Apparently, the machine had worked yes, but not fully. We had escaped from the Frozen Times of 1989. This had been good news, a success beyond all imagination. The elation continued as we climbed out, and began to walk confidently South-East. By the first hour of our march, it had slowly morphed into nervousness. After we had successfully traced back our steps to the machine crash-site, and verified that yes, we had taken the correct path South-East, it morphed into apprehension. Another two hour march afterwards, it turned into panic, when we failed to find the familiar paved road we knew should have already been laid down. Finding instead an unpaved road, with clear fresh tire marks, another half an hour later, proved a mild reassurance. Yes, we may have been in the wrong place, or wrong time. But atleast we were still in the correct century. And with good chance to hitch a ride to civilisation before we died of thirst or starvation.
Hopefully.
Most of our supplies got burnt in the machine.
Esteemed Comrades, today once more we are called to our duty, of steering Our Union; and as its Birthplace and Vanguard, the World Revolution; on the path of Eternal Victory. While the latest events we are called to deliver on, may appear small and inconsequential, the smallest pebble can hold back, or if disturbed cause, the largest landslide.
On the matter of Foreign and All-Internationale Policy, on the case on our desks and among our seats, I suggest we:
Albanian Rivalries
B) The Albanian People are our brothers, aid them to topple this despotic Tyrant and create an Albanian Democratic People’s Republic,
but unofficially, with plausible deniability, and only a trickle of support
C) It is to early to make any rash decisions regarding Albania just yet,
officially we shall denounce Ahmet Zogu coup as illegitimate and in violation of International Law. Our diplomats shall lodge a complaint in the League of Nations, while others approach the British and French to question if they are willing to tolerate such a coup. Unofficially, back-channels shall be opened with the British and French to helpfully suggest instability in Albania only aids Fascist Italy designs there. Also, observe if events on the groud proceed in favour of socialist forces, before any other major visible commitment.
To put it bluntly and, painfully, in the rules of power so disgustingly accepted in this Imperialist World, Albania is completely outside our sphere of influence, as of now. We lack the ability to directly influence its affairs to any appreciable degree, and attempting to do so anyway would not only fail. But earn the ire of all Imperialist Powers, in particular however of Italy. For now, our projects to export the Revolution have ironically not touched the most radical bastion of armed counterrevolution. And the Fascists attack dogs of Capitalism, have consequently began to bark at their own masters, to struggle against the leash. To clash with the Old Core of Imperialism, Great Britain and France. If only for this matter, it is best for us to let Western Europe ignorant and half asleep on our aims of World Revolution. So that it may be consumed and weakened by intraimperialist war much like in the First World War. And much like we rose from the ashes of the First Great Imperialist War, a World Revolution shall rise from the Second.
However, we also cannot sacrifice our Albanian comrades, for the opportunity of a nebulous and not guaranteed Second Great Imperialist War. As such, I believe our best course of action to be a three-fold plan:
• Albania may be outside our immediate ability to influence. However, it is a member of the larger International Community, one built on Imperialism, Capitalism, that has until now excluded us and considered us pariah, yes. But also one of conflicting interests, of rules to avoid all out war flaunted by some more than others. And that this crisis offers is opportunity to approach, and manipulate for our ends. In this case, to reduce harm on the socialist Albanian Vanguard, to ease future more ripen revolutions.
• As such, officially we shall denounce Ahmet Zogu coup as illegitimate and in violation of International Law. Our diplomats shall lodge a complaint in the League of Nations, while others, as comrade
@aurek theserian helpfully suggests, approach the British and French to question if they are willing to tolerate such a coup.
• Unofficial back-channels shall also be opened with the British and French, to helpfully underline instability in Albania could be used by Fascist Kingdom of Italy as a pretense for intervention "to restore order" officially, defacto to impose a protectorate or even mandate. The objective will be two-fold here. Regardless of our ability to convince the Old Imperialist Powers to collaborate with us, this shall help water the seeds of discord in the Imperialist camp, pit them against one another, unable to resist us when the time comes. While regarding Albania itself, hopefully to obtain at the very least a moderate support in diplomatically pressuring King Zog, if not to step down, atleast to avoid any further overly destabilising action. Like say, outlawing socialism and forcing an unplanned revolution attempt
• Officially, we shall advise the Comintern and through it, our comrades in Albania, to take our own stance against King Zog. That is, to step down and restore the bourgeoisie Republic. We shall however, also officially recognise, and advise the Comintern to follow us too, the independent initiative of our Albania comrades. To both deny any masterplan of our own to the West, to officially underline we are not in control of all socialists worldwide but only associated in brotherhood and shared ideals, and finally to recognise that local socialists know best the latest developments on the ground and how to react. Unofficially, we shall approach our Albanian comrades and explain the difficulties of coming to their aid more explicitly. We shall send material aid, such as arms, to the degree it is possible without violating plausible deniability. Probably resulting in only a trickle, out of reasonable caution. We shall also turn a blind eye to any volunteer, advisor or if the crisis esclates, fighter, who may smuggle themselves to aid out Albanian comrades
• Finally, to salvage what progress was made in laying down the future Albanian revolution, as comrade
@Red Angel wisely suggests we shall offer asylum to our comrades. In case events proceed in an unfortunate direction, and a purge of socialist elements ensues. Indeed, I think this is an opportunity to go one step further. We should begin to work, starting with Albania but expanding to all the world, on network to aid comrades escaping from oppression. Financially, politically, and of course physically. It could easily double as an extension of our intelligence network too, a grapevine in which information, smuggled goods and people, flow two ways.
Speaking of illicit information and goods, progress waits for no one. The imperialist bloc has achieved the embryos of brand-new scientific and technological breakthroughs, an edge that cannot be tolerated by us. Not just for our image worldwide as Vanguard of Wellbeing, but also to remain competitive economically and militarily.
As such, all efforts and funding shall be made for our scientists to either match, or our agents steal, the latest discoveries by capitalist conglomerates or states.
We however, shouldn't reduce ourselves to mere copycats, parasites as odious as the very bourgeoisie we fight. We too have access to many promising and unique breakthroughs, from bacteriophages to blood transfusion to agricultural practices to genetics. All efforts should be made to develop our own promising research, however always avoiding propaganda and politics distorting the truth by interfering with the scientific method when certain results or theories would be more politically convenient. While our security apparatus, should be developed to better shield our scientific discoveries and advantages from any of the imperialist powers own spies. Indeed, it may be necessary to create a brand new agency, charged with building and operating isolated research facilities and secret towns. Where our own cutting edge research can proceed, safe from espionage, sabotage or interference.