2024: AGE OF SUPERPOWERS [IC | COBALT NETWORK SPONSORED]

by **Atrilan** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 5:32 pm

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OP - Atrilan
IE - Pacificora
CO-OP - Greater Redosia
CO-OP - Nancivania

Never has hunger been lower, never have standards of living been higher. Despite this, the world is marked by fear in rapid social, political, and technological change. The backlash of globalization is felt as parts of the Middle East and Africa collapse into states of hybrid warfare, as nations challenge eachother's access to vital resources, and as the political unity of the world comes to a grinding halt. The gravity of power in the world is evidently shifting towards East Asia, as India and China are projected to be the new superpowers of the 21st century, but these powers have yet to find a way to replace the Western order. The nations of the west fervently battle this shift of change in an effort to hold onto power for a while longer. The power struggle ignited by crisis and spread by political goals is felt globally. The world is not the same as it once was, and it will never return to it's current state. The tipping point begins in 2024.

May 2018 - Crimson Dawn Attacks; King Carl XIV Gustav Killed
July 2018 - European Union restricts immigration from the Middle East
August 2019 - Islamic State capitulates; Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi executed by Iraqi government
October 2019 - Kurdistan established out of Kurdish territories in Syria and Iraq; Failed Zab Offensive
March 2020 - India exits Shanghai Cooperation Organization on grounds of Pakistani funding of Hizbul Mujahideen
November 2020 - Dean Hampton elected in United States
March 2021 - Declaration of Tripoli signed; Lybia split into Tripolitania, Cyrencia, and Fezzan.
September 2021 - Argentina leaves Rio Pact over tensions with Brazil
February 2022 - Paul Biya dies, Cameroon collapses into Civil War.
May 2022 - Scottish Referendum succeeds, United Kingdom refuses recognition
June 2022 - Bashar Hafez al-Assad's Syrian Arab Republic snuffs out last strongholds of the Free Syrian Army
August 2022 - Kosovo Crisis, Albania attempts to annex contested region of Serbia.
October 2022 - Virumaa Crisis over part of Estonia, Russia backs down.
November 2022 - North Atlantic Treaty Organization disbanded; United States leaves Rio Pact and signs Toronto Pact with Canada.
December 2022 - the Collective European Security and Defense Treaty Organization formed between former NATO members in Europe.
March 2023 - Russia leaves Shanghai Cooperation Organization over interest conflicts with China.
January 2024 - Roleplay Begins

- Conflict:

Cameroon Civil War - Coalition de Libération Isamique, Egalité pour le Mouvement Camerounais, Yang's Cameroonian Government
Ukranian Civil War - Donetsk, Ukraine
Yemeni Civil War - Al-Qaeda, Houthis, Hadi's Yemeni Government
Turkish Civil War - Free Turkish Army, Kurdish, Erdogan's Turkish Government
Second Saharan War - Kingdom of Morocco, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
Burmese Civil War - Myanmar Liberation League, Myint Burmese Government

- Crisis:

Saharan Crisis - Morocco, Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic
Kosovo Crisis - Albania, Serbia, Kosovo
South American Economic Downfall - Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, Argentina, Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama, Peru
Nile Water Conflict - Ethiopia, Egypt
Scottish Independence Conflict - Scotland, United Kingdom
Catalan Crisis - Catalonia, Spain
Jammu-Kashmir Crisis - China, India, Pakistan
South China Sea Dispute - China, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam
Bengali Refugee Crisis - India, Bangladesh, Myanmar
Venezuelan Civil Crisis - Venezuela, United States, Canada, Trinidad, Guyana

ONE PAGE IS SIX MONTHS, FOUR POSTS IS ONE MONTH EXCLUDING IE POSTS

by **Welfresio** » Sat Feb 03, 2018 7:33 pm

Islamic Republic of Iran

‘Esteqlāl, Āzādi, Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi’

1446 AH
2024 AD
Tehran - Region 1

As loudspeakers in the dimly lit mosques opened up to chant while the sun rises up, the empty streets of the sprawling metropolis of Tehran built up with traffic as people rushed towards towards their workplace.

The daily life of an Iranian begins once again.

Chapter 1

Early in 2020, Ali Khamenei died from natural causes, as the Assembly of Experts debated on who was to succeed, they decided that Hassan Khomeini, regarded by many to have a prosperous political future, in addition to a young age was the one to be the Grand Ayatollah and Leader of Iran, the state that has been slowly stagnating under the rule of his previous leader. Many celebrated, and many despised the results.

As Hassan Khomeini stood on top of the podium to speak towards the millions in front of him, state media noted that he promised ‘change & stability’, claiming that the state is at its apex, in addition to announcing the first phase of the “Prosperity” program, which seeked to tackle the lingering issues of the country. Under his reforms that started a few months after his election, a major increase on the budget on the military and healthcare was observed, in addition to passing of some laws dedicated for the workforce, giving priority on ways to employ both young and old men into jobs.
Personal income tax was also reduced, in addition to relaxed regulations regarding setting up private business within cities and towns.

So far, the Guardian Council was receptive to his efforts to replace the obsolete and bloated laws with the list of reforms, but some of the fundamentalist leaders still alive opposing the Supreme Leader were quietly silenced by promises of wealth in exchange for exiting the council and not interfering with state affairs, they were steadily replaced with reformists, in an effort to tune out the Old Guard.

Tehran eased up its adverse stance on Moscow, aiming to establish trade deals and foreign investment into the country, sending diplomatic missions throughout the years as a way of sending off a friendly outlook on themselves.

As of now, they have invited military companies within Russia to work with GHORB, the engineering arm of Iran and the IRGC, to modernize the military and its capabilities, and several deals regarding purchase of kevlar vests , personal equipment, vehicles and rifles has come through successfully, first equipping the Revolutionary Guards, before the standard infantry. Technology in Iran is moving at a slow pace, even with Russian civillan companies stepping in to assist and bring products into the market. The sanctions strangling Iran was not to be taken lightly, and Khomeini had to do something about it.

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the United Nations
نماینده دائم جمهوری اسلامی ایران در سازمان ملل متحد
405 East 42nd Street, New York, NY, 10017, USA.
405 شرق 42 خیابان, نیویورک, NY, 10017, USA

To - United Nations , IAEA
From - The Islamic Republic of Iran
Sub - Sanctions directed against Iran
Encryption - Diplomatic Cable

January 1st , 2024

To the United Nations,

The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to negotiate regarding the sanctions placed against us, we offer the United Nations and the IAEA to send an inspection team towards our nuclear reactors, research sites and uranium enrichment plants. Under the leadership of Hassan Khomeini, we would like to normalize relations with the West, we hope our cooperation will lead towards a better future for all.

Gholamali Khoshroo , Ambassador and Representative of Iran to the United Nations

Khomeini has focused his diplomatic efforts in strengthening relations with Syria for now, the aftermath of the civil war has devastated it's capabilities to function as a member of the AOR, thus reminded Iran of its responsibilities as the leading member. Contacting the embassy, he listed down his offer towards the Syrians to the ambassador, finalizing it after some advice, and gave the okay to send the telegram towards the Syrian government.

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Syrian Arab Republic
نماینده دائم جمهوری اسلامی ایران در جمهوری عربی سوریه
Autostrade Mezzeh, Damascus, 2691, Syria
خودکاراستراحت, مزه, دمشق, 2691, Syria

To - Syrian Arab Republic
From - The Islamic Republic of Iran
Sub - Aid
Encryption - Diplomatic Cable

January 1st , 2024

To the Syrian Arab Republic,

The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to assist Syria in rebuilding infrastructure, utilities and services in addition to sending a small contingent to ensure that efforts in rebuilding is not hampered by any threats. We wish to strengthen our relations with you as part of our responsibility to maintain our alliance between us and Syria.
We hope that our offer will give way to prosperity and peace in the region.

Mohammad Reza Raouf Sheibani, Ambassador and Representative of Iran to the Syrian Arab Republic

Diplomacy isn't the only thing that is going to ensure the security of Iran, the military capabilities, steadily being supplemented by Russian hardware, has garnered the attention of Iranian military designers as GHORB cooperated with military companies within Russia, it immediately gave the Iranians a new perspective, low-tech solutions to complex things was slowly becoming a thing of the past, and with the military parade due on September, they must show as much power as possible.

by **Labstoska** » Sun Feb 04, 2018 7:08 am

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Rule Britannia, Britannia rules the waves

This week as many before it had been a bad one for Prime minister, the scots were once more protesting his refusal to recognise their false state and the English were demanding that more jobs become available to them. All the while the parasites, Winston Symes and Harold Crawford, leaders of the new upstart parties who were attempting to claim the British political scene. With every passing day it seemed as if the hope was leaking out of the conservative party, they had won the last election due to the public still wanting to vote for something familiar, not nosedive into some radical new ideology however now in the year 2024 that familiarity between the conservatives and the public was gone, all thanks to him.

Today London had decided to shower it's inhabitanats with a grim cascade of rain which made the modest house of 10 Downing street appear all the more sinister. The bored looking pictures of former Prime ministers hung on his wall and looked down at Parsons as if in shame. The office of the prime minister was no different to the rest of the building in it's grimness with the room being illuminated only by a small lamp at the corner of his desk. It was in this office where the prime minister now sat dejectedly and ,thanks to the lack of support from his own party, quite useless.

The PM was scrolling through the BBC news page on his tablet, seeing if there were any possible ways to regain popularity in the eyes of the public however all the news seemed to be reporting was stuff on Symes and his Neo Liberal party and they have the nerve to call themselves a neutral news source. Rather abruptly the interior minister, Alexander Morewood, stormed into the room interrupting the PM's sombre silence with a deep and booming exclamation that rang around the room "We need to do something now Parsons or we're all fucked", it was these booming and confident exclamations that made Parsons think that Morewood should have taken over as PM however the man had no initiative and was far too loyal to whomever was his superior to ever dare seize power after all that's why he got his job in the first place. The PM now cast his eyes lazily up towards Morewood and stated quite bluntly "And what is there to do exactly, everyone keeps on saying to me that I need to do something now in order to fix the country or whatever however the most that I can do is make life easier for my successor, by resigning and letting the Neo liberals take over and turn this country into a coldly corporate land of industry or god forbid let Crawford and his band of fascists seize power, well whoever takes over next it doesn't matter cause my run is up, the entirety of the conservitve party is done for is well so get out while you still can."

Morewood looked completely baffled by this sudden outburst, while he was a somewhat competent minister he was completely unable to see the bigger picture and was therefore unable to see that the conservative party was on it's last legs. After a minute Morewwod finally collected his thoughts together enough in order to reply "But surely there must be some way, I mean the conservative party is as old as British democracy the British people wouldn't turn their backs on us just like that" In reply to this Parsons simply chuckled to himself and said "They would if we co authored an agreement that caused hundreds of British people to loose their jobs and which caused the scots to demand independence, I would want a new Prime minister for sure if I were one of them". After finishing his small lecture to Morewood about the fact that they were all doomed to fall into political obscurity Morewood had left the room still looking determined to do something to solve their predicament however Parsons knew that he would fail just like he did.

The houses of parliament:
The large horde of MPs now filtered into the large building. Within the building the individuals whom belonged to the conservative party cast their eyes down at the PM with clear disdain while throwing nervous looks at both the technocrats and the nationalists. As for the technocrats they merely sat back and looked quite smug as had become the characteristic that many within the houses of parliament came to associate them with while the nationalists on the other hand shot a scornful look at whomever was in their sight however most of their scorn seemed to be focused on the Prime minister. Finally after all the MPs who had bothered to show up finally arrived the voting could begin.

Bill: Increased funding for the ministry of science and technology
Contents:
It has been deemed necessary by the Neo Liberal party that in order to fix Britain's stagnating that the UK's investment into R&D must be increased to 5% of it's GDP.
Arguments:

<Neo Liberal> "This nation was once the center of the world when it came to technology and innovation now look at us, we're lagging behind refusing to take aboard new technologies and take advantage of new ideas. In Europe we are far below the average for R&D investment with only 1.7% of our GDP going into it. We need to act now in order to prevent us from becoming one of the backwaters of the world."

<Conservative> "We should be making cuts to R&D now increasing our investment in it, the money is needed so that we can get back to fixing the economy then we can begin investing in R&D. "

Votes:
For: 326
Against: 324
conclusion: Due to the immense split in parliament over this law the investment into R&D shall be raised only to 2% of the GDP instead of 5%

Bristol institute for AI and robotics development
Professor Thomas Young had just arrived and the newly constructed Bristol institute for AI and robotics after a long and laborious drive from the other side of the city. He had been headhunted by the government for a robotics project. As he drove up to the large and sterile looking institute he noticed how it stood out among the dreary and ancient looking buildings next to it. It was a breath of fresh air into this dying part of the city. As he entered the building and signed in at reception, a small man wearing a pitch black suit with rapidly balding head approached professor Young and stated "I believe that you are professor Young, I am Mr Adams, I am here on behalf of the government in order to get you acquainted with the project that you will directing" Mr Adams then proceeded to lead professor Young through the institute showing him all the individual projects that were going on, most of them involved the automation of various vehicles such as trucks and cars and even in one room professor Young could swear that he saw some sketches for a fully automated tank. Mr Adams told him that all projects that he saw being developed in the institute were only in the conceptual stage and were currently receiving very little funding, there was only one project in this facility that was receiving any real funding and that was the project that Professor Young would be working on.

Eventually the pair reached door that had one word written on it: Arthur. Mr Adams then turned to professor Young and said "This is where you shall be working on project Arthur and before you ask project Arthur is a new type of robotic worker that will be put to work in the factories of Britain." He opened the door and indicated to the inside where there were already a number of men and women working on design concepts for the worker bot and those on computers who were working on the code for the industrial robot. Mr Adams after finishing showing professor Young around the room he said to him "Now I hope that you have acquainted yourself with your new workplace and with what you will be working with, lets hope that you finish the robot before the entire country falls apart."

National projects:
project Arthur - 0.00%

2 new frigates- 0.00%

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Sun Feb 04, 2018 1:50 pm

CANADA

Parliament Hill, Ottawa

The conference room of the Center Block was full of journalists as Prime minister Trudeau got ready to give his speech. The first 100 days of his third consecutive government had past and it was time for him to speak to the public. He checked his notes one more time and walked to the pulpit, greeted by numerous flashes as reporters captured him for covers of daily newspapers. He started his speech first reading from his notes and then proceeding to talk from his head as his self-confidence grew. The speech was shown on many TV screen and played on a lot of radio stations in Canada and abroad:

"Dear citizens it is my privilege to greet you today as we mark 100 days since me and my team have decided to take upon us hard, but honorable task of leading our country into the new era. I come to work here in Center Block each morning for almost ten years now, but this last couple of months have been truly challenging for our country. They had been challenging because we, as Canadians had to find a new way for our country.

Some things we firmly believed in now belong to the past- gone is NATO. That dusty relic of Cold War and it's paranoid military and political style is relegated to the dustbin of history to remind us of more perilous times. Gone is the era where governments serve interests of corporations and military-industrial sectors. This is the time of modern man, the man who lives in the society of information, the man who can find solidarity with people from each corner of the world, regardless of their religion, race or nationality. It is the time of active citizen, who knows that only his individual political and economical commitment is guarantee of safe and free society.

In our 100 days of governing we have prepared many measures that will lead to inclusion of more people in democratic processes. Firstly our "New schoolroom for Information Era" program is going to revolutionize elementary, high-school and university education by promoting not only both STEM education in computer literacy from earliest age, but also teaching political responsibility and critical thinking that will make our citizen function in this world that is coming closer together as we speak. Both computer skills and outlook that promotes intercultural cooperation and tolerance will become part of school curricula all over Canada.

Secondly, more things will be delegated to State and local legislatures. We seek to make individuals more involved in their own communities, relegating some of the duties that were in domain of Federal bureaucracy to the levels of government more accessible to citizens. This measured, combined with encouragement of trade and workers unions will result in more involvement of our working man into politics. Also state spending will be cut, and you will feel that in your wallets, dear citizens.

Thirdly, new international challenges will make us reconsider the way we are implementing existing International Organizations. Cold War Balance of Power relics, like veto power of certain members of UN Security Council will have to go because they discourage the countries for seeking more active role in the UN. UN has to become a place where world politics will be negotiated in terms of International cooperation and solidarity, not in terms of power struggles and selfish interests. The challenges we are facing at present time are global ones, and we will fight them globally.

Thank you and good luck, dear citizens!"

Trudeau stayed for a while to answer the reporters questions before retreating from the building.

From: Foreign office of CanadaPrime minister of Canada
To: Government of the USA, Government of United Mexican States
[img]https://clearit.ca/canadian-customs-broker-blog/wp-content/uploads//2014/08/DFATD.png
[/img]"The future brings many challenges and we have come to the conclusion that NAFTA members should hold a Summit to devise common agenda in light of contemporary events. The summit should be held in Toronto next month. I suggest the following agenda for the Summit:

1.Fighting unemployment within NAFTA Nations.

2. Stance on trade with PR China

3.Policy on nationalizations/privatization of certain industries

Sara Hradecky Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada"

by **Latvijas Otra Republika** » Mon Feb 05, 2018 11:25 am

The Republic of Latvia

Gods kalpot Latvijai!

Snow pellets flung themselves from the clouds upon Riga, piercing through and covering cars, houses and paths in a thin white layer of puff. The everyday person was moving forward with their everyday business, some passed the building of the Saeima where the second female President of the country addressed the nation and the Saeima on her agenda. This had only been her second large and direct speech to the Saeima, and with her term being half finished combined with the fact that the Saeima would be extremely reluctant to even consider reelecting her, she knew she had to fight tooth and nail like a violent cornered animal to preserve her reputation, legacy and presidency.

She made her way up the podium, her hair neatly organised and her suit modest and conservative. The glossy cyclops lenses of the Cameras rolled and zoomed in on her face, some were TV channels gathering news and panorama footage, some were live streams by new modern and edgy news organisations that had been popping up inspired by Vox, vice and infowars. The members of the Saeima waited hesitantly for her to finally speak, as they expected her statements to be controversial or damaging.

President Jūlija Stepaņenko's agenda address
January 2024
Official recorded transcript

"My fellow and kind People of Latvia, it is of my utmost concern that our collective national interests are preserved and aren't eroded on by some of the domestic richer upper class members of our society, and also that all citizens of our Republic are taxed fairly regarding their position or status, such single mothers; this is why, regarding the bill, I endorse these new progressive tax reforms and hope that the vote here goes the right direction for the benefit of the country. Along with this I also value the psychical and competitive value of sports and hope that the stimulus bill for our selected sports organisations passes, if this bill passes our youth should naturally engage in more healthy exercises and sports for their long term benefit, and of course with more exercise outside will come the benefits of reduced obesity rates."

"My Presidency so far has mainly been concerned with addressing domestic issues, which has been, in my eyes, a moderate success. But even with that in mind, I need to dedicate more time and energy regarding international issues so that what happened in Estonia so many years ago doesn't happen here, on Latvian soil. I will be prioritising diplomatic and international meetings to the maximum so Latvia has a safety net of treaty's, pacts, alliances and agreements to ensure the safety of our dear country, I will not falter to make sure we have strong bonds and allies abroad."

"I will also be considering measures with the Prime Minister, Nils Ušakovs, to protect our economy and trade. We need to make sure we have the best deals and boats coming in from the Baltic into our fine ports, we need to enact measures to solidify our friendly trade presence in the Baltic as our country's geographical position ensures easy access of European goods to the Russian market and vice versa. We are a key contributor to the Eastern European market and we need to ensure it stays like that."

"I now move on to the matter of the technology and it's advancement here, internally. The Estonians have a ever expanding presence of small newly developing IT businesses and companies, we must take notes from them regarding this: Possible grants, cut backed loans, less income tax on small scale businesses. In Latvia we need more encouragement of Latvian students abroad to move back here and start businesses and be employed, as they would have valuable degrees and skills from the west and wherever else they come back from."

"I now precede to conclude my speech, thank you, I will be hoping for more of these addresses so that our country is informed rightly and directly."

She stepped off from the podium to make her way to her office in Rigas Pils, there she preceded to go about her daily business of doodling and making phone calls, while later on the day the Saeima voted on the two bills in question. Various speeches and arguments being thrown around the room from the various sides and party's.

Bill: Implementation of A progressive income tax (takes a larger percentage of income from high-income groups than from low-income groups and is based on the concept of ability to pay)
Views:

(Pro) Poorer citizens are taxed unfairly as the everyone pays the same tax, upper class citizens have no issues of paying the income tax as they pay the same amount as an average working class person.

(Anti) The progressive income tax isn't directly equal, it penalises richer citizens and incentivises them to leave which could result in a lose of wealth, tax so far has worked fine and it is too risky to attempt reform.

Vote count out of a 100:
Aye: 79
Nay: 21

Result: Passes

Bill:Grant a contribution of a total of 5k, split equally in between: Latvian Rugby Federation, Latvian Football Federation, Latvian Ice Hockey Federation, Latvian Basketball Association
Views:

(Pro) Encourages youth fitness, sports viewership will pay off the Latvian economy in the long run, healthier population, improves Latvian image if teams from the listed groups gain fame or recognition.

(Anti) Too little a grant, money will be ineffectively used, should focus grants on a different direction that would yield larger benefits.

Vote count out of a 100:
Aye: 52
Nay: 48

Result: Passes but overall grant reduced to 4k due to resistance

With permission from the Latvian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a prior meeting with the Prime Minister the President sends a letter to the U.K.

To: The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
From: The Republic of Latvia
Date: January 1st 2024

To whom I dearly regard, the leadership of the Unite Kingdom,

The Latvian Republic would like to meet in London to discuss the matter of the large diaspora of ethnic Latvians and Latvian citizens inhabiting the U.K due to the EU's policy of free movement. I dearly believe it would be in both of our best interests to make a deal or at least a proposition between both of our great nations regarding the arrival of our long lost cousins. We hope to see your response.

Signed, Jūlija Stepaņenko, the President of Latvia

by **Greater Redosia** » Tue Feb 06, 2018 2:57 am

Kingdom of Morocco
المملكة المغربية

It was a sunny day in the city of Rabat, cars began to fill the streets of the great capital of Morocco. Commuters trying their best to get through traffic, while pedestrians walked the sidewalks and others waited for the tramway to pick them up. Things would be looking bright for the Moroccan future, but 2024 was not a completely good year to start off with. The Polisario Front and the Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic broke the ceasefire between them, attacking and killing several Moroccan soldiers. Not only did they have to deal with the SADR but they also had to deal with their supplier Algeria who supported the SADR heavily. They also had to deal with the Yemeni civil war where they are still part of the Saudi-led Coalition against the shia rebels. America abandoned the Kingdom to its fate, yet the Kingdom will rise on. But that is not the last of its problems, on the home front, education and healthcare is still needing improvement. Free Speech is still hampered but progress will soon be made, electricity was still reliant on coal and petroleum, though Morocco is now the leader of renewable energy in Africa. It was time that Morocco made its move on the world stage.

"The people have the right to be heard, it is the people of Morocco who we are doing this for, not ourselves. We must stop the extreme action our government is taking against the people of Morocco, they wish to voice their concerns in unison, it is then only the government may hear and take action against their troubles." voiced one of the representatives for the new free speech reforms.

"If the people have so much freedoms, they may abuse it. There are those that wish to cause disunity within our nation, disunity between the government and its people. If this reform were to pass through, who knows what could happen. It may cause more disunity than it would unite, we must think of the groups who wish to radicalize the populace!" replied one of the opponents to the reform.

"We are a nation of democracy, our nation must follow the world if it wishes to survive. The press and the people must be heard, we do not wish to go all out and take all our restrictions down. But we simply wish to make it more lenient on the people, so they may be able to enjoy the freedoms our great nation has, that most other places in Africa or the Arab world have. This is for the best for our nation."

Bill:Reforms to the current free speech laws, giving both the people and the press more rights. Those rights including the peaceful right to expression, association and assembly.

Reforms: The peaceful right to expression, association and assembly, punishments will be scaled back, direct questioning of the Monarch and the Royal Family is forbidden and first offenses will be given a warning; any further offenses will be fined or given at least two year ban from journalism. Questioning the territorial integrity of Morocco is strictly forbidden, fines and banning from journalism is the punishments. Imprisonment is only reserved to any offenses that harm the state itself, any currently serving journalists will have their sentences reduced by a certain amount depending on reason they were convicted.

Vote:
yes: 273
no: 122

"Now, Morocco is currently the leading nation in Africa in renewable resources. We are the leader of Africa in the name of renewable resources, now the government before has given over 82 billion Dirham equivalent to $9 billion United States Dollars, and what did that give us? It propelled us forward into an age of renewable electricity that we can reliably obtain, the project produced over 2000 MW and put us as the leading figure in Africa for solar power. Our goal was to reach 52% renewable energy portion by 2050. But I believe that if we fund this new proposed project we will be able to reach that goal, if not above it, I propose we reach 68% renewable energy by 2050! This new project will be projected around $13 billion United States dollars split into five programs, Rabat I, Rabat II, Rabat III, Rabat IV, and Rabat V. Each will get $2.6 billion United States Dollars depending on amount of investments the nation is able to obtain. But this project the Rabat Solar Project may be able to get us 2500 if not more MW of electricity."

"We must agree, the last project has made Morocco more self-sufficient. Even the opposition sees this as a safe investment, though we are skeptical of its actual end result. Let us hope that the government has plans to fund this project and that other nations wish to support us in its endeavors."

Bill: The construction of the Rabat Solar Project a series of massive solar farms around the nation of Morocco to provide around 2500 MW of electricity. The project if projected to cost $13 billion United States Dollars and the Moroccan government will extend out in search for investments to be offered to both foreign nations and/or companies. All investments will be divided between 5 building programs that will equal to $2.6 billion dollars to finish the project as a whole.

Votes:
Yes: 321
No: 74

After the final passing of the Rabat Solar Project the House of representatives have had enough, they will continue review of further proposals at another time. But the reforms will be enforced and the project will begin, the ministry of foreign affairs will hold a news conference and make announcements on what has been achieved. Morocco is truly, on the path to greatness.

"So what actions are the Moroccan Government taking to improve the lives of the citizens within the Kingdom?" a reporter asked

"The Government is currently taking actions taking free speech reforms, this include the peace right to assembly, association, and expression. We are also reducing the sentences of those who have been imprisoned, depending on what they were imprisoned for of course. The Government is also hoping to begin work on a large scale project that will provide the nation with more renewable electricity, and are looking for foreign investors from both nations and companies to help it. It will be able to provide around 2500 MW maybe even more if investments will exceed expectations, we would especially desire to work with DESERTECC in improving it further." The foreign minister replied to the reporter, he hated these news conferences. But he was given the job and required to do it, for the nation and the King himself.

"What is the Governments stance on the current conflict in Yemen?"

"The Government has made it official that more support will be given to the Hadi-led Government as part of the Saudi-led Coalition against both Al-Qaeda and the houthi-led government being funded by Iran. We wish to make it certain that Iran meddling in a fellow country's affairs wont go unchecked, no further questions concerning Morocco's stance in the Yemeni civil war will be answered."

"What actions will the Government take against the Polisario, and what are its comments on the Polisario breaking the ceasefire?"

"The Polisario's betrayal of the ceasefire will not end well for them, the conflict has resumed and the Government is preparing a response to their attacks. What they have done, attacking and killing several soldiers who didn't wish to do harm against them, we will make sure they pay and that the families of the loved ones may get revenge for those they have lost."

"Sir! Sir! What is Morocco's stance on the final term of the Republican President Hampton?"

"We are glad to see the chance of Dean Hampton gone, in a time of need when the United States was called upon to take up the torch against her allies' enemies, she simply left them to fend for themselves. The Virumaa Crisis will not be forgotten and has not been forgotten, even in Morocco, seeing our great ally retreat into itself and off the world stage. The Moroccan-American Treaty of Friendship, the longest unbroken treaty in United States history, is only there in name. We've supported their wars on terror, gave your people free visa travel to our nation, and you repay your ally with a dagger to its back. I hope the people of America understand, that their nation is needed on the world stage, that the people are great and free, but their Government is oppressing them. We wait and see how the situation in America changes, hoping that our ally may make the correct choices for the future to come. That will be all of the questions, thank you." The Foreign Minister left he podium with the reporters at once asking several questions and pictures being taken.

Within a war room several generals and the King of Morocco himself lay sitting in front of a table showing a map of the current situation in the Western Sahara. Generals were making marks and pointing to the map discussing possible supply depots and Polisario hideouts, the King himself leaned forward and cleared his throat; the others fell silent afterwards.

"The time of the Polisario has come, they have broken the ceasefire and now we must take them out. What have all of you come up with?" the King asked them

"Well your majesty, We've been thinking of a full on invasion of the SADR. Bolstering the current garrison from 30,000 with mixed armor support up to 50,000 with an emphasis on Armored Fighting Vehicles so that we may destroy their more lighter armored vehicles. Tanks will provide support and combat the older T-54s and T-62s that are currently being used by the Polisario. Sending forces south to cut off and occupy La Guera so that we may put the air port there into our use. We also wish to cut off the small town of Zug by cutting eastward to Dougaj. Finally we will make a two pronged attack from the town of Samara and the village of Farciya towards the village of Tifariti" spoke General Yosef Amor, General Amor was the newly promoted General Inspector of the Armed Forces who has yet to show his capabilities in large scale combat.

"We agree with General Amor, but we also agree that the Polisario Front has easily taken care of the army before due to lack of proper air support and fire support in general. We wish to go ahead with Amor's plan but with a more detailed suggestion, before the offensive to cut-off Zug and the offensive to take Tifariti we launch a large scale bombing campaign. Priority targets being Polisario self-propelled artillery, Polisario artillery, and Polisario supply depots and bases. Afterwards when the offensive begins, the air force will give close air support to advancing units. We will station 8 Gezelle light anti-armor helicopters in the Western Sahara to combat enemy armor when needed by the ground army. All of this will of course be generally supported with Self-propelled artillery support and rocket artillery barrages." replied General Ahmed Boutaleb, one of the more senior staff members and current General of the Air force.

"I approve of the plans, hopefully once we establish air control over the Western Sahara, we may finally begin its reconstruction and re-administration as the Southern Provinces. Of course once the Polisario is defeated we will need to establish local autonomous rule, but we will offer former Polisaro members who now support our claims on the Southern Provinces as chances to be Governors. But now onto the current state of Yemen."

After a bit of reshuffling and moving a new map was now laying on the table, the map showed Yemen in several different colors of red, white, and green. Al-Qaeda being the white has been pushed back to a single city and was awaiting its death by hadi-led forces. To the west of that fighting still raged on as the Hadi-led government was slowly pushing its way to the Houthi Capital of Sana'a, with support from the Saudi-led coalition it was destined to reach it. But it still needed more support.

"I do not wish to debate and squander what little time we have, I demand that our forces that are currently in Yemen increase up to at least 2,500 soldiers from the Moroccan Army, 30 self-propelled artillery preferably of the M109A5 howitzer. I would also like if we station five of the Gazelle light anti-armor helicopter in Yemen as well, it will support in reconnaissance and destroying armor such as the T-54 and BMPs, as shown during the Western Saharan War."

The generals nodded and left the table to begin preparations, times have changed in the world. The King understood that, but he was willing to make those changes and sacrifices to continue leading Morocco into the future. Morocco was in a strategic position to do great things both North Africa and Europe, West Africa and the Atlantic. The world was ready to accept Morocco as a regional power, and Morocco was ready to take that mantle and become a power in Africa that it was destined to be.

National Projects:

Rabat Solar Project - 0.00%

by **Labstoska** » Wed Feb 07, 2018 1:52 pm

The united kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

God save our gracious queen

Today the weather had decided to be far more lenient on London as the gales and bout of rain that had plauged the city had finally dispelled and now the long awaited sun finally made its appearance. Despite the relatively nice day going on 10 Downing street still retained it's gloomy exterior and to a further extent a rather depressing interior however despite the misery that was passing over 10 Downing street prime minister Parsosns seemed to have snapped out of his phase of melancholy and has proven once more that the moods of Human beings are more often than not determined by the weather. The first thing on Parson's list was to attempt to mend the rift between the English and the Scots however to do this he would have to find a way to repair years of animosity between the two peoples, it was extremely likely that he would only laying the groundwork for fixing the Anglo - Scottish relationship and that the duty of mending the rift would pass on to the Prime minister who would come after him because God knows that there was no way Parsons was going to get re-elected. If he was going to start repairing the relationship between the English and the Scots then he would have to get the Scots involved in this process as well after all it was the lack of collaboration with them that had caused all of this to happen in the first place so he wrote a letter to the first minister for Scotland, a prominent Scottish nationalist, in order to invite them to a meeting to discuss how Scotland can remain in the UK while still finding a more comfortable position within it.

To: The First minister for Scotland
From: Prime minister John Parsons
In order to mend the rift between the kingdoms of England and Scotland and ensure the unity of our United kingdom, I believe it is necessary for us to meet in London in order to see how the government can make Scotland's position in the UK more comfortable.

The next issue that the government faced was with the Latvian request to meet in London in order to discuss the fate of Latvian nationals within the UK, this had of course been a massive issue that the UK had faced ever since the UK formally left the European union and the mass exodus of European nationals had certainly left a large mark o the UK's economy so if they were to reach an agreement with the Latvian government then it would no doubt be better than yet another mass migration of foreign nationals.

To: Whomever it may concern in the Latvian government
From: The British foreign ministry
We here in the British government would be highly interested in meeting with members from your own government in order to discuss the future of Latvian nationals within the UK. We hope to meet you soon in London.

In order to reassure the public in this time of immense change and political instability, prime minister Parsons has made the decisions to formally address the nation in a speech outside of 10 Downing street:

People of Britain, these past few years have been hard on our nation, we have faced economic turbulence, political instability and the collapse of an alliance that has defended the world from tyranny and authoritarianism since the onset of the cold war. We have also regrettably lost the special relationship that once characterised Anglo-American relations however while some may turn to radical ideologies and turn against the values that made this nation great, us within the current conservative government are confident that Britain will be able to pull through as we have done so many times before.

In terms of our diplomatic relations Britain has managed to pull away from NATO and found an alliance with our friends in Europe and our nation has also now begun to break out of the isolationist shell that has afflicted this nation for the past 5 years and is now once more looking to the world stage as we entering the final stages of our economic recovery. We have also remained vigilant in this time for while the US may have cowered away from the Russian threat we here in Britain still stand tall against rampant Russian expansionism.

Many of us in this country have also no doubt felt the impact of the economic crisis that afflicted our country in the aftermath of Brexit but once again our nation has powered on through these troubles by looking forward to the future with one of the most advanced economies in the world and being one of the centres of technological advancement throughout the entire western world however our government still looks to improving our technological capabilities even further and upgrading British industry in order to bring it into to the new era.

The house of commons were once more in uproar as they were most days, with the neo liberals railing on about economic policy while the nationalists railed on about the foreign policy and how Britain should isolate itself off from the world or some other nonsense while those from the old and forgotten parties such as Labour and the Lib Dems simply sat solemnly and remained silent. The main subject of today's debates were the state of the economy and how the final stages of economic recovery should be handled and now the time had finally come to make cuts to departments in the government in order to start investing in British companies and in outside projects.

Bill: Make cuts to social protection
Contents: In order to begin investing into the various branches of the UK economy we must make cuts of 20 billion pounds to social protection which is currently receiving 245 billion pounds
Arguments:

<Conservative> "In order to begin the revitalisation of the British economy we must begin investing in British businesses and in order to do this it is necessary to begin making cuts to Social protection in order to gain the money necessary to start our investments."

<Neo-Liberals > "Instead of making cuts to our current budget we should instead start changing our current economic policy in order to instead of simply working with what we have, we should instead start expanding our economy through a more liberal economic policy . "

Votes:
For: 426
Against: 224
conclusion: The bill passed in parliament and the cuts will be made to Social protection

Bill: Issue a grant of 5 billion pounds to help support small businesses in the UK
Contents: In order to further stimulate the British economy it is necessary to begin investing in small businesses in order to make Britain the centre of the world once more.
Arguments:

<Conservative> "This new grant will allow for more small businesses to prosper within the UK and will help keep small businesses within the UK while making London then new financial capital of the world."

<Neo-Liberals > "The money being used in this grant should be used to invest money into the NHS in order to ensure universal healthcare for all British people. "

Votes:
For: 436
Against: 214
conclusion: The bill passed in parliament and the grants will be made for small businesses.

Bill: Invest in the Rabat solar project
Contents: If the bill passes then the UK will invest 2.6 billion pounds into the Rabat solar project
Arguments:

<Conservative> "The UK has retreated into itself for the past 5 years and now that we are establishing Britain on the global stage once more what better way is there of showing the world that Britain is open for business than pushing forward renewable energy."

<Nationalist> "This entire policy of re-establishing Britain on the world stage is ludicrous, instead we should be focusing on building up the home islands and giving British people jobs not the Moroccans. "

Votes:
For: 346
Against: 304
conclusion: The bill passed in parliament and the Rabat solar project will receive an investment of 2.6 billion pounds from the UK.

To: Whomever it may concern within the Moroccan government
From: The British foreign ministry
Seeing how Morocco is pushing forwards the ideals of renewable energy in Africa, an ideal that the United Kingdom has supported for a long time, The united Kingdom would like to invest 2.6 billion pounds into the construction of the Rabat solar project.

National projects:
project Arthur - 12.00%

2 new frigates- 16.00%

by **Alaroma** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:52 am

Moscow, Russia- The Senate Building of the Kremlin Complex

1:12 PM- Moscow Time

The President’s Office

The President wakes late and eats shortly after noon. He begins with the simplest of breakfasts. There is always cottage cheese. His cooked portion is always substantial; omelette or occasionally porridge. He likes quails’ eggs. He drinks fruit juice. The food is forever fresh: baskets of his favourites dispatched regularly from the farmland estates of the Patriarch Kirill, Russia’s religious leader. He is then served coffee. His courtiers have been summoned but these first two hours are taken up with swimming. The President enjoys this solitary time in the water. This is where the political assistants suggest he gets much of Russia’s thinking done. He likes to work late into the night. He summons his men at the hours that suit his mental clarity – the cold hours where everything is clearer. And now power begins. The early afternoon is about briefing notes. This mostly takes place at his heavy wooden desk. These are offices without screens. The President uses only the most secure technologies: red folders with paper documents, and fixed-line Soviet Warera telephones. The master begins his work day by reading three thick leather-bound folders.

As Vladimir began his day as Russia’s Executive, it was notable how his fortunes have changed in recent years. At first he went from Russia’s Guardian of prosperity, where the economy was still doing fairly well. Skyscrapers went up when there were none before. The Moscow International Business Center, the financial district of Moscow, payed testament to that. However the fortunes of gold turned when oil prices began to drop, and then eventual western sanctions on Russia. Those his country weathered- however it would have been nice to do without them. However he made a new promise to the Russian people since 2014, one of Nostalgia of the “Glory days” of the old Soviet Union. Of course Vladimir wasn’t advocating for a return to Communism. “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results” as said by Albert Einstein. Vladimir was there, he was a KGB agent. Of all the things facing the Russian Federation, a failed economic system wouldn’t be his downfall. However, problems of other carnations still abounded. One would be who is Russia’s friends. Russia had three definite friends. 1) It’s Army. 2) It’s Navy. 3) It’s Air Force. However sweet those allies were, and had definitely gotten bigger over the last decade or so, Russia needed Allied Nations. Now, Russia was facing an increasingly hostile Europe. He didn’t expect anything of Europe, not under his Presidency at least. However he expected a conflict. Now, he had played his cards right so far. In fact, the Nation had seen more growth since his last election on all fronts, however the need for allies remained. Therefore with recent sentiments being favorable towards Syria and Iran, he belived the time was right.

To the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Syrian Arab Republic:
The West has grown increasingly aggressive in the past few years, and the security of our nation's is most imperative. We’ve worked together in the past, and our positions of defiance against the West has been formidable. However, when we stand together, we can only grow stronger. When we form economic, and Military ties, we spit in the face of Western Aggression. If we are to have our interests respected, and the rebuilding of Syria, accomplished, we need a strong allies. Therefore I invite both nations to negotiations on your entry to the CSTO. This is not the first time the Russian Federation has offered, but if the offer is accepted, then we shall make it come with a boost of Russian aid. I hope to see you soon in regards to this matter.
From the Executive of the Russian Federation

The Federal Assembly

The Federation Council

3:37 PM

As expected, Russia was cold in the wintertime. Moscow still had to go on, and as the various officials went into the warm corridors of the House. As the bills of the house were being delivered to be voted on. With the overwhelming super majority of the United Russia party, and the Upper House, despite being "Independent of Political Parties" so it's expected these bills to go through without too much trouble. That being said, all that was left was to pass the bills. The first was the "Infrastructure Bill" which was the allocation of more funding to R&D to help the economy. That being the case, R&D was expected to help the technology of the Federation as it was going on to say IT sectors, Medicine, or Renewable energy.

Bill: The Infrastructure Bill
Contents: The change of 1.8% of the GDP raising to 2.7% of the GDP being dedicated to Research and Development. In the Modern world, the Russian Federation must be able to compete. Therefore the raising of funds dedicated to R&D will continue the development of the Russian Federation.

Vote
Yes:162
No:8
Result:Passed

Now the point of the next bill was part of a recent program by the Russian Govement, which had saw implentation for a while. It was the process of diversifying the Russian economy, which meant increasing production in things like Lumber. It also meant investing in Russian companies. It's been a gradual process, but it's been picking up as the Russian goverment continued it's plans to essential do two things: Revitalize the Russian Economy, and give Europe them middle finger while doing it. As such, things like education and even them military were reformed budget wise. States had more power over how to do State Education, and needless things in the military were cut off. The Military was modernizing of course, however money was not to be wasted. In a sense, the Russian Goverment had become very picky. However it began giving more money to help Russian Universities on the other hand. A lot of domestic spending was definitly flowing from one direction to the next, but with the idea of getting Russian employed and richer in mind, it was all worth it in the end.

Bill: The Diversity Bill
Contents: Seeing the need for further Diversification of the Russian Economy, more businesses in the Lumber, Telecommunications, Electronic, and Automotive Industry sectors. With former bills seeking to increase the Business Friendliness of the Russian Federation, 5,793,440,000,000 Russian Rubbles(1 Billion USD) are to be allocated to help increase these Sectors, and help Russian Companies in things such as infrastructure to help the business climate, and rightly utilize the resources made available to the Companies of Russia.

Yes:164
No:6

Result: Passed

With these additional reforms in the books, it's been a long process of making Russia less dependent on it's fossil fuels to compete in the world economy. However with the economy doing better(Along with the fact lowering Oil prices won't cuck the Russian economy), it was a continued process that would continue to embark on making the Russian Nation business friendly. Sure, things have been tense with the west lately, however it would be of no fault of the Russians that their economy doesn't do what it needs to do. To put money back into the hands of the people, to protect Russian prosperity and honor. The GDP of Russia stands at 1.9-2 Trillion dollars as of right now. That being said, the people of the Council would now go onto other things and bills, but these were some of the more notable bill that the Russians had to deal with as of right now.

Made in Russia

The general consensus is that Russia likes it's guns, it likes them so much it gives other people it's guns so they can enjoy them too. Indeed, this ranges from the now infamous AK-47 to the Su-27 fighter jet. As the Second largest weapons seller, it was no doubt that Russian arms were respected. Whether they were because they were of good quality, or due to their general cheapness is up for to who you're asking. Regardless, the Russian Arms complex is looking to make some more money from the arms market. Now, there has been multiple occurrences to show off Russian arms withing the last decade, such as the Syrian Civil war, where Putin armed his friends in the Syrian Government with some new toys. How did these new "Toys" perform? Well, considering who runs the Syrian Government now, the results speak for itself. This all in mind, the Russian goverment was going to reach out to a few more nations who seemed to be looking for weapons. Some more surprising on the list than others.

However first let's discuss what the Russian Military in particular is needing at the moment before the other nations are take into concern. The biggest things in the plans is another aircraft Carrier, which will replace one of the Aircraft Carriers currently in service. While it has served the motherland faithfully, the aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov is simply too old right now(Albeit, it was modernized 2018-2022) for . It will be replace, then decommissioned in honor. With that being said, the aircraft carrier is not the only thing on the wishlist. With the "product 30" engine complete for the Su-57, more interest is being shown into acquiring the newest Russian 5th Gen Stealth Fighter.

National Military Projects of the Russian Federation

Shtorm-Class Aircraft Carrier- 0% Completed

2 Lider-Class Cruisers- 4% Completed

Mikoyan LMFS 5th Gen Fighter- 86% Completed

Mikoyan MiG-41(5 Gen++/6th Gen)- 62% Completed

Next would be the other nations that Russia has to cater to, most notably Syria, Iran, Indonesia, India, China, Egypt, and the Koreas amoung others. In this latest batch of potential suitors, there are multiple things each Nation is going to want. Depending on who you ask, things like Air Defenses and the such are important. Others say MBTs, Rifles, and Fighters are considered high priority for the Military of these nations. Craft like the Su-57 has raised some eyebrows, and India who was involved in the process of making the craft will be one of the first to get a batch of the craft(Besides Russia of course) and would be seeing what other nations would be willing(and hopefully have the money) to purchase the export version of this craft. However, Su-35's are still craft worthy considering their last Updated Version.

Russian Military Complex

To: India, Indonesia, Iran, Syria, Egypt, South Korea, Brazil.

To these Governments, the Russian Military is offering arms deals with High-Tech Russian Equipment. This equipment varies from the S-500 to the T-14. Or perhaps the Su-57 if that is the craft you are seeking, or perhaps fleets of Su-35's at your disposal. If these are what you desire, send in requests to your local Russian Embassies of the Equipment you would like to require, then we can negotiate on costs of such requirements! Remember, depending on the era of the equipment, you can buy more in bulk if you so wish! However for more modern purchases, they will have to be reasonable of course! With this all being said, we hope to receive a response soon! Good day comrades!

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 3:19 pm

Global Affairs office, Ottawa, Canada

Sara Hradecky was in her office. This morning she had the Cabinet meeting on which it was decided that the yearly budget designated and approved for North Africa will go towards the Rabat Solar Project. She sat at her desk to compose a following message:

From Canadian weekly political paper

The House of Representatives and Senate were in tumultuous session this week, looking to decide upon three new bills that were pushed by small majority composed of members of Liberal Party and New Democratic Party. First on agenda was the act proposed by New Democratic Party that aimed to increase wages of public servants, especially those working in healthcare and education. Public servant unions pushed for this law for a long time and whip of New Democratic Party James Lockyer had defended this law in the House of Representatives:

"Our public servants are working in difficult conditions to maintain many services that enable pleasant life for our citizens. This gives our young people more incentives to choose those responsible careers."

Conservative party members, joined by several members of Progressive party attacked that measure saying that it puts more strain on the Federal budget and that it goes against Prime Ministers promise that there'll be no new taxes.

In the end measure was passed with majority in both Houses of Parliament

Measure to increase wages of public servants:
House
For: 217
Against:121

Senate
For: 84
Against: 21

Another bill was the bill for building of Arctic railway. Arctic Railway proposed route was to built from hay River to Sawmill Bay. This railway is supposed to facilitate faster transport of mineral wealth located in Northwestern Territories and encourage greater economic development in the Arctic regions. The Bill was proposed by the government and it met strong opposition from the ranks of the Green Party. However, both conservatives and liberals agreed to the Bill, conservatives after proposed amendment that the building be entrusted to Canadian National Railway.

Project of Arctic Railway:
House
For:310
Against:28

Senate
For: 101
Against: 4

Third measure was measure to increase the amount of money federal states keep at the end of the year and decrease obligations towards federal treasury. The Quebec Bloc proposed this measure and it was meant by support by the majority coalition. Conservatives decided that the measure is irresponsible and that i represents "pandering of Trudeau administration to the interests of Quebec separatists. The measure had narrowly passed the House and Senate, composed mostly by State officials passed it almost unanimously.

Measure to increase state budgets

House
For: 201
Against: 127

Senate
For:104
Against:1

After the successful speech, Trudeau was in his office looking through around the world news. He received the call from Sara, his foreign miniser about decision to support Rabat Solar project. Many people in his government saw Morocco as a new factor of progress in North Africa and another important partner Canada should have in the Mediterranean. It was time to discuss some international matters with Moroccan King who could prove to be another ally for his new, internationally proactive Canada. He quickly phoned his secretary to compose an invite and returned to the news of the world.

Ongoing projects:
Arctic Railway: 0%

by **Chewion** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 9:11 pm

Konungariket Sverige

Stockholm, Sweden

Prime Minister Sten Bergheden sat in his personal office inside of Sagerska huset and looked out at the bright blue sky above. In the distance a small formation of white puffy clouds could be seen floating without a care in the world. If only Sten could have such a luxury. It was mid-morning yet he had already met with the Queen, whom he genuinely liked and found to be a kind and intelligent woman, and held a cabinet meeting to discuss several key events and issues that had been pressing on Sweden for a while now. Namely the issue of joining CESDOT. Sten was personally in favor of it but Ebba Busch Thor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, had voiced concerns that such a move might hurt relations with Finland since the two had previously agreed to join NATO only if both did and, while they had made no such agreement on CESDOT, the Finns might still feel like they were being left behind by their Swedish friend. Sten found this ludicrous. After all Sweden was an independent state that had a right to make its own choices but still he knew he had to weigh the risks and rewards of joining.

Sitting back in his chair he looked over his personal calendar. Within the next few months the Navy would be commissioning the two new Horisont class frigates were going to be commissioned and put into service. The Queen would be officially commissioning them but as Prime Minister he was expected to be there and gave a speech about how great these ships were and how they would help Sweden stay capable of defending itself. He liked the ships but wished he didn't have to go through all the hoopla. What the future might hold for Sweden was always on his mind.

Outside Sager House

Prime Minister Bergheden stood in front of the various media outlets with clasped hands as he said “I would like to announce that Sweden has decided to start dialogue with CESDOT over the possibility of Sweden joining the organization. In these most uncertain times we believe that standing together is better than standing apart. I discussed this with Her Majesty the Queen this morning during our weekly breakfast and she agreed that this was the best possible course of action. We will take any final decision before the nation in a referendum and before Parliament in order to ensure the people’s voice is heard. Sweden can only be strengthened by joining CESDOT."

Foreign Affairs

To: Chancellor Martin Schöpfer
From: Prime Minister Sten Bergheden

I am writing you today in order to request the Germany takes up Sweden joining CESDOT before the other members. Your nation holds much sway in the organization and some say even lead it. The addition of Sweden to CESDOT will provide benefits of both parties by bringing more firepower and protection to all involved. Sweden and Germany have long had good relations and I hope this is still true and that you will take our wish to join before the others.

Sincerely,

Prime Minister Sten Bergheden

Riksdag, Stockholm, Sweden

Bill: Ensuring citizens will is heard in regards to joining CESDOT.
Contents: Any final deal on joining CESDOT must pass a referendum and a majority vote in the Riksdag to be accepted.

Arguments:

The Government (The Alliance): "We hope that this bill can be a bill in which both of our coalitions can agree. It is clearly in the best interest of the Swedish people that they know the details of any final agreement and have a chance to have their opinion heard through a national referendum."

The Opposition: "We can agree with our colleagues from the government. Allowing the people and parliament to have the final say is common sense and probably the first good idea to come out of this government since it was elected."

Votes:
For: 330
Against: 19
The bill passes the Riksdag and is added to the Law.

Bill: Lowering corporate tax rate and giving business an incentive to move to Sweden.
Contents: The corporate tax rate shall be lowered to 17% from the current 22%. In addition any company that moves to Sweden or opens up operation in Sweden shall receive a five year special tax rate of 12% provided they agree to remain in Sweden for at least ten years.

Arguments:

The Government: "This lowering of the corporate tax rate and special deal for companies moving operations in Sweden will both provide an incentive for both companies that are currently here and provide a strong allure to new companies to come to Sweden. In effect this bill will be telling the business world that Sweden is open for business."

The Opposition: "This bill will take money away from the people who need it and allow corporations to gt richer. This is injustice of the highest order."

Votes:
For: 210
Against: 139

The bill passes the Riksdag and is added to the law.

Official Press Release from the Swedish Ministry of Defense

Today we are proud to announce that the Musko naval base has been fully reopened for naval usage including the use as a underground port for naval ships. This will provide us with the ability to protect several of our naval ships from any surprise attack and ensure that the navy is always capable of defending our country. The fears in regards to toxic compounds and heavy metals used in the base have been addressed and the entirety of the base was thoroughly cleaned of any dangerous substance.

by **Welfresio** » Fri Feb 09, 2018 10:36 pm

Islamic Republic of Iran

‘Esteqlāl, Āzādi, Jomhuri-ye Eslāmi’

1446 AH
2024 AD
Tehran - Region 1

As the sun rises over the great country that is Iran; Khomeini observed the light that shined on Tehran, over the skyscrapers, over the mosques, he thought to himself..

History will be made.

Chapter 2

It’s already February and GHORB has proposed a design to standardize tanks all towards a single type, thus allowing Iran to divert it’s older models towards groups and countries that it supports; allowing them to gain more firepower without anyone knowing of their origin, thanks to the widespread use of Soviet-era combat vehicles.

Called the Zulfiqar IV, it was equipped with a modernized 125mm cannon provided by the Russians, specifically the 2A46M5 capable of firing guided missiles and a variety of other functions that serves as an step up from the original version that the Iranian military had. It was envisioned to be equipped with mostly joint Russo-Iranian electronics and control systems, in addition to passive armor like the Kontakt-5 and a variety of alloys reinforced to stop penetration. Currently, the first prototype was built on an extensively modified chassis from an older tank, and was tested within the Tehran province, conducted at utmost secrecy.

Economic activity was reported to be in a positive trend as Russian companies carefully invests into Iran through the Caspian Sea or through CSTO members, stimulating an robust trade economy within the major cities and especially the coast, and encouraging development and expansion of small towns to accommodate the traffic.

In order to maintain the momentum, the Supreme Leader looks towards its issues with the WTO, where the US has vetoed over 22 times, preventing Iran to connect towards the economy of the world, a factor towards this is because of the IRGC, which has been accused of corruption; and addition to ‘terrorist’ activities by foreign governments.
To move forward, past this debacle, Hassan Khomeini has contacted reformist lawmakers within the parliament and Guardian Council for advice over his new reform, addressing financial transparency, accountability and ‘regulating’ the shadow economy controlled by the IRGC, something that he is well aware of, and after a few weeks pass, it was ready to be presented towards the parliament.

Under the Prosperity Reform Plan
تحت برنامه اصلاحات رفاه
Reform Act 78
اصلاحات قانون شماره 78
To be implemented by the Parliament and the Guardian Council
برای اینکه توسط شورای پارلمان و نگهبان اقدام شود

Sub - Financial Reform

Section
i. Reform Act 78 seeks to increase financial transparency and accountability of both government and privately-owned companies.
ii. International/Western financial procedures are to be standardized as policy within businesses in Iran, in addition to clearer methodologies to analyze financial data better.
iii. Greater efforts on data collection by the government and,
iv. Coordination across the full range of relevant partners, especially cooperating companies with our own.
v. This reform seeks to implement a integrated data system for government/state-owned companies to provide
real-time updates of their financial information.
v-a. Section Five also seeks for state employees to adjust better with the data system, thus allowing more flexibility.

Reform Act 78, Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Morocco's announcement on increasing its support towards Yemen with an jump on deployed personnel and equipment alarmed Iran and Khomeini, planning immediately began to find ways on to bypass the blockade, looking towards the sophisticated abilities of the IRGC to exploit the Al Hudayah entryway, currently open only for aid flights and shipments. The IRGC knew that they had to coordinate with the Houthis in order to ensure its success, thus using a mix of encryption methods, and with no way to traceback the telegram, it was sent towards the Houthis using contacts within Yemen.

wSRGFBJx8O6tcKRjWIja1oznqUvFsPErzT8SOzXdu5wzhzIXsLjgfibQISuELAfHnEe0iEZfmM1rBNisX8fsEg==
yU6rm30OjTSL0mNxqinQEChV5SmRlFuIbL7T8R0n4XwRi7graJ3+yXiHVy+VJ76jWLTcQymnsuf73jfaiWjoJQ==
Ex5e7JvBYTGkXVnrlPCBtfpIu8sd4BctddO7lwrjNIg=

To - Houthi Yemen, al-Houthis
From - pb98cNINICCER1sDSF2A/ztG1RA8/Ai74L9HnW1BtmQ=
Sub - AID
Encryption - IAES 218-bit encryption

X/XX/202X

To the Houthis,

Our state would like to assist you in fighting off the coalition and Yemeni government forces by sending advisers, equipment and supplies. We wish to strengthen our relations with you as part of our responsibility to maintain our support between us and you.
We hope that our offer will give way towards peace, stability and prosperity towards your country in the foreseeable future.

'al-Savari Talha

Russia’s willingness to offer it’s high-tech suites enthusiastically towards Iran was surprising, to say the least, immediately, the Defense Ministry contacted Russia about its wares, and listed its demands. However, the invitation towards the CSTO was ignored for now, with the alliance with Syria still strong, it was clear that Iran wasn’t going to give up it’s new found power towards Moscow, Tehran will not yield, nor show weakness towards foreigners.

Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Iran to the Russian Federation
نماینده دائم جمهوری اسلامی ایران به فدراسیون روسیه
Pokrovsky Blvd, 7, Moskva, 109028, Russia
لوک Pokrovsky، 7، مسکو، 109028، روسیه

To - Russian Federation
From - The Islamic Republic of Iran
Sub - Re:Offer
Encryption - Diplomatic Cable

February xx , 2024

To the Russian Federation

The Islamic Republic of Iran would like to take on Russia's offer of arms deals and eagerly requests the following to modernize the military of Iran to better defend itself from foreign and domestic threats alike.

8 S-400 air defense systems
Licenses on production rights of cannons, weaponry, fire control systems and propulsion systems for vehicles.
140 Su-27SM2
50 Su-27SKM
700 K-74M2, and 100 K-77M missiles.
Licenses on production rights regarding personnel equipment, kevlar vests, and communication systems
Licenses on production rights on land warfare; such as artillery, ground to air and ground to ground missiles, and more.

Our payment method for this transaction will be by installments, which will gradually cover the grand total of this request.
In addition, we can negotiate the terms regarding our requests; rest assured that we will be cooperative during this time.

Best regards,
Mehdi Sanaee, Ambassador and Representative of Iran to the Russian Federation

The military of Iran has done some progress under its standardization program along with a separate one meant for armored vehicles, decommissioning dozens of Irani equivalents from the 1970s towards the 90s, replacing it with modern examples thanks to arms deals from Russia ever since Tehran became more receptive towards Iran, no longer does a soldier of the Artesh or in the IRGC has a steel helmet, now replaced by Chinese or Russian derivatives of the kevlar helmet, equipped with personal body armor, replacing chest rigs obsolete since the 70s.

Now, it is partially ready for the military parade, ready to show off how it evolved from a backwater nation using obsolete Western technology to a prosperous revolutionary government, ready to take on the evils of Saudi Arabia, and the unbalance of the world ever since the Virumaa Crisis.

by **Pimps Inc** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 1:06 am

Urbi et Orbi

_{Sistine Chapel, Vatican City}

Cardinals gathered in black masses, black witches at masses. Many pace up and down, frames tense as a tightrope. The Secretary counts the votes:

“Cardinal Luciano Orsinidella has gathered 36 votes. Cardinal Rovere Orsinidella, 26. Cardinal Leonardo Belardo, forty two. Cardinal Belardo has gathered the required majority.”

A breath of surprise escapes the conclave. A round of frantic whispering is followed by yet another. Cardinal Luciano Orsinidella raises his voice above it.

“Correction. Cardinal Belardo has bought the required majority.”

The face of the Secretary scrunches in a frown. “What is your implication?”

Belardo looks over at Cardinal Orsinidella. “His implication is that the throne of St. Peter is for sale.”

Roevere joins in, “...and has been bought by an American up to his neck in simony.”

Belardo nods almost understanding, “I see. You would have preferred it had been bought by an Italian?”

Orsinidella scoffs, pretending to be taken aback. “By someone remotely worthy of the Papacy, at the very least.”

“Well then,” Belardo says with a wry smile and a gaze of unmistakable Machiavellinism, “my first act a step Pope will be to institute an inquiry into the election process. The accusation of something as dreadful as simony is of the gravest concern.” He pronounces the word of accusation like one would chew a savory appetizer.

This shuts Orsinidella up. Belardo glances at the Cardinal’s brother and purses his lips. “And my second of course will be to appoint my Secretary of State.” He looks to one of the two cardinals an gives an imperceptible wink.

“The greatest office with the greatest income is my gift. There are two obvious candidates.” He looks from Orsinidella to Orsinidella. “Cardinals Roevere and Luciano Orsinidella.” They listen in silence, for they, too, can be bought.

Belardo looks away from them and paces down. “But the Pope could never appoint someone who questions his right to be Pope.” A silence follows, sucking them in, before Cardinal Luciano retracts, “That was not my intention.”

“Nor was it mine.”, the brother pipes up.

Belardo looks back at them with an air of satisfaction. “I see.”, he grimaces, “And the American race is closest to your bosom.” With that, he nods to the secretary, now in complete control.

The Secretary continues,“To conclude, Cardinal Belardo has the required majority...”

Belardo walks through the conclave, past the Orsinidellas. He displays no animosity as he passes his aristocratic profile. A bell begins to toll, white smoke spews from a chimney,

and Leonardo Belardo opens his eyes to see his bedroom ceiling. He shifts on to his side and sees blonde hair, beautiful face sleeping peacefully.

By the time he dresses, eats a pre-prepared breakfast of eggs and bacon, and steps into the fresco on his private villa on Aventine Hill. He sits calmly with the blonde woman, both smoking and without talking. As a couple might do. Bells still toll in the distance.

“So. You have won.”, the small voice of Ludivine states.

Belardo responds in kind, “Yes. I’ve won.”

“My congratulations.” She pours him some wine. She knows some statement is coming but does not know what form it will take.

“And I have also lost.” And here it comes.

The hand of Ludivine stays with the bottle. “Ah. What have you lost, my love?”, she asks.

“You.”

“You’ll never lose me.”

Belardo sighs. “Not in spirit, maybe. But in fact, I may have to.”

“The pope cannot love?”

“The Pope can love God. But to be seen to love anybody else would be...unthinkable.”

“So? We find a way to accommodate our affections....as we’ve always done.” Her stammering is interrupted by the hand of Belardo clutching her wine pouring arm. A tear comes to her eye. She blinks without disclosing it.

“No. Not only must the Pope be chaste, he must be seen to be chaste.”

The masses scurried off to the Square of St. Peter in the dead of late, very late afternoon. Darkness was broken only by the pilgrims filling the night streets of Rome. Only stars and moonlight illuminate the square, journalist cameras being highly vetted, and no artificial sources of light provided. The massive crowd murmurs among itself before the silhouette of a crucifer carrying a cross becomes visible. Behind him, another figure-The Figure enters the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica, face and identity masked by sorrounding nightfall. The figure extends his arms with trepidation and the crowd roars back with adoration.

A cardinal’s voice echoes through the sound system:
“I announce to you a great joy:
We have a Pope!
The Most Eminent and Most Reverend Father,
Lord Leonard,
Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Belardo,
who takes to himself the name Pius XIII!”

Moments pass as the crowd’s roar of acclamation drown everything out. Very soon, however, it ceases as they see the Figure-Pope Pius XIII near the microphone.

“Tall world, tall world! What have we forgotten?”, the Father of the Catholic Church asks with a pause. “We have forgotten you!” The crowd roars again with adoration. “I am here for one very simple reason, to not forgot no one. God leaves no one out of memory, ever, for better or worse. That is what He told me when I decided to serve him. This is what I say to you now. God, I. Serve. You. We have forgotten the women and children, who hold the future and are the future, respectively. The former who is not deserving of being dunked headfirst into the vat of garbage we call popular culture. And man, with the untapped ability for marvelously divine disposition, to find the balance between pleasure and ethic in work, in labor. A man may be judged by his standard of entertainment as easily as by the standard of his work. Work is the authentic means we have to make us feel at conciliated with life. And to be coinciliated with life, we must be in harmony with him who has given us the great gift in the first place: God!

And what else have we forgotten? We have forgotten OUR disenfranchised. OUR persecuted. We have instead sought signaling of virtue instead of actual virtues. Tolerance has become a farce, a weapon for mundane, Eartly, arrogant political gain. We have dismissed God as outdated, as a fairy tale, and in a manner of what can only be described as bitter resentment of God that has led to some to dedicate themselves entirely to discredit him and his Word and His Church instead of realizing that a Church run by imperfect men who sin will be subject to imperfection, to flaws. These flaws and imperfections in members, the Church must rectify whenever it can, whenever it must instead of allowing the World to even think for a second that the entire Church should and could be torn down and the gap it occupies instead filled and replaced by narcissism, hedonism, by nihilism.

We have forgotten that God is the central pillar for our civilization. God made all humans in his image, Equal, and that is an inalienable gift. If you do not truly believe AND practice AND strive to practice what you believe, God and his Holy Scriptures, every single day, do not bother. Do not force upon others. Do not be forced upon. Faith of God must emanate from Love, and if not, simply understand eternal life is not for you. But for the Worthy. Amen.”

Amen.

by **Latvijas Otra Republika** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 3:22 pm

The Republic of Latvia

tēvzemei un brīvībai

Latvia holds numerous runways and small airports; with there only being one main large scale modern airport in Riga. This has been seen as an issue by citizens living outside of the proximity of Riga and for cargo transporters. Today the Saeima are debating and voting on a bill that will address the issue or potentially solve it, reaping potential economic benefits in the long term. There has been no endorsements by the President,
Jūlija Stepaņenko, or even by the Prime minister, although many 'Harmony' party members are advocating for the bill as it will benefit the local Russian minority living in Daugavpils and thus a potential coalition Russian party in Daugavpils. The adjustments proposed aren't extremely large but general large runway construction and modernisation effort. The renovations themselves have not been recognised or even funded from the plans beginnings in 2005.

Bill: General Daugavpils airport building, track and lighting renovations and a up-grade for a single small track making it double the size for larger airplanes.

Views:

(Pro) Yield better long term economic results as trade and transport capabilities increase, better transport for citizens, better trade in Latgale

(Anti) Unnecessary, better investment opportunities elsewhere, better to renovate airports somewhere else, disruption to nature, disruption to local residents

Vote count out of a 100:
Aye: 54
Nay: 46

Result: Passes

The passing of the bill has stirred controversy as the media have been mocking the site of the barren overgrown airport by recording it and making practical jokes, there have also been online comments mocking the government for either wasting money or using the airport as an scheme to pocket money for themselves. The cynicism and distaste for the government has been growing throughout the 2000s, just after the Russian riot compromise this disconnect has been heightened to higher levels without coming down. Jūlija Stepaņenko being elected President by the Saeima has not helped the situation as she had already garnered a negative reputation before her Presidency.

Meanwhile the President, Jūlija Stepaņenko, and her selection of delegates are due to arrive in London to propose a solution to the diaspora of Latvian nationals in the U.K, the primary concern of Latvia first hand internationally would be to prevent the loss of an entire generation to assimilation. Throughout the decades Latvia has now been in the EU, migrants from Latvia have travelled far and wide into European countries,
leading to a dramatic drop in the population and thus the workforce. Now with U.K out of Europe a conclusive deal could be made with the leadership of Britain regarding this issue. The 'Harmony' Social Democrats have allowed this due to their leadership already treading on shallow water, and due to the fact they believe they can retain and sustain citizens returning with their social policies and platform.

London.

The President and her specifically selected delegates arrived in London, driving away from heathrow airport. Inside the car they discussed speaking points and argued over how the deal should be presented, while also discussing what should be enacted at home to give further incentive for citizens coming back to stay. Some rang their smartphones to give the suggestions back to the leadership in Latvia as quickly as possible while another portion of the delegates took notes. After a few stutters from the black car and clanks, they arrived at their destination for discussions.

Jūlija Stepaņenko exited the vehicle with four of her delegates, shutting the doors behind them in hollow metal thuds. They made their way down to the modern building where they awaited further notice from the English administration in the grand reception hall; all of them wearing either smooth black or blue suits. Some local press networks took snapshots of them as they entered the building, their intentions for arriving to London had not been revealed to the general public.

Meanwhile.

A new bill had been introduced that would attempt to aid Russian citizens in learning Latvian, or possibly citizens that had forgotten the language abroad. The bill itself was free Latvian language courses for a month and a reduced price for another three, this incentive was proposed by a 'Vienotība' party member.

Bill: Introduction of free Latvian language courses for a month and a reduced price for an additional three; government will pay for expenses.

Views:

(Pro) Linguistic improvement, Improved Russian-Latvian relations as Russians could speak Latvian

(Anti) Possible toll on the state expenditure

Vote count out of a 100:
Aye: 72
Nay: 28

Result: Passes

No statistics for use of Latvian language courses has been recorded as of yet, the results of the bill will only be witnessed in the long run unless it is repealed or the amount of people using the courses is small.

National Projects:

Expansion and renovation of Daugavpils International Airport - 0.00%

by **Republic of the Cristo** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 6:27 pm

Eastern Cape, SA, midday

Angry horns and shouting managed to drown out the sounds of the machinery at work, and in a way even acted as a kind of harmonious white noise. Nelson rested his elbow against the butt of his shovel and looked up at the pink zeffer that was idling in front one of the cops. The old man had a straw hat on and was yelling in Xhosa at the cop, who only passively waved him to keep moving forward. There were hundreds of cars backed up on the high way, between them all were thousands of bikes and scooters riding past. Nearly every major high way in the Eastern Cape looked like this - everywhere one turned, one would see orange construction signs.

All over, at least a hundred men of every color moved equipment, lifted dirt, drove tractors, or smoothed out tar. Nelson and the rest of the company had been here for little more than three days, and already he was getting used to the sweltering heat associated with the work. Before this, he had been unemployed, and before that, he had been a taxi driver in Port Elizabeth. The pay was only 30 rand an hour ( just above minimum wage ), but it was better than waiting for a welfare check that never came. A heavy leather glove patted Nelson on the shoulder. Nelson promptly turned around to meet the gaze of his dust covered boss. " Tloo, u fihle ho fokolang. " Nelson nodded sheepishly, " e, mohlomphehi. " then he resumed sticking his spade into the ground and taking out the orange dirt that came with.

Nelson was one of 800,000 other men throughout the entirety of South Africa outside today, working along not only roadsides, but ports, electrical substations, bridges, cell towers, and water purification plants. One month ago, parliament finally accomplished what it had taken them over five years to do - pass a bill to fix the nation's infrastructure. To say that the bill was necessary was an understatement. To this day, South African roads had more fatalities on them than Iraqi roads. Yet, despite the necessity of the measure, it had been a long and brutal time coming because of another problem within South Africa - political stagnation.

Johannesburg, SA, afternoon

Mason Dueringer pinched the bridge of his nose. as he tried to look conspicuous whilst talking into the phone. " They are like Goddamn four year olds. If it isn't perfect in every single way they throw hissy fit. " He tried averting his gaze away from the clique of suits gathered down the hall from him.

" Wasn't the bill their idea in the first place? " President Bakker responded through the phone, back to the speaker of the national assembly. Dueringer shook his head. " Oh that's not the problem, the problem is that we did it and they didn't. " One of the suits from across the hall looked up from his group and towards Dueringer, who quickly moved his gaze to a near by wall. " I swear if I get one more complaint on my desk about some twat burned his foot in the tar, i'm gonna burn the damn building down. " Bakker gave a throaty chuckle.

" Not a bad idea, maybe then we could actually get things done? Worked out for Hitler didn't it? " Dueringer couldn't help but laugh out a tiny bit, which caused the entire clique to stop their conversation and turn towards the Speaker. He couldn't just look off to the wall dismissively this time, he had to make it believable. " His whole hand you say? Good heavens Marian why was he so close to the lion to begin with? "

Bakker resumed speaking, " I see your busy. Thank's again for keeping me informed about the legislative schedule. " The dagger-like gaze of the suited clique slowly began returning to their circle, ignoring the speaker for just a moment longer. " When you can, try and gauge our friends outside the coalition for defense spending. I am sorry that I can't be of too much help to you - but Heaven's knows what kind of hell I would catch if I was Johannesburg right now. " Actually, both men had a pretty good idea of what would happen. Bakker was not even a year into a presidency, and already two attempts had been made on his life from would be assassins. Both occasions having occurred in Johannesburg. No leads had been found as to the origin of the assassins, thought it was the guess of some to be the work of Bakker's opponents in government.

SA politics had always been one of corruption and domination - but since the dissolution of the ANC in 2019 following the ousting of Jacob Zuma, conspiracy and factionalism had been quickly added to that list of adjectives. The absolute worst of it had been during the Dulomo presidency. South African politics had always been dominated by a single party, at least in living memory. The idea of anti-partisan and coalition agreements was completely foreign to most men in government. What followed could only be described as one political tribalism. Four politicians were assassinated, and at least two dozen more attempts had been made on others. Party offices were burned, and volunteers beaten by the members of rival parties. It was chaotic madness. Order was only beginning to be restored following the coalition government between the Isenzo and the DA in the 2024 election. Even still, the barbarism of the post-ANC years was a fresh and bloody memory for everyone in government, one which would not be forgotten soon.

" Oh yes indeed... yes, I shall see you very soon Marian. " With having called the president Marian, he then promptly hung up the phone with a resounding clank. He closed his eyes, hung his head low, and took a deep breath in - then out. Then suddenly, he lifted his head back up, but on his best congressional guano eating smile, and made his chipper self over to the clique of suits... who were already approaching him.

" Gentlemen, " Dueringer would not allow these hyenas the privilege to begin the conversation, " what is it I can help you with today? "

" Mr. Speaker, " The tallest and youngest of the bunch began to speak, moving ever closer towards the speaker, " I am having a concern with the safety of your party's infrastructure project. It appears that a man in Cape Town was hospitalized for severe tar burns across his legs due to unsafe equipment... "

National Projects:

Infrastructure rehaul 0%

by **Military Lands of the Scottish People** » Sat Feb 10, 2018 11:12 pm

The Serbian Eagle once proudly soared over the lands of the Balkans, addressing the Turkic barbarians and Bulgar savages when the time called, however it was eventually weakened, crippled. The Eagle will get back up on its feet; it will not buckle no more.

Belgrade, the House of the National Assembly

The Serbian Government was debating the various economic issues, with the resistance proposing less payments towards the military with the cuts then going towards Social care. A daring plan was even proposed to start enticing the Kosovars to stay. Endless debate would lead to the vote being cancelled, and another being proposed by Serbian Progressive party; relocating funds towards the Military and Paramilitary forces after the various military projects undergone by Serbia were coming to an end. A proposal, by the Armed Forces committee, decided to appeal to Russia regarding Cold War tanks and anything else they could offer. This was approved by a slim majority, but nevertheless approved.

After issues regarding funding and the economy were passed and dealt with, the issue regarding EU intervention and possible war with the Kosovars and Albanians meant action had to be done fast. The President, Aleksandr Schmitt, a Hungarian-German-Serb, had began to get his policies passed calling for a end to the Crisis, including deals regarding the Republic of Srpska, causing strained relations with Croatia and Bosnia. Bosnia itself was on the verge of a "depression", as unemployment has, thankfully, stalled at 65%. The entire Srpska region itself is in economic crisis, with the people blaming Croat and Bosnian businesses. A appeal is being made to the UN regarding the region including a referendum, and plan, to integrate the region with Serbia.

Following, controversially, the Nationalist Socialist "Reichsarbeitsdienst" and American Civilian Conservation Corps, the Serbian Government is preparing to cashing in and forcing those who are unemployed to either work within the Serbian "Privredne snage za zaštitu radnika (Economic forces for the protection of workers)" or simply be restricted from (unless disabled or physically unable) government social programs. Those within the Corps will be given housing where they work and minimum wage pay, with provisions made for their family. If needed, and if they work for 5 years within the Corps or a Job Opportunity that was offered from the Corps, they are permitted a small house for his or her family.

Proposals are made and have been prepared to be sent to the European Union, the UN, and Russia.

National Assembly, Belgrade
Republic of Serbia
President Aleksandr Schmitt

To the Members of the European Parliament

Topic- Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Republic of Srpska, and the region of Kosovo

The National Assembly has came together to decide the regions of the Serbians in Bosnia and the Albanian Kosovars in the Kosovo region.
In order to solve the situation, the National Assembly has prepared a list of the Serbian Demands, which are found to be reasonable and to appl to democratic law.

A referendum is to be held in the regions of Srpska and Kosovo, with Serbian forces or UN Forces being placed in Srpska and Albanian or UN Forces being placed in Kosovo. The Referendum is to last a week, with a Serbian and Albanian representative overseeing the voting to ensure nothing happens. To resolve these disputes is critical in the progressing of the unstable region which we are part of. Serbia has promised to assist the Bosnian and Herzegovina's economic crisis, providing Aid and allowing open borders so that Bosnians may find work within ours for several years, so they may gain the work experience and money to live above the Poverty threshold.
The two regions, Srpska and Kosovo, will be completely demilitarized, as to avoid tension.

The demands of the Government are simple and reasonable, and we hope to bring ease to the Balkans so that our youth will no longer be at eachothers throats, so that the Serbians in Srpska and the Kosovars in Kosovo will not have to sleep under a banner they do not belong under,
that they fear. We appeal to you, European Parliament members, to find this proposal approving

National Assembly, Belgrade
Republic of Serbia
President Aleksandr Schmitt

To the Representatives of their respective nations within the United Nations

Topic- The International status regarding the regions Kosovo and Srpska

The National Assembly has designed a plan to bring peace, stability, and eventually prosperity to the Balkan region. The two regions have been contested for quite some time, with both regions having their population showing support for their homeland. For once, our government has decided to work and give leverage, offering simple referendums for the regions to return to Serbia and Albania, a step forward in the right direction.

People stated that it was not right for us to keep the Kosovar region, due to ethnic differences. That is correct. But then the same people wish to deny Srpska from joining Serbia, which has stated previously that it wished to return. How can one bring up the ethnic situation within Kosovo however completely avoid or deny that of Srpska? We look to the United Nations to see the reasoning of this, to unite our peoples, so that there will be no more bloodshed or hatred between that of the Serbians and Bosnians, or that of the Serbians and Albanians.

A referendum is to be held in the regions of Srpska and Kosovo, with Serbian forces or UN Forces being placed in Srpska and Albanian or UN Forces being placed in Kosovo. The Referendum is to last a week, with a Serbian and Albanian representative overseeing the voting to ensure nothing happens. To resolve these disputes is critical in the progressing of the unstable region which we are part of. Serbia has promised to assist the Bosnian and Herzegovina's economic crisis, providing Aid and allowing open borders so that Bosnians may find work within ours for several years, so they may gain the work experience and money to live above the Poverty threshold.
The two regions, Srpska and Kosovo, will be completely demilitarized, as to avoid tension.

We look to the representatives of the world to see our reason. People are afraid. People are tired. We must move forward, with no step taken back. If the world is to move towards that of unification of their people and culture, to ensure that people do not sleep hungry, that they feel welcome and represented in their country, then you must see the reasoning in this. To unify these peoples, our peoples, is a priority of the Serbian government and we hope that you find it approving too.

National Assembly, Belgrade
Republic of Serbia
President Aleksandr Schmitt

To the Duma of the Russian Federation

The Serbian Military is looking into purchasing any older Armored Personal Carriers, Tanks, or vehicles you wish to sell. We ask for a low price, as we will modernize and provide any repairs, as well as pay for transport.

A offer is also extended to participate within our aircraft program, as the Serbian Airforce is extremely lacking and leaves something to be desired.

We also wish to join the Collective Security Treaty Organization, and we ask for your support regarding our appeal.
Thank you for your time.

On a side note, the Serbian population almost went under its 7 Million threshold in 2019, however ever since various reform programs have begun, the population is moving up. Even now there are incentives for reproduction, causing it to increase quickly. This may be a issue in the future however for now it is needed.

by **Waztaskio** » Sun Feb 11, 2018 4:44 pm

Palace of Dawn - Brasília - Federative Republic of Brazil

Inside the Palace of Dawn, President Barbosa sat at the breakfast table in the early hours of the morning reading over the news. In front of him sat a plate of eggs and biscuits, with a side drink of orange juice which he occasionally indulged himself in while continuing to stay focused on the daily readings. As the morning sun blasted it's beaming rays through his dining room windows, he could not help himself but smile at another day the lord has provided to him. Being raised in a protestant household, he did not regularly attend service and wished to keep his level of religious devotion dedicated to being spiritual. As he continued to read the news, he could only listen to the light sounds of the Presidential Guard marching around the perimeter and performing their normal routine. Barbosa simply sat in awe, watching as these men sworn to defend the president marched around for the daily changing of the guard. He didn't really know what it was about them, but it really made him feel special and occasionally when he wasn't busy he would go outside and have uplifting conversations with the men to show how much they were appreciated. As he got to the bottom of his newspaper, his wife Amanda walked in planting a kiss on his left cheek.

Presidential Guard Morning Shift

"And how is the President of Brazil doing this morning?" She asked, making her way to a nearby cabinet to take out a plate and silverware.

Amanda was officially the First Lady of Brazil, on account that she was married to the President of Brazil and thus the position came to her as honorary by default. During their two years in office, she had taken a keen interest in the healthcare system of the country, and has been leading her personal crusade to bring much needed reform to the system in order to provide more wider ranges of care, along with helping to develop better literacy programs inside the education system to raise the countries literacy rate. She was the best girl that Barbosa could've hoped for, and he was honored to have been able to marry her.

"The president can wait, but your husband is having quite a day. Just doing a bit of reading." Barbosa said, proceeding to place the newspaper down onto the table and finish his orange juice.

"So the usual then? Sounds about right for you honey." Amanda said, loading her plate up with the remaining breakfast along the countertops. "I didn't know that you were in the mood to cook this morning? Didn't you have some important meetings you wanted to get to?" She questioned, making her way to the table before proceeding to sit on the opposite side as her husband.

"Oh, yes. I do have quite the amount of meetings on my schedule today, but that doesn't mean I can't take some time to cook me a well balanced meal to start the day of right. You know what they say, the most important meal of the day is breakfast and I don't like to make a habit of missing it. I want my eggs now." Barbosa said, smiling to his wife who only smiled back.

"So, this meeting. I hear you're meeting with the National Defense Council is that correct?" Amanda asked, cutting into a small piece of bacon and placing it into her mouth.

The National Defense Council served as the main advisory body to the president on matters of national security, foreign policy, and defense strategy. It is composed of military officials, cabinet ministers, and appropriate congressional members. Towards the end of 2023, the make-up of the National Defense Council was changed to better allow for a separation of government powers, and for the president to exercise more direct control without interference.

Structure of the National Defense Council

Chair: President of Brazil
Executive: Chief of the Institutional Security Cabinet
Statutory: Vice President of Brazil, Minister of Defense, and Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Military Advisor: Chief of the Joint Staff of the Armed Forces, Navy Commander, Army Commander, and Air Force Commander.
Regular Attendees: Attorney General of the Union, and Chief of Staff of Brazil.
Additional Attendees: The President may appoint additional participants when appropriate.

"Yes, Amanda. It will be a meeting with them over some upcoming developments to our national defense. I'll be leaving in around ten minutes to head to the office." Barbosa said, which drew a slight nod from Amanda.

"Well, Barbosa. Let's make the most out of the time we have this morning. I do have some things I wish to go over with you before you head in today." Amanda said, gently wiping her lip with a nearby napkin.

Federal Police Station - Curitiba - Federative Republic of Brazil

"God damn it! Another officer lost in the Favela?!" Inspector Ramos yelled, as he began to be told the news of another incident in one of the numerous Favela's of Brazil. These instances have only increased in recent years due to the economic downturn years earlier, causing more people to sign up in various ways with the growing number of drug lords that were increasingly expanding their influence and engaging in near open war with the Federal Police and affiliates. During President Temer's first official term, he did little to support the police in their efforts to combat the rising violence on the street only occasionally deploying tactical units from higher levels of government to crack down on the drug lords frustrating Ramos especially. Ramos had risen up the ranks in Federal Police for years, being deployed into Curitiba to take over as the new Inspector for one of the central precincts, and he was not having the best time.

"How many officers have we lost to this in the past four months? Twelve? Twenty? Thirty?" Ramos questioned, watching the officer stand his ground and remain silent as to not further upset the inspector.

"This has got to be stopped. For one, we can't have drug lords running our streets like they own the place. And on another hand, I can't be losing officers at such a rapid pace to these aggressive styles of policing. It's either we're shooting at someone with a gun, to running after someone into a Favela, or something. It's ridiculous." Ramos ranted on, only to be cut off by the sound of his door opening and an officer popping his head in to speak to the Inspector.

"Inspector, Chief Inspector Torres is hosting a briefing in ten minutes. Said that it's urgent for you to attend." The officer said.

"Tell the Chief Inspector that I'll be there, that is all." Ramos said, watching as the officer shut the door back and left. Turning his attention down to the officer who originally brought him the bad news, all he could do was sigh. The stress of this was getting to him, and didn't seem to be getting any better. Chief Inspector Torres seems to care about the plight facing the police in this area, but honestly to Ramos he just seemed incompetent at actually dealing with the situation. What Ramos couldn't tell, was if he was actually just someone who didn't really know how to solve these problems long-term, or if he was being paid off by these drug lords to intentionally be as incompetent as he can. Either way, the prospects were worrying.

"Officer, you are dismissed. Do not leave this station without a new partner assigned to you. I don't need anyone out there patrolling alone, is that understood?" Ramos asked, watching as the officer acknowledged his statement with a nod before dismissing himself from the room.

"This...this has to change...it has too..." Ramos said to himself, as he took a look at his watch and proceeded to make his way out of his office and down the hall to yet another briefing he knew would change nothing. All with a small smile on his face like always, that maybe this would be the day things would change. Now if he truly believed in that himself, he didn't know...

Planalto Palace - Brasília - Federative Republic of Brazil

Barbosa traveled inside of the back of his Ford Fusion Hybrid, along with his security team which road in vehicles escorting the car to the palace. In his hand was the schedule of the day given to him by his Chief of Staff who sat beside Barbosa. It was the usual for the two. His Chief of Staff would ride with the convoy to the Palace of Dawn to pick up Barbosa, then the two on the road to the Planalto Palace would exchange their morning greetings to each other and go over the agenda for the day. Today seemed like the usual, outside of the National Defense Council meeting and to him that was fine for now. His presidency had been off to a rocky start, dealing with the economic downturn taken during previous administrations that fell onto him in the later years and was only now being reasonably tackled. With his new economic laws being passed by the Congress, he hoped that they should be seeing some investment coming into the country as barriers began to be removed, however he knew he would need to take a more active approach to the unemployment problem facing the country, and had already scheduled a meeting with his top economic specialists to propose a sweeping public works program for the entire country. But that, would come later.

As the convoy approached the palace and was let onto it's grounds by the gate sentries, one could only chuckle at the architecture being similar to the personal residence of the president with minor differences on the interior. As the convoy pulled to a stop, his security escort soon exited their cars and opened the backseat of the Ford Fusion allowing for the president to step out and proceed to make his way into the building. After passing through security unhindered who gave him the passing respect expected for the president, they later reached the Supreme Meeting Room, where the National Defense Council was already assembled.

Supreme Meeting Room

"Group, Attention!" Said General Poraz of the Institutional Security Cabinet, as all the attendees stood as the president made his way towards his designated seat at the table.

"Thank you general, you all may be seated. We have much to discuss and I do not wish to waste any valuable time." Barbosa said, watching as the members took their seat.

All eleven participants of the council were present, including Barbosa himself. A small, yet concise group of individuals that held some of the most sway over matters of national defense and security which is what the council in Barbosa's eyes is intended for. Going around the table once again with his eyes, he began to speak.

"Gentlemen, I bring you here on this day to propose a new direction for Brazilian prosperity and glory. Ever since my election to this high-esteemed office, I have undertaken quite a few initiatives to clean up government waste, corruption, and inefficiency, yet I have yet to really focus on the matters of defense posture ever since I ended conscription and increased the budgets. Now, I don't need to be the one to tell you that the Brazilian Armed Forces has been in a weird limbo for over a decade since the 90's, trying to re-define it's purpose due to only dealing with these internal problems such as drug lords and other crime related activities that highly diminish our well trained and developed force into nothing more then just a higher level of police. I want to change this, and finally begin the steps to bring Brazil into Great Power and maybe even Superpower status which we've been talked about of becoming for years. And today, I have a proposal of how we do that which is present on the computers in front of you." Barbosa said, as the computers navigated to the proposal and allowed the members to scroll through various sections of it for a few moments.

"Now, I know this is quite a lot to read. However, I will do some basic summarizing here. In order for the world to take us seriously as a great power in international affairs, they need to see that we are willing to be more active in foreign affairs. Britain, France, Russia, United States, and even China have learned this and we seem to be behind. Even Germany, a nation that originally didn't wish to engage in interventionism has started engaging in more foreign deployments and missions to regain lost glory and I believe if we continue to let our potential be laid to waste, we will never achieve the spot in history we rightfully deserve. In this proposal, I have outlined a potential low-profile way we could begin to expand into the global international stage by showing we're serious, yet rather low-risk. The African country of Cameroon is in a state of civil war, between Islamic Terrorists in the northern regions of the country, and a democratic rebellion in the south. Now, Cameroon is an oil producing country and whoever has the rights to those oil wells could potentially spur increased economic development in west africa as a whole if used correctly and could buy influence. And I'm sure that none of us wish to have Islamic Terrorists even have a shot at getting such a resource or we'll have ISIS version two." Barbosa ended, looking around the table.

"Sir, are you proposing a military mission into Cameroon? It's run by a dictator, and would break our tradition of being neutral. How would it look to have Brazilian military troops supporting a dictator who is on the verge of losing power?" The foreign affairs minister questioned.

"I have already spoken with Yang, the leader of Cameroon and he said he would accept our assistance in dealing with the terrorists. And we will not at all be fighting the democratic rebels in the south, and if I'm being honest I hope they overthrow Yang in the end. However, we cannot allow these terrorists to get a hold of this country. My goal is to use the conflict as a show of force of the Brazilian military to be taken seriously on the world stage, and use the influence we would gain to hold negotiations with Yang and the rebels to come to a concession and prepare the country for elections. This way, Brazil would not only be seen as a more serious international partner, but can be seen as a bringer of democracy and change. Something that would be unique to have as a claim for our country." Barbosa said, looking to the foreign affairs minister.

"Well, sir. The military can easily prepare for a deployment to Cameroon. How many troops are you planning to send?" The Minister of Defense questioned.

"I want this in low numbers. I was hoping to send in at least twenty thousand troops. The goal is to have the Cameroon government handle the brunt of the conflict, while having Brazil provide support and additional hands. The target is the terrorists in the north, not the rebels in the south. And from the reports, it seems that they are indeed the bigger threat." Barbosa said.

The minister of defense would nod. "We'll prepare for it then. We can have a force ready within a few weeks with your final approval. Not sure how congress might respond to this though, they may believe it as an overreach."

"You let me worry about congress, I have some ways to grind them into action." Barbosa said.

The meeting would continue for about an hour, discussing troop preparations, military technology, logistics, and all aspects to the rules of engagement in a foreign country. Once the meeting was over, Barbosa retreated upstairs to his office to prepare for some additional domestic affairs that were on his table. His top one being the rising crime rates in cities, an issue he was keen to address...

Additional Actions:

Brazil GDP experiencing a 1.4% growth yearly, with trends pointing upward. Expected to only increase until stabilization at original levels.
A new Federal Police Director General announces plans to reform the Federal Police, and has submitted plans to President Barbosa for major judicial overhaul.
Federal Congress Speaker of the House speaks of upcoming strict anti-corruption legislation. Death threats begin to be sent to various congressmen.
Brazilian Navy increases it's patrols on known smuggler routes, leading to the capture of over thirty-five drug traffickers.
Amanda visits a rural Brazilian hospital, and is photographed giving medical attention to an infant. Approval ratings for her rise by 3%. Totaling at 68%.

by **Pimps Inc** » Sun Feb 11, 2018 10:02 pm

Lesser of Two Evils

“You can leave us now.”, the escorting Swiss Guard is dismissed.

Cardinal Luciano Orsinidella swings the heavy wooden doors with a groan of the hinges and closes them behind his guest with a heavy thump.

“We need advice, dottore, on a delicate matter,” Cardinal Rovere addresses the pale skinned canon lawyer Gregory Burkorchid with caution,“The deposition of a pope.”

“Delicate indeed,” the lawyer agrees with surprise and wide eyes. “Some would even say dangerous.”

——
The tolling of bells in the city-State can never truly be escaped from. Even in the office of the Pope.

“Allow me to say, Your Holiness, what joy! What joy! The Holy Spirit could not have illumined us in a better manner. In the name of the entire Church, welcome. May your pontificate be long, radiant, and fruitful.” The toad faced Cardinal Voiello clamored like a Pharisee in prayer.

“Let's settle for long.”, the Pope responded with a facetious smile.

The Cardinal chuckles loudly in his chair facing the Bishop of Rome. “What a telling joke!”

“Jokes are never telling. They're jokes.”, the Pope states flatly with a sip of a chalice that has suddenly materialized from under his desk.

The fat Cardinal’s breathing is loud as he is unsure how to proceed.
“Of course. Now, has the Holy Father already thought of some candidates for the delicate role of a special assistant?”

“I have more than one idea.”, the Pope concedes from behind his chalice.

“I do too.”, the Cardinal says while quickly revealing his notebook and a list. “First, Monsignor Gemelli comes to mind...”

“My ideas are my literal sisters, Sister Livia, Sister Cassandra, and Sister Antoinette.”, Pius XIII pretends not to have interrupted the Cardinal.

“Admirable ideas, Your Holiness, and completely understandable. Allow me to add, however, that unfortunately, the Curia has complex mechanisms which might seem like astrophysics. Therefore, the Holy Father's inevitable lack of experience, together with your sisters’ inevitable lack of experience would lead me to suggest an internal contribution...”, the Cardinal stops after the Pope suddenly slams his now empty chalice on the desk and gazed at him without expressionless. “Of course I realize how central Sisters Antoinette, Cassandra, and Livia seem to you. We could invent a sort of ad hoc role for them. We won't lack for imagination around here. “

The Pope seems irritated. “Yeah. You're exactly right, Voiello. They’re “central”. Their father took me into their house when I was fatherless 7 years old boy, they raised me and she loved me. They’ve made me a good Christian.”

“A great Christian!”, the Cardinal interjects. “But Monsignor Gemelli is experienced, I would rely on him.”

“Perhaps you didn't hear me correctly.”, the Pope sits forward in his chair and stares at the fat Cardinal.

“Perhaps, Holy Father. My English does have its limits.”, Voiello says in between shallow breaths.

“You'd better improve it then. Sisters Antoinette, Cassandra, and Livia will be my special assistants.”

The Cardinal bows his head timidly. “As you wish, Holy Father. Then, of course, there is the matter of drafting and delivering your address to the College of Cardinals. They're all still here. They will not leave the Vatican until you address them. “

The Pope turns his chair to face towards the large windows in his office, having been replaced with one-way glass earlier.

“Later but soon enough.”
——
Low muttering and and the sound of thin pages being flippped through fill the chambers of Dottore Burkorchid, who sits with stacks and stacks of thick, open books all around him.

“Huggucio of Pisa states: ‘A pope who publically fornicates, who publically keeps a concubine’ can indeed be deposed.....”, the Dottore reads off the heavy, old manuscripts in front of him.

“An incestual concubine at that!,” Cardinal Luciano scoffs.

“That is only a rumor, Luciano. Continue, Dottore.” Cardinal Rovere says while looking through piles of manuscripts himself.

“...because, to scandalize the Church is, in of itself, heresy.” The Dottore finishes reading and takes off his glasses to ponder. “But one would need firm evidence of notorious and public lechery. Or incest.”

“Firm evidence.”
———

Secretariat of State
No. 196036036

From the Desk of His Most Blessed Apostolic Holiness Pius XIII, Bishop of Rome, Vicar of Jesus Christ, Successor of the Prince of the Apostles, Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church, Primate of Italy, Archbishop and Metropolitan of the Roman Province, Sovereign of the Vatican City State, Patriarch of the West, Servant of the servants of God
To:
Commissioner of Police - Director General of Public Security, Rome, Italy
Federal Bureau of Investigation, J. Edgar Hoover Building Northwest, Washington, D.C., U.S.

Distinguished Civil Servants

Mr Directors,

With these words, I would like to convey this is not a letter of greetings. I write to you in the hopes you may help cleanse the Holy Mother Church of criminals who have sinned against God and committed unspeakable deeds. I ask you, in the hopes you are good Christians.

Attached to this letter will be nearly 375 pages of condensed Church records I have taken the liberty of personally compiling, detailing child abuse complaints against clergymen of the Church since the Year of Our Lord 1987, the names and information of the clergy accused of harassment or abuse, the names of clergy who I believe are complicit through attempts at protecting the abusers from prosecution, and the most recent contact information of victims available.

I wish this will serve you in quickly raising Federal charges, depending on the jurisdiction of where the alleged abuses took place, against these clergymen so you may arrest them all at once in Rome while they are gathered in the city to hear my address to them.

May He, who before the adulterous woman did not question her guilt, but invited the accusers to examine their own consciences before throwing a stone at her (cf. Jn 8:1-11), grant you the gift of wisdom, in order that the action you undertake in favour of the justice against these cruel demons, may be appropriate and fruitful.

I ask you to pray for me.

Sincerely,

PIUS XIII

by **Da Klan** » Mon Feb 12, 2018 12:32 am

Cairo

The room was cold, almost as if it was nature's way of reflecting the ominous words which would soon be spoken. Not far outside were protestors that protested the 5 people who sat down inside this room behind a large table and wore clean uniforms, with glasses of water laid out next to their papers. Both the water and the papers were untouched. Military tribunals were always a controversial system in Egypt. Regardless of whether or not they deserved it, somebody wanted to protest it's existence. But the kind of people in this room who were made to be put under trial of such a tribunal were so vile and so amoral that it makes one wonder about the mental state of those who choose to protest this specific trial. The 10 people being prosecuted had names, but they were not important. There were hundreds like them. After Operation Osiris, many insurgents had surrendered, wrongly believing that they would face an alternative punishment hat was better than being shot by the Egyptian military in a un-martyr-like fashion. These 10 men in particular were members of the defunct terror group ISIL-SP. And just like the hundreds who had surrendered rather than die in combat, these 10 were going to suffer a disgraceful death.

The judge in the middle of 5 stood up and cleared his throat. He looked at the 10 with an indescribable hatred towards them. They had perverted Islam, and had committed treason against Egypt. And these ragged kafirs had dared look at him eye to eye when he stood up. How dare they, these treasonous terrorists consider making eye contact with him! The terrorists looking at the judge eye to eye did not impact the judge's verdict. It only made him smile when he delivered the news to the terrorist scum.
"You have committed acts of terror in all counts in the Sinai Peninsula against the citizens of Egypt and had cooperated with the Islamic State of the Levant-Sinai Province. You 10 have been involved in a failed raid against Central Security Forces, as seen with camera footage from the base, and with your own admission of guilt. You 10 have been involved in providing resources for the terror attack on a Coptic Church in 2019. You 10 are worthless individuals. All 10 of you had came here from Fezzan as refugees from a brutal war, and we had given you shelter. We gave you an education which few in the Middle East or Africa can even rival. And you betray us! How dishonorable it is to be a kafir,a traitor, and a terrorist all in one! Within 3 hours, you all shall be hanged together at Prison of Wadi Al Natrun. You will not receive the meals you had requested. Your family won't be legally able to contact you. Only 1 hour after your deaths will your families be notified. The media will be present at your execution, however you will not be able to communicate with any of them. You will not be granted a last word, and you will not receive a visit from an imam to offer you prayers. Your names won't be published to the media, and your bodies will not be buried or returned to your families. That is all. This trial has been declared over, and the defendants guilty".

Armed soldiers put bags over the heads of the terrorists and cuffed them. They were promptly dragged outside and thrown into a nondescript van and taken away to the Prison of Wadi Al Natrun where they would meet their fate.

The House of Representatives

The house was in session.

Bill: Deportation of Failed Refugee Parents Act
This bill seeks to legally deport refugee families who are proven to have been involved in or has children that were involved in terrorist or treasonous activities against the Arab Republic of Egypt or her allies. If passed, this bill shall greatly ensure the security of our nation against all threats foreign or domestic.

Pro:This bill guarantees the safety of Egyptians and ensures that those who choose to seek refuge in Egypt will more readily assimilate to our culture, and raise their children to better standards.

Con:This bill will only radicalize those refugee families who will choose to resist deportation. The opposition of this bill recognizes the rising amounts of refugees from African nations, however the impacts of this proposed bill will damage our reputation abroad. We need to foster better relations with our neighboring states, and deportations can harm our current standings

Final Resolution:The Bill has not been passed.

Bill:Bankruptcy Act
This bill seeks to implement bankruptcy laws which are not existent in the Arab Republic of Egypt.

Pro:Implementation of this bill will allow for more investments to be able to occur within the country and allow for more financial security for those who are unfortunately unable to pay off their loans. More investments in Egypt will allow for more money to be distributed to sectors which require it, and will allow for more competition with the global market.

Con:This will make people become less fiscally responsible. We as a nation must ensure our people are responsible for themselves. Providing them with such safety nets will only lead to a population which will spend freely without restraint. Debtor's Prisons will rightfully punish those who are not fiscally responsible. Please, we hope the Parliament recognizes the dangers this bill may pose to our society and vote NO.

Final Resolution:The Bill has been passed. (Put in effect during the first quarter of 2025).

Heliopolis Palace

The President looked upon his computer. Information sheets generated by his staff regarding all matters foreign and domestic had popped up. Cameroon was devolving into a mess which only seemed to remind Ahmed of the Syrian Civil War. Though, Cameroon was not the chief concern of Egypt at the moment. Ethiopia's dam still existed, and that alone meant more trouble. Ethiopia's rash behavior led to the African Union crumbling. At least, that was what the President thought. And next to Egypt were three countries in a place where it used to be one. Cyrencia, Tripolitania, and Fezzan were the three nations which occupied the space previously referred to as Libya. Back in 2008, the two countries had begun to cooperate in order to develop their oil and natural gas industries together. Now, Libya is gone! One nation fractured into three. It has been years since the three nations were formed, but Egypt was still unsure if they were friendly enough to engage in proper diplomacy. Now, he assumed, would be a prime time to try.

To:The Governments of Cyrencia, Fezzan,and Tripolitania
Our nations together are deeply enriched in religion and culture. We must expand upon this cultural connection and establish better communications with each other. I would like to formally request to host a meeting between us in order to negotiate economic and military deals which can properly benefit all of us together. Cyrencia, Fezzan, and Tripolitania all have much potential to become major players in the global stage. Despite any setbacks that your nations might face, it is imperative that the Arab Republic of Egypt should assist you all in maintaining peace in your respective regions, and to ensure your economic success. I realize that tensions are high internally in your respective states, however Egypt is willing to assist your states in order to guarantee the success of your nations. I hope that you well-educated and highly respected individuals consider my message and accept my offer for a meeting, for we all have much to gain in order to ensure mutual success between us.
Sincerely,
President Ahmed of the Arab Republic of Egypt

As he pressed "send", Ahmed had realized that Egypt had largely ignored another conflict in North Africa. There was a major civil war in Northern Mali. Islamic insurgents seemed to be troubling them too. The EU, Canada, UAE, China, India, and even the UK had declared support for the Malian government. The United Arab Emirates were a close ally to Egypt. And Egypt had long desired better relations with the EU and China. It seemed that a statement had to be made in this 12 year old conflict. Ahmed looked at the message he wrote to the Malian government. This would anger the Islamists, no doubt about it. But the Free Egyptians Party and related coalitions were in the majority in Parliament. They would look favorable at Egypt taking a stand against Islamist radicals. With a shaky hand, Ahmed pressed the "send" button again.

To: Whom it may concern in the Malian government
It is regrettable that your great nation is plagued by violence caused at the hands of those who dare pervert Islam in order to commit crime and spread terror. I personally regret that Egypt had not taken a stance sooner. I would like to assure the Government of Mali that Egypt will proudly stand with your great nation in the face of Islamic insurgents and rebels who plague the Northern regions of your nation. We hope to provide Mali with economic aid as well as provide Mali with Egyptian goods in order to ensure the safety and health of Malian citizens in your great nation. I hope you accept this offer, as Mali has much to gain from getting access to Egyptian resources. Together, we can secure and rebuild Mali so that she may be the envy of Northern Africa! May Allah be with your people in these tough times.
Sincerely,
President Ahmed of the Arab Republic of Egypt

He also had a message from Russia, which he had decided to answer.

To: The President of the Russian Federation
Hello sir. It is with great pleasure that I write to you this letter. I am interested in what you can potentially offer the Arab Republic of Egypt in the realms of defense, and maybe other sectors as well. As you know, America's withdrawal from the global stage has impacted Egypt's military and our infrastructure, as we had received billions in aid from them. I wish to meet with you one day in order to negotiate a proper deal which can benefit both of our peoples.
Sincerely,
President Ahmed of the Arab Republic of Egypt

Two more letters left, Ahmed thought. He cracked his knuckles and proceeded to type a message to China.

To President of the People's Republic of China
Good day to you sir. I would like to sincerely thank your nation for the investments it has made in Egypt in 2014, which has contributed to constructing and developing the Suez Canal Area Developmental Project. I feel that both of our nations can cooperate together in order for both of us to achieve prosperity. The Arab Republic of Egypt looks forward to working with the People's Republic of China in the future.
Sincerely,
President Ahmed of the Arab Republic of Egypt

The President was tired, but he had other issues to deal with. He had a matter to discuss with the President of the European Council.

To: The President of the European Council
Greetings. I would like to bring to light the issue of the declining agricultural output in Egypt. It is no secret that the Ethiopian Renaissance Dam is causing negative impacts to our agriculture. Not to mention that around 90% of our population live along the Nile. While our people are fine now, it is only a matter of time before starvation soars through the roof. And who knows when climate change can speed the process up! For years since the coup, Egypt has pursued a policy of embracing liberalism and has focused on improving the lives of its citizens so that no Egyptian may ever be forced to decide on moving out of their country for a better life. I assume you have heard of the Arid Fauna Modification Project, which seeks to develop genetically modified seeds capable of being planted and grown in harsh conditions where water is sparse. Neither the funds or resources for the Arid Fauna Modification Project have been gathered yet, unfortunately. Though, I have heard that Europe possesses some of the brightest scientists the world has seen. I am hoping that the EU is willing to open up more relations with Egypt in order to more readily develop this project. If we can guarantee this project a success, then that means we can ensure greater stability in the Middle East, and allow for Egypt to develop quicker and become less reliant on the Nile which would allow us to modernize at a faster rate. I ask that you consider this proposition with care and I am willing to communicate with your union in order better negotiate this deal. Please do consider my request.
Sincerely,
President Ahmed of the Arab Republic of Egypt

by **Greater Redosia** » Mon Feb 12, 2018 4:58 pm

Rabat, Rabat-Salé-Kénitra, Kingdom of Morocco

Nasser Bourita was yawning while watching the news, it was always the news that seems to be on in this office anymore. The conflicts, the crisis, the world affairs now dominate the air waves and newspapers. Of course there was nothing he could really but contribute more fuel into the fire of journalism, though he smiled when he saw the commercials end and it cut back to the 2M TV. "We are back. What we have to report on is that the Government has begun its construction on the first phase of the Rabat Solar Project, it is estimated to take....about a year to finish construction. Though time may be extended due to the construction of its size, but other reports show that the Moroccan Government has already gotten funding with the most obvious being the United Kingdom." The news anchor shifted papers around and the minister watched as she was doing so.

"Other reports show the continuation of the conflict in the Western Sahara, though not many reports are coming in. We will return to this topic another time. A final report before we are cut back to commercials is that there is a new Pope in the seat of the Vatican, one who seems to be for a more traditional sense for the Catholic Church. But sadly we must head back to break, so please stay with us when we come back." the tv once again began to play commercials for a product the minister cared little about. But for now, he had a job to do. The King had ordered that a reply be sent to both Canada and the United Kingdom for their support for the Rabat Solar Project; he had also said that the Canadian reply should also include his acceptance to go to Canada and visit the country.

From:Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Morocco
To:Canadian Government and whomever else it may concern

We wish to thank you for your support and investment into the Rabat Solar Project, we hope this will further increase our cooperation in the future between our two nations. We also wish to announce that King Mohammed VI will gladly accept the invitation and will arrive on his private jet, the King will be escorted by 6 men from the Light Security Brigade. We hope that the meeting will run smoothly and that our nations continue to cooperate for each others' betterment.
signed by: Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita

From:Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of Morocco
To:Government of the United Kingdom and whomever it may concern

We wish to thank you for your investment into the Rabat Solar Project, we hope that with this investment that our nations may continue to further increase our relations and further increase our cooperation between the both of our nations. With your investment the construction on the first phase of the Rabat Solar Project has begun, once again we thank you.
signed by: Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita

Once again the Government was together, they were now debating on the further increasing the Moroccan economy. There was also speak of legalizing and regulating cannabis into medical and industrial uses, though members of the government weren't certain. They watched the respective sides take their places, many sighed as they can tell that things will take some time. But at least things were being done in Government, for now, things continue to progress.

"It is quite obvious that our nation's economy is in need of more support than before, so what we plan is to once again start another push for tourism much like Plan Azur. We propose that we build several hotels in the four Imperial Cities, increasing the amount of hotels near coastline cities like Casablanca, build motels along the roads from city to city, and do a massive overhaul of the Toubkal National Park." spoke a supporter of plan

"That is all nice and well representative, but how do you plan on funding this. As we all know the Azur Plan was cut back due to several reasons, most of the reasons lying with funding and marketing of the actual plan was left neglected. If we fund this it will only lead to stagnation of the economy, and then it could lead to a recession. We know the economy is currently stable and growing but we cannot be able to expect that this plan will work, we cannot let this through and send Morocco into further debt." announced the opposition to the plan

"We understand your concern, but we have learned from our mistake and will definitely make sure to market the plan. Especially in Europe where we attract most of our tourists, as for funding we have a plan for that as well so do not worry. Our plan is simply to increase the tourist tax, we will adjust it from First Class being thirty euros to forty euros. We also plan on increasing Economy Class from 7.50 euros to 9.50 euros, with this increase it should let us fund the plan. It will also further decrease the cost of hotels in the country which will attract tourists to come to Morocco and visit its beautiful tourist attractions."

Bill:The beginning of Casablanca Plan which focuses an increase spending on tourism, it will build hundreds of hotels and motels across the country and to have state run hiking guides for the Toubkal National Park. It will also begin a massive media campaign to bring awareness to the boost in tourism and to attract tourists to the nation. This bill will also increase the Tourist Tax to help fund the Casablanca Plan; First Class: 30 Euros --> 40 Euros;
Economy Class: 7.50 Euros --> 9.50 Euros.

Vote:
Yes: 213
No: 182

Another set of representatives stood, seems like the legalization of cannabis was going to try and pull through. Though the side supporting the legalization looked rather small compared to the opposition, the representatives see the bill not being able to pass as the most likely outcome but they must still first hear the two sides of the bill. The two sides were preparing their arguments and counter argument, though the ones who supported the bill were in the minority, that minority wanted to be heard.

"We know that our nation grows cannabis, this cannabis is either smoked or turned into edible candies that our people can eat. We also know that cannabis is exported to Europe and that by our estimates, about seventy-five percent of cannabis that is used in Europe as a whole is from Morocco. Also by our estimates around one percent of the GDP is made up by cannabis exports, what we propose is that we legalize and regulate growing cannabis. Use it all for medicinal and industrial use so that we may capitalize on this" stated a supporter for the legalization of cannabis

"Now we understand what you are saying, but you must think of the backlash this bill could possibly have. Many countries in Europe and around the world including our neighbors have it illegal, if we were to do an one-hundred-eighty degree turn it would harm our reputation. We are fine with the current status quo, no changes are needed. We need to keep our relations with Europe and our neighbors high, we need their trade to support our economy and keep our nation afloat. So fellow representatives, let us eliminate this bill together." responded the opposition

Bill: The legalization of cannabis and regulation of cannabis for medicinal and industrial uses.

Yes:124
No: 271

Somewhere in the Guelmim-Oued Noun Administrative District

The construction of the first phase of the Rabat Solar Project was underway, Rabat I using almost all the funds by the British investments, would bring about 580 MW of power to the region. A step towards the collective goal of 2500 MW or above, though they were still far from it. "So how long did the Architect say it was going to take to complete this thing?" Asked one of the laborers, "first of all, he is a civil engineer, second of all if you were listening you would of heard he said that it would take a year at most. At least it will put us into a job and many others, I heard they are going to start even more construction projects to build hotels and motels in the country. That's going to produce jobs and reduce unemployment, I mean, someone has to work those hotels and someone needs to maintain these solar panels." responded his co-worker, obviously a bit more intellectual than the other.

This project was important to the Kingdom and powering it, if the entire project was to be completed it would make another massive cut in the need for importing oil and other fossil fuels. It would also boost the prestige and show its engineering capabilities to the world, especially in North Africa where it could start working together with fellow nations especially in the Arab League as well. The King would of liked to of visit the construction site and oversee it, making sure it was going as planned but he was instead preparing to meet the Canadian Prime Minister.

Meknes, Moroccan Northern Command

"We must prepare for any possible retaliation from Algeria, knowing them they will either fund the Polisario more or try to invade us. Though when they last tried to be involved they were easily repelled from the land, they were heavily armed and their aim was to support the Polisario. But for now we must make sure that at least 10,000 men are on the border at all times, also make sure that for all of our remaining troops begin to drill and start to train the reserve." commanded one of the Generals.

"But sir, couldn't this cause tensions to rise between our two nations?" asked one of the lower commanders, "Well no, if anything it should be perfectly fine to guard the border between our two nations. It will also help any illegal immigration that comes, one must make sure their borders are protected so that the people within can be safe. I'm sure our diplomats can ease the relations, especially after what had happened when the Polisario attacked and broken the ceasefire between us." replied the General, "Sir? Does that mean once we occupy the remaining land of the Sahwari Arab Democratic Republic, we are going to enforce the Baker Plan?" "The first one of course, Baker I. They will get their autonomy but we shall settle their defense and foreign affairs, as per the agreement. They cannot stop us now and with Europe surely behind our backs, we shall restore order in the region." the lower commander sighed and looked around the room, several officers and generals of ranks lower or higher were making plans, time can only tell if conflict will arise between Algeria and Morocco.

National Projects:
Rabat Solar Project: 0.00%
>Rabat I: 0.00%
Casablanca Plan: 0.00%

by **Romanussia** » Fri Feb 16, 2018 7:49 pm

Warszawa, Poland:

Jarosław Kaczyński; the head of state of Poland and its government. He makes his way through city streets, escorted by bodyguards, walking at a brisk pace towards the blindingly brilliant and magnificent Sejm building.

It was a mostly rectangular and geometrical building, with great walls, details, windows, and designs made into every corner of the building. It had complementing materials; a mixture of stone and wood details, used ingeniously on the outside. It had a glass dome on the top and had a tall, cylindrical tower on its side. A parking lot was placed before it, and a small area of trees and gardens had been located to its sides.

Jarosław had finally made his way through the parking lot and was approaching the steps to the building. Nodding to his escorts, they stood guard of the area as he nervously grasped the buildings' door's handle. He closed his eyes, expecting debate and bickering, and opened the door.

Kraków, Poland:

It was a glum, gray day for the sprawling city of Kraków in southern Poland. Branches quivered in the wind, the dismal sky trudged on, and the people of the city rushed through its streets.

The Economic Minister, Piotr Woźniak, slumped over his chair in a hotel as he thought deeply about his matter, staring at the ceiling with a notebook on the desk before him. He finally returned to the paper and pulled out more books and papers from other corners of the desk and other bags. He found his reading glasses and readjusted them on the bridge of his nose once more, indulging in his studying once more.

He quickly copied down statistics and numerics and information from the papers in his notebook, jotting down multiple phrases and words. He finally rested his pen and gingerly rifled through the remaining contents of his papers. He breathed a sigh of relief and gathered up the articles.

He arduously pulled through his work, fighting through his challenge with the utmost rigor; he was drawing up a new budget plan.

He thought his study sessions painful, however, he would get through them with strong enthusiasm and new ideas. Piotr Woźniak was a colorful man. He had been ordered to implement general increases in expenditure to social policy and defense. He had previously looked at the validity of a new church tax to institute. However, he gradually drifted away from such ideas as he grew nearer and nearer to his ideal form of a budget. As he finished the last touches on his chart, he put his notebook away and took a step back from his desk to rest.

His proposal was almost complete.

Warszawa, Poland:

Kaczyński opened the door and entered the Sejm building. Politicians and premiers were littered all around the foyer of the building.

Decorated with intricate wall and carpet details, fine stairways and balconies, great windows, gold trim, and a chandelier, the foyer was a worthy room of the Polish government. Politicians had ceased their discussion as the President walked in. He was not expected to be arriving to the meeting; last time they had heard, he was making Cabinet changes and bills from his residence found within the Presidential Palace.

Nonetheless, Kaczyński and his Prime Minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, had soon found themselves observing a Sejm parliamentary debate. The President hadn't much power in the Sejm, yet still had authority over them and could suggest new laws. That is exactly what Kaczyński had been counting on.

As Sejm members droned on about petty issues and other such, he had been planning new economic reform for Poland since its economic stagnation. Poland had seen an immediate new light; economic growth and support thanks to the EU and PiS policies. The euro's adoption throughout Poland had meant a new age for the economy. Yet, there was no question that there had also been recent recessions. The growth was followed by stagnation and decline. A permanent policy was to be put in place to lay the groundwork for a strong, prosperous economy for Poland.

Kaczyński had started with basic reforms; he soon progressed to new budget debates and editing. He constantly asked financial ministers and politicians for their opinions. Now, he was to finally unveil his new bill which had made its way into the last meeting, as well.

He spoke up: "If I may," as a politician forcefully wrapped up his speech and sat down. "Our economic growth has to face decent challenges over the years. Our infrastructure and social policy need attention. This is why I am issuing new bills to pass into the Sejm for new economic and social reforms."

Many people looked around. Could a president make up his own laws? However, the PiS seemed to be in total support. Many other allied Polish parties started to show welcoming colors to the man. The opposition withheld their questions.

"This new policy is to establish a new standard for the Polish economy. A new, increasingly more capitalistic market, a more supported welfare and help social policy, and the creation of new centers and infrastructure levels to create new productivity and limit unemployment. I hope I have the Sejm's approval."

Kaczyński was an eloquent and influential man. He swayed most of the Sejm's support with more of the debate that followed. The bill would soon be decided upon as one of the lead issues, the outcome soon publicised:

by **Baltijs Valsd** » Sun Feb 18, 2018 9:28 am

Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Mohammed bin Salman, Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, stood at the window of his father's room in the towering King Saud Medical Complex, in the heart of Riyadh. The room was silent, with King Salman laying with his eyes half shut in the bed, his family and the Crown Prince's entourage surrounding him. Unbeknownst to the Saudi people, their King had fallen ill days prior, pneumonia, the same conditions that took his half-brother and predecessor. Not a single tear rolled down his face as he turned to take a last look at his father. He was motioned over by the King, for what he anticipated to be his final words.

"Do good." King Salman whispered in his ear. That was enough for Mohammed, who stepped back as the life support machine flatlined, and the King was pronounced dead by the doctor. With that, ended almost a decade of rule, and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was now King Mohammed bin Salman.

"The Custodian of the two Holy Mosques, King Salman, has passed away today at exactly 12:30 PM, Rahimahullaah. Today marks a new future for Saudi Arabia. I will continue to defend the values of Islam and to defend our constitution."

The news spread fast, the death of the Saudi king as tensions with Iran flared. His successor, an alleged reformist, who many, while mourning the death of the King, welcomed his succession to the throne. He was described as a pragmatist on domestic issues, but will not shy away from conflict, direct or in proxy, with Iran. A day later, an emergency meeting of the Shura was convened so that King Mohammed bin Salman could reveal his plans for the future of Saudi Arabia. Yemen was a hot topic expected to be discussed, but the new King wanted to focus on the country first, specifically the economy.

"My loyal subjects. Let me make one clear point: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the strongest power in the Middle East and North Africa, and forever will hold that position. No amount of Israeli or Iranian aggression will weaken us, or weaken Islam. That being said, we face many problems. Oil is a finite resource, we have by our estimates, less than a century of oil left. We can easily afford to go another half century with our economy resting on oil alone, but I do not like that line of thought, waiting until the last minute to avert disaster. Instead, I propose we speed up our oil production, we sell it quicker and for the next decade create a large fund, to begin designing a new economy. The technology sector - information, robotics, manufacturing - is still ripe for us to invest in. An Arab-centric technology company, manufacturing phones and computers for Arab consumers could be an incredible investment for us to make. That's just a suggestion of course. Regardless of what we do, we must, and I mean, MUST, diversify our economy. Liberalizing our markets, opening them to further investment from the west could provide us with so much. I ask you, the Shura Council, to tell me now, do you agree we must diversify our economy from just oil?"

To King Mohammed's pleasure, 137 members of the Shura Council agreed with him.

"That is interesting. I now must outline another policy I intend to embark on, Iran. They have gotten more aggressive, and we must counter that. We spend 10% of our GDP on the military, and it's clearly not enough. I am proposing an increase from 10%, to 11.5%. To add to that, my advisers here have established a committee to allocate military spending much more efficiently. The Iranians must be warned, we are prepared to launch full-scale military operations at any minute, especially to counter their so-called revolution."

Mohammed was prepared to make a tough decision. A false-flag terror attack in downtown Riyadh, targeting both Saudi and foreign civilians. They would blame it on Iranian backed militants from Yemen, and use it as their casus belli to increase military operations in Yemen. It wasn't something he wanted to do, but he had to give the order to carry it out. Setting off a car bomb and killing twenty or so people on King Fahad Road was a small price to pay to counter Iranian aggression and to restore stability to the Middle East. With a deep breath, he signed off on the order.

by **Bentus** » Sun Feb 18, 2018 5:46 pm

The French Republic

Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité

Moscow, Russia

The cold Russian morning air greeted Guillaume as he opened the embassy office’s window, the sounds of Moscow’s rush hour traffic welcoming him to another day’s work. The French diplomat took a deep breath, allowing for his eyes to wander over the elegant skyline of the historical city. The coffee shop across the street was bustling with activity, a few young New Russians occupying the tables and sipping on their lattes while scrolling through their Macs. Other figures strolled purposefully down the sidewalk, almost certainly on their way to work or perhaps even heading home after a late night’s shift. Guillaume allowed himself a slight smirk, envying the routine that came with fixed hours.

Sighing to himself, the young man turned away from the cityscape beyond the embassy’s walls and returned to the piles of documents that lay stacked upon his desk. A steaming cup of coffee – his third one helping to pull him through the night – lay in easy reach of his char, and two small flags sat proudly at the corner of his desk: France’s tricolour and the star-speckled blue of the European Union. Returning to his seat, Guillaume scanned the new messages that dotted his computer screen – the transcripts and documents that he’d requested from Paris having arrived, along with updates on the ongoing European meeting in Brussels. Glancing at the clock, he made a mental note to compile the updates in a dossier in time for the ambassador’s breakfast.

As for the morning news, it didn’t seem like there was anything of particular interest: Le Monde were doing a piece on the ongoing construction of Australia’s new submarine fleet by DCNS, with the defence minister highlighting the massive defence deal as a sign of the countries’ continued cooperation even outside of CESDOT. The BBC were running side-by-side pieces on the new Saudi King and comparing him with the recently ascendant Pope. Guillaume cocked a smirk at the comparison, amused at the deliberate gall that the British editor must have taken in that decision. He continued to appreciate the English’s public broadcaster and their continued integrity, even as the politics of their nation seemed to become insular and sour. The headline from Russia Today, however was focused on the issue which had so completely consumed Guillaume’s past few nights: the sudden announcement from Sweden of their intention to join CESDOT.

The Scandinavian country had kicked off a storm in a tea cup by breaking with their decades of neutrality and non-alignment. Their request and strategic position was something that the fledgling alliance could hardly afford to pass up, but it would place a significant alliance presence right on Russia’s doorstep, widening the eastern European front. Guillaume grimaced as he read the article, the state-owned agency eloquently – and bitingly – summing up the Russian opinion of their perceived encirclement. He wished that he could have presented the ambassador with better news, with some way to calm the Russian fears, but it would be reckless to treat them as fools. CESDOT was encircling them, to say otherwise would be a blatant lie. Their stated policy was to contain and deter renewed Russian aggression, a defensive posture which all-too-unfortunately often bred further conflict.

”Merde.” Guillaume whispered to himself, rubbing his temples in resignation at the painful calls with his Russian counterparts. He believed strongly in the goal of peace and cooperation, having lived in Moscow long enough to appreciate its rich culture and vibrant personality, but it seems as if the political leaderships on both sides of Europe seemed intent on dividing the continent rather than bringing it closer together. But that was all far above his pay grade.

With another sigh and a long gulp of coffee, Guillaume forced himself to get to work. The communiques and dossiers weren’t going to write themselves, after all.

To: Whomever it May Concern within the Italian Government
From: The French Foreign Ministry

Esteemed colleagues, the ongoing migration crisis from the Middle East and Africa continues to claim countless lives within the Mediterranean while placing undue strain upon the institutions and stability of Europe. We would like to applaud the historical work that Italy has accomplished with Operation Mare Nostrum and Triton in saving the lives of countless innocents while helping to protect the borders of Europe. Your country has carried the brunt of the burden, but the time has come for the rest of Europe to share the challenge. As we watch, the situation in Yemen continues to deteriorate and we risk seeing a repeat of the humanitarian disaster that accompanied the peak of the Syrian civil war. As such, we would like to pre-emptively offer our support towards an increase in funding for Operation Triton. The French Navy shall offer the service and contribution of the Mistral, with her air complement greatly extending the capabilities of existing search and rescue infrastructure while her Role 3 medical facility will allow for timely care to be provided to those most in need.

We hope that you will accept this offer and stand with us in proposing a common and inclusive stance to the European Commission with regards to the issue of ongoing migration, with an emphasis on the wellbeing and safety of those who are willing to risk everything to join in the European Dream.

To: Whomever it May Concern within the Moroccan Government
From: The French Foreign Ministry

Esteemed colleagues, the ongoing migration crisis from the Middle East and Africa continues to claim countless lives within the Mediterranean. Morocco has become a key transit country for the men and women who are looking for better lives within Europe, and therefore we wish to investigate the possibility of cooperating in order to try and ease the burden for both these migrants and our respective countries. The French government, in preparation for a proposal to the European Union, wishes to discuss the establishment of Migration Hotspots within Moroccan territory. These would be locations in which French and European officials could vet and validate migrant applications before aiding them in their journey and integration into Europe. This would undercut the businesses of people smugglers and the criminal enterprises which they spawn, while providing a roadmap for legal immigration from Africa without the danger of crossing the Mediterranean.

We look forward to hearing back from you.

Bill: UBI Trial Proposal
Contents: If the bill passes, then a sample of 10,000 French households from different demographics within society will receive a monthly payment of 600 Euros. These households will be subject to regular surveys and monitoring by a scientific and expert committee to determine the impacts of the payments on their quality of life and employment.
Arguments:

<Republicans> "This is an example of the government once again overstepping its bounds and creating more red tape for those most in need. While this trial study is preferable to the colossal expenditure that a full implementation of a poorly thought-out UBI scheme, in a time when we must invest in our defence, we view this as a colossal waste of public money for the benefit of a few."

<En Marche and the Socialists> "The rapid change of work and living in the 21st Century demands a radical new form of welfare for the citizen and the worker. Our public safety net has become convoluted and difficult to navigate, becoming increasingly inefficient. However, with the rise of automation, it has become all the more essential for the proper functioning of society and an equitable division of wealth between labour and capital. To this end, it is important that we assess the positive and negative effects of a UBI system to help determine whether it is the right path for France. "

Votes:
For: 300
Against: 48
Conclusion: The Bill passes the National Assembly. Whatever the decision on the future of government welfare, data needs to be gathered on the impacts for such a large decision.

by **The Free Territory of Makhnovia** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 5:14 am

Macdonald–Cartier International Airport in Ottawa was decked with Moroccan flags and The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry stood with attention to greet his Majesty Mohammed VI who was scheduled to visit Canada. Prime Minister Trudeau arrived together with a small entourage of bodyguards. He was warmly dressed in a long black overcoat, gloves, but without hat, only his black umbrella protecting him from snow.

The preparations for King's visit were arranged by him personally and they went in perfect order, although they required hard police presence on Ottawa streets. It was the first state visit in his new term, but Trudeau had organized meetings of statespersons before so he wasn't nervous about it. He waited on the red carpet, before the line of soldiers in dress uniforms as the private jet of the Monarch descended and orchestra prepared to play Moroccan national anthem.

Mary Stutton Walsh never considered her calling of railway engineer a particularly adventurous one. Now as she rode her snowmobile towards the construction site, through the wind that carried snowflakes in her face, she realized there is adventure in what she is doing and she relished every moment of it. And she was right to relish it- being picked as a girl fresh out of Montreal college to work on the most important railway project Canadian government had undertaken in the last 30 years was no small thing. She went around the corner and through heavy snow she saw cranes of the construction site. She parked her snowmobile next to the one of six wooden cabins, built there to accommodate the construction crew end entered it. A group of three men sat inside, next to the stove, playing cards. They greeted her as she entered.

"Mary, you've made it. In that forsaken weather!" one of them, the bespectacled man with ill-grown thin mustache spoke lifting his eyes from his poker hand.

"Yeah, barely. Good to be with you here, Dan. Can one get coffee, please?"

As she sipped her coffee she tried to get a signal on her laptop to contact Pierre Breton, current Minister of Transport, or at least his secretary. They were some twenty miles south of Sawmill Bay, deep in the Northern Territories and the Wi-fi was somewhat choppy...

"Let me know how the things are going here, Dan."

The mustached man replied: "The construction is going slow but it's going. The contractors are hyped about it. We lied twenty kilometers of tracks before being stopped by snowfall. Some of equipment broke down to. Extra funds won't be needed as I see it, but we will have to ship some supplies for those who will watch over the railway. Also, cold temperatures and weight of snowfall might compromise the tracks so we'll need to adjust for their width as we lay them on."

"I get it. Well I came here to supervise the works, but don't look at me as some kind of boss. It's crucial to remember that there's no I in a team. I have plans to develop more cold-resistant way of laying the tracks. It's an old recipe- Russians used it when they built the Trans-Siberian but it might be just what we need here." She typed in her laptop. "Huddle over here, boys."

As the young engineering team planned new ways to build the tracks, storm was firing up outside. Mary shuddered. "Adventure" she thought and felt a little warmer inside.

Ongoing projects:
Arctic Railway: 4%

by **Latvijas Otra Republika** » Mon Feb 19, 2018 10:34 am

The Republic of Latvia

Dievs, svētī Latviju!

Daugavpils, Latvia

Official government funded construction has begun on the expansion and renovation of Daugavpils International Airport, with only general blueprints made by engineers and inspectors. Only some builders had come on sight today for general outlaying of electric work for the runways and the runway expansion that will have to accommodate large airplanes. As a show of support from the Government, Prime minister Nils Ušakovs has visited the site and outlined his reasoning to the press following him.

"Of course I support such a plan, Latvia is a international trade gateway and an economically aware country so of course we need to expand upon every opportunity we gain. And this much needed expansion and renovation is the first small step to a large, modern and complex airport we have in Riga; just imagine, in six years time this admittedly lacking site could be the centre of air traffic in Latgale. It's just opponents aren't looking on the long term bigger picture, I absolutely guarantee that there will be local economic developments because of this project"

"In my mind, it's is absolutely crazy to think that these much needed renovations have been ignored since 2005, absolutely maddening. Lucky thanks to my party's leadership it is being enacted upon."

After his short talk to the media he was seen shaking the hands of the mayor of Daugavpils, with them having a short discussion as they viewed and pointed to the rundown runway covered in puddles. After that Nils visited and shook hands with the head of construction and the head of the project, both with Russian descent; they spoke with a heavy accent and explained their general plans of how they will use their budget and their total end goals for the airport.

After those private conversations the Prime Minister want around to shake hands, sign signatures and take selfies with the sparsely spread out crowd of people that were congregating around the entrance of the project. Mostly locals had gathered arriving from the city and nearby towns to meet Nils, there was also a slight local media presence to record the event for news footage.

Meanwhile

Saeima is again in discussion weather to pass or not pass the increase for the Excise Tax, this higher tax for specific goods is being discussed since a need for more revenue for the government is needed due to the national project underway. The party that has introduced this bill for discussion is 'Harmony', many cabinet members have had outspoken support for the amendment as means to generate more revenue.

Bill: A steeper excise tax hike on fuel, cigarettes, and alcohol. The excise tax on lead-free petrol will be raised by 5 percent, the Excise tax on diesel fuel will be raised by 7 percent, Excise tax on cigarettes raised by 6 percent, Excise tax on wine increased by 10 percent.

Views:

(Pro) Accommodate for increasing spending by government

(Anti) Unnecessary, Annoyance to citizens

Vote count out of a 100:
Aye: 72
Nay: 28

Result: Passes

National Projects:

Expansion and renovation of Daugavpils International Airport - 0.05%

by **Labstoska** » Wed Feb 21, 2018 1:47 pm

The United Kingdom Of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Britannia rules the wave

The houses of Parliment
The economic minister, Adam Singleton, looked down upon the great mounds of suggestions, advice and outright threats concerning the new economic policy that was his duty to author. It was to be a daunting task certainly, he would have to attempt to find middle ground between the Conservatives and the Neo Liberals which was hard enough as is without considering that he would have to somehow attempt to satisfy the nationalists in this issue as well which to many would seem impossible however the economic minister believed that it was possible to satisfy at least both the Conservatives and the Neo Liberals the Nationalists would just have to deal with the fact that their policies were quite simply not economically viable.

The economic minister spent the next few weeks locked out from the rest of the world with all his attention focused on one singular thing which was the new economic plan. the process was extraordinarily demoralising just seeing to what extent the United Kingdom was screwed in terms of economics however Adam Singleton soldiered onwards. The core basis of this new policy was to give greater incentives for companies to move to the UK and it would also allow for a greater chance of survival for the existing small companies within the UK for in recent years there had been a great exodus of corporations to Europe leaving the UK's economy which had previously relied on financial services, this bill was to hopefully bring those companies back into Britain once more. It was quite obvious that the Neo Liberal party had a very large part in the making of this new economic policy which while displeasing a lot of Conservatives would at least allow them to get the economic policy through in parliament.

After many weeks of tiresome and soul draining work the economic minister was finally able to rest for the new economic policy of the United Kingdom had finally been completed. There was still doubt over whether or not the bill would be passed for the nationalists who did have a sizeable portion of the seats within the house of commons had already expressed their disdain for the new economic policy stating that all it would achieve would be sending Britain into a spiral of corporate appeasement however despite the nationalists power within the house of commons many still wrote them off as a bunch of disillusioned madmen so their concerns hadn't really been heeded.

London
The prime minister stood within the reception hall waiting for the Latvian president, while he waited he had time to consider what the deportation of 100s of Latvians would do the country, it may not have that much of an effect in terms of economics however in politics the effects would be huge, first of all the nationalists would be overjoyed more jobs for British people would be there main response to this mass deportation however to those who voted for the Neo Liberals and even some of the Conservative's voters it would seem as if Britain was reverting back to the days of the Brexit aftermath where people were leaving the country in droves. Of course what was really going to happen if a deal could be reached would be nothing like the Brxit aftermath however you could always trust the press to make a small issue such as this one into one of astronomical sieze. The Prime minister could already see the headlines now 'job stealing Latvians kicked out at last' or perhaps 'government deports Latvians, who will be next?'. Whatever came out of this agreement it wouldn't be good for him.

When the President and their entourage arrived at the reception hall the Prime minister quickly hid his doubting thoughts away in some obscure part of his brain and greeted the Latvian president. After the pleasantries were exchanged the prime minister then guided the president to where they would be having their discussions and finally after everyone had found their seats and had grabbed their cubs of tea the discussions could begin.

London, house of commons
With a wave of new advancements and further investments in infrastructure projects sweeping over the world, the people of the UK government now considered now considered if it was really a good idea that they had cancelled all the projects that they had been working on in 2018. This wish to start reinvesting in infrastructure was further aided by the fact that the new economic policy for the UK was going to be debated in Parliament today meaning that there were opportunities to implement new infrastructure projects into the governments economic policy.

Bill: =The new British economic policy
Contents: In the new British economic policy will make significant changes to the British economy which includes such changes as:
-Lowering the corporate tax from 19% to 16%

-Begin the construction of multiple new business parks and various other facilities in order to support businesses in Britain

-Grant the NHS further funding of 6 billon pounds in order to ensure free healthcare for all British citizens

-begin repairing and constructing roads throughout Britain.
Arguments:

<Conservative> "This new economic policy will allow for companies that have left this company to once again find a comfortable position within Great Britain, it will also allow for small businesses to thrive in a world of corporate juggernauts ."

<Nationalist> "This new economic policy is just another way in which the conservative government will attempt to appease the big corporations of the world who will do nothing but exploit good British folk. "

Votes:
For: 436
Against: 214
conclusion: The bill passed in parliament and the implementation of the new economic policy will begin .

Bill: Continue construction of the commercial British spaceport
Contents: The British government will continue the construction of the British spaceport after the project was cancelled in 2019. The project will cost 50 million pound and should be fully operational by 2028. It will allow for the easier transport of British satellites to space and is predicted by 2030 that aerospace companies will be able to launch there own vessels from the British spaceport. It will be constructed in Stornoway on the isle of Lewis.
Arguments:

<Conservative> "This project will be an excellent way to further the advancement of British science and will also create far more jobs up in Scotland."

<Neo Liberals> "This project was cancelled for a reason, it is simply not economically feasible and if we were to start rebuilding it than we wouldn't start feeling the benefits of it until 2030. "

Votes:
For: 326
Against: 324
conclusion: Construction of the British space port shall restart .

National projects:
project Arthur - 24.00%

2 new frigates- 32.00%

implementation of the new economic policy - 0.00%

British space port - 0.00%

2024: AGE OF SUPERPOWERS [IC | COBALT NETWORK SPONSORED]

2024: AGE OF SUPERPOWERS [IC | COBALT NETWORK SPONSORED]

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