WesWorld

Just a note at this point, I will fill in later.

I have several pages of news in progress to get the Dutch up to date, but I have been busy, tired, or preoccupied.

However, I should make plain my intentions so that folks can factor it in :

One key element is that in Late 1942 the United Kingdoms of the Netherlands will quietly and confidentially be informing allies of it's intention of withdrawing from SAER, while there will also be discussions with AEGIS partners regarding leaving that organization, at least the military aspects. Allies will be informed that they can expect that should the Dutch withdrawal result in their incurring belligerent actions, the Dutch will act honorably and will lend assistance.

That will leave the Dutch as fairly neutral internationally and as members of the trade associations BENELUX, PETA and RATS, as well as SANTA. Should the Aegis partners agree, some trade alliance may remain there.
Ostensibly there was some ancient treaty pre-AANM with Denmark, but I don't know of any details.
The Dutch may then form further, localized alliances.


*Sidenote : as best as I can tell, the last time my AEGIS partners posted was :
Red Admiral : Dec 3, 2011
Commodore Green : April 2, 2012
So I doubt there'll be much talking

France acknowledges the Dutch announcement. The Marine Nationale, for their part, inquires if it may be possible to continue intelligence-sharing per Article Three of SAER.

Quoted

Originally posted by Kaiser Kirk
*Sidenote : as best as I can tell, the last time my AEGIS partners posted was :
Red Admiral : Dec 3, 2011
Commodore Green : April 2, 2012
So I doubt there'll be much talking

Mac does answer PMs, for what it's worth - I traded one with him two weeks ago or so. He's just pretty busy with his current job.

OOC: Totally makes sense, AEGIS is somewhat of a mysterious force these days and probably not worthy of any serious 'public enemy No. ...' estimation at present.

GB will feel regret over the Dtuch leaving SAER, but since co-operation seems fairly constant over time I see no fundmental problems at all.

Note : discussions of this nature are of course available only to those in the alliances

France & Other SAER members : Yes, agreements- informal or formal can be made to facilitate such intelligence-sharing activities in the currently foreseeable future.

In the event that certain posts offer more value - such as the seaplane base at Greater Natuna island observing the southern South China Sea, or the facilities on Bantam and Bintam islands opposite Singapore, the Dutch are willing to make arrangements ranging from official liasion officers posted there to observe and report those things their governments find of value, up to potential lease agreements to allow former Allies the ability to place their own facilities in such high-value places.

UK : At this juncture, the Dutch are desirous of limiting any military entanglements to a more localized basis, as well as moving to treaties in which all members of the United Kingdoms of the Netherlands find acceptable. This could include future treaties with Commonwealth members or the UK on a regional basis. Even in the absence of such formal agreements, the Dutch do not foresee substantive changes in the agreeable relationship between the militaries of the UK and UKN.

AEGIS :
OOC : I've always found the AANM arrangement problematic, I can see why RAM found it made sense, but -esp after the souring of UK-Italy Relations in the 1930s, it had less value. Add in Hrolf's USA's attitude towards Iberia's allies and it had less. So I was thinking of leaving then and discussed other options. Bahrat's withdrawal from Clieto happened before I had elections, so I duly let the Hawkish right wing party that had been claiming Bahrat would do this..win. That was also the Pro-Mussolini/Italy party. So when Iberia came up with AEGIS, which bound in Thailand and included trade...it made sense to double down. Then came SAER which was- for the Dutch better.

However, the player base for AEGIS has withered, the troubles in Peru and Thailand indicate the risks of allying with developing countries, and the geopolitical situation in the Far East has changed substantially.

So...brief update on Dutch history. I've made the Queen my foil and a bit more powerful.

1. Constitution of ~1890 not adopted, Queen has a bit more power.

2. Queen still hosted the 2 Hague conventions.

3. The Queens OTL "Ethical Policies" have meant more development in DEI, which is pegged at the same per capita factories as Bahrat.

4. Kongo & Ubangi-Shari belong to the Dutch Queen because when the world opinion turned against the atrocities of King Leopold (of Belgium) personal reign (i.e. inspired Konrad's Heart of Darkness, Casement Report), the Queen volunteered to take it on. Her Household troops (6 regiments) liberated it, her personal fortune was poured into it, and the SANTA treaty meant SAE funds let it bloom. The Kongo is organized semi-constitutional Monarchy, with tribal allegiances translated into a feudal structure of Duchies and baronies. Rubber trees and Quinine plantations also established. Tribal disputes are in extreme cases settled by judicial massed armed combat, using pre-gunpowder melee weapons and armor.

5. By personal fortune, I refer to the general OTL belief that Queen Wilhelmina was the world's first female Billionaire prior to WWII due to investments in such things as Royal Dutch & Shell as well as other investments. There is some reason to believe estimates were overdone, and the family dispersed the wealth later, but in Wesworld, she is not only Queen of 3 Kingdoms, but has an immense personal fortune, and is commander in chief of the armed forces. As original timeline, there is a “Raad van Staat”- a Queen’s council of experts that quietly advises. Unlike OTL there is also a "Queens Investigative Service" that started as a trade monitoring service and has expanded to a more MI6 role.

6. During WWI it was decreed the Dutch were neutral in Wesworld. In WW Bahrat was friendly with the Germans, threatened the Brits, then took the Andaman islands from the Dutch, who’s superior fleet was elsewhere. To explain this, I’ve indicated that as in OTL, they were blockaded by the Brits for being the ‘Port of Germany’. As a result the Dutch are paranoid and militant . Here, I had Hrolf’s (?) agreement that the Queen brokered a deal with the Kaiser whereby Belgian cities could request Dutch troops take over the policing role, separating the German troops and Belgian populace, as a result the Belgians came through the war with fewer reprisals to outrage the world, and the Germans freed up rear area troops, while the Dutch got back for being blockaded. Further, the OTL Queen felt an obligation to those of Dutch descent, so this works will with the Flemish. This also formed the basis for warmer feelings that led to 10 below.

7. In the boundary shifts post WWI, the Dutch funded displaced German to colonize both Suriname and the depopulated Kongo. Thus mining expertise for Katanga. 6. They are very Pro-Monarch (the Liberator) and Pro Dutch/SAE (the developers). Due to the Duchy structure, and the colonizing of the depopulated areas, and the mining funds subsidizing the rest, there is little friction.

8. Due to the Asir incident, the oil development in Saudi Arabia has been by Royal Dutch & Shell, not American firms. This also led to the Dutch involvement in both Saud and Yemen, where 4 Dutch engineering battalions have been at work building infrastructure since ~1938. This includes a Yemen-Riyadh road.

9. Bahrat funded insurgency groups in DEI, this ended in the mid 1930s after short insurrections included some actions leading to public backlash. This also coincided with the advent of the Dutch TIDE policies and the "Sons of India" (real group) claiming credit for shooting the Queen at a university opening. Shades of Teddy Roosevelt, she finished the speech, then sought medical attention. The failed insurrections, the withdrawal of Bahrati support, and the adoption of TIDE has resulted in a peaceful DEI. Since ~1936 TIDE sets a path for development, education and gradual democratization of the DEI.

10. After a series of stories that saw the Crown Prince of Belgium marry the Dutch Princess, followed by him having a tragic horse accident, the civil government collapse in scandal, followed by the Belgian economy collapsing, Dutch aid, the historic death of the king, the wesworld search for a suitable successor, the Belgians chose the Queen, to the delight of the Flemish and deep misgivings of the Walloons.

11. The Dutch princess Juliana has gone on to remarry, this time the Kaiser’s grandson.

12. In news reports over time, you can note “Ethnic” names in positions of authority – there are Kongo and Malay names as officers and ministers. That is quite deliberate.

So, just a short recap of some bigger points in Dutch history in WW.