PAZITEL
not firebombed since establishment in 2075
Opinion
The Mediterranean, Carthage, Rome and Spain: this atrocity must end, now.
Slavoj Markelj
As of the date of writing, the Roman legions have already taken control of Madrid, and are poised to push forwards to Gibraltar, while the Carthaginian navy dominates much of the Mediterranean sea. Meanwhile, behind the lines of both sides, trouble ruminates, as the people of both sides of the Mediterranean have suffered the consequences of war. Lastly, but by no means least, the Spanish guerra have rose up once more again, much like they have done so nearly 3 centuries ago against the Napoleonic forces. In other words: an absolutely barbaric mess that shows that no lessons were learned after the Cataclysm.
But let us turn the page a little bit, shall we? Let us go back to where it all began.
Asturias. Today, it isn’t much different from the Polish Commonwealths or the Bordeaux Emergency Coalition, as there is no single authority that rules it. Before this, a pro-Roman faction had been in control of the situation, but the pressure that was extolled onto the state was too big to overcome, and it quickly collapsed into what it is today. Some say that this is why Spain doesn’t deserve self-determination, but of course, this misses the whys and the hows of the situation that led us to where we are.
So with the collapse of the Oviendo Conference due to the incompatible imperialist interests of Carthage and Rome, war was declared, and, you know, it’s easy to say that fate destined it to happen so, but I remain unconvinced of that. Would it be difficult to create a compromise between the two nations? Yes, of that there is absolutely no doubt. Impossible? No. Even today, I hold the hope that there could be a peaceful solution that’ll lead to the self-determined states of Spain, Portugal and Catalonia (and whichever other states might arise if necessary). Of course, to achieve this, unfortunately, requires the agreement of Rome and Carthage, which at the present point, is not an easy task, not without outside influence.
That leads us to my next points. I have two primary takeaways from the current situation:
Both sides have failed at the diplomatic game.
It’s undeniable that the jingoist way of Rome is one of the primary causes for this unfortunate situation. Before this war started, in the pre-war period, there was almost a war in the Alps, which would’ve been somehow even more pointless than the current conflict raging on in the Iberian peninsula (and soon, the Apennines, if rumours are true). Thankfully, the NAP has intervened, and managed to prevent this from occurring – for now, anyway. This, of course, only highlights a tendency in Roman diplomacy (if there’s one, anyway) of belligerence, which only serves to turn off nations that aren’t antipathetic to Carthage already…
Of course, one cannot ignore the elephant in the room – the Rape of Barcelona, as it has been dubbed by the press around the world. The Emperor has vowed to eliminate the elements of the army that are unruly and undisciplined (as if it’s just a “few bad apples” that killed 30,000 Catalans), but one wonders, why was that army there? The question is rhetoric, of course, and any man with a head on their shoulders can answer it themselves. War crimes happen in war – what a shocking concept! No amount of training and discipline can prevent that, which is a crime in itself, one of the worst ones, in fact, as it drags in entire populaces into a bloody struggle for those high above – and I’m not just talking about the Romans and the Carthaginians only, too. The people of Iberia are suffering terribly as we speak…
Of course, Carthage is far from innocent. We, here on the Balkans have been hit by the new tolls on Gibraltar, crippling our economy in a very bad way. It is why the initiative of our diplomats in Moscow, as well as the Armenian Accords with the Zunbils and of course, the strengthening of our trade relations with the friends within the NAP are a welcome sight. Because, it is evidently clear, that whoever owns Gibraltar, will inevitably use it as a tool to press on us. Forging out our independence, as opposed to making compromises on crucial matters like this, is the way to go, that is without a doubt.
Meanwhile, the “internationalisation” debacle of Suez might have caused a certain bad feelings amongst the Abyssinian diplomacy, although, of course, we cannot really tell for sure, but the UAR seems to show a certain dislike for Carthage at the moment, shown by their support for Abyssinia’s initiative. What’s more certain is that the connections of Carthage with the Avaritian Consortium have caused resulted into a definite bitterness towards Carthage.
In short, the two states have more or less isolated themselves from the world at large, which could have very serious consequences in the post-war situation…
Which leads us to our second point.
Both sides have already lost the war.
This might sound audacious, but it becomes evident on a further glance. Even now, you have strikes in North Italy, the undisciplined army of Rome and whatever solutions the Emperor will seek out, the disruption of trade within the Western Mediterranean, the ravaged Iberian peninsula. It will only become worse as more people perish in increasingly pointless ways.
But let us look beyond the present. Whichever state wins this bloody struggle, they will be saddled with the aftereffects of this conflict. If Rome wins, they’ll have to deal with the reconstruction of Iberia. Some have put forwards that there’s circles in Rome who are willing to let territories to vote whether to join Rome or not. But this is such a pointless and inane preposition. It would be much of a choice as Austria got in 1938 during the infamous Anchluss. Even if, somehow, you have a state that votes to not join Rome, would it not be compromised, considering the fact that it can be destroyed by the Roman legions if they dare so much to not do what the Emperor demands? It would be a satellite in all but name.
Of course, that’s only Iberia. Just the conquest of North Africa will be a bloody and terrifying affair, no matter the illusions that the current situation in Iberia gives. Think the Spanish guerrillas are bad? North Africa would be a special Hell for both of the sides, an apocalyptic landscape to fight in. And once it is conquered, will Rome be able to rule it? And to what end? Will just the insatiable desire for conquest (after all, “nor the east, nor the west”, as Tacitus put it) be enough of a driver to rule this vast territory, going deep into the Saharas? I believe not.
Carthage has the same issues. First of all, they’ll have to rebuild the devastated Iberian peninsula, and bring it to proper order, especially with the rise of the Spanish guerrillas, who might not be so intent on putting down their weapons even once the war is over. That’s one thing. Then, the conquest of Italy, much like the conquest of North Africa for the Romans, will be incredibly difficult. The Romans will not go down easily by any means, and we expect, once more, a bloody and terrifying struggle over it (that’s such a theme in this kinda things, ain’t it), which will doubtlessly result into thousands dead.
And then the occupation of Italy, of course, will also be a fraught affair, with guerrillas arising in it, as well, and resistance to the occupiers is all but guaranteed.
Both sides face the same issue in a case of a victory: they’ll be able to enforce a hegemony upon the Western Mediterranean, but as Tacitus once said, they’ll also make a desert and call it peace. As I’ve already mentioned, they’ll rule over a devastated regions, but not only that. They’ll be also isolated from the rest of Europe (and perhaps, even, the world), as both sides have shown belligerence in one way or another. Every move of theirs will be carefully followed, whether for a sign of weakness, or for a sign of their next move. And in the end, there’ll be a question Africa, Europe and the Middle East as to what’ll happen next. Both sides claim that once their opponent is vanquished, they’ll no longer continue to expand, and pose no threat to peace – but such promises from imperial powers are, well, to say the least, ridiculous and practically worth nothing.
What Is to Be Done?
I can already hear you thinking - “Well, then what now?”, and well, the answer is really quite simple.
The only way to permanently resolve the crisis situation in Spain, indeed, in the whole of the Mediterranean, perhaps, to stop the deaths of Romans, Carthaginians, Spaniards, Catalans, Asturians, Portuguese, to put an end to the blockades and tolls, to establish peace in this disturbed region for once and for all...It’s all in two words:
Self-determination.
The people of Iberia deserve to have a choice. Will they stay with Carthage? Or will they join Rome? Or will they establish states of their own, and take their fate in their own hands? That’s up to them to decide. This choice has to be given to them. It is absolutely imperative, because we believe that of all people in this war, the Iberians have suffered by far the most. They are, indubitably, the victims of this conflict between the two powers, and if there’s justice, they must elect their fate.
This is the only way to go forwards, and I hope that the people of the world will come to see it for what it is.
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[Cancel Military Action]
New Action: Incite further support for the Spanish Resistance, creating an advantage for them - “Swelling Ranks” with a Culture roll.
