The question took Nikolai by surprise. He was primarily a soldier; matters of state policy were rare subjects of discussion in the barracks, to say the least.
"If there is a tool available, and its use does not harm the wielder there is nothing to be gained by forsaking it. The survival of people of the Coalition, and of Sirus, must come before any other factor. It does Sirus no good, Comrade, if we wither and die in this god-forsaken place. If socialising with capitalists is necessary to ensure the ideals of Communism continue to live, so be it.
Isolation was once the policy in the past, but that does not mean it was the right one. An idea need not be an invasion by force. These... businessmen, to which you speak, take our ideals back to their homes, as surely as theirs are bought here. An idea can grow, Premier, and it will given time. Those who hear of the Coalition directly from us may doubt our sincerity. To hear of it from their countrymen though, is different. Without interaction, we become distant. Foreign. When that happens, we lose the trust of the people. Perhaps not those already with us, on Volgograd and Gorodok, but those who might have seen the true way. Those on Manhattan, and New Berlin. All are citizens of the Coalition, they need only be made aware of the fact.
Warfare is one means of showing the way, it does not mean it is the only way, nor the best."
Still, Nikolai did not allow himself to relax, his eyes tracing the passage of the coffee mug from table to hand. It was a far richer odour then the smells to which he was accustomed, no doubt the product of such trade.
