2025: The Hands of Change | OOC | Open

by **Chewion** » Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:26 pm

2025: The Hands of Change

The year 2025 presents itself as a pivotal chapter in world history, offering a complex web of geopolitical challenges and opportunities for nations around the globe. As nations grapple with the ever-increasing global population, the imperative to navigate this growth with strategic finesse has never been more critical.

In Asia, China's ascendancy as a dominant force is evident, casting a long shadow over regional dynamics. It compels nations to navigate the intricate dance of allegiance, balancing between the East and the West. Internationally, China faces condemnation for its treatment of the Uighur population, actions labeled by many as genocide, highlighting a grave human rights crisis within its borders. Moreover, China's maneuvers in the South China Sea, marked by illegal territorial claims and provocative military posturing, exacerbate tensions and challenge the norms of international law and maritime sovereignty.

India, in the midst of an economic surge, contends with the complexities of religious discord and a longstanding territorial dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, underscoring the region's intricate geopolitical landscape.

Europe's narrative is shaped by the echoes of the USSR's dissolution, with Russia reasserting its global presence, challenging Western perspectives and stirring international debate over the future course of global affairs. The continent itself is a battleground of ideologies, with political factions vying for influence and shaping the discourse on Europe's future direction.

The Middle East is marked by the intensifying rivalry between Israel and Iran, with Iran often positioned as the antagonist in the region. Iran's contentious nuclear ambitions and support for proxy groups further strain its relations with neighboring countries and the international community, casting a long shadow over regional peace and stability.

Africa's story is one of stark contrasts, where hope perseveres amidst the challenges of ethnic and religious strife. The Congo's resource conflicts and the pervasive threat of extremism in the Sahara and Sahel highlight the continent's enduring struggles and its quest for peace and stability.

North America is witnessing deepening political divides, with both Canada and the United States navigating through periods of significant internal discord. Mexico's battle against cartel influence reflects the broader challenges of governance and law enforcement.

Latin America's landscape is characterized by political turbulence, with Colombia embodying the fragile balance between peace and conflict, reflecting the continent's wider quest for stability amidst adversity.

Against this global backdrop, participants in this role-playing journey are invited to lead their chosen nation from 1980 onwards, navigating through a meticulously crafted scenario that demands realism and strategic acumen. The decisions made will not only shape the fate of nations but also define the legacy of leadership in an era of unprecedented challenges. How will you influence the course of history, and what mark will you leave on the world stage?

Major Unchangeable Events:

Collapse of the USSR
9/11
08 Financial Crisis
South China Sea Disputes
COVID

Leadership:

OP: Chewion
Co-OPs:
NewLakotah

Rules:

IEC:

The IEC (International Entity Council) is comprised of the OP, Co-OPs, and anyone else accepted into it. The IEC is responsible for making the IEC post that includes multiple events and members can serve as an NPC nation in conferences so long as they do not have a direct interest in the negotiations.

Application (Most numbers can be found on Global Firepower):

Code: Select all: Nationstates Name: Nation Name: Capital: Territory: Population: Official Language: Recognized Languages: Flag: National Anthem (optional): Head of State: HoS Picture: Head of Government: HoG Picture (If different from HoS): Legislature Name: Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): GDP Nominal: GDP Nominal Per Capita: GDP (PPP): GDP (PPP) Per Capita: Currency: Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges: Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges: Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Alliances (If different from IRL): History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): Do not remove - ALPHA777

Reservation:

Code: Select all: NS Name: Nation Reserving: Territory: DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

Roster:

Accepted:

The Union State (Russia and Belarus)
The USA
The UK
Zimbabwe

Reserved:

PRC
Iran
Mexico
India (India, Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka)
Australia
Cuba

by **Chewion** » Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:39 pm

Nationstates Name: Chewion
Nation Name: The United States of America
Capital: Washington D.C.
Territory: IRL USA
Population: 340.40 million
Official Language: None
Recognized Languages: English (nationally) with Spanish, Vietnamese, and others used in certain states/locations alongside English.
Flag:

National Anthem (optional):

Head of State: President Ryan Carter
HoS Picture:

Head of Government: President Ryan Carter
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): Same
Legislature Name: The United States Congress
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each):

House: Republicans with a 25-seat majority

Senate: Republicans with a 10-seat majority.

GDP Nominal: $29 Trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: $85,193.89
GDP (PPP): $29 Trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $85,193.89
Currency: US Dollar

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

A House Divided: It is no secret that Americans feel more and more divided. Regardless on if that’s true, or just a result of the media landscape, the feeling is there and must be addressed.

Illegal Immigration: The last four years under the Biden Administration saw immigration impact nearly every single corner of the country. Now that people’s voices have been heard, it’s time for the new administration to do something.

Moral Decay: Is it up to the Government to legislate morality? Or should leaders only provide an example to look at? Either way, many across America feel that the modern era is a fallen state from the good old days.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

The Chinese Dragon: China represents the single biggest threat to America and the wider West, that fact is agreed upon even across party lines. Now the question is, what do we do?

The Land of a Thousand Suns: The Middle East, a volatile region on a good day, has been shaking violently for the past few years from seemingly every corner. What comes next? What to do?

The Russian Bear: Old foes. New friends? The relationship between Moscow and Washington is one with a history, and perhaps an uncertain future.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Same as IRL.

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): (anything not mentioned or directly related to a mentioned change is assumed to be same as IRL)

2015: President Obama announces that the USA and Russia have agreed on a framework to “cooperate on mutual enemies and keep open lines of Communication in the Syria theater”.

2018: President Trump and his counterpart in Moscow agree to the Joint Agreement on Syria. Russia will work to limit Iranian presence in Syria, cooperate with the U.S. on terror targets, prevent Syria from being the source of any attack on Israeli or American targets in the region, and work to limit Syrian civilian casualties outside of normal expected collateral damage and Damascus recognizes an autonomous region for the Kurds. In return, the U.S. pushes the SDF to the table with the Assad regime and cuts off support for them.

2020: President Trump and his Russian counterpart sign the Renewed Start treaty that sees a new limit of 1,200 deployed strategic nuclear warheads and 500 deployed launch platforms.

2021: President Trump does not announce another candidacy for President, leaving the question unanswered.

2023: President Trump announces he will not seek another term in office, instead endorsing the young Texas Governor, Ryan Carter.

2024: Governor Carter defeats President Biden in both the electoral college and popular vote, notably seeing large gains for Republicans with minority groups.

Do not remove - ALPHA777

by **NewLakotah** » Fri Mar 22, 2024 8:55 pm

Nationstates Name: NewLakotah
Nation Name: The Union State of Russia and Belarus
Capital: Moscow, Minsk.
The president resides in Moscow, but Union Parliament is located in Minsk. The Judiciary Court of the Union State’s highest body is located in Moscow, with a secondary constitutional court located in Minsk.
Territory: irl territory of Russia and Belarus (not included claims on Crimea or internationally recognized Ukrainian territory)
Population: 159 million
Official Language: Russian, Belarusian

De jure, the national language and language of wider communication is Russian, however, the official languages are Russian and Belarusian and the Union Parliament often has full dialogue carried out exclusively in Belarusian (with the aid of translators). All public officials are required to have knowledge of the other working language. Practically, however, it defaults to Russian in most cases. Efforts to expand and highlight Belarusian art, media, and works are a major ongoing effort of the Union State Academy of Language and Culture headquartered in Minsk.
Recognized Languages: there are dozens of regionally recognized languages, none with federal standing.
Flag:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Union_State.svg
National Anthem (optional):https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Union_of_Nations

Head of State: Sergei Shoigu
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Sergei Ivanov
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi ... 6_(cropped).jpg#mw-jump-to-license
Chairman of the Union Parliament: Oleg Gaidukevich
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... %C4%8D.png
Legislature Name:

The Union State has two national legislatures in Russia and Belarus. These remain in charge of the affairs of state for both respective nations and are required to keep laws in tune with the Union State directives. These directives are introduced to the Union Parliament by the Council of Ministers and ratified into law by the President of the Union State.
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each):
Union Party (which consists of several national parties in both Russia and Belarus - namely the Democratic Union, United Russia, Belaya Rus, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus) controls the majority of seats in the Union Parliament with 221 followed by the Communist Party (itself also a union of the communist parties of both states) with 91 seats. The third party is the Social Democratic Party of Russia and Belarus ( a left-wing Unionist party) with 88 seats. Peace & Justice Party (a united party - ie the national parties merged into a single party - consisting mostly of pro-Europeanism and pro-western influenced politicans) have 70 seats. The Social Democratic Alliance (a party unifing the left-wing, non-socialist parties of Russia/Belarus) holds 19 seats. The final party is the Free Union State (a conservative Russia-based party that opposes unification) with 9 seats. Two seats are held by independents.

GDP Nominal: 2.98 trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: $18,723
GDP (PPP): 5.6 trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $35,500
Currency: ruble

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:
The establishment of the Union State as a formal confederation and single-market, single-currency union has had mixed results. Belarus has remained significantly behind Russia in terms of economic development and large scale spending initiatives have been expanded in Belarus in order to improve its conditions. However, the state still struggles with deeply rooted corruption and poor internal stability which affects the stability of the economic union and single currency. The Union State Central Bank has been forced to keep rates low to allow for greater investment - leading to a dangerously hot economy and very susceptible to fluctuations in the global markets.

The Union State remains deeply tied to its national resource wealth and some have begun to say that Russia in particular is being held back by the resource curse. Despite efforts to improve manufacturing, increase financial services, the largest and most important sectors of the Union State remain oil, natural gas, mining, timber, and agriculture. Progress in this is being made primarily in Russia - looking to capitalize on Chinese ambitions in the region through large scale transportation projects linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

Russia has been in the long process of overhauling its military and modernizing it for modern conflicts. Since the 2008 war, Russia has engaged in conflict in Syria and North Africa - largely through special operations forces and private military formations. Both instances has led to many points of conflict with the West and the United States.

Currently, the biggest objective for the Union State is to establish itself as an independent arbiter of the central asian and near eastern region while limiting the expansion of American and Western influence in the post-Soviet region. Russia has made efforts to build an economic union in Central Asia to rival that of the European Union and the Chinese market, but so far with little to show for it. Much of the region remains deeply stuck in corruption and political stratification which has led to conflicts within Central Asia and the Caucuses.

Eliminating the turkish threat from Syria and from Azerbaijan has grown to become a major issue. The long-time rivalry between Istabanbul and Moscow has increased in recent years in the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war in which Russia directly intervened with boots on the ground to enforce a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Eurasian Economic Union continues to be a long sought after goal for Russia and Belarus. Integration in the region is a top priority as it would create an incredibly competitive market on the world’s stage and give the region an edge in competing with both European and Chinese markets. However, the issues between states and economies has made this effort difficult. Still, it hasn’t stopped the top leadership of the Union State from trying.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):

The Union State Defence Forces are the result of the union of the armies of Russia and Belarus - who had already been deeply linked in both history, training, and industrial complex. While the national formations still exist, they now exist under a unified command structure under the Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are under the command of Chief of the General Staff General Viktor Gulevich.

The Union State Defence Forces is comprised of 883,000 Active Duty members of which 264,000 are contract soldiers and 2.12 million reserves.

The primary fighter fleet of the Union State Air Force is comprised of 60 (of a total of 119 on order) Su-57 5th Generation multirole fighter, 35 MiG 35 4++ Generation Fighters, 118 Su-35 4+ Generation fighters, and 120 Su-30 4th Generation Fighters. The USAF also has 26 Tu-160 bombers, 65 Tu-22 bombers, and 42 Tu-95s.

Since the unification, the combined Air Force has seen the Belarusian squadrons swell in size, being equipped with two Su-57 fighter squadrons and 3 Su-30 squadrons, as well as a long range bomber squadron. The Belarusian army has also swelled with new equipped and new Russian formations taking Belarusian bases. New equipment, such as the T-14 Armata, has also been delivered to Belarusian formations.

The official language(s) of the armed forces are Russian and Belarusian - with all senior commanders being required to learn both languages. However, practically, Russian is the de jure language of communication in the armed forces due to the level of Russian language education already in Belarus. Still, at all military training centers, officer schools and beyond, Belarusian is being taught as a formal language of the armed forces and most Belarusian units and soldiers carry on in Belarusian. Enlisted soldiers are not required to learn Russian or Belarusian, but it is highly encouraged.

Alliances (If different from IRL):
CSTO, EAEU, SCO

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):

In 1991, in the aftermath of the attempted coup to overthrow Gorbachev, the Soviet Union collapsed. In its wake, it left a hodgepodge of semi-independent states with very unclear borders and unclear political systems. The largest of this was Russia - the motherland, as they preferred to think of themselves.

Mother Russia was to fall on hard times. During the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, the Russian economy underwent one of the worst and longest recessions in economic history, setting back Russia decades and allowing lawlessness and chaos to overwhelm the streets. Gangs turned into the mafia who ran the majority of businesses and enterprises throughout the 90s. Battles were waged by police against the mafia in almost every major city across Russia - and even in the country.

The chaos would only worsen as Chechnya, a region in the Russian caucasus, would fight - and win - a brutal guérilla campaign against the Russian army, gaining for themselves virtual independence. Across Russia, the once great empire had hit rock bottom. Yeltsin, in between binge drinking, fired and re-fired cabinet after cabinet and prime minister after prime minister until 1999 and he, and the whole country, had had enough. He resigned and was replaced by one of his long serving - for the third time - prime minister Sergei Kiriyenko.

Kiriyenko was a young visionary reform minded Russian, with a strong vision of rebuilding Russia into its former glory. Of course, he wasn’t alone. There were dozens of dreamers in Russia - all with power and the cunning to make it the top. Vladimir Putin, Grigory Yavlinsky, Gennady Zhuganov were all gunning for the young acting presidents position for the 2000 presidential election.

However, luck - if it could be called that - was on Kiryenko’s side. In September of 1999 a wave of apartment bombings levied by chechens after the invasion of Dagestan only a few weeks earlier wreaked havoc across Russia. In reply, Kiriyenko ordered the bombing of Grozny - launching the second Chechen War.

With public support and a national war, Kiriyenko was able to stave off opposition leaders such as Putin and Yavlinsky on his way to his winning the presidential election in 2000. Over the years, many of questioned who was responsible for the bombings - was it the chechens? Some said it was Kiriyenko himself and others assigned blame to opposition leaders aiming to discredit the new president. Whichever the case, the situation for Kiriyenko would only improve in the new century. It also helps when most of the those investigating ended up in prison or even dead.

While the ongoing war in Chechnya soaked up a lot of Kiriyenko’s time, the rest of it was dealing with the infection of corruption and mafia that was effectively ruling Russia. His response was a brutal campaign against the mafia. No one was safe. Thousands of people were arrested, hundreds more killed in shootouts with police from 1999 to 2006. Suddenly even the oligarchs of Russia found themselves exiled - or worse.

The Campaign against Corruption was internationally condemned as “brutal” and without “just cause” in many cases. In Russia, however, they were largely popular. With the mafia forced into the shadows, commerce and enterprise could spring up freely. This Kiriyenko encouraged, eliminated red tape and cutting taxes on investments to encourage the burgeoning Russian entrepreneurial class - a class known as the новые русские “new Russians” - and to stimulate foreign investment into Russia. With a more business-friendly environment, soon American and European companies were expanding their footprint across Russia.

This little economic boom would further solidify Kiriyenko’s hold as president. The 2004 election would see him sweep old-guard Communist party leader Zhuganov with nearly 70% of the popular vote, securing for himself a second and final term as president.

The mid-2000s would see Russia slowly beginning to dig itself out of its economic hole. Industries were returning and government investment was stimulating key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing - particularly automobile - and resource extraction. Oil would prove to be Russia’s breadwinner. Throughout the mid-2000s oil would continue to rise, flowing money into Russia from every corner of the world. Russia's boom and the oil boom coincided with China’s own dramatic entrance onto the world stage - bringing with it a nearly insatiable demand for oil and natural resources to feed its ever growing factories and industries.

Even the United States fell under the spell of Russian oil and renaissance. Relations between Kiriyenko and President Bush improved in the early to mid 2000s as Russia left its mafia and repression days and seemed to enter a heyday of liberalism. Presses were flowing freely, as was money. Wealth was being made in every corner of the country and flowing outward for the first time in many years.

Still, things were not all rosy on the inside. Political tensions between oppositions leaders, the president, and reformers were heightened the longer the Chechen war went and the more the former Soviet satellites slipped from Russia’s grasp. All, that is, except for Lukashenko and Belarus. The landlocked nation remained deeply tied to Russia - far more than any of the other former Soviet states had ever been.

The relationship between Kiriyenko and Lukashenko would improve greatly throughout the early to mid 2000s. The Union State treaty has been signed in 1997 under Yeltsin but Kiriyenko has been an active supporter. Moreover, in 2003 they would further integrate their economies through a free trade deal that would grow into a single market in 2009. The Belarusian and Russian armies would also coordinate significantly, as Kiriyenko would being a major modernization program beginning in 2006.

Furthermore, as Kiriyenko pushed for greater regional integration within the post Soviet states, signing an agreement with Lukashenko to begin transitioning to a single market single currency, he also worked on creating a broader Eurasian Economic Union to begin to address many of the trade concerns and to appeal to foreign investors as a integrated market. Kiriyenko would not see the fruits of this labor, stepping down in 2008 after his second term. The 2008 election would see right-wing nationalist candidate Dimitri Medvedev of United Russia win a close election. Medvedev pushed hard the idea of unification with the Union State and with keeping Russia out from being under the influence of the United States. This would lead to even greater conflict with its closer neighbors throughout 2008.

Russian relations with Georgia had declined in the 2000s as they tried to leave the motherland for the bright lights of the Americans and Europe. Russian support for the separatist regions in Georgia had likewise increased , leaving the country in a more disadvantaged position and forcing them to take action. Their action would result in the 5 Day War in August of 2008 - a short brutal campaign that saw the Russian army storming the capital of Georgia.

The war however, did not go exactly according to plan. Gross mismanagement, poor leadership, and outdated weaponry lead to the war being somewhat of an internal fiasco and prompted massive reforms from Medvedev. Medvedev would also have to face international sanctions from the West - leading to the first economic crisis of Russia post-recovery.

The recession would worsen with the global financial crisis of 2009 and Medvedev was ill-prepared to face it. Medvedev had continued ahead with privatizing large swaths of land and industries and had worked hard to liberalize Russia enough to attract foreign businesses. This had come at the healthy expensive of the Russian treasury. When the crisis and sanctions hit, the Russian economy fell.

As the economy fell and Medvedev urged for greater investment into the military to modernize its force and create a contract-soldier based core, the public turned against him and the Union of Right Russia and turned to rising third party and Unionist party, Rodina and Sergei Glazyez. Glazyez would win the 2012 Russian presidential election on a platform of restoring Russian economic and political power and advocated strongly for progressing the talks with Belarus over the Union State.

This would finally bear fruit in 2014 with the creation of the Union State integrated market and in 2019 with the single Union Ruble. The first election for President of the Union State saw Sergei Shoigu - long time military leader of Russia and well-respected by all - run unopposed in 2019, winning all of the electoral selectors, minus a few holdouts for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The position was largely symbolic, acting as formal head of state of the Union State, signing and passing laws in respect to both states. However the day to day affairs of the Union State fell to the respective heads of state and the top two Councils of the Union State. Here, policies would be issued and the Union Parliament would ratify any legislation that dealt with both respective nations. Practically, both states held effective sovereignty over national affairs. However, in terms of foreign affairs, international trade, and national security, the two nations were linked under one united rule. Throughout the 2020s, efforts to further integrate the political systems, judicial systems, and economic systems have been ongoing.

The Union State would endure its first real challenge in the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic which shut down the world economy for nearly two years, derailing the efforts to improve economic conditions in both states. Belarus remained significantly poorer and less developed than Russia and the integration did little to improve things in Belarus, seeing thousands of young Belarusians leaving Belarus and little investment flowing back. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two large spending proposals signed by Russia and the Union Parliament say trillions of rubles spent on developing modern infrastructure in Belarus, mainly in building out transit hubs - both train and airplane - across the country, investing in agricultural protection and expansion, building tech and industrial centers. These saw great boosts in job growth and wage growth in Belarus. However, after four years of continued investment, there was little else to show for it. Many of the state-backed firms had folded or were far behind schedule. Construction projects to begin building a high-speed rail line from Minsk to Moscow was supposed to break ground in 2024, missed its deadline, and had already become mired in cost-overruns.

However, that wasn’t all that happened during COVID. Later in 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military invasion of the territory of Artsakh, a Armenian breakaway state of Azerbaijan, backed by the Republic of Armenia. The invasion shocked The Union State who responded to the calls for aid from Armenia by sending in peacekeepers to enforce the current borders of the region. Nearly 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers in all would deploy during the short two-week war that claimed hundreds of lives and 33 Russians. The intervention would devastate the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan and add flame to the already growing tensions between Turkey and Russia in Syria and the Middle East.

As the Union State emerged from the economic freeze of the pandemic, the situation in both countries would slowly begin to improve. Still, the two nations’ reliance on national resources - and particularly oil - remaining a pressing issue as the world began to lockdown on decoupling their economies from emissions. The 2020s saw several proposals by Russian President Kasyanov and several Union State funding iniatives aimed at enhancing Russia’s own green energy and transit sector in order to decouple its own economy. Other major efforts aim to further Union the entire region into a single Eurasian market and currency zone. In

In 2024, with the growing global trade wars and growing insecurity globally, the 2024 Russian presidential saw Kasyanov of the Democratic Union, a more liberal party take over from the more hardline parties, as well as winning a majority in the Union Parliament elections of 2024. 2025 looks to be interesting politically, with President Shoigu facing the first re election campaign of the Union State and his first challenger in Belarusian opposition leader and left-wing candidate Sergey Kalyakin, who has proven to be popular among many Belarusian and Russian circles. He will also face a potential challenger in Alexander Lukashenko himself, who has remained mum but has said he will not seek relection in the 2025 Belarusian elections, having an open election in the country for the first time since 1995. The 2025 Belarusian election sees a number of candidates putting their name in, but most eyes remain on Lukashenko and his potential bid for Union State presidency.

by **Mutadura** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 9:15 am

Nationstates Name: Mutadura
Nation Name: Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Territory: Zimbabwe IRL
Population: 15, 418, 674
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Shona and Ndebele
Flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... we.svg.png
National Anthem (optional): Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe

Head of State: Emmerson Mnangagwa
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government: Constantino Chiwenga
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 024%29.jpg
Legislature Name: Parliament of Zimbabwe
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): House of Assembly - ZANU-PF (190 Seats), House of Senate - ZANU-PF (33)

GDP Nominal: $20.68B
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 1,676.8
GDP (PPP): 27.37 billion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $1,267
Currency: Zimbabwe Dollar

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

A Failed State - Beset by the scourge of hyperinflation, food insecurity, decaying infrastructure, and frequent power outages Zimbabwe is a country falling through the cracks as it struggles to grapple with nepotism and corruption which have transformed the nation from being the perverbial Jewel of Africa into a putrid cess pool where declining standards of living are just an ordinary fact of life.

The Second Republic - In 2017, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched a coup against their country's aging president Robert Mugabe with the backing and approval of China citing the need for stability and transparency, qualities whose absence has long retarded the growth and development of the nation. Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa upon being sworn in as Zimbabwe's third president spoke of the need for his country to confront its traumatizing past and its difficult state of affairs in the present by fighting against corruption, nepotism, flawed economic policies, and political polarization. Despite some rather surprising early successes, Mnangagwa's efforts have yet to come to fruition.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

The Curse of Isolation - Zimbabwe is one of a handful of African states whose future in the 21st century hangs in the balance in no small part due to human rights abuses, political violence, and rising national debt which have all served to prevent the nation from realizing its full potential a factor that has earned it the status of a pariah condemned to suffer from sanctions and a clear lack of foreign investment.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Same as IRL

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): None, Same as IRL

Do not remove - ALPHA777

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:04 am

NewLakotah wrote:Nationstates Name: NewLakotah
Nation Name: The Union State of Russia and Belarus
Capital: Moscow, Minsk.
The president resides in Moscow, but Union Parliament is located in Minsk. The Judiciary Court of the Union State’s highest body is located in Moscow, with a secondary constitutional court located in Minsk.
Territory: irl territory of Russia and Belarus (not included claims on Crimea or internationally recognized Ukrainian territory)
Population: 159 million
Official Language: Russian, Belarusian

De jure, the national language and language of wider communication is Russian, however, the official languages are Russian and Belarusian and the Union Parliament often has full dialogue carried out exclusively in Belarusian (with the aid of translators). All public officials are required to have knowledge of the other working language. Practically, however, it defaults to Russian in most cases. Efforts to expand and highlight Belarusian art, media, and works are a major ongoing effort of the Union State Academy of Language and Culture headquartered in Minsk.
Recognized Languages: there are dozens of regionally recognized languages, none with federal standing.
Flag:https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Flag_of_the_Union_State.svg
National Anthem (optional):https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sovereign_Union_of_Nations

Head of State: Sergei Shoigu
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government:
Chairman of the Council of Ministers: Sergei Ivanov
https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi ... 6_(cropped).jpg#mw-jump-to-license
Chairman of the Union Parliament: Oleg Gaidukevich
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... %C4%8D.png
Legislature Name:

The Union State has two national legislatures in Russia and Belarus. These remain in charge of the affairs of state for both respective nations and are required to keep laws in tune with the Union State directives. These directives are introduced to the Union Parliament by the Council of Ministers and ratified into law by the President of the Union State.
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each):
Union Party (which consists of several national parties in both Russia and Belarus - namely the Democratic Union, United Russia, Belaya Rus, and the Liberal Democratic Party of Belarus) controls the majority of seats in the Union Parliament with 221 followed by the Communist Party (itself also a union of the communist parties of both states) with 91 seats. The third party is the Social Democratic Party of Russia and Belarus ( a left-wing Unionist party) with 88 seats. Peace & Justice Party (a united party - ie the national parties merged into a single party - consisting mostly of pro-Europeanism and pro-western influenced politicans) have 70 seats. The Social Democratic Alliance (a party unifing the left-wing, non-socialist parties of Russia/Belarus) holds 19 seats. The final party is the Free Union State (a conservative Russia-based party that opposes unification) with 9 seats. Two seats are held by independents.

GDP Nominal: 2.98 trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: $18,723
GDP (PPP): 5.6 trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $35,500
Currency: ruble

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:
The establishment of the Union State as a formal confederation and single-market, single-currency union has had mixed results. Belarus has remained significantly behind Russia in terms of economic development and large scale spending initiatives have been expanded in Belarus in order to improve its conditions. However, the state still struggles with deeply rooted corruption and poor internal stability which affects the stability of the economic union and single currency. The Union State Central Bank has been forced to keep rates low to allow for greater investment - leading to a dangerously hot economy and very susceptible to fluctuations in the global markets.

The Union State remains deeply tied to its national resource wealth and some have begun to say that Russia in particular is being held back by the resource curse. Despite efforts to improve manufacturing, increase financial services, the largest and most important sectors of the Union State remain oil, natural gas, mining, timber, and agriculture. Progress in this is being made primarily in Russia - looking to capitalize on Chinese ambitions in the region through large scale transportation projects linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

Russia has been in the long process of overhauling its military and modernizing it for modern conflicts. Since the 2008 war, Russia has engaged in conflict in Syria and North Africa - largely through special operations forces and private military formations. Both instances has led to many points of conflict with the West and the United States.

Currently, the biggest objective for the Union State is to establish itself as an independent arbiter of the central asian and near eastern region while limiting the expansion of American and Western influence in the post-Soviet region. Russia has made efforts to build an economic union in Central Asia to rival that of the European Union and the Chinese market, but so far with little to show for it. Much of the region remains deeply stuck in corruption and political stratification which has led to conflicts within Central Asia and the Caucuses.

Eliminating the turkish threat from Syria and from Azerbaijan has grown to become a major issue. The long-time rivalry between Istabanbul and Moscow has increased in recent years in the aftermath of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war in which Russia directly intervened with boots on the ground to enforce a ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Eurasian Economic Union continues to be a long sought after goal for Russia and Belarus. Integration in the region is a top priority as it would create an incredibly competitive market on the world’s stage and give the region an edge in competing with both European and Chinese markets. However, the issues between states and economies has made this effort difficult. Still, it hasn’t stopped the top leadership of the Union State from trying.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):

The Union State Defence Forces are the result of the union of the armies of Russia and Belarus - who had already been deeply linked in both history, training, and industrial complex. While the national formations still exist, they now exist under a unified command structure under the Defence Minister Viktor Khrenin. The Joint Chiefs of Staff are under the command of Chief of the General Staff General Viktor Gulevich.

The Union State Defence Forces is comprised of 883,000 Active Duty members of which 264,000 are contract soldiers and 2.12 million reserves.

The primary fighter fleet of the Union State Air Force is comprised of 60 (of a total of 119 on order) Su-57 5th Generation multirole fighter, 35 MiG 35 4++ Generation Fighters, 118 Su-35 4+ Generation fighters, and 120 Su-30 4th Generation Fighters. The USAF also has 26 Tu-160 bombers, 65 Tu-22 bombers, and 42 Tu-95s.

Since the unification, the combined Air Force has seen the Belarusian squadrons swell in size, being equipped with two Su-57 fighter squadrons and 3 Su-30 squadrons, as well as a long range bomber squadron. The Belarusian army has also swelled with new equipped and new Russian formations taking Belarusian bases. New equipment, such as the T-14 Armata, has also been delivered to Belarusian formations.

The official language(s) of the armed forces are Russian and Belarusian - with all senior commanders being required to learn both languages. However, practically, Russian is the de jure language of communication in the armed forces due to the level of Russian language education already in Belarus. Still, at all military training centers, officer schools and beyond, Belarusian is being taught as a formal language of the armed forces and most Belarusian units and soldiers carry on in Belarusian. Enlisted soldiers are not required to learn Russian or Belarusian, but it is highly encouraged.

Alliances (If different from IRL):
CSTO, EAEU, SCO

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):

In 1991, in the aftermath of the attempted coup to overthrow Gorbachev, the Soviet Union collapsed. In its wake, it left a hodgepodge of semi-independent states with very unclear borders and unclear political systems. The largest of this was Russia - the motherland, as they preferred to think of themselves.

Mother Russia was to fall on hard times. During the presidency of Boris Yeltsin, the Russian economy underwent one of the worst and longest recessions in economic history, setting back Russia decades and allowing lawlessness and chaos to overwhelm the streets. Gangs turned into the mafia who ran the majority of businesses and enterprises throughout the 90s. Battles were waged by police against the mafia in almost every major city across Russia - and even in the country.

The chaos would only worsen as Chechnya, a region in the Russian caucasus, would fight - and win - a brutal guérilla campaign against the Russian army, gaining for themselves virtual independence. Across Russia, the once great empire had hit rock bottom. Yeltsin, in between binge drinking, fired and re-fired cabinet after cabinet and prime minister after prime minister until 1999 and he, and the whole country, had had enough. He resigned and was replaced by one of his long serving - for the third time - prime minister Sergei Kiriyenko.

Kiriyenko was a young visionary reform minded Russian, with a strong vision of rebuilding Russia into its former glory. Of course, he wasn’t alone. There were dozens of dreamers in Russia - all with power and the cunning to make it the top. Vladimir Putin, Grigory Yavlinsky, Gennady Zhuganov were all gunning for the young acting presidents position for the 2000 presidential election.

However, luck - if it could be called that - was on Kiryenko’s side. In September of 1999 a wave of apartment bombings levied by chechens after the invasion of Dagestan only a few weeks earlier wreaked havoc across Russia. In reply, Kiriyenko ordered the bombing of Grozny - launching the second Chechen War.

With public support and a national war, Kiriyenko was able to stave off opposition leaders such as Putin and Yavlinsky on his way to his winning the presidential election in 2000. Over the years, many of questioned who was responsible for the bombings - was it the chechens? Some said it was Kiriyenko himself and others assigned blame to opposition leaders aiming to discredit the new president. Whichever the case, the situation for Kiriyenko would only improve in the new century. It also helps when most of the those investigating ended up in prison or even dead.

While the ongoing war in Chechnya soaked up a lot of Kiriyenko’s time, the rest of it was dealing with the infection of corruption and mafia that was effectively ruling Russia. His response was a brutal campaign against the mafia. No one was safe. Thousands of people were arrested, hundreds more killed in shootouts with police from 1999 to 2006. Suddenly even the oligarchs of Russia found themselves exiled - or worse.

The Campaign against Corruption was internationally condemned as “brutal” and without “just cause” in many cases. In Russia, however, they were largely popular. With the mafia forced into the shadows, commerce and enterprise could spring up freely. This Kiriyenko encouraged, eliminated red tape and cutting taxes on investments to encourage the burgeoning Russian entrepreneurial class - a class known as the новые русские “new Russians” - and to stimulate foreign investment into Russia. With a more business-friendly environment, soon American and European companies were expanding their footprint across Russia.

This little economic boom would further solidify Kiriyenko’s hold as president. The 2004 election would see him sweep old-guard Communist party leader Zhuganov with nearly 70% of the popular vote, securing for himself a second and final term as president.

The mid-2000s would see Russia slowly beginning to dig itself out of its economic hole. Industries were returning and government investment was stimulating key sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing - particularly automobile - and resource extraction. Oil would prove to be Russia’s breadwinner. Throughout the mid-2000s oil would continue to rise, flowing money into Russia from every corner of the world. Russia's boom and the oil boom coincided with China’s own dramatic entrance onto the world stage - bringing with it a nearly insatiable demand for oil and natural resources to feed its ever growing factories and industries.

Even the United States fell under the spell of Russian oil and renaissance. Relations between Kiriyenko and President Bush improved in the early to mid 2000s as Russia left its mafia and repression days and seemed to enter a heyday of liberalism. Presses were flowing freely, as was money. Wealth was being made in every corner of the country and flowing outward for the first time in many years.

Still, things were not all rosy on the inside. Political tensions between oppositions leaders, the president, and reformers were heightened the longer the Chechen war went and the more the former Soviet satellites slipped from Russia’s grasp. All, that is, except for Lukashenko and Belarus. The landlocked nation remained deeply tied to Russia - far more than any of the other former Soviet states had ever been.

The relationship between Kiriyenko and Lukashenko would improve greatly throughout the early to mid 2000s. The Union State treaty has been signed in 1997 under Yeltsin but Kiriyenko has been an active supporter. Moreover, in 2003 they would further integrate their economies through a free trade deal that would grow into a single market in 2009. The Belarusian and Russian armies would also coordinate significantly, as Kiriyenko would being a major modernization program beginning in 2006.

Furthermore, as Kiriyenko pushed for greater regional integration within the post Soviet states, signing an agreement with Lukashenko to begin transitioning to a single market single currency, he also worked on creating a broader Eurasian Economic Union to begin to address many of the trade concerns and to appeal to foreign investors as a integrated market. Kiriyenko would not see the fruits of this labor, stepping down in 2008 after his second term. The 2008 election would see right-wing nationalist candidate Dimitri Medvedev of United Russia win a close election. Medvedev pushed hard the idea of unification with the Union State and with keeping Russia out from being under the influence of the United States. This would lead to even greater conflict with its closer neighbors throughout 2008.

Russian relations with Georgia had declined in the 2000s as they tried to leave the motherland for the bright lights of the Americans and Europe. Russian support for the separatist regions in Georgia had likewise increased , leaving the country in a more disadvantaged position and forcing them to take action. Their action would result in the 5 Day War in August of 2008 - a short brutal campaign that saw the Russian army storming the capital of Georgia.

The war however, did not go exactly according to plan. Gross mismanagement, poor leadership, and outdated weaponry lead to the war being somewhat of an internal fiasco and prompted massive reforms from Medvedev. Medvedev would also have to face international sanctions from the West - leading to the first economic crisis of Russia post-recovery.

The recession would worsen with the global financial crisis of 2009 and Medvedev was ill-prepared to face it. Medvedev had continued ahead with privatizing large swaths of land and industries and had worked hard to liberalize Russia enough to attract foreign businesses. This had come at the healthy expensive of the Russian treasury. When the crisis and sanctions hit, the Russian economy fell.

As the economy fell and Medvedev urged for greater investment into the military to modernize its force and create a contract-soldier based core, the public turned against him and the Union of Right Russia and turned to rising third party and Unionist party, Rodina and Sergei Glazyez. Glazyez would win the 2012 Russian presidential election on a platform of restoring Russian economic and political power and advocated strongly for progressing the talks with Belarus over the Union State.

This would finally bear fruit in 2014 with the creation of the Union State integrated market and in 2019 with the single Union Ruble. The first election for President of the Union State saw Sergei Shoigu - long time military leader of Russia and well-respected by all - run unopposed in 2019, winning all of the electoral selectors, minus a few holdouts for Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. The position was largely symbolic, acting as formal head of state of the Union State, signing and passing laws in respect to both states. However the day to day affairs of the Union State fell to the respective heads of state and the top two Councils of the Union State. Here, policies would be issued and the Union Parliament would ratify any legislation that dealt with both respective nations. Practically, both states held effective sovereignty over national affairs. However, in terms of foreign affairs, international trade, and national security, the two nations were linked under one united rule. Throughout the 2020s, efforts to further integrate the political systems, judicial systems, and economic systems have been ongoing.

The Union State would endure its first real challenge in the 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic which shut down the world economy for nearly two years, derailing the efforts to improve economic conditions in both states. Belarus remained significantly poorer and less developed than Russia and the integration did little to improve things in Belarus, seeing thousands of young Belarusians leaving Belarus and little investment flowing back. In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, two large spending proposals signed by Russia and the Union Parliament say trillions of rubles spent on developing modern infrastructure in Belarus, mainly in building out transit hubs - both train and airplane - across the country, investing in agricultural protection and expansion, building tech and industrial centers. These saw great boosts in job growth and wage growth in Belarus. However, after four years of continued investment, there was little else to show for it. Many of the state-backed firms had folded or were far behind schedule. Construction projects to begin building a high-speed rail line from Minsk to Moscow was supposed to break ground in 2024, missed its deadline, and had already become mired in cost-overruns.

However, that wasn’t all that happened during COVID. Later in 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military invasion of the territory of Artsakh, a Armenian breakaway state of Azerbaijan, backed by the Republic of Armenia. The invasion shocked The Union State who responded to the calls for aid from Armenia by sending in peacekeepers to enforce the current borders of the region. Nearly 30,000 Russian and Belarusian soldiers in all would deploy during the short two-week war that claimed hundreds of lives and 33 Russians. The intervention would devastate the relations between Russia and Azerbaijan and add flame to the already growing tensions between Turkey and Russia in Syria and the Middle East.

As the Union State emerged from the economic freeze of the pandemic, the situation in both countries would slowly begin to improve. Still, the two nations’ reliance on national resources - and particularly oil - remaining a pressing issue as the world began to lockdown on decoupling their economies from emissions. The 2020s saw several proposals by Russian President Kasyanov and several Union State funding iniatives aimed at enhancing Russia’s own green energy and transit sector in order to decouple its own economy. Other major efforts aim to further Union the entire region into a single Eurasian market and currency zone. In

In 2024, with the growing global trade wars and growing insecurity globally, the 2024 Russian presidential saw Kasyanov of the Democratic Union, a more liberal party take over from the more hardline parties, as well as winning a majority in the Union Parliament elections of 2024. 2025 looks to be interesting politically, with President Shoigu facing the first re election campaign of the Union State and his first challenger in Belarusian opposition leader and left-wing candidate Sergey Kalyakin, who has proven to be popular among many Belarusian and Russian circles. He will also face a potential challenger in Alexander Lukashenko himself, who has remained mum but has said he will not seek relection in the 2025 Belarusian elections, having an open election in the country for the first time since 1995. The 2025 Belarusian election sees a number of candidates putting their name in, but most eyes remain on Lukashenko and his potential bid for Union State presidency.

Accepted!

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 11:05 am

Mutadura wrote:Nationstates Name: Mutadura
Nation Name: Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Territory: Zimbabwe IRL
Population: 15, 418, 674
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Shona and Ndebele
Flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... we.svg.png
National Anthem (optional): Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe

Head of State: Emmerson Mnangagwa
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government: Constantino Chiwenga
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 024%29.jpg
Legislature Name: Parliament of Zimbabwe
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): House of Assembly - ZANU-PF (190 Seats), House of Senate - ZANU-PF (33)

GDP Nominal: $20.68B
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 1,676.8
GDP (PPP): 27.37 billion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $1,267
Currency: Zimbabwe Dollar

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

A Failed State - Beset by the scourge of hyperinflation, food insecurity, decaying infrastructure, and frequent power outages Zimbabwe is a country falling through the cracks as it struggles to grapple with nepotism and corruption which have transformed the nation from being the perverbial Jewel of Africa into a putrid cess pool where declining standards of living are just an ordinary fact of life.

The Second Republic - In 2017, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched a coup against their country's aging president Robert Mugabe with the backing and approval of China citing the need for stability and transparency, qualities whose absence has long retarded the growth and development of the nation. Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa upon being sworn in as Zimbabwe's third president spoke of the need for his country to confront its traumatizing past and its difficult state of affairs in the present by fighting against corruption, nepotism, flawed economic policies, and political polarization. Despite some rather surprising early successes, Mnangagwa's efforts have yet to come to fruition.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

The Curse of Isolation - Zimbabwe is one of a handful of African states whose future in the 21st century hangs in the balance in no small part due to human rights abuses, political violence, and rising national debt which have all served to prevent the nation from realizing its full potential a factor that has earned it the status of a pariah condemned to suffer from sanctions and a clear lack of foreign investment.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Same as IRL

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): None, Same as IRL

Do not remove - ALPHA777

Accepted!

by **Cybernetic Socialist Republics** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 12:36 pm

Same United Kingdom as last time, might have to edit things for different player countries:

Nationstates Name: Cybernetic Socialist Republics
Nation Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital: London
Territory: United Kingdom
Population: 85.5 Million
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Welsh
Flag:

National Anthem (optional):
Jerusalem

Head of State: Queen Victoria II
HoS Picture:

Head of Government: Prime Minister Rebecca Long-Bailey
HoG Picture (If different from HoS):

Legislature Name: Parliament of the United Kingdom
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): Labour Party (House of Commons & House of Lords Majority)

The Parliament of the United Kingdom is made up of two chambers.

The Lower Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Commons, made up of 630 Members of parliament (MPs) representing a district in each of the 'countries' making up the United Kingdom. They are elected whenever the Prime Minister recommends the monarch holds an election, or 5 years after the last election, which ever period comes first. Political parties run candidates for each seat & the leader of the party that wins the most seats gets the first opportunity to become the head of government, the prime minister, by getting a majority of voting MPs, to vote for the 'speech from the throne' that is presented to the monarch to read at the opening of the parliamentary session. At which point, the 'prime minister' is permitted to form a 'cabinet', by recommending individuals for the monarch to appoint to run 'ministries'. In practice, the monarch acts purely on the advice of the prime minister and in accordance with the confidence of the house of commons.

The Upper Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the House of Lords. After two rounds of reforms in the last 40 years, the modern House of Lords is a different body from what it once was, but its role is perhaps of greater importance than its' had in generations as a result. The House of Lords is made up of 315 members. 210 of which are elected through elections held every five years under a system of national proportional representation. 105 are selected by sortition from a list of eligible 'experts & stakeholders' representing a variety British companies, unions, universities, other non-governmental organizations & the Church of England. The House of Lords essentially serves as a home of 'sober second thought' to keep the House of Commons in check during attempts to pass legislation outside of its manifesto promises.

GDP Nominal: ~6.512 Trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 76,610
GDP (PPP): ~7.567 Trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: 89,025
Currency: British Pound

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

"And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green?"

While a large portion of The United Kingdom's sustained population growth can be attributed to decades of child-rearing friendly policies, the United Kingdom has achieved an annual 1% rate off growth largely through immigration, both in the form of high-skilled immigrants & refugees. While this has proven an economic boom, its also put driven up housing demand, which is lead to governments overriding the wishes of locals in the name of increased densification. Combined with cultural shifts both real & imagined, the European Union has been scapegoated as the cause of increase migration, fueling anti-EU sentiment. This isn't to say that the United Kingdom just lets anyone in, which is quite the source of controversy in of its self For anyone but the highest skilled migrants or those from an EU member state, the process involves being transported to one of multiple third-states part of The United Kingdom's 'Responsibility to Develop' Alliance & living there until given an opportunity to legally enter the country. Needless to say this strikes many liberals as draconian.

"And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?"

Though the British economy can be pointed as a model for low inequality & high economic growth, it is certainly not an economy without its losers. Small businesses struggle to compete with large conglomerates both privately and publicly owned, with the primary ambition of most start ups being to find a way to provide services to larger companies or even be outright purchased by them. Landlords have it difficult too, as competition between councils to provide more services or see's Land Value Taxes constantly climb, squeezing out small landlords for larger, corporate ones. A minimum wage was never implemented, instead poverty is fought through a combinations of a 'negative income tax', child benefits & the Universal Food Coupon. This isn't to say that there is a lack of wealth redistribution in the United Kingdom, or that its a play ground for the rich. On the contrary, the private sector now makes up a minority of the british economy, as the majority is either owned by state corporations or publicly traded corporations with significant employee ownership fund stakes. Britain's economic growth is strong, driven by tech informtion technology, colloquially called Britain's "A.I. Fish & Silicon Chips". Absolute Poverty is low & wealth inequality is decreasing, but the economy is highly impersonal & income inequality is growing, leading to Brits to search for 'meaning', often in some form of Nationalism, left-wing or right wing, civic or ethnic, while at the same time growing increasingly competitive with one another for the fruits of economic growth.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

"Bring me my Spear, O clouds unfold, Bring me my Chariot of fire!"

The sinking of the HMS Hermes during the Falklands war & the four year occupation of sovereign British territory had a profound impact on the British psyche. For Decades since the end of WW2, the United Kingdom was solidly quietly but assuredly into decline. It lost its empire, it shrunk its military & its economy stagnated. It seemed fully willing to fade into retirement as a global power & let the United States take the reigns. But four years of a ceasefire enforced by the United States Navy snapped Great Britain out of its slumber. It even lead to a grudging reproachment with Europe, specifically France as a partner to work with and learn from to build and maintain strategic independence from the United States. It forced a reassessment of the British economy to make it capable of feeding such a military machine & it least lead the United Kingdom to build an military capable of deter any of the world's superpowers from attempting to bully it. This isn't without negative consequences, national service & siege mentality has created a volatile domestic front & British intelligence services have been given free reign in supporting 'questionable' activities in the middle east & central Asia, its nearly certain that British training, money & equipment is indirectly tied to Islamist attacks on Russia & the USA alike. Most frightening of all, perhaps, is that national security apparatus' comfort with that fact.

"Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem"

The Inward-Looking Left-Wing Nationalism of the late Prime Minister Shore has by necessity shape-shifted into a globally committed internationalism upheld by both Labour & Conservative Prime Ministers when it became clear enough that The United Kingdom's metaphorical household would collapse in on its self if efforts weren't made to reach out into the world and not only address threats but bring back lessons & material that'd make it possible to 'reinforce' what they still had. As a mere great power, with a population far less the that of both the United States and Russia, never mind the PRC, Britain has sought international organizations to use as stilts to prop it up, from the United Nations to the European Union to its own Responsibility to Develop Alliance, when its able to mobilize their support, the United Kingdom is capable of functioning like a Quasi-Superpower. Consequently, the power of the United Kingdom is directly proportional to the strengthening of these global institutions & that strengthening requires more thab money & military might but unifying ideological direction. Having been governed by triangulating figures for the better part of the last 40 years, The current government of United Kingdom believes that it has such a vision to carry into the world, whether or not it'll be effective, or if it'll cause the United Kingdom to fall off its metaphorical stilts is an open question. Isolationists on the right consider this an attempt at the resurection of a socialist international, while anti-imperialists on the left consider it an attempt at resurrection of the British Empire.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):

~300 000 Regular
~360 000 Reservists

British Army
Royal Aerospace Force
Royal Navy

Tanks: 852
Vehicles: 108 812
Self-Propelled Artillery: 284
Towed Artillery: 504
Rocket Artillery: 164

Fighters: 480
Dedicated Attack: 116
Transports: 124
Trainers: 876
Special Mission: 104
Helicopters: 1,104
Attack Helicopters: 208

Aircraft Carriers: 3
Submarines: 40
Frigates: 16
Destroyers: 24
Mine Ships: 18
Patrol Vessels: 56
Amphibious Assault: 4

Other Military Information: During the Falklands Occupation, the British government committed to a gradual decoupling from the United States defense industrial base through domestic investment, cooperation with non-United States allies & a focus on weapons exports. While links with the United States are still strong, as of ~2020 the United Kingdom has accomplished strategic autonomy from the United States.

Military Changes:

The Type 43 destroyer program is resurrected in 1982

A Sister-ship to the French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier goes into service in 2001

BAe P.1216 Saker is developed, brought into service in ~2005

BAe P.125 Peregrine is developed, brought into service ~2015

BAe Nimrod AEW3 project isn't cancelled.

Two Nuclear Powered Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers enter service in 2017

Strong project partnerships/equipment overlaps with EU & RTD Nations

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL +

Responsibility To Develop Alliance:
Brazil
Pakistan
Sierra Leone
Ivory Coast
Guyana
Egypt
Kenya
Tanzania
Rwanda
South Sudan
South Africa
Arabia
Darfur

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):

"Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair, Peter Shore was the only possible Labour Party leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear." Patrick Cosgrave

Thatcher (1979-82)
- Michael Foot declines to run for the leadership of the Labour party in 1980, endorses Peter Shore, who elected to the leadership of the Labour party.
- The Falklands War starts with Argentine seizing South Georgia and the Falklands Islands. The United Kingdom liberates South Georgia, but the HMS Hermes is sunk in an naval engagement around the Falklands.
- The British government secures a 5 year lease from the United States for the Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, but the United Stats Navy intervenes to pressure both sides into a ceasefire afterward.
- The Conservatives drop spending on the military to 5% of GDP, but spin it as setting a 'floor' on military spending.
- The Conservatives fall into third place in polling behind the Labour Party & the Liberal-SDP Alliance, a wave of Tory MPs in at risk seats defect to the Liberal Party, costing the conservatives their majority and forcing an election.
- Princess Diana and Prince Charles have their first born, a daughter, who they name Victoria.

Shore/Jenkins/Steele (1982-1986)
- Labour wins a plurality of the seats and is forced into a coalition agreement with the SDP-LIberal Alliance, the agreement has five pillars: The introduction of Employee Ownership Funds, a Points-Based Immigration system, House of Lords Reform, local rates reform, a commitment to joining a European Single Market
- Right to buy legislation is introduced, aiming to sell off public housing to tenants.
- The British government cancels plans to sell a second round of its shares in British Aerospace, instead purchasing a few more percentages back to get a majority stake and rolling the HOTOL single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane project into it.
- Another attempt at reorganizing & investing in the semiconductor industry is made, as the United Kingdom looks for international partners, notably in the United States and Taiwan.
- Increase clandestine efforts by MI6 to support the Afghan Mujahideen in fighting the soviets & support the Pakistani nuclear program.
- A modified version of the Hirsel Lords reform is introduced, as 2/3rds of the House of Lords, is put up for proportional election every 5 years, with the final third appointed through a commission of parties represented in the commons.
- Male-preference primogeniture is abandoned for equal succession
- a Points based immigration system is introduced, with points set by a board in contact with stakeholders in housing construction & sectors in need of high-skill labour
- local rates are replaced with land value taxations, with the rate set to equal whatever a local government spent.
- Employee Ownership Funds are introduced, requiring medium & large businesses within the United Kingdom to setup of Employee Stock Ownership Plans & foreign companies to set up subsidardies
- A plan to close down & sell off the coal mines under the control of the National Coal Board is leaked to the press, with the plans contents confirmed. The leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers leads the Union into a strike, even as the British government criticizes them for failing to hold a vote over it
- After year of training and stalled peace talks over a ceasefire, the United Kingdom launches Operation Monroe in October of 1986, successfully taking the Falkland Islands back.
- Attempting to ride of the momentum of the war victory before the miners' strike carries into the winter, Labour triggers a general election.

Shore (1986-1991)
- Labour wins a relatively narrow majority, with the SDP-Liberal Alliance to avoiding collapse in the face of a recovering Conservative Party due to some protest votes over Labour's coal policy
- The Social Democrats and Liberal Party narrowly vote to merge to for the Liberal Democrats but its left leaning MPs end up going Labour & right leaning MPs joining the Conservatives.
- Promising not to 'Sacrifice socialism in Britain for socialism in one sector' the government announces an acceleration of the National Coal Board privatizations & closures, along with its expansion to other subsidized sectors outside of high-tech industries.
- The coal strike is broken, with legally minimum redundancies paid upon the closure of coal mines.
- As right to buy purchases slow down, full privatisation of housing commences, with the funds received directed to the National Investment Bank.
- Labour introduces welfare reform, with existing welfare programs are merged into a Negative Income Tax with work & training requirements.
- National Service is reintroduced for both domestic & military roles for both men and women, years of mandatory service are waived for married couples with children.
- Agricultural reforms are introduced, with a plan convert subsidies into a combination of market-rate loans & Universal Food Coupons.
- The HOTOL program receives renewed funding In partnership with the European Space Agency due to its potential usefulness for satellite deployment & as a research platform for hypersonic missile technologies
- The British governments signs on to agreement with Taiwan in the semiconductor sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in Taiwan & a sister company, British Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in the UK under a parent company "Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Company" based in Taiwan.
- The United Kingdom launches a cooperation with the French Government to build two sister ships to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
- A faction of the Labour party, opposed to a variety of market-friendly reforms & the governments commitment to nuclear energy, leaves to form the Green Party, the move includes MP defects & Labour only retains a majority thanks to the former SDP members who rejoined the party.
- Intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
- Prime Minister Shore leads Labour into the next election intending to run a highly Eurosceptic campaign, but the party's Eurosceptics are alienated members of the Labour Left & his Labour Right allies are strongly pro-europe.

Heseltine (1991-1995)
- Infighting in the Labour Party over European policy contributes to another campaign with an unclear European policy, this time defeated by the clear pro-Europe Michael Heseltine lead conservative party that narrowly misses a majority, is propped up by the Liberal Democrats in a supply agreement.
- The Heseltine government introduces a childcare benefit that compensates women for wages they could have earned had they entered the workforce, paid for largely by reducing Negative Income Tax payments.
- National Service is expanded to function both as a path to immigration & citizenship for foreigners & a source for public service labour.
- The British government signs on to the Maastricht treaty and joins the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
- Implements a variety of privatizations intended to open up British firms to foreign investment, along with the sale of public ownership stakes to employee funds.
- Increases deregulation of business ownership and employment practices on the advice of the business sector.
- United Kingdom supports a UN effort for an intervention in the Rwanda genocide, but primarily uses it as a means to strengthen aid and economic ties with Tanzania
- The UK withdraws from the ERM after a run on the pound. Heseltine remains on as leader, but infighting over Europe exasperated by a hard-pro Europe line from his Liberal Democrat partners leads him to trigger an year early election in 1995 in an attempt to reestablish his authority.

Blair I (1995-1999)
- Tony Blair, having become labour leader after the death of John Smith, wins a landslide majority over Micheal Heseltine's Conservatives throughly divided by infighting over the european union & a collapsed vote for the Liberal Democrats.
- Both the Bank of England & the National Investment Bank are given independence.
- An automatic windfall tax is instituted as a funding mechanism for the National Investment Bank.
- As part of an expansion 'tough on the causes of crime' policies, prisoners are given the opportunity to receive training while incarcerated &/or are put into work programs.
- Princess Victoria is in Manchester during the 1996 IRA bombing, visits young victims & the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Blair II (1999-2003)
- The United Kingdom carries out a military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War, signs the "Responsibility To Develop" Act, putting a floor on foreign aid funding of 0.7% of GDP while prioritizing nations that the United Kingdom has engaged in military interventions on behalf of
- The United Kingdom aids the United States' intervention in Afghanistan through its strengthened ties to the pakistani government due to the recent success of their nuclear program.
- A drastic expansion of specialist schools is introduced, connecting them to British businesses & designing their education around their requirements.
- The House of Lords faces another reform, which replaces the appointed positions with a variety of professionals in different fields selected by sortition.

Blair III (2003-2005)
- Labour wins another majority as the conservative party is split by infighting over whether the UK should adopt the euro, keep the status quo with Europe or leave the European union entirely.
- Brazil joins the Responsiblity to Develop Alliance as a key regional partner.
- A variety of reforms are made to the Labour Party to embed trade unions, building societies, credit unions, consumer unions & cooperatives into the party structure
- PPL Therapeutics, of fame from the cloning of Dolly the Sheep, is rescued from bankruptcy through nationalisation, prompting the start of a biotechnology 'reorganization' seeking to replicate the success of the reorganization Semiconductor sector in the 80s.
- Blair resigns, paving the way for Chancellor Gordon Brown to become leader of the Labour Party & Prime Minister unopposed.
- Princess Victoria graduates from Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a fast jet pilot.

Brown I (2005-2007)
-The situation in Sudan starts to sour, as the United Kingdom finds its intervention increasingly relying on aligning with de facto independent separatists forces in South Sudan
- The first test flights of the HOTOL program start, while so far infeasible for commercial usage, it gradually finds a role in the deployment of military & spy satellites.
- 'Jerusalem', without lyrics, is adopted as a secondary National Anthem.
- Brown calls an election, aiming to win his own mandate.

Brown II (2007-2012)
- Labour wins a single digit seat majority over the conservatives even thought they are the defeated by them in the popular vote due to conservative vote, inefficiency & vote splitting with the liberal democrats
- In response to 2008 financial crisis, large section of the Bank of England's quantitively easing programs involves funding the National Investment Bank's establishment of a Social Wealth Fund separate from the employee ownership funds.
- United Kingdom draws down its already reluctant commitment in Afghanistan to the absolute minimum.
- The UK works with France to call for a mediated end to a spike in ethnic conflict in Kenya, comes to agreement to improve supply of its intervention in southern Sudan and Darfur
- The United Kingdom backs South Sudanese independence and starts a process intended to shift peacekeeping responsibilities in Darfur to African countries, specifically those its most closely aligned with.
- After the overthrow of the Egyptian government during the arab spring, the MI6 passes the Egypt's intelligence services British support for Egypt's position in controversies over the Nile provided that Egypt proves a friend to British interests.
- Value Added Tax is increased & a variety of tax credits are phased out in an effort to increase revenue & shrink the deficit.

Cameron/Clegg (2012-2015)
- David Cameron's Conservative party wins enough seats to form a coalition government with the Liberal democrats, after years in power & discomfort with recent economic policies
- Referendums on both Alternative Voting and Scottish Independence are held and soundly defeated.
- Introduces a large swathe of new service fees for public services that'd been previously been free in an effort to boost revenue & control costs to prevent the abuse of services.
- Corporate Income Taxes start being phased out in favor of a smaller increase in employee ownership fund contributions
- Conflict with coalition partners over the prospect of a referendum on the European Union among other issues leads to Cameron calling an early election in 2015

Cameron (2015-2019)
- David Cameron wins re-election over the David Miliband led Labour Party, securing the first majority for the Conservative Party since Thatcher in 1979
- Defeat of David Miliband sees the Labour Party comes under the control of the "Neo-Shoreites".
- A referendum on European Union Membership is held with inconclusive results that lead to court battles over the counting of overseas votes, the courts confirm a very narrow Remain victory.
- The United Kingdom implements deregulatory reforms to reduce business & labor regulations towards the European Union's minimums.
- A process to convert the United Kingdom's pollution regulation system into fees charged to polluters & that pay for a Universal Environmental Benefit starts.
- A Brexit Party is created and threatens to run candidates in the next general election if the Conservatives don't make the next election a referendum on brexit
- David Cameron resigns in the face of a largely ungovernable conservative party, with Theresa May selected by the party as a soft Brexit compromise

May (2019-2020)
- Pro-EU Conservatives and Pro-Euro Adoption Labour MPs join to form The Independent Group for Change
- With the defection of much of the Labour right, the remains of the Labour Party becomes definitively "Neo-Shoreite".
- Labour leaves the Socialists and Democrats party grouping in Europe and the Socialist International to join DiEM25 & the Progressive International
- The Brexit Party wins the most seats in the 2019 European Election in the United Kingdom, with Labour in second.
- Prime Minister May is forced to call a lockdown In late march due to COVID weeks before a General election must be called, with allowances made for mail-in voting.
- The Conservatives adopt a 'second referendum' as policy in an effort to stop losing support to both Eurosceptics & pro Europeans, splitting the party further.

Long-Bailey (2020-2024)
- The Independent Group for Change, the Brexit Party & the Liberal Democrats eat into the opposition vote decisively allowing for Rebecca Long-Bailey to lead the Labour party to a majority election victory with just under ~35% of the popular vote.
- Princess Victoria serves in carrier strike group flying the BAe P.125 Peregrine
- The HOTOL program produces its first commercially viable single stage to orbit spaceplane for commercial launches.
- Private schools are made to convert into cooperatively owned specialist schools or state schools
- In response to the Bolsonaro Administration in Brazil's efforts to approve additional logging in the Amazon Rainforest, the United Kingdom adopts a variety of covert & overt measures to undermine his government
- Under the Freedom of Information Act, documents about a program to direct HOTOL program expenditures towards development of technologies useful for 'submarine launched hypersonic cruise missiles' are released.
- United Kingdom warns outgoing Bolsonaro administration & the brazillian military to respect the results of the 2022 elections.
- King Charles dies from COVID-related complications
- An election is called, while the Independent Group for Change's merging with the Liberal Democrats decreases vote spliting, the Brexit Party, renamed as the Reform Party, has continued to split the conservative party vote.

Long-Bailey II (2024-)
- Labour wins a landslide majority with the Reform Party securing a position as the second largest party & therefore the official opposition.
- A reworded "Jerusalem" is adopted as the National anthem of the United Kingdom in the run up to the coronation of Queen Victoria II

Do not remove - ALPHA777

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:15 pm

Cybernetic Socialist Republics wrote:Same United Kingdom as last time, might have to edit things for different player countries:

Nationstates Name: Cybernetic Socialist Republics
Nation Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital: London
Territory: United Kingdom
Population: 85.5 Million
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Welsh
Flag:
(Image)
National Anthem (optional):
Jerusalem

Head of State: Queen Victoria II
HoS Picture:
(Image)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Rebecca Long-Bailey
HoG Picture (If different from HoS):
(Image)
Legislature Name: Parliament of the United Kingdom
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): Labour Party (House of Commons & House of Lords Majority)

The Parliament of the United Kingdom is made up of two chambers.

The Lower Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Commons, made up of 630 Members of parliament (MPs) representing a district in each of the 'countries' making up the United Kingdom. They are elected whenever the Prime Minister recommends the monarch holds an election, or 5 years after the last election, which ever period comes first. Political parties run candidates for each seat & the leader of the party that wins the most seats gets the first opportunity to become the head of government, the prime minister, by getting a majority of voting MPs, to vote for the 'speech from the throne' that is presented to the monarch to read at the opening of the parliamentary session. At which point, the 'prime minister' is permitted to form a 'cabinet', by recommending individuals for the monarch to appoint to run 'ministries'. In practice, the monarch acts purely on the advice of the prime minister and in accordance with the confidence of the house of commons.

The Upper Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the House of Lords. After two rounds of reforms in the last 40 years, the modern House of Lords is a different body from what it once was, but its role is perhaps of greater importance than its' had in generations as a result. The House of Lords is made up of 315 members. 210 of which are elected through elections held every five years under a system of national proportional representation. 105 are selected by sortition from a list of eligible 'experts & stakeholders' representing a variety British companies, unions, universities, other non-governmental organizations & the Church of England. The House of Lords essentially serves as a home of 'sober second thought' to keep the House of Commons in check during attempts to pass legislation outside of its manifesto promises.

GDP Nominal: ~6.512 Trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 76,610
GDP (PPP): ~7.567 Trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: 89,025
Currency: British Pound

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

"And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green?"

While a large portion of The United Kingdom's sustained population growth can be attributed to decades of child-rearing friendly policies, the United Kingdom has achieved an annual 1% rate off growth largely through immigration, both in the form of high-skilled immigrants & refugees. While this has proven an economic boom, its also put driven up housing demand, which is lead to governments overriding the wishes of locals in the name of increased densification. Combined with cultural shifts both real & imagined, the European Union has been scapegoated as the cause of increase migration, fueling anti-EU sentiment. This isn't to say that the United Kingdom just lets anyone in, which is quite the source of controversy in of its self For anyone but the highest skilled migrants or those from an EU member state, the process involves being transported to one of multiple third-states part of The United Kingdom's 'Responsibility to Develop' Alliance & living there until given an opportunity to legally enter the country. Needless to say this strikes many liberals as draconian.

"And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?"

Though the British economy can be pointed as a model for low inequality & high economic growth, it is certainly not an economy without its losers. Small businesses struggle to compete with large conglomerates both privately and publicly owned, with the primary ambition of most start ups being to find a way to provide services to larger companies or even be outright purchased by them. Landlords have it difficult too, as competition between councils to provide more services or see's Land Value Taxes constantly climb, squeezing out small landlords for larger, corporate ones. A minimum wage was never implemented, instead poverty is fought through a combinations of a 'negative income tax', child benefits & the Universal Food Coupon. This isn't to say that there is a lack of wealth redistribution in the United Kingdom, or that its a play ground for the rich. On the contrary, the private sector now makes up a minority of the british economy, as the majority is either owned by state corporations or publicly traded corporations with significant employee ownership fund stakes. Britain's economic growth is strong, driven by tech informtion technology, colloquially called Britain's "A.I. Fish & Silicon Chips". Absolute Poverty is low & wealth inequality is decreasing, but the economy is highly impersonal & income inequality is growing, leading to Brits to search for 'meaning', often in some form of Nationalism, left-wing or right wing, civic or ethnic, while at the same time growing increasingly competitive with one another for the fruits of economic growth.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

"Bring me my Spear, O clouds unfold, Bring me my Chariot of fire!"

The sinking of the HMS Hermes during the Falklands war & the four year occupation of sovereign British territory had a profound impact on the British psyche. For Decades since the end of WW2, the United Kingdom was solidly quietly but assuredly into decline. It lost its empire, it shrunk its military & its economy stagnated. It seemed fully willing to fade into retirement as a global power & let the United States take the reigns. But four years of a ceasefire enforced by the United States Navy snapped Great Britain out of its slumber. It even lead to a grudging reproachment with Europe, specifically France as a partner to work with and learn from to build and maintain strategic independence from the United States. It forced a reassessment of the British economy to make it capable of feeding such a military machine & it least lead the United Kingdom to build an military capable of deter any of the world's superpowers from attempting to bully it. This isn't without negative consequences, national service & siege mentality has created a volatile domestic front & British intelligence services have been given free reign in supporting 'questionable' activities in the middle east & central Asia, its nearly certain that British training, money & equipment is indirectly tied to Islamist attacks on the USSR & the USA alike. Most frightening of all, perhaps, is that national security apparatus' comfort with that fact.

"Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem"

The Inward-Looking Left-Wing Nationalism of the late Prime Minister Shore has by necessity shape-shifted into a globally committed internationalism upheld by both Labour & Conservative Prime Ministers when it became clear enough that The United Kingdom's metaphorical household would collapse in on its self if efforts weren't made to reach out into the world and not only address threats but bring back lessons & material that'd make it possible to 'reinforce' what they still had. As a mere great power, with a population less then a third of that of both the United States and the USSR, never mind the PRC, Britain has sought international organizations to use as stilts to prop up, from the United Nations to the European Union to its own Responsibility to Develop Alliance, when its able to mobilize their support, the United Kingdom is capable of functioning like a Quasi-Superpower. Consequently, the power of the United Kingdom is directly proportional to the strengthening of these global institutions & that strengthening requires more thab money & military might but unifying ideological direction. Having been governed by triangulating figures for the better part of the last 40 years, The current government of United Kingdom believes that it has such a vision to carry into the world, whether or not it'll be effective, or if it'll cause the United Kingdom to fall off its metaphorical stilts is an open question. Isolationists on the right consider this an attempt at the resurection of a socialist international, while anti-imperialists on the left consider it an attempt at resurrection of the British Empire.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):

~300 000 Regular
~360 000 Reservists

British Army
Royal Aerospace Force
Royal Navy

Tanks: 852
Vehicles: 108 812
Self-Propelled Artillery: 284
Towed Artillery: 504
Rocket Artillery: 164

Fighters: 480
Dedicated Attack: 116
Transports: 124
Trainers: 876
Special Mission: 104
Helicopters: 1,104
Attack Helicopters: 208

Aircraft Carriers: 3
Submarines: 40
Frigates: 16
Destroyers: 24
Mine Ships: 18
Patrol Vessels: 56
Amphibious Assault: 4

Other Military Information: During the Falklands Occupation, the British government committed to a gradual decoupling from the United States defense industrial base through domestic investment, cooperation with non-United States allies & a focus on weapons exports. While links with the United States are still strong, as of ~2020 the United Kingdom has accomplished strategic autonomy from the United States.

Military Changes:

The Type 43 destroyer program is resurrected in 1982

A Sister-ship to the French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier goes into service in 2001

BAe P.1216 Saker is developed, brought into service in ~2005

BAe P.125 Peregrine is developed, brought into service ~2015

BAe Nimrod AEW3 project isn't cancelled.

Two Nuclear Powered Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers enter service in 2017

Strong project partnerships/equipment overlaps with EU & RTD Nations

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL +

Responsibility To Develop Alliance:
Pakistan
Sierra Leone
Ivory Coast
Guyana
Egypt
Kenya
Tanzania
Rwanda
South Sudan
South Africa
Arabia
Darfur

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):

"Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair, Peter Shore was the only possible Labour Party leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear." Patrick Cosgrave

Thatcher (1979-82)
- Michael Foot declines to run for the leadership of the Labour party in 1980, endorses Peter Shore, who elected to the leadership of the Labour party.
- The Falklands War starts with Argentine seizing South Georgia and the Falklands Islands. The United Kingdom liberates South Georgia, but the HMS Hermes is sunk in an naval engagement around the Falklands.
- The British government secures a 5 year lease from the United States for the Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, but the United Stats Navy intervenes to pressure both sides into a ceasefire afterward.
- The Conservatives drop spending on the military to 5% of GDP, but spin it as setting a 'floor' on military spending.
- The Conservatives fall into third place in polling behind the Labour Party & the Liberal-SDP Alliance, a wave of Tory MPs in at risk seats defect to the Liberal Party, costing the conservatives their majority and forcing an election.
- Princess Diana and Prince Charles have their first born, a daughter, who they name Victoria.

Shore/Jenkins/Steele (1982-1986)
- Labour wins a plurality of the seats and is forced into a coalition agreement with the SDP-LIberal Alliance, the agreement has five pillars: The introduction of Employee Ownership Funds, a Points-Based Immigration system, House of Lords Reform, local rates reform, a commitment to joining a European Single Market
- Right to buy legislation is introduced, aiming to sell off public housing to tenants.
- The British government cancels plans to sell a second round of its shares in British Aerospace, instead purchasing a few more percentages back to get a majority stake and rolling the HOTOL single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane project into it.
- Another attempt at reorganizing & investing in the semiconductor industry is made, as the United Kingdom looks for international partners, notably in the United States and Taiwan.
- Increase clandestine efforts by MI6 to support the Afghan Mujahideen in fighting the soviets & support the Pakistani nuclear program.
- A modified version of the Hirsel Lords reform is introduced, as 2/3rds of the House of Lords, is put up for proportional election every 5 years, with the final third appointed through a commission of parties represented in the commons.
- Male-preference primogeniture is abandoned for equal succession
- a Points based immigration system is introduced, with points set by a board in contact with stakeholders in housing construction & sectors in need of high-skill labour
- local rates are replaced with land value taxations, with the rate set to equal whatever a local government spent.
- Employee Ownership Funds are introduced, requiring medium & large businesses within the United Kingdom to setup of Employee Stock Ownership Plans & foreign companies to set up subsidardies
- A plan to close down & sell off the coal mines under the control of the National Coal Board is leaked to the press, with the plans contents confirmed. The leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers leads the Union into a strike, even as the British government criticizes them for failing to hold a vote over it
- After year of training and stalled peace talks over a ceasefire, the United Kingdom launches Operation Monroe in October of 1986, successfully taking the Falkland Islands back.
- Attempting to ride of the momentum of the war victory before the miners' strike carries into the winter, Labour triggers a general election.

Shore (1986-1991)
- Labour wins a relatively narrow majority, with the SDP-Liberal Alliance to avoiding collapse in the face of a recovering Conservative Party due to some protest votes over Labour's coal policy
- The Social Democrats and Liberal Party narrowly vote to merge to for the Liberal Democrats but its left leaning MPs end up going Labour & right leaning MPs joining the Conservatives.
- Promising not to 'Sacrifice socialism in Britain for socialism in one sector' the government announces an acceleration of the National Coal Board privatizations & closures, along with its expansion to other subsidized sectors outside of high-tech industries.
- The coal strike is broken, with legally minimum redundancies paid upon the closure of coal mines.
- As right to buy purchases slow down, full privatisation of housing commences, with the funds received directed to the National Investment Bank.
- Labour introduces welfare reform, with existing welfare programs are merged into a Negative Income Tax with work & training requirements.
- National Service is reintroduced for both domestic & military roles for both men and women, years of mandatory service are waived for married couples with children.
- Agricultural reforms are introduced, with a plan convert subsidies into a combination of market-rate loans & Universal Food Coupons.
- The HOTOL program receives renewed funding In partnership with the European Space Agency due to its potential usefulness for satellite deployment & as a research platform for hypersonic missile technologies
- The British governments signs on to agreement with Taiwan in the semiconductor sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in Taiwan & a sister company, British Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in the UK under a parent company "Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Company" based in Taiwan.
- The United Kingdom launches a cooperation with the French Government to build two sister ships to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
- A faction of the Labour party, opposed to a variety of market-friendly reforms & the governments commitment to nuclear energy, leaves to form the Green Party, the move includes MP defects & Labour only retains a majority thanks to the former SDP members who rejoined the party.
- Intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
- Prime Minister Shore leads Labour into the next election intending to run a highly Eurosceptic campaign, but the party's Eurosceptics are alienated members of the Labour Left & his Labour Right allies are strongly pro-europe.

Heseltine (1991-1995)
- Infighting in the Labour Party over European policy contributes to another campaign with an unclear European policy, this time defeated by the clear pro-Europe Michael Heseltine lead conservative party that narrowly misses a majority, is propped up by the Liberal Democrats in a supply agreement.
- The Heseltine government introduces a childcare benefit that compensates women for wages they could have earned had they entered the workforce, paid for largely by reducing Negative Income Tax payments.
- National Service is expanded to function both as a path to immigration & citizenship for foreigners & a source for public service labour.
- The British government signs on to the Maastricht treaty and joins the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
- Implements a variety of privatizations intended to open up British firms to foreign investment, along with the sale of public ownership stakes to employee funds.
- Increases deregulation of business ownership and employment practices on the advice of the business sector.
- United Kingdom supports a UN effort for an intervention in the Rwanda genocide, but primarily uses it as a means to strengthen aid and economic ties with Tanzania
- The UK withdraws from the ERM after a run on the pound. Heseltine remains on as leader, but infighting over Europe exasperated by a hard-pro Europe line from his Liberal Democrat partners leads him to trigger an year early election in 1995 in an attempt to reestablish his authority.

Blair I (1995-1999)
- Tony Blair, having become labour leader after the death of John Smith, wins a landslide majority over Micheal Heseltine's Conservatives throughly divided by infighting over the european union & a collapsed vote for the Liberal Democrats.
- Both the Bank of England & the National Investment Bank are given independence.
- An automatic windfall tax is instituted as a funding mechanism for the National Investment Bank.
- As part of an expansion 'tough on the causes of crime' policies, prisoners are given the opportunity to receive training while incarcerated &/or are put into work programs.
- Princess Victoria is in Manchester during the 1996 IRA bombing, visits young victims & the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Blair II (1999-2003)
- The United Kingdom carries out a military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War, signs the "Responsibility To Develop" Act, putting a floor on foreign aid funding of 0.7% of GDP while prioritizing nations that the United Kingdom has engaged in military interventions on behalf of
- The United Kingdom aids the United States' intervention in Afghanistan through its strengthened ties to the pakistani government due to the recent success of their nuclear program.
- A drastic expansion of specialist schools is introduced, connecting them to British businesses & designing their education around their requirements.
- The House of Lords faces another reform, which replaces the appointed positions with a variety of professionals in different fields selected by sortition.

Blair III (2003-2005)
- Labour wins another majority as the conservative party is split by infighting over whether the UK should adopt the euro, keep the status quo with Europe or leave the European union entirely.
- A variety of reforms are made to the Labour Party to embed trade unions, building societies, credit unions, consumer unions & cooperatives into the party structure
- Blair resigns, paving the way for Brown to become leader of the Labour Party & Prime Minister unopposed.
- Princess Victoria graduates from Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a fast jet pilot.

Brown I (2005-2007)
-The situation in Sudan starts to sour, as the United Kingdom finds its intervention increasingly relying on aligning with de facto independent separatists forces in South Sudan
- The first test flights of the HOTOL program start, while so far infeasible for commercial usage, it gradually finds a role in the deployment of military & spy satellites.
- 'Jerusalem', without lyrics, is adopted as a secondary National Anthem.
- Brown calls an election, aiming to win his own mandate.

Brown II (2007-2012)
- Labour wins a single digit seat majority over the conservatives even thought they are the defeated by them in the popular vote due to conservative vote, inefficiency & vote splitting with the liberal democrats
- In response to 2008 financial crisis, large section of the Bank of England's quantitively easing programs involves funding the National Investment Bank's establishment of a Social Wealth Fund separate from the employee ownership funds.
- United Kingdom draws down its already reluctant commitment in Afghanistan to the absolute minimum.
- The UK works with France to call for a mediated end to a spike in ethnic conflict in Kenya, comes to agreement to improve supply of its intervention in southern Sudan and Darfur
- The United Kingdom backs South Sudanese independence and starts a process intended to shift peacekeeping responsibilities in Darfur to African countries, specifically those its most closely aligned with.
- After the overthrow of the Egyptian government during the arab spring, the MI6 passes the Egypt's intelligence services British support for Egypt's position in controversies over the Nile provided that Egypt proves a friend to British interests.
- Value Added Tax is increased & a variety of tax credits are phased out in an effort to increase revenue & shrink the deficit.

Cameron/Clegg (2012-2015)
- David Cameron's Conservative party wins enough seats to form a coalition government with the Liberal democrats, after years in power & discomfort with recent economic policies
- Referendums on both Alternative Voting and Scottish Independence are held and soundly defeated.
- Introduces a large swathe of new service fees for public services that'd been previously been free in an effort to boost revenue & control costs to prevent the abuse of services.
- Corporate Income Taxes start being phased out in favor of a smaller increase in employee ownership fund contributions
- Conflict with coalition partners over the prospect of a referendum on the European Union among other issues leads to Cameron calling an early election in 2015

Cameron (2015-2019)
- David Cameron wins re-election over the David Miliband led Labour Party, securing the first majority for the Conservative Party since Thatcher in 1979
- Defeat of David Miliband sees the Labour Party comes under the control of the "Neo-Shoreites".
- A referendum on European Union Membership is held with inconclusive results that lead to court battles over the counting of overseas votes, the courts confirm a very narrow Remain victory.
- The United Kingdom implements deregulatory reforms to reduce business and labor regulations towards the European Union's minimums.
- A process to convert the United Kingdom's pollution regulation system into fees charged to polluters & that pay for a Universal Environmental Benefit starts.
- Venezuela Invades Guyana, taking and occupying Essequibo, despite the United Kingdom's protests.
- The United Kingdom deploys marines other military assets to Guyana outside of Venezuela occupied territory & engages in multi-lateral talks.
- A Brexit Party is created and threatens to run candidates in the next general election if the Conservatives don't make the next election a referendum on brexit
- David Cameron resigns in the face of a largely ungovernable conservative party, with Theresa May selected by the party as a soft Brexit compromise

May (2019-2020)
- Pro-EU Conservatives and Pro-Euro Adoption Labour MPs join to form The Independent Group for Change
- With the defection of much of the Labour right, the remains of the Labour Party becomes definitively "Neo-Shoreite".
- Labour leaves the Socialists and Democrats party grouping in Europe and the Socialist International to join DiEM25 & the Progressive International
- The Brexit Party wins the most seats in the 2019 European Election in the United Kingdom, with Labour in second.
- Prime Minister May is forced to call a lockdown In late march due to COVID weeks before a General election must be called, with allowances made for mail-in voting.
- The Conservatives adopt a 'second referendum' as policy in an effort to stop losing support to both Eurosceptics & pro Europeans, splitting the party further.

Long-Bailey (2020-2024)
- The Independent Group for Change, the Brexit Party & the Liberal Democrats eat into the opposition vote decisively allowing for Rebecca Long-Bailey to lead the Labour party to a majority election victory with just under ~35% of the popular vote.
- Princess Victoria serves in carrier strike group flying the BAe P.125 Peregrine
- The HOTOL program produces its first commercially viable single stage to orbit spaceplane for commercial launches.
- Private schools are made to convert into cooperatively owned specialist schools or state schools
- In the midst of stalled talks over Venezuela occupied Essequibo, Exxon Mobil announces the discovery of new oil reserves in the region.
- Under the Freedom of Information Act, documents about a program to direct HOTOL program expenditures towards development of technologies useful for 'submarine launched hypersonic anti-ship cruise missiles' are released.
- Guyana, with ground, air and sea support from the United Kingdom, launches a successful operation to retake Essequibo from Venezuela
- King Charles dies from COVID-related complications
- An election is called, while the Independent Group for Change's merging with the Liberal Democrats decreases vote splitting, the Brexit Party, renamed as the Reform Party, has continued to split the conservative party vote.

Long-Bailey II (2024-)
- Labour wins a landslide majority with the Reform Party securing a position as the second largest party & therefore the official opposition.
- A reworded "Jerusalem" is adopted as the National anthem of the United Kingdom in the run up to the coronation of Queen Victoria II

Do not remove - ALPHA777

Overall works! Only major changes I think are no USSR. Also, I doubt Venezuela does anything with Guyana but if they do, I recommend you and I talk as the U.S. would not take very kindly to the UK violating the Monroe Doctrine.

by **Mifan** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 1:50 pm

NS Name: Mifan
Nation Reserving: People's Republic of China
Territory: IRL China

DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

by **Cybernetic Socialist Republics** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 2:16 pm

Chewion wrote:Overall works! Only major changes I think are no USSR. Also, I doubt Venezuela does anything with Guyana but if they do, I recommend you and I talk as the U.S. would not take very kindly to the UK violating the Monroe Doctrine.

I've replaced USSR with Russia, I've dropped the venezuela thing & replaced it with a brazil thing that'll be a place holder until there's a brazil player. Part of the point in interfering in the americas, especially after the new republican administration in the US, is precisely to see how far the UK can get away with violating the monroe doctrine.

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:00 pm

Cybernetic Socialist Republics wrote:
Chewion wrote:Overall works! Only major changes I think are no USSR. Also, I doubt Venezuela does anything with Guyana but if they do, I recommend you and I talk as the U.S. would not take very kindly to the UK violating the Monroe Doctrine.

I've replaced USSR with Russia, I've dropped the venezuela thing & replaced it with a brazil thing that'll be a place holder until there's a brazil player. Part of the point in interfering in the americas, especially after the new republican administration in the US, is precisely to see how far the UK can get away with violating the monroe doctrine.

The new Republican administration doesn’t come into place until the start of the RP just to clarify. So depending on when this intervention occurs, it was under the Biden Administration.

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:01 pm

Just to make sure I got it right, the Brazil thing is the UK warning the outgoing Brazilian administration correct?

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:33 pm

Other question: Can you please further explain the Responsibility To Develop Alliance please? Like what it looks like structurally or what its function is please? Like is it like NATO or The Commonwealth?

by **Cybernetic Socialist Republics** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:37 pm

Chewion wrote:Just to make sure I got it right, the Brazil thing is the UK warning the outgoing Brazilian administration correct?

Basically the idea here is to ward off a 'coup' attempt by the previous government against the new government.

Chewion wrote:Other question: Can you please further explain the Responsibility To Develop Alliance please? Like what it looks like structurally or what its function is please? Like is it like NATO or The Commonwealth?

Its more like a Belt & Road Initiative but more of a formal organization. Essentially the UK gives them priority in foreign aid, trade & migration agreements.

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 3:55 pm

Cybernetic Socialist Republics wrote:Same United Kingdom as last time, might have to edit things for different player countries:

Nationstates Name: Cybernetic Socialist Republics
Nation Name: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Capital: London
Territory: United Kingdom
Population: 85.5 Million
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Welsh
Flag:
(Image)
National Anthem (optional):
Jerusalem

Head of State: Queen Victoria II
HoS Picture:
(Image)
Head of Government: Prime Minister Rebecca Long-Bailey
HoG Picture (If different from HoS):
(Image)
Legislature Name: Parliament of the United Kingdom
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): Labour Party (House of Commons & House of Lords Majority)

The Parliament of the United Kingdom is made up of two chambers.

The Lower Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom is the House of Commons, made up of 630 Members of parliament (MPs) representing a district in each of the 'countries' making up the United Kingdom. They are elected whenever the Prime Minister recommends the monarch holds an election, or 5 years after the last election, which ever period comes first. Political parties run candidates for each seat & the leader of the party that wins the most seats gets the first opportunity to become the head of government, the prime minister, by getting a majority of voting MPs, to vote for the 'speech from the throne' that is presented to the monarch to read at the opening of the parliamentary session. At which point, the 'prime minister' is permitted to form a 'cabinet', by recommending individuals for the monarch to appoint to run 'ministries'. In practice, the monarch acts purely on the advice of the prime minister and in accordance with the confidence of the house of commons.

The Upper Chamber of the Parliament of the United Kingdom consists of the House of Lords. After two rounds of reforms in the last 40 years, the modern House of Lords is a different body from what it once was, but its role is perhaps of greater importance than its' had in generations as a result. The House of Lords is made up of 315 members. 210 of which are elected through elections held every five years under a system of national proportional representation. 105 are selected by sortition from a list of eligible 'experts & stakeholders' representing a variety British companies, unions, universities, other non-governmental organizations & the Church of England. The House of Lords essentially serves as a home of 'sober second thought' to keep the House of Commons in check during attempts to pass legislation outside of its manifesto promises.

GDP Nominal: ~6.512 Trillion
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 76,610
GDP (PPP): ~7.567 Trillion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: 89,025
Currency: British Pound

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

"And did those feet in ancient time, Walk upon Englands mountains green?"

While a large portion of The United Kingdom's sustained population growth can be attributed to decades of child-rearing friendly policies, the United Kingdom has achieved an annual 1% rate off growth largely through immigration, both in the form of high-skilled immigrants & refugees. While this has proven an economic boom, its also put driven up housing demand, which is lead to governments overriding the wishes of locals in the name of increased densification. Combined with cultural shifts both real & imagined, the European Union has been scapegoated as the cause of increase migration, fueling anti-EU sentiment. This isn't to say that the United Kingdom just lets anyone in, which is quite the source of controversy in of its self For anyone but the highest skilled migrants or those from an EU member state, the process involves being transported to one of multiple third-states part of The United Kingdom's 'Responsibility to Develop' Alliance & living there until given an opportunity to legally enter the country. Needless to say this strikes many liberals as draconian.

"And was Jerusalem builded here, Among these dark Satanic Mills?"

Though the British economy can be pointed as a model for low inequality & high economic growth, it is certainly not an economy without its losers. Small businesses struggle to compete with large conglomerates both privately and publicly owned, with the primary ambition of most start ups being to find a way to provide services to larger companies or even be outright purchased by them. Landlords have it difficult too, as competition between councils to provide more services or see's Land Value Taxes constantly climb, squeezing out small landlords for larger, corporate ones. A minimum wage was never implemented, instead poverty is fought through a combinations of a 'negative income tax', child benefits & the Universal Food Coupon. This isn't to say that there is a lack of wealth redistribution in the United Kingdom, or that its a play ground for the rich. On the contrary, the private sector now makes up a minority of the british economy, as the majority is either owned by state corporations or publicly traded corporations with significant employee ownership fund stakes. Britain's economic growth is strong, driven by tech informtion technology, colloquially called Britain's "A.I. Fish & Silicon Chips". Absolute Poverty is low & wealth inequality is decreasing, but the economy is highly impersonal & income inequality is growing, leading to Brits to search for 'meaning', often in some form of Nationalism, left-wing or right wing, civic or ethnic, while at the same time growing increasingly competitive with one another for the fruits of economic growth.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

"Bring me my Spear, O clouds unfold, Bring me my Chariot of fire!"

The sinking of the HMS Hermes during the Falklands war & the four year occupation of sovereign British territory had a profound impact on the British psyche. For Decades since the end of WW2, the United Kingdom was solidly quietly but assuredly into decline. It lost its empire, it shrunk its military & its economy stagnated. It seemed fully willing to fade into retirement as a global power & let the United States take the reigns. But four years of a ceasefire enforced by the United States Navy snapped Great Britain out of its slumber. It even lead to a grudging reproachment with Europe, specifically France as a partner to work with and learn from to build and maintain strategic independence from the United States. It forced a reassessment of the British economy to make it capable of feeding such a military machine & it least lead the United Kingdom to build an military capable of deter any of the world's superpowers from attempting to bully it. This isn't without negative consequences, national service & siege mentality has created a volatile domestic front & British intelligence services have been given free reign in supporting 'questionable' activities in the middle east & central Asia, its nearly certain that British training, money & equipment is indirectly tied to Islamist attacks on Russia & the USA alike. Most frightening of all, perhaps, is that national security apparatus' comfort with that fact.

"Nor shall my Sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem"

The Inward-Looking Left-Wing Nationalism of the late Prime Minister Shore has by necessity shape-shifted into a globally committed internationalism upheld by both Labour & Conservative Prime Ministers when it became clear enough that The United Kingdom's metaphorical household would collapse in on its self if efforts weren't made to reach out into the world and not only address threats but bring back lessons & material that'd make it possible to 'reinforce' what they still had. As a mere great power, with a population far less the that of both the United States and Russia, never mind the PRC, Britain has sought international organizations to use as stilts to prop it up, from the United Nations to the European Union to its own Responsibility to Develop Alliance, when its able to mobilize their support, the United Kingdom is capable of functioning like a Quasi-Superpower. Consequently, the power of the United Kingdom is directly proportional to the strengthening of these global institutions & that strengthening requires more thab money & military might but unifying ideological direction. Having been governed by triangulating figures for the better part of the last 40 years, The current government of United Kingdom believes that it has such a vision to carry into the world, whether or not it'll be effective, or if it'll cause the United Kingdom to fall off its metaphorical stilts is an open question. Isolationists on the right consider this an attempt at the resurection of a socialist international, while anti-imperialists on the left consider it an attempt at resurrection of the British Empire.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here):

~300 000 Regular
~360 000 Reservists

British Army
Royal Aerospace Force
Royal Navy

Tanks: 852
Vehicles: 108 812
Self-Propelled Artillery: 284
Towed Artillery: 504
Rocket Artillery: 164

Fighters: 480
Dedicated Attack: 116
Transports: 124
Trainers: 876
Special Mission: 104
Helicopters: 1,104
Attack Helicopters: 208

Aircraft Carriers: 3
Submarines: 40
Frigates: 16
Destroyers: 24
Mine Ships: 18
Patrol Vessels: 56
Amphibious Assault: 4

Other Military Information: During the Falklands Occupation, the British government committed to a gradual decoupling from the United States defense industrial base through domestic investment, cooperation with non-United States allies & a focus on weapons exports. While links with the United States are still strong, as of ~2020 the United Kingdom has accomplished strategic autonomy from the United States.

Military Changes:

The Type 43 destroyer program is resurrected in 1982

A Sister-ship to the French Charles de Gaulle Aircraft Carrier goes into service in 2001

BAe P.1216 Saker is developed, brought into service in ~2005

BAe P.125 Peregrine is developed, brought into service ~2015

BAe Nimrod AEW3 project isn't cancelled.

Two Nuclear Powered Queen Elizabeth-Class Aircraft Carriers enter service in 2017

Strong project partnerships/equipment overlaps with EU & RTD Nations

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL +

Responsibility To Develop Alliance:
Brazil
Pakistan
Sierra Leone
Ivory Coast
Guyana
Egypt
Kenya
Tanzania
Rwanda
South Sudan
South Africa
Arabia
Darfur

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP):

"Between Harold Wilson and Tony Blair, Peter Shore was the only possible Labour Party leader of whom a Conservative leader had cause to walk in fear." Patrick Cosgrave

Thatcher (1979-82)
- Michael Foot declines to run for the leadership of the Labour party in 1980, endorses Peter Shore, who elected to the leadership of the Labour party.
- The Falklands War starts with Argentine seizing South Georgia and the Falklands Islands. The United Kingdom liberates South Georgia, but the HMS Hermes is sunk in an naval engagement around the Falklands.
- The British government secures a 5 year lease from the United States for the Amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, but the United Stats Navy intervenes to pressure both sides into a ceasefire afterward.
- The Conservatives drop spending on the military to 5% of GDP, but spin it as setting a 'floor' on military spending.
- The Conservatives fall into third place in polling behind the Labour Party & the Liberal-SDP Alliance, a wave of Tory MPs in at risk seats defect to the Liberal Party, costing the conservatives their majority and forcing an election.
- Princess Diana and Prince Charles have their first born, a daughter, who they name Victoria.

Shore/Jenkins/Steele (1982-1986)
- Labour wins a plurality of the seats and is forced into a coalition agreement with the SDP-LIberal Alliance, the agreement has five pillars: The introduction of Employee Ownership Funds, a Points-Based Immigration system, House of Lords Reform, local rates reform, a commitment to joining a European Single Market
- Right to buy legislation is introduced, aiming to sell off public housing to tenants.
- The British government cancels plans to sell a second round of its shares in British Aerospace, instead purchasing a few more percentages back to get a majority stake and rolling the HOTOL single-stage-to-orbit spaceplane project into it.
- Another attempt at reorganizing & investing in the semiconductor industry is made, as the United Kingdom looks for international partners, notably in the United States and Taiwan.
- Increase clandestine efforts by MI6 to support the Afghan Mujahideen in fighting the soviets & support the Pakistani nuclear program.
- A modified version of the Hirsel Lords reform is introduced, as 2/3rds of the House of Lords, is put up for proportional election every 5 years, with the final third appointed through a commission of parties represented in the commons.
- Male-preference primogeniture is abandoned for equal succession
- a Points based immigration system is introduced, with points set by a board in contact with stakeholders in housing construction & sectors in need of high-skill labour
- local rates are replaced with land value taxations, with the rate set to equal whatever a local government spent.
- Employee Ownership Funds are introduced, requiring medium & large businesses within the United Kingdom to setup of Employee Stock Ownership Plans & foreign companies to set up subsidardies
- A plan to close down & sell off the coal mines under the control of the National Coal Board is leaked to the press, with the plans contents confirmed. The leadership of the National Union of Mineworkers leads the Union into a strike, even as the British government criticizes them for failing to hold a vote over it
- After year of training and stalled peace talks over a ceasefire, the United Kingdom launches Operation Monroe in October of 1986, successfully taking the Falkland Islands back.
- Attempting to ride of the momentum of the war victory before the miners' strike carries into the winter, Labour triggers a general election.

Shore (1986-1991)
- Labour wins a relatively narrow majority, with the SDP-Liberal Alliance to avoiding collapse in the face of a recovering Conservative Party due to some protest votes over Labour's coal policy
- The Social Democrats and Liberal Party narrowly vote to merge to for the Liberal Democrats but its left leaning MPs end up going Labour & right leaning MPs joining the Conservatives.
- Promising not to 'Sacrifice socialism in Britain for socialism in one sector' the government announces an acceleration of the National Coal Board privatizations & closures, along with its expansion to other subsidized sectors outside of high-tech industries.
- The coal strike is broken, with legally minimum redundancies paid upon the closure of coal mines.
- As right to buy purchases slow down, full privatisation of housing commences, with the funds received directed to the National Investment Bank.
- Labour introduces welfare reform, with existing welfare programs are merged into a Negative Income Tax with work & training requirements.
- National Service is reintroduced for both domestic & military roles for both men and women, years of mandatory service are waived for married couples with children.
- Agricultural reforms are introduced, with a plan convert subsidies into a combination of market-rate loans & Universal Food Coupons.
- The HOTOL program receives renewed funding In partnership with the European Space Agency due to its potential usefulness for satellite deployment & as a research platform for hypersonic missile technologies
- The British governments signs on to agreement with Taiwan in the semiconductor sector, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in Taiwan & a sister company, British Semiconductor Manufacturing Company is founded in the UK under a parent company "Global Semiconductor Manufacturing Company" based in Taiwan.
- The United Kingdom launches a cooperation with the French Government to build two sister ships to the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
- A faction of the Labour party, opposed to a variety of market-friendly reforms & the governments commitment to nuclear energy, leaves to form the Green Party, the move includes MP defects & Labour only retains a majority thanks to the former SDP members who rejoined the party.
- Intervention against Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
- Prime Minister Shore leads Labour into the next election intending to run a highly Eurosceptic campaign, but the party's Eurosceptics are alienated members of the Labour Left & his Labour Right allies are strongly pro-europe.

Heseltine (1991-1995)
- Infighting in the Labour Party over European policy contributes to another campaign with an unclear European policy, this time defeated by the clear pro-Europe Michael Heseltine lead conservative party that narrowly misses a majority, is propped up by the Liberal Democrats in a supply agreement.
- The Heseltine government introduces a childcare benefit that compensates women for wages they could have earned had they entered the workforce, paid for largely by reducing Negative Income Tax payments.
- National Service is expanded to function both as a path to immigration & citizenship for foreigners & a source for public service labour.
- The British government signs on to the Maastricht treaty and joins the European Exchange Rate Mechanism.
- Implements a variety of privatizations intended to open up British firms to foreign investment, along with the sale of public ownership stakes to employee funds.
- Increases deregulation of business ownership and employment practices on the advice of the business sector.
- United Kingdom supports a UN effort for an intervention in the Rwanda genocide, but primarily uses it as a means to strengthen aid and economic ties with Tanzania
- The UK withdraws from the ERM after a run on the pound. Heseltine remains on as leader, but infighting over Europe exasperated by a hard-pro Europe line from his Liberal Democrat partners leads him to trigger an year early election in 1995 in an attempt to reestablish his authority.

Blair I (1995-1999)
- Tony Blair, having become labour leader after the death of John Smith, wins a landslide majority over Micheal Heseltine's Conservatives throughly divided by infighting over the european union & a collapsed vote for the Liberal Democrats.
- Both the Bank of England & the National Investment Bank are given independence.
- An automatic windfall tax is instituted as a funding mechanism for the National Investment Bank.
- As part of an expansion 'tough on the causes of crime' policies, prisoners are given the opportunity to receive training while incarcerated &/or are put into work programs.
- Princess Victoria is in Manchester during the 1996 IRA bombing, visits young victims & the Manchester Royal Infirmary.

Blair II (1999-2003)
- The United Kingdom carries out a military intervention in the Sierra Leone Civil War, signs the "Responsibility To Develop" Act, putting a floor on foreign aid funding of 0.7% of GDP while prioritizing nations that the United Kingdom has engaged in military interventions on behalf of
- The United Kingdom aids the United States' intervention in Afghanistan through its strengthened ties to the pakistani government due to the recent success of their nuclear program.
- A drastic expansion of specialist schools is introduced, connecting them to British businesses & designing their education around their requirements.
- The House of Lords faces another reform, which replaces the appointed positions with a variety of professionals in different fields selected by sortition.

Blair III (2003-2005)
- Labour wins another majority as the conservative party is split by infighting over whether the UK should adopt the euro, keep the status quo with Europe or leave the European union entirely.
- Brazil joins the Responsiblity to Develop Alliance as a key regional partner.
- A variety of reforms are made to the Labour Party to embed trade unions, building societies, credit unions, consumer unions & cooperatives into the party structure
- PPL Therapeutics, of fame from the cloning of Dolly the Sheep, is rescued from bankruptcy through nationalisation, prompting the start of a biotechnology 'reorganization' seeking to replicate the success of the reorganization Semiconductor sector in the 80s.
- Blair resigns, paving the way for Chancellor Gordon Brown to become leader of the Labour Party & Prime Minister unopposed.
- Princess Victoria graduates from Royal Air Force College Cranwell as a fast jet pilot.

Brown I (2005-2007)
-The situation in Sudan starts to sour, as the United Kingdom finds its intervention increasingly relying on aligning with de facto independent separatists forces in South Sudan
- The first test flights of the HOTOL program start, while so far infeasible for commercial usage, it gradually finds a role in the deployment of military & spy satellites.
- 'Jerusalem', without lyrics, is adopted as a secondary National Anthem.
- Brown calls an election, aiming to win his own mandate.

Brown II (2007-2012)
- Labour wins a single digit seat majority over the conservatives even thought they are the defeated by them in the popular vote due to conservative vote, inefficiency & vote splitting with the liberal democrats
- In response to 2008 financial crisis, large section of the Bank of England's quantitively easing programs involves funding the National Investment Bank's establishment of a Social Wealth Fund separate from the employee ownership funds.
- United Kingdom draws down its already reluctant commitment in Afghanistan to the absolute minimum.
- The UK works with France to call for a mediated end to a spike in ethnic conflict in Kenya, comes to agreement to improve supply of its intervention in southern Sudan and Darfur
- The United Kingdom backs South Sudanese independence and starts a process intended to shift peacekeeping responsibilities in Darfur to African countries, specifically those its most closely aligned with.
- After the overthrow of the Egyptian government during the arab spring, the MI6 passes the Egypt's intelligence services British support for Egypt's position in controversies over the Nile provided that Egypt proves a friend to British interests.
- Value Added Tax is increased & a variety of tax credits are phased out in an effort to increase revenue & shrink the deficit.

Cameron/Clegg (2012-2015)
- David Cameron's Conservative party wins enough seats to form a coalition government with the Liberal democrats, after years in power & discomfort with recent economic policies
- Referendums on both Alternative Voting and Scottish Independence are held and soundly defeated.
- Introduces a large swathe of new service fees for public services that'd been previously been free in an effort to boost revenue & control costs to prevent the abuse of services.
- Corporate Income Taxes start being phased out in favor of a smaller increase in employee ownership fund contributions
- Conflict with coalition partners over the prospect of a referendum on the European Union among other issues leads to Cameron calling an early election in 2015

Cameron (2015-2019)
- David Cameron wins re-election over the David Miliband led Labour Party, securing the first majority for the Conservative Party since Thatcher in 1979
- Defeat of David Miliband sees the Labour Party comes under the control of the "Neo-Shoreites".
- A referendum on European Union Membership is held with inconclusive results that lead to court battles over the counting of overseas votes, the courts confirm a very narrow Remain victory.
- The United Kingdom implements deregulatory reforms to reduce business & labor regulations towards the European Union's minimums.
- A process to convert the United Kingdom's pollution regulation system into fees charged to polluters & that pay for a Universal Environmental Benefit starts.
- A Brexit Party is created and threatens to run candidates in the next general election if the Conservatives don't make the next election a referendum on brexit
- David Cameron resigns in the face of a largely ungovernable conservative party, with Theresa May selected by the party as a soft Brexit compromise

May (2019-2020)
- Pro-EU Conservatives and Pro-Euro Adoption Labour MPs join to form The Independent Group for Change
- With the defection of much of the Labour right, the remains of the Labour Party becomes definitively "Neo-Shoreite".
- Labour leaves the Socialists and Democrats party grouping in Europe and the Socialist International to join DiEM25 & the Progressive International
- The Brexit Party wins the most seats in the 2019 European Election in the United Kingdom, with Labour in second.
- Prime Minister May is forced to call a lockdown In late march due to COVID weeks before a General election must be called, with allowances made for mail-in voting.
- The Conservatives adopt a 'second referendum' as policy in an effort to stop losing support to both Eurosceptics & pro Europeans, splitting the party further.

Long-Bailey (2020-2024)
- The Independent Group for Change, the Brexit Party & the Liberal Democrats eat into the opposition vote decisively allowing for Rebecca Long-Bailey to lead the Labour party to a majority election victory with just under ~35% of the popular vote.
- Princess Victoria serves in carrier strike group flying the BAe P.125 Peregrine
- The HOTOL program produces its first commercially viable single stage to orbit spaceplane for commercial launches.
- Private schools are made to convert into cooperatively owned specialist schools or state schools
- In response to the Bolsonaro Administration in Brazil's efforts to approve additional logging in the Amazon Rainforest, the United Kingdom adopts a variety of covert & overt measures to undermine his government
- Under the Freedom of Information Act, documents about a program to direct HOTOL program expenditures towards development of technologies useful for 'submarine launched hypersonic cruise missiles' are released.
- United Kingdom warns outgoing Bolsonaro administration & the brazillian military to respect the results of the 2022 elections.
- King Charles dies from COVID-related complications
- An election is called, while the Independent Group for Change's merging with the Liberal Democrats decreases vote spliting, the Brexit Party, renamed as the Reform Party, has continued to split the conservative party vote.

Long-Bailey II (2024-)
- Labour wins a landslide majority with the Reform Party securing a position as the second largest party & therefore the official opposition.
- A reworded "Jerusalem" is adopted as the National anthem of the United Kingdom in the run up to the coronation of Queen Victoria II

Do not remove - ALPHA777

Accepted

by **Chewion** » Sat Mar 23, 2024 8:48 pm

Mutadura wrote:Nationstates Name: Mutadura
Nation Name: Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Territory: Zimbabwe IRL
Population: 15, 418, 674
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Shona and Ndebele
Flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... we.svg.png
National Anthem (optional): Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe

Head of State: Emmerson Mnangagwa
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government: Constantino Chiwenga
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 024%29.jpg
Legislature Name: Parliament of Zimbabwe
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): House of Assembly - ZANU-PF (190 Seats), House of Senate - ZANU-PF (33)

GDP Nominal: $20.68B
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 1,676.8
GDP (PPP): 27.37 billion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $1,267
Currency: Zimbabwe Dollar

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

A Failed State - Beset by the scourge of hyperinflation, food insecurity, decaying infrastructure, and frequent power outages Zimbabwe is a country falling through the cracks as it struggles to grapple with nepotism and corruption which have transformed the nation from being the perverbial Jewel of Africa into a putrid cess pool where declining standards of living are just an ordinary fact of life.

The Second Republic - In 2017, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched a coup against their country's aging president Robert Mugabe with the backing and approval of China citing the need for stability and transparency, qualities whose absence has long retarded the growth and development of the nation. Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa upon being sworn in as Zimbabwe's third president spoke of the need for his country to confront its traumatizing past and its difficult state of affairs in the present by fighting against corruption, nepotism, flawed economic policies, and political polarization. Despite some rather surprising early successes, Mnangagwa's efforts have yet to come to fruition.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

The Curse of Isolation - Zimbabwe is one of a handful of African states whose future in the 21st century hangs in the balance in no small part due to human rights abuses, political violence, and rising national debt which have all served to prevent the nation from realizing its full potential a factor that has earned it the status of a pariah condemned to suffer from sanctions and a clear lack of foreign investment.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Same as IRL

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): None, Same as IRL

Do not remove - ALPHA777

Quick question, is your Zimbabwe leaning towards the East or West?

by **Mutadura** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 3:03 am

Chewion wrote:
Mutadura wrote:Nationstates Name: Mutadura
Nation Name: Zimbabwe
Capital: Harare
Territory: Zimbabwe IRL
Population: 15, 418, 674
Official Language: English
Recognized Languages: Shona and Ndebele
Flag: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... we.svg.png
National Anthem (optional): Blessed Be the Land of Zimbabwe

Head of State: Emmerson Mnangagwa
HoS Picture: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... ped%29.jpg
Head of Government: Constantino Chiwenga
HoG Picture (If different from HoS): https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/ ... 024%29.jpg
Legislature Name: Parliament of Zimbabwe
Party in Power (If bicameral note who controls each): House of Assembly - ZANU-PF (190 Seats), House of Senate - ZANU-PF (33)

GDP Nominal: $20.68B
GDP Nominal Per Capita: 1,676.8
GDP (PPP): 27.37 billion
GDP (PPP) Per Capita: $1,267
Currency: Zimbabwe Dollar

Domestic Policy Overview/Challenges:

A Failed State - Beset by the scourge of hyperinflation, food insecurity, decaying infrastructure, and frequent power outages Zimbabwe is a country falling through the cracks as it struggles to grapple with nepotism and corruption which have transformed the nation from being the perverbial Jewel of Africa into a putrid cess pool where declining standards of living are just an ordinary fact of life.

The Second Republic - In 2017, the Zimbabwe Defence Forces launched a coup against their country's aging president Robert Mugabe with the backing and approval of China citing the need for stability and transparency, qualities whose absence has long retarded the growth and development of the nation. Mugabe's successor Emmerson Mnangagwa upon being sworn in as Zimbabwe's third president spoke of the need for his country to confront its traumatizing past and its difficult state of affairs in the present by fighting against corruption, nepotism, flawed economic policies, and political polarization. Despite some rather surprising early successes, Mnangagwa's efforts have yet to come to fruition.

Foreign Policy Overview/Challenges:

The Curse of Isolation - Zimbabwe is one of a handful of African states whose future in the 21st century hangs in the balance in no small part due to human rights abuses, political violence, and rising national debt which have all served to prevent the nation from realizing its full potential a factor that has earned it the status of a pariah condemned to suffer from sanctions and a clear lack of foreign investment.

Military Information (If different from irl you must indicate that here): Same as IRL

Alliances (If different from IRL): Same as IRL

History Changes (Subject to review and approval by OP and Co-OP): None, Same as IRL

Do not remove - ALPHA777

Quick question, is your Zimbabwe leaning towards the East or West?

We're non-aligned but broadly speaking east.

by **Sao Nova Europa** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 8:23 am

NS Name: Sao Nova Europa
Nation Reserving: China
Territory: China

DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

by **Union Princes** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 10:05 am

Well darn, I thought I could try to reserve Northern Ireland.

by **Newne Carriebean7** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 10:41 am

NS Name: Newne Carriebean7
Nation Reserving: The Islamic Republic of Iran
Territory: Iran

DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

by **Chewion** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:03 am

Sao Nova Europa wrote:NS Name: Sao Nova Europa
Nation Reserving: China
Territory: China

DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

The PRC has been reserved, but if by China you mean the ROC, then that’s available

by **Chewion** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:29 am

Union Princes wrote:Well darn, I thought I could try to reserve Northern Ireland.

You can do Ireland?

by **Tinhampton** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 11:41 am

NS Name: Tinhampton
Nation Reserving: the Commonwealth of Australia
Territory: Australia and its various territories

(Note that I may withdraw this reservation myself if I find my worldbuilding, which is currently in its very early stages, to be untenable. If I do so, I will snip-quote this post and announce my withdrawal.)

DO NOT REMOVE - OMEGA777

by **Arvenia** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 12:23 pm

Should I either be a Hyoengje-controlled South Korea or a populist Mexico?

by **Chewion** » Sun Mar 24, 2024 2:31 pm

Arvenia wrote:Should I either be a Hyoengje-controlled South Korea or a populist Mexico?

Mexico, I think that would be unique and add a fun layer.

2025: The Hands of Change | OOC | Open

2025: The Hands of Change | OOC | Open

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