To the People of Slovakia

Day 914, 20:05 • Published in Slovakia Austria • by Rangeley


In November, during my previous administration, Hungary was in the process of occupying Slovakia. Austria came out in opposition to the invasion when it began, calling for a complete and immediate withdrawal. Hungary had other plans, and wanted us to help them occupy Slovakia, in exchange for a payoff of course.

Though Hungary was certainly much larger than us, there was no question in my mind that this would be the wrong thing to do. Austria, like Slovakia, was a small country, under the risk of invasion from others. I saw the struggle in Slovakia as something which could just as easily befall any small nation. We turned down the offer, and continued to call for withdrawal. Rather than withdraw, Hungary instead invaded us too. But with support from nations around the world, we repelled this invasion, stood our ground, and then launched a counterattack to try and free Slovakia from Hungary's grasp. The offensive helped to secure two regions for Slovakia, and soon enough your country was fully returned to the map. This was one of my proudest moments as President - a clear case of facing a challenge, and making a difference for the better.

Several months later, we find the shoe is on the other foot.

This time, Slovakia was the nation left to decide, with the much larger Poland desiring access to Austria. Rather than declare war on us, the simplest way was to have Slovakia propose a mutual protection pact with Austria. Poland could then attack Slovakia, Slovakia would retreat, and Poland would be free to open an invasion of Austria at their leisure. This would only be possible, of course, with the consent of the Slovakian government. It is a little ironic to me that President smrtan, like myself, was also President of his respective country way back in that fateful November - and that this time, it was he who agreed to this deal with Poland, enabling the invasion of Austria.

The plan went into action. He proposed to MPP with no notification to the Austrian Government - of course we knew the intent of it. And so too did the Croatian controlled congress, who happily pushed through our end of the MPP knowing what it would result in.

I don't know whether Slovakia's congress was fully informed of this plan before the vote - I don't know how many citizens in Slovakia knew this was the intention, either. However, the outcome of this decision on the nation of Austria is clear, as we now have an open war with a nation intent on our destruction.

There was no doubt in my mind, on that November day, that I made the right choice - win or lose - to say no to Hungary. We took our stand. I have no regrets even today. But as we write the history pages of this new world, is this the story you want to be told of Slovakia? Is this the story you want to be told - of what you did when you had the ability to change the course of events? I can't answer these questions, it isn't for me to do. But I can urge that these questions be considered. You have it within your power to make Slovakia into the nation you want it to be.

Is this that nation?