Mare Liberum
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Factbook for Quick Read
Kronstadt
1st January, 2003
“…we have come a long way since the dark times of the civil war. It’s been seven long years, I know. Preussen, Sellenland and Saxony have been rightfully returned to Wanka, its citizens now able to celebrate with their brothers and sisters of the mainland. Our former enemies have been pacified, have turned into our allies, and peace reigns throughout the continent once again. I am proud to be standing at the helm of a Wankan nation returned to its place in the sun, once again a powerful force in Casaterra, and I vow to continue our successes into the new century. The Twenty-First, my dear brothers and sisters, will be the Wankan century, insha’Allah.”
And with the ceremonial crack of the rifle, Chancellor Heinrich Sonneborn ended his annual New Years’ speech. The chancellor seemed stronger than ever, eyes radiating passion and energy as he entered the seventh year of his rule, and the sixth year of near uninterrupted peace. Much had changed since his initial ascension to power. Granted, his predecessor, Ulrike Meinhof had laid the foundations of the nation after bringing it out of the disastrous period of civil wars, but he could probably say that he himself had rocketed Wanka from Third World to First (nearly) within a decade and reestablished the nation as one of the prime powers of the world. At the same time, the Chancellor had solidified his grip on power, helped by the “spiritual reawakening” policy the government pursued domestically.
It had been by no means an easy journey. Especially having to deal with a bloody war right off the bat after taking power, where their former arch-enemy, Sylva, had been decisively defeated- not militarily per se. Strangely enough, it only became clear around a year after the war had ended that Sylva had lost, having to deal with the instability the war had caused, the burden of millions of refugees, two costly wars in Altagracia and Aurde and the resulting economic crisis. The Sylvan Civil War ended with a complete restructuring of the balance of power in Casaterra as a Wankan-supported military junta came to power.
It seemed unthinkable that the two former arch-rivals would come together, but it did. Wanko-Sylvan reconciliation was no new idea and had been actively pushed by influential Wankan politicians who sought to end the longstanding enmity. With much effort, it worked, and the two nations who’d already built extensive trade ties to assist each other economically signed the Casaterran Entente Treaty Organisation. The possibility of Sylvan and Wankan troops fighting side-by-side for the first time in history was made real.
The ever-increasing Wankan power was not viewed without suspicion, of course, as neighbouring nations feared the explosive growth of Wankan influence and looked to contain their neighbour. One point of conflict was religion, through which Wanka too sought to undermine their neighbours. Officially secular, a religious agenda had long been implemented behind the scene in the Wankan educational and military establishment. Shahidism, adopted by Wankan emperor Auerhahn to win the civil war in the 1830s, had been reduced in impact upon the average Wankan following the end of the civil war as Meinhof’s staunchly secular agenda left it in the background. A worldwide religion with followers in all corners of the world thanks to Ummayad traders who more often than not turned into proselytisers, Sonneborn had increased funding to Shahid establishments in many places across the world to gain influence and leverage over their activities. Although denied by the government, the increase in intolerant and violent attitudes, particularly toward democracy and other faiths, was notable and a source of conflict between host nation and Wanka.
But in this case it wasn’t the religious sector which was causing problems; from the small Wankan overseas territory of Auyudelle, Sonneborn was actively supporting social revolutionaries who were waging a low-key armed campaign against the military junta in Gauliscia. The Gaul leadership had never really had warm relations with either Meinhof or Sonneborn, instead viewing the nation suspiciously across the Gulf and doing its best to ensure Wanka didn’t benefit from them too. Desiring a friendlier government sitting close to the Auyadelle and Frisia islands, a steady stream of money and weapons was directed to the guerrillas through various means. This did well to further incense the Gauliscian government who already had laid claims to the peninsula and islands under Wankan possession. Adding to the Wankans list of fears was the Gauls’ increasing military spending, coupled with aggression- while few saw it coming, the list of problems in the supposed peaceful times had been growing, and once again the continent was sucked closer and closer the vortex of war.
