[Diplomacy] Good Neighbor Policy

The Swiss Confederacy is an expansionist one. Ever since the first pacts between cantons the growth has been steady -- first against local rivals, then against Habsburgs, and finally through diplomatic integration of similar leagues. In the modern day, despite the constant clashes occurring all around, it is important to the image the Swiss wish to project of themselves to expand more through diplomatic channels than ones involving pointy pikes.

To the Swiss, Swabia has always been a sort of half-other: traditionally they have been rivals of the cantons, but they share much of the same Alemannic dialect, and especially with the creation of organizations such as the Rhenish Trading League the animosity is beginning to fade. What better time would there be to try to take some of these Swabians under the Swiss wing?

To this end, letters are sent to every single minor state of Swabia and its near surroundings, bordered only by Imperial Naples to the west, the Palatinate to the north, and Bavaria to the east (with the minor exceptions of the Habsburg lands, for obvious reasons, and Wurttemberg, who are large enough that they might be insulted impactfully):

• Hanau-Lichtenberg;
• Selestat;
• Wissembourg;
• Baden;
• Heilbronn;
• Hohenlohe;
• Limpurg;
• Hall;
• Strausburg;
• Haguenau;
• Rosheim;
• Obernai;
• Gundelfingen;
• Gengenbach;
• Zell am Harmersbach;
• Weil;
• Eßlingen;
• Schwäbisch Gmünd;
• Thannhausen;
• Aalen;
• Bopfingen;
• Pfullendorf;
• Oettingen;
• Nördlingen;
• Metz;
• Kaysersberg;
• Turckheim;
• Colmar;
• Munster, Haut-Rhin;
• Mulhouse;
• Stühlingen;
• Fürstenberg;
• Klettgau;
• Hohenhöwen;
• Rottweil;
• Hohenzollern;
• Meßkirch;
• Pfullendorf;
• Buchau;
• Salem;
• Reutlingen;
• Marchtal;
• Ulm;
• Wettenhausen;
• Ursberg;
• Roggenburg;
• Heggbach;
• Giengen;
• Biberach an der Riß;
• Mindelheim;
• Augsburg;
• Kaufbeuren;
• Memmingen;
• Ochsenhausen;
• Schussenried;
• Königsegg;
• Leutkirch im Allgäu;
• Rot an der Rot;
• Kempten;
• Isny im Allgäu;
• Wangen;
• Ravensburg;
• Lindau;
• Buchhorn;
• Ravensburg;
• Konstanz;

(Map -- territory letters sent to is pictured in black, might be one or two either missing or colored over accidentally)

Despite the immense quantity, each letter says approximately the same thing: The Emperor has been excommunicated and humiliated, and may not be capable of protecting even such great states as [insert recipient here]. Thus, in good faith, the Swiss Confederacy offers [insert recipient here] the chance to join as an associate state, gaining the benefits of military protection and an observer role in the Swiss Tagsatzung, as well as a means by which to peacefully settle disputes and coordinate policy.

The letters stress that associate membership in the Confederacy does not necessitate the annulment of any other alliances or organization membership [insert recipient here] may have. In fact, should they choose to accept to join as an associate of the Confederacy, [insert recipient here] is heavily encouraged (if they have not already) to also petition to join the Rhenish Trade League, for the economic benefit of all involved.

To demonstrate the good intentions of the Swiss, each letter is also accompanied by letters of credit from the Confederacy, each to the tune of one thousand ducats (for a total of 66,000 spent on the Swiss side). The recipients are encouraged to think of it as a very small taste of what is to come should they accept the offer.