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[Seriphyn]

As an international relations and security studies student, it pains me to no end to see people take an extremely one-dimensional and/or one-sided view to this conflict. Firstly...

The bombardment of Caldari Prime was not because the Gallente were unhappy with the Caldari leaving

What started out as a territorial ownership dispute was exploited by cultural nationalists on the Caldari side, and imperialist elites on the Gallente side, as an opportunity to push their goals. This is EVE, we're talking about. It is more than likely the situation was manipulated by powerful people from the start. Using The Early Days chronicle, I'll give a run-down of how the war started, with my own personal perspectives from both sides. I may very well be biased towards the Gallente side, but hey, the RP community hardly paints the Caldari in a negative light with this area of history anyway.

It all started when a Gallente exploration ship happened upon one of the hidden Caldari colonies. When the Federation Senate learned of this they demanded a full-scale investigation into the matter and that all hidden Caldari colonies should immediately been put under Federation authority. This was too much for the Caldari Corporations, which were already grumbling over increasing Federation interference into their affairs. For the Caldari it was a simple question of losing their autonomy forever by caving in or making a stand right then and there. They decided to make a stand.

"You have established these colonies without abiding by Federation law and regulation. What is the meaning of this? Space is to be shared between all individuals, and the Federation seeks to ensure that this can be done freely and peacefully. The Gallente, Intaki, Mannar and others understand these concepts"
"Shared between all, or shared for the benefit of Gallente interests? We have established these colonies in secret, as this mutual law and regulation you refer to is, in reality, all for the benefit of Gallente Prime. The Intaki, Mannar, and others might be so naive as to believe in the Federation's ideals, but we are not. The Caldari reserve the right to carve out an area of space, to determine our own destiny"
"The esteemed Senator is correct. The area of space claimed by these Caldari corporations is not Federation territory, so how can the laws of the Federation apply there?"
"These corporations are still registered economic entities of this Federation. It is clear we need to need to figure out a peaceful resolution"

What happens next, who knows. Some important points...

This was too much for the Caldari Corporations, which were already grumbling over increasing Federation interference into their affairs.

The Federation was interfering in the Caldari corporations and not the society. How representative of the entire Caldari people were the Caldari corporations? It says they were "well-established" in society, and "preeminent in Caldari economic life". Sure, Google, Microsoft and Facebook are well-established in our societies, but they can not be said to represent us as national bodies. I'm not saying they didn't, but it is something to think about. I doubt anyone here could say with a straight face that every single Gallente wanted to oppress the Caldari, and every single Caldari wanted to get rid of the Gallente. With this in mind...

The initial dispute was a disagreement between the Federation Senate and Caldari megacorporations, NOT the Gallente and the Caldari

It says the Federation Senate demanded the Caldari corporations hand their territory over. This may very well include Intaki, Mannar and Caldari Senators as well. In response, the Caldari corporations formed the Caldari State. Why did the Federation Senate ultimately decide to demand they hand it over?

Of the Caldari people, the Caldari Senators, and the Caldari nations, how many subscribed to this new State?

For some reason or another, the Caldari megacorporations were able to take control of all of Caldari Prime and the Caldari people, regardless of peaceful leanings. Was this in unanimous support? What about the Caldari who did not want anything to do with the megacorporations? This is what I refer to as to how this initial disagreement was exploited by nationalists at the highest level, rather than individuals waving pickets at the lowest.

Right after the Caldari defected from the Federation they focused on securing the jump gates leading to their (once) hidden bases, as those bases provided the backbone to the Caldari military infrastructure at that time.

The Caldari were the first to militarize the situation. Would the Federation have deployed their military otherwise? No, but a response to a provocation is necessary. Would the Caldari have trusted the Federation to not immediately attempt to militarily secure the secret colonies otherwise? No. This is called the security dilemma in international relations. One side side does not know what the other side intends, and they must act with the worst case scenario in mind. The other side then responds in kind, and the situation detiorates because of insecurity.

The Federation blockaded Caldari Prime in response to the State militarization of the situation. The State militarized the situation because they could not be sure what the Federation might do in response to their secession. This is called the security dilemma

For the next few days nothing much happened. The Caldari were content to sit by the jump gates, while the Gallenteans were debating how to best negotiate a peace agreement. But the Caldari on Caldari Prime were restless. They found the Gallente blockade intolerable and soon small-scale guerrilla activities escalated into all out hostilities. In the end the Gallente population on the planet had to pay the price for the Federation’s indecisiveness.

This is important. The Federation did not want a war. They were trying to negotiate a peace agreement. They were debating it, meaning there were different opinions on the matter. There was no universal Federal stance as to what was to be done.

The next important bit is that the Caldari struck the first blow. "All-out hostilities" suggests just that, between the Caldari and the Gallente on Caldari Prime. But who would these forces be? Federal-sympathetic nations on Caldari Prime versus State-supporting nations? Nonetheless, this is overlooked.

The Federation was not on a warpath, and the Caldari struck the first blow against Gallente nationals, again due to insecurity about the situation

Then comes the turning point we are all familiar with; the attack on Nouvelle Rouvenor. This is when I turn to the next chronicle, The Breakout. It's right in the opening sentence.

Following the attack on Nouvelle Rouvenor an extreme right-wing government grabbed the power reigns in the Gallente Federation and advocated a harsh response: bombing Caldari Prime and sending in troops to take control of the planet.

They "grabbed the power reigns". Were they elected? It doesn't say they were elected. Moreover, the dates on the FW quotes suggests the Ultra-Nationalists came into power a mere twenty-four hours after the attack. It is clear this was an uprising at the highest level and NOT a popular one. Secondly, the Federation's response was NOT genocide, and was to take military control of the planet. Yes, there are quotes from the politicians in the FW ranks, but this is rhetoric. "Making the Caldari silence permanent" could easily refer to a Caldari political silence. After all, an individual would be a human before they are a Caldari.

Moreover, from the dates and quotes in the FW ranks, the fascist-led Federation bombarded Caldari Prime for a single day before asking for surrender. This does not sound like genocide to me. When the Caldari refused, the Federation simply decided to continue the bombardment coupled with a ground invasion until the planet ultimately surrendered. What of the secret colonies, though? The situation had become so militarized, politicized, and radicalized, that this was no longer a dispute about territory, but a dispute about control.

Extremists had exploited the trauma inflicted on the Federation to seize control (possibly undemocratically) for their own objectives. Their goals were to protect Federation stability at any cost

This is a plausible goal of a group calling themselves the "Ultra-Nationalists", after all. Now, then, the time between the bombardment to the Hueromont Incident is almost exactly 2 months. It is stated, towards the end of The Breakout, that the Hueromont Incident forced the fascist government out of power to be replaced with a moderate one. This means that the fascist government was in power for only a couple of months before they became unpopular enough to be ousted. This lends more credence to the idea that they were not popular to begin with. A moderate government followed through, but the Federation was not willing to forgive for Hueromont. So, from that, I could easily say...

Federation public opinion was not in favour of orbital bombardment, if the militaristic government only lasted a couple of months

The important thing to take from this harkens from many concepts found in politics and international relations. These are...

a) Political realism
Covering one's motivations in idealistic sentiment to further goals of power and self-gain. Even the Caldari corporations would have been guilty of this, waving flags of nationalistic sentiment to guarantee their control of their secret colonies. The Ultra-Nationalists justified their bombardment of Caldari Prime as retribution for the souls lost at Nouvelle Rouvenor; in reality, they just wanted them subsumed.

b) Insecurity and the security dilemma
The militarization of the situation started when the Caldari were unsure (ie. insecure) about how the Federation may respond to their secession. Likewise, the Federation could realistically not militarize on their end, either. Even if the Caldari asserted they were just defending their new territory, how could the Federation know if  they were being truthful? This is the security dilemma.

c) Politicalization and radicalization
The initial issue was nothing to do with Gallente culture interfering with Caldari society. The Caldari corporations, like Matias Sobaseki in his "National Address" (see FW rank quotes), radicalized the situation by stating that the attempt by the Federation Senate to assert authority over the secret colonies was an interference in Caldari culture, rights, and self-determination. These issues were politicized by becoming the primary point of discussion in the Senate (again, see FW rank quotes), rather than the whole original point about ownership rights. Forces on both sides twisted the reality of the situation.

d) Crisis opportunism
It may be very possible that elites on both sides (nationalists within the Caldari corporations, imperialist elites/lobbyists over the Federal Senate) seeked to exploit the situation for their own benefit. A war may prove very profitable, after all, or maybe those with extreme ideals who genuinely believed in those ideologies wanted the situation to deteriorate so that they could fulfill their destinies and visions. The political flashpoint was the perfect crisis to be exploited by opportunistic individuals who wished to push their own goals through.

For a meer territorial dispute to go all the way to an all-out war means there is a LOT of factors that have not been explored by CCP. And the more factors there are, the more complicated the situation becomes. Remember, EVE is about shades of grey. Don't cheapen the IP by saying that one side was completely in the wrong. The 2003 chronicle is very clear in its attempts to be two-sided, just some RPers have seemed to have forgotten and overlooked many of the key points (heck, even I may have overlooked some choice points, and be influenced by confirmation bias).

Hope you enjoyed this read.

[Graelyn]

As an international relations and security studies student, it pains me to no end to see people take an extremely one-dimensional and/or one-sided view to this conflict.

You present a very one-sided argument here, with constant references to modern Western civilization, and how it would react, super-imposing it onto the 'correct' behavior of the State/Fed.

This is usually a pair of Bad Idea Jeans.

[Seriphyn]

Hehe, true. Might be because a lot of IR theory is very Western-centric at the moment.

[orange]

I think your characterization of the event as being "a territorial dispute" is inaccurate.  Unless you consider self-determination to equate to be a territorial dispute.

The initial dispute was a disagreement between the Federation Senate and Caldari megacorporations, NOT the Gallente and the Caldari

While this is a correct assertion, it leaves to the side the clear Gallente majority in the Senate.  Laws passed by the Federation Senate could be expected to represent the will of the majority.  The majority is made up of the Gallente senators, who represent their Gallente constituency's interest.   Any law that failed to protect Gallente interest was likely to fail to pass through the Senate.

For the Caldari, business represented a path to power that, barring out right discriminatory laws, the Gallente could not prevent in the name of numerical "fairness."  If the number of Caldari Senators is limited to the percentage of Caldari/Total Population, they did not see a good way to block legislation contrary to Caldari interest.

Of the Caldari people, the Caldari Senators, and the Caldari nations, how many subscribed to this new State?

We don't know, but in historical cases of insurrection, initial popular support has not mattered.  At least some portion of the Caldari population was aware of and working in the "hidden colonies," including Caldari mercenary corporations protecting them.  The majority of Caldari were likely indifferent and a significant minority supported the status quo.

I suspect the Caldari Senators had been dealing with being impotent representatives for generations, requiring any legislation they wanted to pass to be supported & likely officially sponsored by a popular Gallente Senator.  I can imagine most of them desiring a change in how the Federation Senate operated, but likely not wanting to lose what power they did have.  Secession for many of them would mean a lose of their position and status.

The Caldari were the first to militarize the situation. Would the Federation have deployed their military otherwise? No, but a response to a provocation is necessary. Would the Caldari have trusted the Federation to not immediately attempt to militarily secure the secret colonies otherwise? No. This is called the security dilemma in international relations. One side side does not know what the other side intends, and they must act with the worst case scenario in mind. The other side then responds in kind, and the situation detiorates because of insecurity.

Really?  You believe that if the Caldari had stood by and said, "we are out,"  that the Federation would have stood by and not deployed its military to enforce Federation law on the "illegal" corporate colonies?  It was a test of the Federation Senate's will to enforce its own laws.   If they had been unwilling to enforce their laws, the entire fabric of the Federation is called into question.

For a meer territorial dispute to go all the way to an all-out war means there is a LOT of factors that have not been explored by CCP. And the more factors there are, the more complicated the situation becomes. Remember, EVE is about shades of grey. Don't cheapen the IP by saying that one side was completely in the wrong. The 2003 chronicle is very clear in its attempts to be two-sided, just some RPers have seemed to have forgotten and overlooked many of the key points (heck, even I may have overlooked some choice points, and be influenced by confirmation bias).

Re-read this Seriphyn and take your own advice.

IC, Caldari loyalist are going to continually paint the Federation as an dangerous entity controlled by Gallente special interest working to push Gallente cultural values on the rest of the cluster in a more insidious form of conquering than the Empire could ever achieve.  Stepping away from that and portraying the Federation as something else IC betrays the IP.

[Graelyn]

Hehe, true. Might be because a lot of IR theory is very Western-centric at the moment.

Very true. Current political thought is not only persuasive to others due to the financial dominance of many of it's Western proponents, but it also attempts to speak from a moral high-ground.

I think past societies didn't give much care to that sort of thing. I wonder if future ones would either?

[lallara zhuul]

Victors would always write the history so that they would have the moral high-ground.

Easier to indoctrinate the population so that they would be more lenient towards expansionist tendencies of the government in the future.

[Seriphyn]

Current political thought is not only persuasive to others due to the financial dominance of many of it's Western proponents, but it also attempts to speak from a moral high-ground.

I think past societies didn't give much care to that sort of thing. I wonder if future ones would either?

Like you said, the modern day world subscribes to this "Western democratic standard" that the only correct form of government is democracy, that there is such thing as a universal declaration of human rights, and that all humans are equal. This is done through Western international organizations like the UN, IMF, EU, etc. They enforce this subscription to these standards.

No one does this in EVE. The Feds try, but it does not have any impact. There is no "liberal standard" in the EVE universe.

I was talking with someone from I-RED in EVE about this topic; would the average Caldari even have cared about Gallente cultural imperialism until the Caldari corporations made an issue of it? Would the average Gallente even have cared about the fact Caldari culture was not totally compatible with their own? Was there even a Gallente/Caldari distinction, considering they were in contact for hundreds of years? This is what I go back to regarding politicization, that only when the Caldari corporations said "You're being oppressed" do the Caldari go "Oh, shit, we've been oppressed this whole time?". But then there's Graelyn's point as to whether the Caldari, or even the Gallente for that matter, subscribe to these trends of flashpoint fabrication by the media. In chronicles like "Cities of Refuge" suggest how human nature has not changed in EVE; to the citizens of Caldari Prime, they just try to live their lives. How many in each of the factions care about politics that much, both now, and back during the Gallente-Caldari war?

Another thing to consider is whether the Caldari on the run-up to the war were really that Caldari to begin with (considering they joined the Federation as founders, and it states the Caldari corporations did not like the Gallente, not mentioning their politicians), and only when the Caldari corporations assumed control of Caldari Prime, did they instigate a cultural renaissance that saw the Caldari return to the old ways? Would the average Caldari have cared that much, until, suddenly, society said they should care? I doubt many of us care that much about the rise of the BRICS to actually actively do anything about it, beyond discussion.

[orange]

Another thing to consider is whether the Caldari on the run-up to the war were really that Caldari to begin with (considering they joined the Federation as founders, and it states the Caldari corporations did not like the Gallente, not mentioning their politicians), and only when the Caldari corporations assumed control of Caldari Prime, did they instigate a cultural renaissance that saw the Caldari return to the old ways? Would the average Caldari have cared that much, until, suddenly, society said they should care? I doubt many of us care that much about the rise of the BRICS to actually actively do anything about it, beyond discussion.

Being a founding member of an organization does not mean you do so willingly.  Poland was a founding member of the Warsaw Pact, that does not mean they wanted to be part of it.  It is amazing what a people will do in order to survive, especially when outnumbered and out-gunned (teched).

In the timeline, 114 years after first contact (22517) "[t]he Cultural Deliverance Society (CDS) arrives on Caldari." (22631)

There are 490 years between the CDS arrival on Caldari Prime and the founding of the Federation.  During that time, various Caldari states (& corporations) are likely working alongside and in conjunction with Gallente states (& corporations).

In 23121 - "The Gallente Federation is founded. Caldari are forced by circumstance to join."  33 years later, the Caldari secede from the Federation.

[Victoria Stecker]

Current political thought is not only persuasive to others due to the financial dominance of many of it's Western proponents, but it also attempts to speak from a moral high-ground.

I think past societies didn't give much care to that sort of thing. I wonder if future ones would either?

Like you said, the modern day world subscribes to this "Western democratic standard" that the only correct form of government is democracy, that there is such thing as a universal declaration of human rights, and that all humans are equal. This is done through Western international organizations like the UN, IMF, EU, etc. They enforce this subscription to these standards.
 

We’re also getting to watch how ineffective it is to continue working from these basic assumptions when dealing with cultures and governments which do not hold to them, particularly Russia and it’s various allies in the Middle East – Iran, Syria, etc. Recall watching Russia happily annex a couple pieces of Georgia 4 years ago, their continuing support of the Syrian regime that even China has finally condemned, their close partnership with Iran.

The biggest distinction is whether these cultures and their leaders view diplomacy as something where everyone can work together or if they treat foreign policy as a zero-sum game. I can certainly see the Caldari and the Amarr (and probably the Minmatar, and the Gallente to a lesser degree) playing diplomacy like that – there are no win-wins, what’s good for my enemy is bad for me, what’s bad for him is good for me, and what’s good for me is bad for him, what’s bad for me is good for him. Nothing is good for everyone.

Watching western countries work for compromise and win-wins with governments like Russia and china playing zero-sum is…
 

[Altarr Orkot]

Being a founding member of an organization does not mean you do so willingly.  Poland was a founding member of the Warsaw Pact, that does not mean they wanted to be part of it.  It is amazing what a people will do in order to survive, especially when outnumbered and out-gunned (teched).

In the timeline, 114 years after first contact (22517) "[t]he Cultural Deliverance Society (CDS) arrives on Caldari." (22631)

There are 490 years between the CDS arrival on Caldari Prime and the founding of the Federation.  During that time, various Caldari states (& corporations) are likely working alongside and in conjunction with Gallente states (& corporations).

In 23121 - "The Gallente Federation is founded. Caldari are forced by circumstance to join."  33 years later, the Caldari secede from the Federation.

500 years is a long time though,  enough time from a lot of generations to forget.  And from my reading of the PF the Caldari weren't being curbstomped or exploited in a way similar to the European Colonialism of old.  Yes their culture probably was transformed, at the very least in terms of governance, laws and commerce but they were given massive opportunities for growth and development.

The first Caldari corporation was founded after the CDS, and it's probably that the whole idea of corporations came from the culture of Gallente Prime.  It's also probable that the Caldari system of laws and government was transformed to be more in line with the local laws on Gallente Prime.  So the defining entity of the modern Caldari State was actually something the Gallente gave the Caldari and in combination with Gallente openness, that suggests to me that proto-Federal society was probably highly, if not fully integrated.

From that at least, IMO the whole ethnic rivalry thing seems somewhat contrived, though possibly something that the megacorps would use as propaganda to help turn the general populace to the corporate (over Federal and local Caldari government) cause, especially in the wake of the propaganda goldmine that the invasion of Caldari Prime would have given them.

[Hamish Grayson]

The first Caldari corporation was founded after the CDS, and it's probably that the whole idea of corporations came from the culture of Gallente Prime.

I've been saying this for years.   People tend to forget that the Federation is an ultra-capitalistic society, with many of the Gallente mega's having 'the largest of corporation of it's type in New Eden' somewhere in it's description.   Not in the largest in the Federation, but the largest in New Eden;  the largest importer and exporter, the largest retail and distributor, the largest entertainment corp, the largest insurance company, the largest manufacturer etc.

I think the Caldari adopted the Megacrop model because the saw it as the source of the Gallente's power, only the decided it would be more efficient and honest to run the government directly rather than through a democratic facade of lobbyist, mass media and politicians.

Also, while I didn't read the OP since I already know what it says I'm going to go ahead and through my support behind Seri here.   The Caldari are definatley nasty evil badguys, and the Gallente are the natural defenders of all that's good and wholesome and any events of their shared past should be viewed  through that lens.   

[orange]

500 years is a long time though,  enough time from a lot of generations to forget.  And from my reading of the PF the Caldari weren't being curbstomped or exploited in a way similar to the European Colonialism of old.  Yes their culture probably was transformed, at the very least in terms of governance, laws and commerce but they were given massive opportunities for growth and development.

500 years can also be a relatively short time in a culture's memory.   

The first Caldari corporation was founded after the CDS, and it's probably that the whole idea of corporations came from the culture of Gallente Prime.  It's also probable that the Caldari system of laws and government was transformed to be more in line with the local laws on Gallente Prime.  So the defining entity of the modern Caldari State was actually something the Gallente gave the Caldari and in combination with Gallente openness, that suggests to me that proto-Federal society was probably highly, if not fully integrated.

Bakumatsu and modern Japan are excellent examples of a culture rapidly assimilating what it views as useful tools from a more powerful culture, but retaining its own unique cultures and identity.

From that at least, IMO the whole ethnic rivalry thing seems somewhat contrived, though possibly something that the megacorps would use as propaganda to help turn the general populace to the corporate (over Federal and local Caldari government) cause, especially in the wake of the propaganda goldmine that the invasion of Caldari Prime would have given them.

I think that so long as there were clear physical differences between the groups or even they just live in largely separate communities, the ethnic rivalry would exist.    In the Balkans, the people have lived near each other for centuries and yet devolved into ethnic cleansing in the 1990s.  There is the centuries old ill-will between Shi'ite & Sunni in the Arab world is another example.

Also, while I didn't read the OP since I already know what it says I'm going to go ahead and through my support behind Seri here.   The Caldari are definatley nasty evil badguys, and the Gallente are the natural defenders of all that's good and wholesome and any events of their shared past should be viewed  through that lens.

Sounds like TonyG!   

[Bastian Valoron]

I have also been thinking that the Federalists of the time probably would have seen the secret Caldari colonies as some kind of illegal tax havens, attempts to escape Federal legislation and competition. The explanation for the bombardment of Caldari prime would probably have gone like "The enemy was allowed enough time to evacuate but instead, they chose to abandon a large fraction of the population as human shields for the weapons of interplanetary genocide, located under the largest cities. The resulting loss of lives is testament for the ruthlessness of the enemy and will not go unavenged."

Now if a business happens to gain access to untapped, almost inexhaustible resources, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to use them to gain a monopoly and maybe even invest in a paramilitary unit or two. Is it out of question that the secret colonies could have contributed to how the Caldari megacorps became what they are, or is it clear that they we're already pretty established and powerful enough to disobey the government, the colonies being just the straw which broke the camel's back?

[Vikarion]

I don't think that I can state with suitable propriety the vehemence with which I reject the whitewashing of one faction in this manner, so I shall content myself with the following objections. I hope this doesn't come off as anger, so please don't read it with that tone in mind.

First, I note that the pieces of evidence that contradict the above arguments are largely discounted. For example, the factional warfare quotes are referred to as "rhetoric", while the barest pretexts by which a justification for Gallente actions might accomplished are seized upon with undue force. This is how you play tennis without the net. Why, precisely, are we to consider them rhetoric? No support for this assertion exists. I think the assertion that we should assume them to be meaning what they say is supported by common sense.

Second, I'll note that it seems a continual effort of some to promote the Gallente Federation as the beacon of truth, the spirit of hope, and the essence of all light in the Eve universe. Despite TonyG, the Eve universe is not written this way. The Eve universe, by TVtropes lights, is a grey and grey world, in which all factions have their upsides and downsides. The downside of the Federation is its contempt for other cultures and its habit of killing anyone who doesn't want to hold to Federal values. To support this, I'll note the efforts of CCP Abraxas and Dropbear to create moral ambiguity, the Chronicles documenting the crummier aspects of the societies (Methods of Torture, Two Deaths, etc), and the news stories that presented the Gallente in a less than flattering light (I don't have the time to dig them up, but there are incidents of Gallente terrorism, interference with other empires, etc).

Third, it's also a matter of prime fiction that the Caldari were not coerced into a rebellion, but that it was a popular rebellion which was accomplished through certain organizations. That is why some of the Megas actually assassinated and subsumed some of the other Megas into themselves at the Tea Ceremony, and it is why terrorist activities were undertaken by other Caldari organizations. One would not expect a coalition between the IRA and Microsoft unless both were activated by a deeper sentiment, a greater goal. As well, it's noted in the Chronicles that the Caldari had established the conflict as a war involving their autonomy as a people, and the timeline notes that the Caldari were not willing partners in the formation of the Federation. We also have the Caldari Senator and CEP quotes to support this contention.

"Slowly but surely we are betraying the legacy left to us, the children of the Raata. The light of the Caldari spirit grows ever darker under the encroaching shadow of our would-be masters. Our very identity as a people is being subsumed by the Federation and we must act to preserve it."

- Excerpt from a National Address, delivered by Kalaakiota CEO Matias Sobaseki. CE 23154.6.26

"It is rather strange that the good of the many seems to constantly coincide with whatever policies weaken the Caldari, the Intaki, and the Mannar and keep them under the heel of the Gallente."

- Caldari Senator Kiriusu Otenga, Senate session 23154/T3782. CE 23154.11.21

"We will not permit you to tell us how to be Caldari, and so you leave us with no choice"

- Excerpt from the Caldari Proclamation of Secession. CE 23154.11.22

Fourth, I would submit that it's absurd to suppose that the Caldari populations were driven into the wilderness of Caldari Prime merely because of an invasion or bombardment of military centers. It's also unrealistic to suppose that the quote regarding the silencing of the Caldari voice is mere "rhetoric", especially when no support for that conclusion exists in any way whatsoever. Furthermore, the picture regarding the bombardment shows a burning cityhttp://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/File:Gcwar.jpg, the impact on the Caldari was enough to spark a hatred that burns hot to the present day (for example, see the "Never Again" Chronicle), and the urgency and desperation of the evacuation have no justification save that of survival. If we were to consider historical parallels, the actions and evidence are more conducive to the genocidal interpretation than to a military one. Moreover, the Gallente statements in the FW ranks are pretty clear, with no trace of irony or overstatement:

"The savages have murdered the only ones with any sense among them. They lit the fire, now they will burn in it."

- Senator Fronte Belliare, Morning of Reasoning. CE 23155.2.10

"A moment of silence is not enough. For their crimes, we must make the Caldari silence permanent."

- Luc Duvailer, newly sworn in President of the Federation, after the Nouvelle Rouvenor attack. CE 23155.1.15

And consider the Caldari response, which is far more inflamed than would be expected from a mere occupation by the Gallente:

"Caldari Prime burns, those left behind are choking on the dust and ash that fills the air, and you demand our surrender? Is this a joke? You have only hardened our resolve. Every drop of blood you have taken from us will be repaid -- with interest."

- CEP response to Federation demands for unconditional surrender after initial bombardment of Caldari Prime. CE 23155.1.18

Fifth, the Gallente initiated hostilities. I'm not sure by what lights a blockade is considered a peaceable action, but it's largely considered a hostile act by most nations in history. Consider how kindly the United States treated the German submarine actions in the First World War. With the necessity for trade and industry as the lifeblood of the Megas, the Caldari could not long resist if a blockade was continued, and as such, the initiator of hostile action must be those who first undertook to create an existential threat focused on the other. Which would be the Gallente. Again, to show PF support:

"We survived on this world for thousands of years without the Gallente. Do they think we will starve now?"

- Wiyrkomi CEO Taaiko Wiyrkomi, Response to the Gallente blockade of Caldari Prime. CE 23154.11.30

Sixth, I would argue that the viewpoint of the conflict as a "territorial dispute" is contradicted by the evidence. It may have been so for the Gallente, but both the quotes and the "The Early Days" Chronicle indicate that the Caldari saw it as a matter of individual autonomy and identity from the beginning, with an understanding of the Gallente as a people who were enacting a racial hegemony over the other members of the Federation. This is supported as a factual understanding by the existence of powerful Gallentean racialist groups(see old news articles), and, again, by Chronicles and quotes from the FW ranks. In the Eve timeline, it is also noted the the Caldari were not willing members of the Federation: http://wiki.eveonline.com/en/wiki/Timeline#Age_of_Expansion_.28AD_16262_-_YC_100.29 (AD 23121).

It would be nice if we could move beyond the attempts to rewrite the PF of the Gallente and their actions in order to create a "good guy" who can then be used to smack other role players over the head. Certainly, in character, I will admit few or no faults of the State to outsiders. Outside of that, I'm perfectly willing to say that the State has many attributes I consider morally inferior to other societies. However, this dichotomy does not appear to be a real option for some, and I think that that limitation in their thinking could approve of some modification.

[Hamish Grayson]

Amen.