Atalanta

Atalanta stood. "If creating an oil cartel is the Kuklos' way to stop foreign powers from encroaching in the Americas, then I fail to see the logic or wisdom behind it. They don't want our oil, they don't want our materials or resources. Further, the proliferation, control, surplus, or starvation of resources to a people have never had an effect in the last several decades - most nations are self-sufficient in this day and age. "We agree fully with the delegation from California."

(OOC: I find it mildly distressing that trying to equal someone in political discourse automatically qualifies me as an enemy rather than someone to participate in further RPs with. But I digress.) Atalanta silently sat, laughing on the inside at the misguided Californian speech. It was nice, but factually off-base and ideologically driven rather than done with logic and the necessary cautiousness that matters on a grand scale often need. But it was apparently the speech that would drive them all together, and Atalanta would take what she could get. "A well-said speech!"

[s]Atalanta stood. "I suppose that saying 'silence' while nobody else is talking is an effective way of pretending you have some sort of authority and is some sort of nice speaking tactic, but it does not distract me from several issues with your spech. You do not see the irony decrying an autocratic government like an Empire in favor of democratic ones like Republics and Democracies while simultaneously telling us not to discuss our own opinions amongst each other? The hallmark of a free society is the ability to disagree with one another without being harmed or harassed. It is a statement to every nation here that we can sit and disagree with one another without shooting each other or leaving the conference in disgust. If you think staring at Kuklos to try to implicit blame on them for 'sidetracking' this conference is some sort of statement on their motives as opposed to yours, why does your statement stand at direct odds with the fact that they previously tried a military takeover of the Cuban people not but weeks ago, but we can sit here and agree on what should be done in the future? "You say none of us no war other than quite a few of us here, and I suppose Cuba would be included - but you ignore the history of conflicts fought in and around Cuba, the generations of people who have been in wars far in the past and more recent than that. My people know what war is, and just because you have fresher scars doesn't mean you have any right to tell us that we don't know the costs. I could go on about blatant historical omissions, insinuations, and high grounds - but I will simply ask that you don't treat the rest of us as if you are somehow better because you think your relatively tiny national history means more than the rest of ours. "I believe it is in the interests of all of us to decide right now our reaction to the Louisianian aggression against Athens - and our reaction to the Athenian reaction. While there is a pressing need to talk about our future as a whole, the fact of the matter is that in their ideological zeal, Louisiana has put the entire balance of power on the continent at risk, and they did it at MY doorstep! I will not have a war fought on my backdoor without some sort of communication between the rest of us, especially if this has any chance to escalate." With that, she tapped her fingers several times on the podium and strode back to her seat.[/s] OOC: A lot of what I wrote was in direct response to the earlier post by Mara =( It loses some snappiness after that behemoth of a post. I'll just assume it never happened since she wouldn't say all of this after that post. Sorry <3

Atalanta stood up after Mara sat down. "I'm sorry for interrupting, but what's the applicable difference between a European 'colony' in the Caribbean and a New York-based nation owning land in the Caribbean? Other than continent, what's the difference? When Cuba was under the control of Pravus Ingruo, we enjoyed freedom and relative prosperity, protection and a sincere lack of oppression or discrimination despite the fact that there is a larger difference in culture from New York to Cuba than there is from Italy to Tunisia, which are literally on different continents. "I ask you a question: if people are free, in good health, and have their political and human rights respected, why does it matter where the origin of the government lies? From what I've been told by historians, Ecuador is a part of Rebel Army but is considerably freer than what the term 'colony' insinuates and has lasted longer than most of us here have been part of our current nations. If this were some sort of crusade solely against the concept of foreign ownership, why is it that we allow one section to be owned by Rebel Army but we are in some sort of vendetta against others? Hypocrisy is no friend to unity. "I ask the nations calling for ultimatums or provisions to please explain why it is better to wage war, the most tragic and devastating acts a nation can commit, than to simply ask themselves why they are basing an entire pretext to war on a hypocritical policy that won't necessarily accomplish anything other than a change of government? Why should we destroy homes, end lives, disrupt entire generations in order to do nothing except replace one government with another? "I ask this not to say your motivations are less than sincere or to imply anything, only to get rational, logical explanations behind such heated, emotional dialogue."

Atalanta saw this as her moment to finally thrust Cuba into the spotlight and raised her hand or did whatever action was necessary for her to take the floor. "Hello! Ladies and gentlemen of America, as you may recall recently the nation of Cuba was granted independence and has formed a nation over the traditional Cuban isles. With the formation of the new Cuban state at the same time as this Forum, I've found it worrying that people are considering action against nations like France and Athens, who I would like to note are a skip, hop, and a cruise missile away from being able to absolutely destroy our nation. Even something like political or economic sanctions could backfire enormously on our part, as we are practically dead in the water until our nation is fully formed and operational. "So it is my pleasure to say to each and every one of you that if you are thinking about an action against Athens or France and it is something more than a political condemnation or raising of taxes on their goods or whatever, come to us and talk. Cuba has no military, economy, or political clout of any kind to help in whatever plan may arise against our neighbors, but we are at a strategic geopolitical point in the region. If anyone is thinking of doing anything drastic, please give us a heads up - that was if something goes wrong, you might at least have a safe Cuban harbor. "On that note, I'd like to announce that Cuba is willing to lease land space along our coasts and coastal interior to government entities who wish to have some sort of extracontinental base or civilian center. Such bases or centers would be given to all who ask for them, and would be a chance both for our country to establish a rapport with yours, but also for greater international unity between nations in these areas and would help shape the Cuban economy in a way that would be measurable to every citizen who is looking forward to this new day in American unity. "In addition, Cuba would like to take the moment in the American Forum to announce that citizenship in Cuba is open - we will allow any Cuban citizen to become either a double or triple or what have you number-citizen, as long as they have the permission of the second or third or what have you number-government. And any continental citizen who wishes to become a Cuban citizen may do so with relative easy, as long as their host government permits it. Finally, Cuba wishes to thank every nation here for being supportive of Cuban independence and we will be watching the results of this Forum very closely. Thank you!" She straightened her suit and let out the tiniest sigh of relief.

[quote name='Lynneth' timestamp='1326112760' post='2896263'] "The Lunar Republic welcomes this new caribbean nation. We hope for amicable and good relations in the future." [/quote] Cuba thanks the Lunar Republic and respectfully offers a very moony embassy in Havana! [quote name='King Timmy' timestamp='1326116051' post='2896271'] New Panama welcomes this new Cuban nation and would like to immediately place an order for some cigars! [/quote] Cigars are banned! Haha, just kidding! At the moment, to ensure proper economic variables are accounted for, all cigar exports are being halted for a three-day window to accomodate economicians(?) who wish to study more to get a better grasp on economic policy in the future. But I'm sure if you just contract it out to a private citizen who is free to buy them by himself and then fly a plane to New Panama, you'd get them on time. [quote name='Pravus Ingruo' timestamp='1326117101' post='2896276'] The Empire is glad to see a stable government of the people of Cuba rise to take stewardship of their lands. All military equipment will be withdrawn to Guantanamo Bay or off the island within two months. [/quote] Take no rush in removing military equipment; the island is grateful to Pravus Ingruo for their protection and stewardesship during a rough period in our history, and we would be honored to continue hosting you now as guests in our land. Any citizens of Pravus Ingruo are given the same legal rights as a Cuban citizen as long as our nations continue to exist! [quote name='Evangeline Anovilis' timestamp='1326117247' post='2896279'] "The Compagnie would like to ask the Cuban government for permission to open a local branch in Havanna to trade with Cuba." [/quote] Cuba, and the Havanan officials, would be glad to allow the Compagnie to open a local branch. Be warned that regulations (or lack thereof) have not been codified and government is still in transition, so the Compagnie should be ready to adapt for some swiftly-changing rules of acting in the upcoming weeks.

[quote name='Sarah Tintagyl' timestamp='1326068307' post='2895997'] "The Commune of France welcomes Cuba to North America and sends her well wishes as your neighbor. We hope to only have peaceful relations." -Admiral Regine Avenier [/quote] Cuba thanks the Commune of France and offers to build a special embassy for our closest neighbors in the region. [quote name='JEDCJT' timestamp='1326079734' post='2896109'] "We recognize Cuba, and offer to establish relations." [b]CANADIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS[/b] [/quote] We thank Canada and offer an embassy in Havana on our part! [quote name='PresidentDavid' timestamp='1326084017' post='2896138'] Representative Atalanta Lecuona, The Republic of Texas is interested in Cuba seeing as the island is finally out of the control of Pravus Ingruo and in a state of independence. The Western Hemisphere has been going through a great amount of change including: Colonization, Tyranny, War, Liberty, Freedom, and the raising of free and new flags across the two continents of North and South. If it wouldn't be to much trouble, could you go into more detail with the type of government the Cuban people have chosen to be under? I, on the behalf of Texas, am curious as to the inner-workings of your government and economy. If it wouldn't be to much trouble - of course. [/quote] "Mr. Secretary, The Cuban government is still in a transitional stage: we held a direct democratic election for the title of President, as well as for the offices beneath (such as Foreign Representative); some titles (like Generalissimo) were changed to reflect official titles from before the formation of the new government. Unless the basic framework of our nation goes through an overhaul between now and the official unveiling of the Cuban Writ of Law, which will outline in unbreakable (but amendable) code the workings of our government, Cuba will be a primarily direct democracy on two levels: national and city. At the city level, each city (defined as an organized group of buildings with infrastructure and permanent residency and defined borders; metropolitan areas are grouped into one) directly elects officials to draft legislation. Each piece of legislation is directly voted on until there are several different variations of a bill that can be voted on, and then each variation goes into a group direct vote to determine which bill passes. This ensures direct citizen involvement with their community lawmaking. A national-level bill is done this exact way, but instead of applying to the city it moves up a tier into the national level bill passing Convention. On the national level, each city level government is appointed one elected official slot, directly elected by each city. Each official then goes to a bi-weekly Convention on the Laws of Cuba, where they will propose national bills that have passed through the city-level process described above. The officials weed out contradictory (not necessarily opposing, just contradictory or impossibilities) clauses in the bills, then put each set of clauses to the same series of votes that a city-level bill goes through. I understand this may be hard to grasp at first for the unfamiliar. In essence, every bill is voted on multiple times and put together piecemeal, with directly elected officials guiding the way - and then multiple versions of those piecemeal bills are voted on, with the highest direct vote count being the winner. One must have 50% or more to win, so if there are less than 50% of voters supporting a measure, the least popular are eliminated. For national level bills, the process must be done a second time. Economically, the Cuban government has no set position as we are still in a transitional stage. We can suffice to say that there is little in terms of regulation or profiteering going on, as little formal economy exists in Cuba that can be measured. With the new opening of our nation, more clarity can be shed on that but I'm afraid there is no clear answer. Texas is welcome to send political advisers, media teams, and observers to learn more about the Cuban process or even have a hand in assisting us if we are in need of help. We would be glad for the exchange between neighbors!" Foreign Representative Atalanta Lecuona

Foreign Representative Atalanta Lecuona, arriving late thanks to the late formation of Cuba in comparison to the invitations sent out to the [i]Forum[/i], walked in quietly and hurried quickly to a seat where she could place her overlarge bag. She was at the end of the most stressful time in her life and, as she expected, her laptop had failed her. She was being forced to use a weak tablet computer and a lot of paper backups, as well as carry around the dead machine in case it was stolen. Atalanta took the moment to quietly detail herself for a few seconds, to unruffle her feathers, and then look around the room. She finally found her mark and quietly approached the delegate from New Spain at his booth. "Hello, I don't really mean to interrupt, but with a lack of official formal relations between our country, sorry, countries!, the Generalissimo believed it would be best for Cuba to formally request an audience between ourselves and New Spain, at your convenience." She paused for a brief moment as she checked a message on her phone, then frowned. "I'll be at the Cuban booth to receive an answer!" She moved swiftly back to her seat at the Cuban booth and sat down with a sigh of relief.

Foreign Representative Atalanta Lecuona will attend representing the fledgling Cuba!

[quote name='Fizzydog' timestamp='1325994057' post='2895356'] "American nations are popping up like dandelions! It's a wonderful time to live in America, far away from the Empires of the East. Here, democracy and freedom trump all. We offer both full diplomatic recognition and an embassy in Charleston. God bless and carry on!" -Harold Cheve, President of the EA-U. [/quote] "We thank you for your welcome. Would you like a reciprocal embassy in Havana?" [quote name='Evangeline Anovilis' timestamp='1326019209' post='2895632'] "Croatia sends its well-wishes, diplomatic recohnition and a note to the Eastern American Union, telling them that the Horde is able to project power globally and that not only do they have land in Alaska, they also have their allies in the Americas, making it a very stupid move to anger them." [/quote] "Croatian well-wishes! Thank you for taking interest in us on the other side; would you enjoy an embassy in Havana?"

[quote name='Atalanta' timestamp='1325951317' post='2894791'] Pravus [url=http://imgur.com/UgDab]confirmed[/url] it via PM! I'll be starting shortly Mapmaker, please mark Cuba sans Guantanamo Bay as 'Cuba' please! [/quote] [url=http://forums.cybernations.net/index.php?showtopic=108208]Here[/url] is my DoE!

[center][img]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/bd/Flag_of_Cuba.svg/500px-Flag_of_Cuba.svg.png[/img][/center] The Cuban people, gracious of our hosts in Pravus Ingruo who have taken care of Cuban land while others may attempt to pervert our land and our people for their own geopolitical needs, are extremely proud to announce the reformation of the Cuban state, the continuance of our history, and our new government, headed by Generalissimo Isabella Perez! Of course, the title Generalissimo refers to the uniquely democratic title of President when applied in tandem with the position of General of the Armed Forces - Generalissimo Perez was freely elected with 64% of a Cuban referendum, in opposition with 22% against a former diplomat and the rest of the vote divided amongst minor candidates. The 72-year old Generalissimo was elected to lead our nation through the often turbulent time of resurgence and is expected to serve for a short period before another set of elections are called. Over the course of the rest of the day, we will be presenting our plan to rebuild Cuba to refocus our efforts on maintaining the island and its sustainability, as well as ensuring that we do not rely on foreign essentials like food, medicine, or fuel. We will be constructing personalized embassies for each nation who wishes for one, and will open our borders for foreign governments and NGOs who wish to establish a foothold in the growing Cuban economy. Foreign Representative Atalanta Lecuona will be handling any questions or comments, as well as be the official representative from Cuba for any corporation, organization, or government that would like to establish an operation inside of Cuba. Thank you, and God bless.

[quote name='Atalanta' timestamp='1325902095' post='2894418'] Hello! I heard there's a war going on in normal CN so I don't have that many new friends. I'd like to join the RP CN! Am I allowed to claim Cuba? I don't know who owns it, so I don't know who to ask! EDIT: I'm sorry! I just read the last page and I'll be asking Pravus Ingruo [/quote] Pravus [url=http://imgur.com/UgDab]confirmed[/url] it via PM! I'll be starting shortly Mapmaker, please mark Cuba sans Guantanamo Bay as 'Cuba' please!

Hello! I heard there's a war going on in normal CN so I don't have that many new friends. I'd like to join the RP CN! Am I allowed to claim Cuba? I don't know who owns it, so I don't know who to ask! EDIT: I'm sorry! I just read the last page and I'll be asking Pravus Ingruo