we have been able to modernize our forces significantly, and are proud to say that armoured cavalry has phased out biological cavalry.

2. There are a fair few countries in the Americas, but two major blocs. The Columbian bloc is not as tightly bound, but considerably more powerful. It consists of the Union State of Columbia (a Neoconservative Republic), the Commonwealth of Borealia (A member of the British Commonwealth), Republic of Yucatan (An American puppet state), Empire of Brazil (Constitutional Monarchy), Argentina and Chile (Liberal Republics). The Brenna Foumn forms the second, less powerful bloc. It includes Calliana, Cuba (a Socialist Republic) Mexico and the Central American Republic (Social Democracies), and the Bolivian Confederation (A Bolivarian Socialist State). Of these, Columbia, Brazil, Calliana and Mexico are the largest in terms of population, although in total land area Borealia comes ahead of Mexico.

3. The religious traditions of the Urfolk have been in decline since the very birth of Calliana as a nation. In the 13th and 14th Century, many tribes were converted to Norwester Paganism, and later Christianity after the British occupation in the 1700s. That said, there has been something of a resurgence of indigenous Animism since the fall of the First Republic. This largely began as a form of protest against colonial authorities, a fact which ultimately drove a great many Urfolk, including many Inuit to the side of the Republicans. During the war, much anger was directed towards the Catholic Church but not so much at Shamans who led an extreme minority. Since then, the numbers of adherents to Inuit folk religions have remained small but stable, neither being supported nor suppressed by the central government. Even in regards to Catholicism the Callianan state has no official stance on religion, beyond it's belief in secularism and freedom of religious expression.

4. Officially, we maintain the belief that there is federalism, and then there is creating a quasi-state of petty warlords and kings, maintaining dominion over a chaotic and self-contradictory ideology. The fact that Tom and his cronies wave the banner of socialism is a disgrace to our movement. While we can see what inspired the system the Silver Commonwealth has put in place - In certain regards it mirrors much of what has been achieved in Calliana in regards to ethnic federalism, strong government, collectivization and patriotism - the Silver Commonwealth represents our principles taken to the evil extreme. The destruction of socialist aims of equality and true liberty for the sake of what? To serve the ego of a megalomaniacal computer? Tom's Republicanism is a feudalism in all but name, and the machine himself a tyrannical King.

5. Historical fiction has long been prominent in Calliana, and some of our most famous works come from the genre. Perhaps the greatest novel to come from Calliana is "Where the Forest Ends", written by Vegar Agdestein in 1842, based on the American Invasion years before. It is currently being published by the Neo-Manila World Library in the Pan-Asiatic States. However, dystopian fiction has recently seen a rise in popularity, particularly after the release of "A Silver Lining"; a series of short stories set in a post-WW3 fascist super state. It touches on the lives of individuals from all corners of this fictitious Empire, from the scorching mid-west to the Siberian tundra, and explores what such a nation would look like from various perspectives. It has so far proven to be incredibly popular at home, and seen respectable sales abroad as well.

6. Calliana's economy dominated by exports of rare earth elements and heavy machinery. Our economy is largely industrialized, particularly in the north were iron, gold, copper and zinc deposits are particularly abundant. Manufacturing jobs have traditionally been relegated to the eastern seaboard - Vinland in particularly is known as a hub for the automobile sector. However, due to the geography of Calliana and our growing population, agriculture is something we traditionally have struggled with, and as such foodstuffs make up a sizable portion of our imports as we seek self-sufficiency.

That being said, we are not without our own cuisine. Atlantic salmon has traditionally been a staple food of the Calli people, as have other seafoods like lobster, crab and shellfish. Mak-Pies are one dish in particular which has spread across the whole of Calliana. Having derived its name from the old Norwester word meaning "shredded", this dish originated along the north shore of the Black River in the early 1800s and resembles a casserole made from shredded potatoes and stuffed with clams, crab or other seafood. Wine has also had a strong impact on Calliana cuisine.

I hope you found these answers satisfactory. If not, do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

Regards,
Johanna Devane,
Head of the Office of Publicity and Information

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As for the OOC Question,

That's hard to say. Typically I really enjoy cold war history across the board, but when it comes to Canada I've found WW1 and the Interwar Period to be more interesting. Mostly because that's when my family really started to settle in Canada. Back in high school I started doing some research on old family members of mine and honestly found the whole thing really interesting. It's nice to see how our little clan fit into things as Canada started to come together in the way I know it today.

I have wanted to read more about first nations history, but sadly for know I don't know to much about that at the moment.

[Nouveau Quebecois]

From another timeline:

From: Office of the Premier, Greater Montréal Region, New Québec.

Sent: March 8, XXXX.
To: Addressed to the Callianan Office of Public Relations.

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Regards, Office of Publicity and Information Representative.

What is the Callianan Government's public views on the prospect of an independent Quebec? How would the government react if popular opinion shifted towards that of an independent Quebec?

~ State Interpreter, Edward J. Cross.

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[Stamp - Church of Montreal Post]　[5¢] || Approved for post by the Sûreté du Québec.

[Calliana]

OFFICE OF PUBLIC RELATIONS
of the
REPUBLIC OF COUNCILS IN CALLIANA
(Semi-Canonical; Neither Canada nor Quebec exist in Calliana's Timeline)

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To our Comrades in the New Quebec State,

That is something of a difficult question to answer, and we're not entirely sure as to the angle from which it is being asked, but we will try our best.

To start, we will say that Calliana has no affection for the state of Canada - nor for the colonial governments installed and supported by the British Empire, current and/or past. Our own history is rooted in colonialism, which has largely lead to our present views regarding national liberation and peoples' inherent right to self-determination. Because of this, the Callianer Government's public views would likely be favourable regarding any movements concerned with the independence of Quebec. This is not to say our support would be unconditional, of course - our respective independence movements, at least as they find themselves embodied in our governments, share a number of differences which would likely hamper our enthusiasm for the Quebecois cause. However, as a matter of principle, we would nonetheless support the underlying sentiment of independence.

However, if the question is regarding a French-Callianer separatist movement, our response would take on a different character. Calliana is, after all, a multi-ethnic republic, home to countless peoples, each with their own culture, language, and religion. That being said, for all our differences we share a history, as well as a common cause - mutual defence, security, and the pursuit of justice for all - which unites us as all under one flag. While a population of French-Callianers does exist, it is fairly insubstantial and dispersed compared to larger, far more unified ethnic groups. Supposing, however, that public opinion were to shift in favour of an independent Quebec, the Callianer state would work to preserve the union by addressing any concerns that might inspire separatist sentiments and seek to address them peacefully, and with respect for French-Callianer's rights as a people, their own cultural traditions, norms and customs. Regardless, our Government's mission is to protect the interests of all our people, which at times requires us to defend the territorial integrity of our republic.

I do hope this answered your question. If not, do not hesitate to ask for clarification.

Regards,
Johanna Devane,
Head of the Office of Publicity and Information