Intergalactic Summit

Sorry. I mistook making economic sense to mean it was actually beneficial rather than being less detrimental to the Empire than it is to the Republic.

Unfortunately, the Sanmatar cannot *force* a Tribal consensus. He can only be there to help mediate the discussion to ensure nobody starts throwing shoes at each other instead of discussing and debating like proper gentlemen/gentleladies. That is what being a mediator is about. It's only when the Tribal chiefs/elders finally come up with a consensus, if they do come to a consensus, that he can then deliver their decisions to the relevant parties as their Voice.

Again, the role of the Sanmatar is not to make any decisions unless the situation is dire enough that he had to use his Executive Power (after which, he will have to relinquish his position as Sanmatar after the crisis is over). He is there to help smooth things along and to speak to all the relevant parties about the Tribal Council decisions. The real power belongs to the Tribal Chiefs/Elders, which is why I pointed out that it's best to cut the middleman and just annoy them instead.

Or if you absolutely have to annoy the Sanmatar, include the rest of the Tribal Council into the mailing list.

Personally, in regards to the military, I think the biggest issue is the mismanagement of human resources. The standard Republic Fleet warship uses far more crew as compared to the Federal Navy, the Caldari Navy and, heck, even the Amarr Navy. The people/ship ratio is too disproportionate. While new designs and redesigns are being churned out diligently in order to modernise the Fleet, there isn't nearly as much effort being made given to address this disproportionate crew/ship ratio.

However, I acknowledge that incorporation of more automation to reduce manpower needs of each warship and thus allowing the use of more warships (and the Republic does really have alot of warships, but could definitely use even more) requires further expenditures, and thus there is a need to, at least for the time being, focus on getting the income, and to manage that money flow, in order to accomplish this.

However, considering that the Minmatar Republic is consistently producing quality products, the fruits of the brilliant materials scientists and engineers of the Republic, added by the income from taxations on capsuleer incomes in Rens and Hek and the purchase of blueprints and implants via the various corporations which service capsuleers (including the TLF), I had to wonder why the Republic isn't already working on remedying the problem. I suspect, having observed the wildly inconsistent distribution of wealth and infrastructure in Republic space even in the core worlds, that the money isn't being managed properly. How many percent of that income is going into the Tribes and how many into Republic coffers? How much is really being put into infrastructure and economic development and how much into defense?

Considering that the Republic did have that one incident of confused hierarchy (Colelie, where a Republic Fleet detachment entered Gallente space under the orders of not the Tribal Council but the Sebiestor Tribe, despite their supposedly answering to the Tribal Council and the Republic as a whole instead of individual Tribes), perhaps the matter hasn't entirely being straightened out, which is the cause of this kerfuffle?

As it has been mentioned before. The military option may not be the way that Catiz plans to win any war.

Her stratagems are based on a business mindset and having the resources of the largest faction in New Eden she bring those forces to bear. The militias serve to keep the proxy wars going while at the same time Amarr products and services enter the Republic Market.

It's the economic war that the Tribes really have to worry about in the long term.

And all perfectly legal as far as CONCORD is concerned.

In fact, when the new Sebiestor Chief was chosen one of her first acts was to condemn the Republic and other Tribes for handling Sebiestor Tribal business, meaning the events surrounding Karin Midular's assassination and Colelie.

Kamela is highest contested, at about 33 percent. It went up to 60+ pretty much immediately after Arzad fell, but has been brought down again.

Not that I expect this to last.

Or they've figured out that if they're going to deal with faction modules, they don't need to be subject to the whims of the warzone for their armor hardeners.