Would the Rrepublic support an imperalist move by the Federation, were they not needed to offset the Empire? I’ve spoken in the past about the commonalities between the history of the State and the Minmatar people. And I think that a bi-polar balance of power is inherently unstable and dangerous. New Eden would be far better served with a Federation || Empire || Republic / State alignment, where neither of the isolationist powers is beholden to one of the expansionists.
That said, I’m often told that the Caldari tend to take the viewpoint of ‘butt out of our affairs, outsider’. It’s good advice for people not of our Tribe who seek to natter on about how one of our Clans chooses to live, too.