# Minmatar/Caldari: Relations

**URL:** <https://forums.eveonline.com/t/minmatar-caldari-relations/33218>\
**Category:** Intergalactic Summit\
**Created:** [October 22, 2017, 11:49am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/minmatar-caldari-relations/33218 "2017-10-22T11:49:03Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 176

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**Author:** ![Arrendis](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/eveonline/user_avatar/forums.eveonline.com/arrendis/32/432594_2.png) [@Arrendis](https://forums.eveonline.com/u/Arrendis)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2017, 1:58am UTC](https://forums.eveonline.com/t/minmatar-caldari-relations/33218/176 "2017-11-01T01:58:03Z")

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> [@Aria\_Jenneth](#):
>
> Caldari use of soft power is usually to build a reputation for reliability, building a foundation for further dealings.

Yes, and my point is that it doesn’t take a genius to realize:

No status quo lasts forever.  
Eventually, one of three things will happen:

1. We’re going to go into an offensive war, and become everything we hate.
2. Our only friendly power will be destroyed, or
3. they’re going turn on us.

So what makes more sense as a long-term strategy? Attempt to use the influence the State has, however limited, to reduce the Empire’s willingness to go enslaving people—a strategy that doesn’t actually cost much, over time—or go head-in-the-sand and wait for an inevitable war that can’t _help_ but cost the State in blood and treasure? Even in victory, the State will have lost people, lost resources… and for what? To protect the Empire’s right to decide to enslave _them_?

Heck, let’s throw another possibility in there, as remote as it might be:

1. The Federation and Republic convince the Empire to give up slavery _without_ the State’s help.

In that scenario, the primary cause of conflict between the Empire and the other two powers largely evaporates. Since there’s no _formal_ treaty beyond non-aggression with the Empire and the State, if the Empire’s not actually at risk of military conflict against the Federation/Republic side of the coin… why do they need the State? The Federation’s bigger. It has more people. It aligns well technologically, without being as cutting-edge as the State, which makes it more likely to want advances the Empire might have that it doesn’t. _It_, the _Federation_, is clearly the more beneficial economic partner to court, if there’s no significant, ever-present danger of military conflict overhanging everything.

So… in what scenario, exactly, does the State _not_ attempting to nudge the Empire toward ending slavery align with the State’s interests?

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