Part 101: Hearts of Iron II: Chapter 1b - The Dublin Conference - Part 2

The Dublin Conference - Part 2

The most important part of the Conference, despite Iberia's insistence on its purpose being cooperation, is seen as the various claims and clarifications from the Great Powers, who are given a platform to posture in front of their populations and call out their enemies. Germany is no different, and Franz von Papen makes a long and impassioned speech about the unquestionable rights of the Hohenzollerns and Tittonis to Italy, drawing catcalls and booing from the representatives of the Comintern bloc.


As the other foreign ministers take the podium, there is a noted anti-German sentiment in the air. While France's loud demands for the return of Alsace-Lorraine surprise just about noone, the veiled threats coming from the Iberians are more shocking, and even the Imperials in India turn on Germany for holding Ceylon, a piece of territory that Emperor Manuel views as rightfully his. Russia and the Union also seize the moment to lay claim to lands belonging to Austria and Lithuania.


Given the hostile air at the conference, it is perhaps no surprise that Iberia's disarmament proposal is overwhelmingly voted down, with the lone vote in support being Great Britain's.



Likewise, the proposal to guarantee Irish neutrality fails to draw all that much support, though guarantees are still issued by Iberia, Russia, Germany and Mazula, more than enough to ensure that anyone planning to Ireland will think twice about it beforehand.



Using diplomatic backchannels, Franz von Papen approaches the Iberian representative after the vote, expressing interest in a private meeting to discuss the problem of the Comintern later. Though he remains guarded, the Iberian representative agrees, scheudling a meeting for February 1st.


The belligerent attitudes of Iberia and France are in some ways positive, as the population of Germany, following the conference on radio, react against this outside threat by rallying behind the Kaiser.



On January 28th, as the conference is nearing its end, a Lithuanian clerk learns of Germany's upcoming talks with the League. The Czar is quickly informed, and he responds by issuing public protest directed at the Kaiser, putting Waldemar in a difficult position - if he gives in to Augustinias and ends the talks, he might be seen as weak and any hope of cooperation with the democracies will evaporate, but if he refuses there is a very real chance that Augustinias withdraws from the HRE, costing Germany its strongest ally, and there are certainly no guarantees that Iberia will be open to cooperation even if we do go ahead.


Voting
How should Germany react to Augustinias' demand?

Option A: End the Talks


Option B: Continue the Talks