United Press [UP] news thread

by **Virana** » Wed May 08, 2013 3:29 pm

United Press News Pulse @UP_NewsPulse
15m

Every moment. Every second. Every time. Breaking coverage worldwide.

BREAKING: @PresCastilla shot on live TV during #SplitSpeech in #Premislyd. Complete coverage @ www.up.org. Follow for updates. #PardesCrisis #CastillaShooting
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United Press News Pulse @UP_NewsPulse
13m

Every moment. Every second. Every time. Breaking coverage worldwide.

@PresCastilla was shot while giving a speech in #Split, #Premislyd. #SecretService has taken over, president being evac'd. Complete coverage @ www.up.org. Follow for updates. #PardesCrisis #CastillaShooting
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United Press News Pulse @UP_NewsPulse
8m

Every moment. Every second. Every time. Breaking coverage worldwide.

@PresCastilla severely injured, in ICU at #PresvetoTrojstvaHospital. Sources say "gruesome gunshot wound" to head. No suspect identified. Complete coverage @ www.up.org. Follow for updates. #PardesCrisis #CastillaShooting
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United Press News Pulse @UP_NewsPulse
6m

Every moment. Every second. Every time. Breaking coverage worldwide.

BREAKING: @PresCastilla pronounced dead by #PresvetoTrojstvaHospital. Shot in head on live TV during #SplitSpeech. Still no suspect. Complete coverage @ www.up.org. Follow for updates. #PardesCrisis #CastillaShooting
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United Press News Pulse @UP_NewsPulse
1m

Every moment. Every second. Every time. Breaking coverage worldwide.

@SecBasara in tears: @PresCastilla a "brilliant man", died "defending the rights of people across the world". Still no suspect in #CastillaShooting. Details expected to come. Complete coverage @ www.up.org. Follow for updates. #PardesCrisis #CastillaAssassinated
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Costin Petrescu

by **Virana** » Wed May 08, 2013 8:26 pm

Vice President Hayes: President Castilla died a "champion of freedom"
Vice President gives solemn speech, inherits "the greatest responsibility of all"; flags fly at half-staff across country

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{May 8, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

Vice President Washington Hayes, who will become acting president until the November elections, gave a speech in front of the Presidential Palace. Flags across the United Republic flew at half staff in mourning of the death of President Luis Castilla, who was gunned down in Split, Premislyd Wednesday evening while giving a speech repairing Emmerian-Premislydic relations. UP Photo/Mary D'Olympio

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Vice President Washington Hayes
inherits the "greatest responsibility of all"

:· Hayes to continue Castilla's protracted fight
for liberty, says Secretary Basara

:· CID to initiate investigation; Hayes: "We will
never quit until those responsible
are brought before justice"

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Vice President and soon-to-be-acting President Washington Hayes spoke before a crowd in front of the Presidential Palace Wednesday night, discussing the assassination of late U.R. President Luis Castilla during a speech in Split, Premislyd the past evening.

"[Former President] Luis [Castilla] bore a beacon, a torch that he always held up high; one that lit the path for the unshakeable bastion of liberty in this world," Vice President Hayes said. "No words can describe the honor with which I am assuming the greatest responsibility of all, from one of the greatest men to have touched this earth."

He would later add that President Castilla "went down a champion of freedom."

Vice President Hayes declared that the individuals whose hand played a part in Castilla's death would pay.

"We will never quit until those responsible are brought before justice," he announced. "To whomever was involved: yes, we will find you. We will hold you accountable, but, more than that, our fidelity to our way of life, to a free and open society, will only grow stronger — for we have not been given a spirit of fear and timidity but one of power, and love, and self discipline."

Hayes later ended the speech with thunderous applause. "The Emmerian spirit will live on and power through the acts of cowardice that have been forced upon us. We are the ones to have defined the ideals, through time and through struggle, as equality, opportunity, and freedom. We will never permit darkness and hate to triumph over our faith. That cannot happen. And it will not. Emmeria will stand again, brothers and sisters in arms. We will stand together, not as Muslims, or Christians, or Jews; not as whites, or blacks, or browns; but as the one Emmerian family. We will soar past our old pedestal, stand taller than anyone ever has. Because that is the Emmerian way!"

Former President Luis Castilla was assassinated by a gunshot while giving a speech in a square in Split, Premislyd earlier on Wednesday. The shooter used a long-range high-powered sniper rifle and fired from a concealed position that had managed to escape the extensive analysis by the Secret Service days prior to the speech.

The Secret Service and the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) are actively performing an investigation in Premislyd to determine the the suspect. No details have been released by either agency, but the CID is expected to release information regarding a potential suspect in the coming hours.

Meanwhile, Secretary Lana Basara participated in a press conference with reporters following the speech. She was still in tears throughout.

When asked how Vice President Hayes would be handling foreign policy, she said that he would "undoubtedly continue President Castilla's [...] fight for liberty".

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN WORLD

President Hayes to carry on Castilla Doctrine [ 5243 ]
Castilla assassination: How the world reacted [ 9429 ]
Akimonad: Pardes "crisis" caused by ACA [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLarkin Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
why dont we just invade prussa. i mean rly.
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
Investigative journalism my ass. The UP's not exactly one to be calling others out for lack of objectivity in journalism. It's a fucking liberal-controlled news network that's tailored to promoting a communist agenda.
7 likes
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Allama Iqbal Chaleur, CH
5 minutes ago
This is why I hate these fucking liberals! Fucking beaner as president and when he's gone, we get a fucking nigger that is the former's mirror-fucking-image.
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by **Virana** » Mon May 20, 2013 4:55 pm

Classification loophole reveals existence of Gratenburg Pact
Redacted U.R. State Dept diplomatic cable released under Freedom of Information Act due to misclassification unravels mysteries behind secret Tyrrhenian alliance

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{May 20, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

United Republic Secretary of State Lana Basara spoke with reporters regarding a partially redacted diplomatic cable that was recently disclosed by the U.R. State Department. The cable, which was released under a corollary of the Freedom of Information Act, was not properly classified as per standard protocols, and thus the State Department was forced to disclose the cable after a solicitation under the 2005 Transparency of Communications Act. UP Photo/Bryce LaRoche.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Released cable: Gratenburg Pact
exists in Tyrrhenia, may invade
redacted party

:· Cable released due to misclassification

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — A shocking diplomatic cable released by the United Republic State Department on Monday morning confirmed the existence of the rumored top-secret Tyrrhenian geopolitical alliance known as the "Gratenburg Pact". Much of the communication was redacted by government authorities prior to release.

"Agents in the United Republic Joint Intelligence Agency (JIA) operating in [redacted] reported conclusive evidence suggesting an emergency conference between specific nations of the Anti-Communism Alliance (ACA) in Gratenburg, Elcric Kcalb," the cable read.

The communique indicated the involvement of New Belhavia and the German Empire in the alliance, but stated that there may be other parties present.

The cable was released by the U.R. State Department ten days after a solicitation by a Chaleur Rep. Thomas Blake (D-CH) for all documents mentioning the Gratenburg Pact. Almost all interagency cables regarding the Gratenburg Pact were classified appropriately due to a perceived threat to national security, but the cable in question—now known as the "Gratenburg Telegram" and rumored to be the first to refer to the three nations as "Gratenburg Pact"—was not properly classified due to an error in classification.

As such, the State Department was required by law to release the cables under the 2007 Transparency of Communications Act, a corollary to the renowned 1968 Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). Under the act, the executive department government is required to comply with solicitations for information by providing all documents not appropriately classified. Although several cables between various officials were released, none were as shocking as the Gratenburg Telegram.

The cable alluded to the rumor that the Gratenburg Pact may intervene in the 2012-2013 Tyrrhenia Crisis and suggested the alliance may invade a redacted nation. In regards to the potentiality for an invasion, the cable finished with the chilling words, "We want to give the Gratenburg Pact their Acaema, their Afghanistan, their Vietnam."

The Gratenburg Telegram is rumored to have been disseminated to all United Republic allies and strategic partners involved in the Tyrrhenia Crisis.

How was the cable misclassified?

The Gratenburg Telegram was only released as part of the response to Rep. Blake's solicitation because it lacked the necessary level of classification required for protecting information that may threaten national security.

Secretary of State Lana Basara told reporters at Question Time that the misclassification was a mistake.

"The given cable was intended to remain classified in order to protect national security and sovereignty as well as maintain emerging international relationships," she said, potentially referring to the growing relationship between the U.R. and New Belhavia. "However, in the wake of the situation, I don't think it will affect everyday activities. We will look into the error and ensure that it doesn't happen again."

Critics and political commentators are questioning how such an important cable was simply misclassified. Political pundit Jake Bailey said that the cable's release was "another scandal in a growing list under the Castilla and Hayes administrations" on his political talkshow Breaking with Bailey.

Some critics praised the availability and accessibility of the public to government documents, while others treated Rep. Blake's solicitation as a crime against the country for potentially placing Emmerian people at risk.

Tyler Dang, former State Department official and senior foreign policy correspondent for the Chaleur-based foreign policy magazine The Telegram, said that the misclassification may have been on purpose.

"With affairs in Tyrrhenia heating up, the decline of Ralkovian control over the region, and the necessity for the U.R. to place additional pressure on the [Anti-Communism Alliance], it seems likely that the 'misclassification' may have, in fact, been an elaborate plan orchestrated by the State Department to release information it held regarding the Grat[enburg] Pact," Dang wrote in an article. "The move invokes various international relations issues for nations in Tyrrhenia—particularly those in the [Gratenburg] Pact. They may now be forced to undergo major policy modifications in order to maintain a satisfactory foreign public relations establishment."

He did, however, indicate that if the document was released by mistake, it would not be in the favor of the U.R. He wrote: "There are reasons why senior State Department officials kept the [Gratenburg Telegram] in the dark, so the release may have potential implications that could severely affect Emmerian foreign policy as events move forward." Still, Dang praised the wide availability of information. "It is certainly a wonder to live in a country where extensive information and details about government strategy are widely available for the people. [The release] may negatively harm U.R. foreign policy in the short-term, but it has long-term consequences that decisively establish the United Republic as a free and transparent government.

"Such a release would never have occurred in a decisively authoritarian country, such as Ralkovia or the German Empire."

The Gratenburg Pact's role in Tyrrhenia

As the existence of the Gratenburg Pact has been shrouded amidst rumor for months, it is unclear what its precise goal may be in Tyrrhenia. The Gratenburg Telegram indicated for more short-term potentialities such as an invasion, presumably of a communist power, or trinational intervention in the Tyrrhenia Crisis.

However, many analysts claim that the alliance has intentions to remain a geopolitical power in Tyrrhenia.

Tyler Dang wrote in an article for The Telegram, a Chaleur-based foreign policy magazine, "Ralkovia, once considered the second-to-none superpower in Tyrrhenia, is on a rapid decline as Tyrrhenian nations increasingly assert their rightful sovereignty. Now with little overall geopolitical power over what was once its network of satellite states, Ralkovia is experiencing widespread opposition through several vehicles. The Gratenburg Pact is the monster truck of these vehicles; geopolitically, the nations in the Gratenburg Pact maintain collective power on a massive scale, easily enough to oppose Ralkovian interests."

The revelation could have massive implications in Tyrrhenia because of its potential to evolve from an alliance of anti-communist states into a collective security interests organization with the power to dictate Tyrrhenian affairs.

"For all of Ralkovia's opposition, the confirmation of the Gratenburg Pact's existence is an absolute dream come true," Dang wrote. "For those who support Ralkovian interests, it may be the worst news since the Lamonian colonization of the Adiuvo Islands."

However, Dang did state that the alliance was unlikely to hinder Ralkovian policies in the short-term. "The German Empire is a devout Ralkovian ally. Even though the country is undergoing a massive policy reforms program to shift the prototype of Germany from a highly fascist state to one perhaps less authoritarian—reforms which include withdrawal from the Imperial Fascist Alliance and relaxed restrictions on free press—the nation still seems to cling to allies with outdated ideologies simply for self-benefit opposite their intended goal."

Read the shocking Gratenburg Telegram

The full text of the cable, with redacted parts blacked out as per the released document, is below.

Agents in the United Republic Joint Intelligence Agency (JIA) operating in central Tyrrhenia reported conclusive evidence suggesting an emergency conference between specific nations of the Anti-Communism Alliance (ACA) in Gratenburg, Elcric Kcalb. The emergency and secretive nature of the conference suggests an agenda which may serve the interests of the United Republic and her allies, in regards to potential action in the region of Tyrrhenia.

The host nation, the Corporatocracy of Elcric Kcalb, is expected to be accompanied by representatives from fellow ACA allies Constitutional Monarchy of New Belhavia and the Enlightened Monarchal State of Prussia, all hereinafter collectively referred to as the Gratenburg Pact.

The JIA was able to piece together a list of approximately twenty-seven (27) potential items which may be on the agenda for the meeting, based on known interests of the nations involved, the local geopolitical landscape, and recent events in the region. The two topics most likely to be discussed are: (1) ACA/Gratenburg Pact intervention in the ongoing conflicts between Ralkovia and ICE, and (2) a potential invasion and annexation of the United Ditorates of the IASM.

Regarding the plausibility of potential intervention, the overall geopolitical scene in Tyrrhenia seems to represent a gradual weakening of influential power for the ACA in Tyrrhenia. Prior to this, the ACA was essentially unrivaled in the region, with several of its member states holding strategic or economic partnerships with local powers such as the United World Order (itself a former member of the ACA) and Ralkovia, alongside ACA members in the region itself—such as Prussia, New Belhavia, among others.

The previously uncontested domination (and essential subjugation) of the region by the ACA has been placed into jeopardy with the recent conflicts around the Adiuvo Islands in northern Tyrrhenia between ICE forces and Empire of Ralkovia. At least one ACA member, Prussia, is believed to be participating in an essential "submarine blockade" of the islands designed to prevent allied forces from entering or exiting Adiuvo waters. However, the very fact that extraregional powers are capable of projecting force against allies of member nations of the ACA inside Tyrrhenia seems to suggest that the ACA is losing its grip on the region.

Another event has further attempted to tarnish the ACA's role in a typically conservative and fiercely patriotic region: the warmongering ideals of the United Ditorates of the IASM. The IASM has launched a number of conflicts unilaterally, with almost no basis for support aside from the need to provide for its people following gross military overspending and government corruption that has left the people of the country starving in poverty.

One of these conflicts occurred in Afalia, which was invaded with the stated intent being to transform a beautiful free nation into a sector for agricultural production. ICE forces aided in the defense of Afalia, which continues as we speak; currently, a significant portion of the IASM's invading fleet has been destroyed, including the pride of their navy, the TAF Ditorate. The ongoing battle has left Titianician Ditor (the nation's head of state) Jack Lazin essentially missing in action, with reports indicating his presence on the Ditorate before her destruction.

Because the IASM launches wars to cover for its lack of desire to care for its brutally oppressed people, rumors indicate local nations in the Tyrrhenia region consider the IASM a major security threat. Tyrrhenian nations typically display extensively protectionist tendencies regarding extraregional forces entering Tyrrhenia, and thus the existence of a warmongering country almost always on the brink of war is one which most do not take lightly, particularly due to the threat that eventually, extraregional forces will invade and topple the regime.

A Gratenburg Pact invasion of the IASM would undoubtedly be launched in an attempt to form an ACA "empire" and restore overwhelming ACA influence in the region despite the conflict in the Adiuvo Islands. Allowing the three Gratenburg Pact nations to annex the IASM would provide them with a free pass to solidify ACA dominance in Tyrrhenia, a region with lingering U.R. and ICE interests. ACA member nations have typically been opposed to the United Republic on most major issues, and members of the ACA are currently in conflict with the U.R. and ICE.

As such, allowing the ACA, whose member nations are largely allied with or have major interests regarding key enemies and opponents of ICE, to establish a more dominant position within the region would only solidify the complex political landscape in which the Tyrrhenia region is almost universally an enemy, with the Adiuvo Islands, an insular territory of the Free Republic of Lamoni, being the only remaining bastion of freedom.

It is not even necessary to state that there will be no support for the reigning regime of the IASM should it become invaded. However, this places the United Republic and its allies in a unique position, with two of its enemies at war with each other. Because the IASM is unlikely to successfully defend itself against what is expected to be an overwhelming onslaught by the Gratenburg Pact, it is necessary to make such an invasion as difficult as possible for these forces while simultaneously causing civil unrest for the IASM regime.

Essentially, the United Republic is proposing unofficial and covert support for the New Alotosian Republican Front, a longstanding ultranationalist rebel group operating in the IASM. The goal of the support would be to grow a third party in the conflict and lure Gratenburg forces into a conflict much longer, more difficult, and bloodier than they hoped for. The addition of an insurgent third party, using methods common in modern insurgencies, would provide overwhelming complexity for both Titianician and Gratenburg Pact commanders and, subsequently, make a Gratenburg Pact occupation of the IASM exponentially more difficult, potentially locking Gratenburg Pact nations up in a deadly insurgency for several years.

We want to give the Gratenburg Pact their Acaema, their Afghanistan, their Vietnam.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN WORLD

Free press a shining glimmer of light in authoritarian Rodarion [ 5243 ]
CID: Castilla assassination the "most difficult, complex" case in history [ 9429 ]
Vast Dominion communist uprising destroying national stability [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
The implications of this release are immense. I mean "we want to giv them their Acaema" like really? We got tied up in Acaema for like 10 years in an insurgency. I served in Acaema, and I'm taking this as a direct insult to my service. The leaders continue to prove, time and time again, how capable they are in bringing our great country to its destruction.
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
You guys are kidding, right? This is great news! All these "Blake is a traitor lul" trolls on this forum are ridiculous. The man made an honest request for information under the auspices of one of the most righteous government acts in history, and the response was as honest as it ever gets.

This was a monumental occurrence in a free and republican government. Name one other country where people can request all the information the government has on any topic and then get an honest reply that unveils things unexplainably kept secret from the public's eye for months. The people deserved this information.

I'm personally interested in finding out what's behind all that black ink. It's sad that our government still covers up its secrets from us like we're complete and total dumbtards.
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Allama Iqbal Chaleur, CH
5 minutes ago
THOMAS BLAKE SHUD BE BRUNED AT STAKE FOR TREASON
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by **Virana** » Mon May 27, 2013 11:28 am

"Double-V crisis" leaves 15 Emmerians dead or missing
Hayes: Venture and Victory incidents "outrageous attacks on the Emmerian people"; many lawmakers calling for war

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{May 20, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

The debris from the Space Shuttle Venture as it reentered the atmosphere. The Venture was on a routine mission when Slipspacian satellite network SWoD shot it down with laser weapons. The astronauts on board were suffocated and fried alive. UP Photo/Dwight Sabathia.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Venture shot down by Slipspacian
satellite system

:· Volvek colony military fires at, mines,
and sinks civilian container ship

:· Hayes: those responsible will pay for the
"outrageous attacks on the Emmerian
people"

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — The Venture and Victoria incidents, now collectively called the "Double-V crisis", have led to the disappearance or death of 15 Emmerian citizens.

Space Shuttle Venture was a civilian space plane chartered by STAR, the United Republic space agency, for a scheduled spaceflight. A release by STAR indicated that the shuttle had been destroyed, potentially by a solar flare, and its remains crashed down into the ocean surrounding the continent of Andraste. Four Emmerian astronauts lost their lives.

The initial reports were soon contradicted by Presidential Palace press releases, which asserted that the space shuttle's destruction was a result of an attack by a foreign power. The Presidential Palace released images of the space shuttle's remains along with a vast array of evidence to place the blame on Slipspacia's SWoD satellite network. SWoD stands for "Sword of Damocles".

Around the same time, the SST Victory, a large civilian container ship under ownership of Emmerian seaborne transportation company Seven Seas Transit (SST) was moving into port at Citadel Feinstein, a Volvek colony on Andraste when it was fired on. Citadel Feinstein is a colony surrounded by a maritime minefield, with a string of buoys denoting the only safe channel through. Attempting to avoid the fire, the captain of the Victory veered unknowingly right into the minefield. The ship was sunk, and all eleven crewmembers are missing.

President Hayes spoke with reporters during a media conference following news of both incidents.

"The attack on the Space Shuttle Venture and the sinking of the SST Victory are direct and outrageous attacks on the Emmerian people," he told reporters. "Savages of unspeakable evil committed these crimes against our country. Those responsible will pay. There will be consequences, there will be implications."

"For those responsible, your attacks on our way of life, on our adherence to our ideals of equality, of freedom, will only strengthen our resolve," he added. "Whoever led these attacks: we will find you, and we will take you down. But even more than that, as we bring justice to pay for the crimes faced by these innocent people, the Emmerian spirit—one of courage, of power, of love—will only grow stronger."

President Hayes also had some words for the astronauts who had died on the Venture. "These were people who had devoted their entire lives to the Emmerian people. They put everything they could, everything they understood, into their mission to serve their country. Their deaths will not be in vain."

The Citadel Feinstein government denied all accusations.

"This may have been an attempt to frame us to make us look like some Evil Empire," a statement over public broadcast systems in the colony said. Many analysts were quick to denounce the statements, with one calling them a hasty attempt to cover up what the government did. The statement ended by informing colonists that martial law would be implemented on the colony.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN WORLD

VIDEO: Ruins of Venture crash down to Earth [ 5243 ]
New Belhavia confirms massive naval purchase [ 9429 ]
Analyst: Why were the Venture and Victory fired at? [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
This is bullshit. Our president is absolutely spineless! "They will pay" wtf? Where's the fucking delcarations of war? They blew up our space shuttle, attacked innocent civilian shipping!
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
Realistically, you have to analyze the situation from a rational and analytical point of view. There are tyrannies covering Andraste. The people are completely fine being controlled by their governments, I mean even the democracies are communist.

And now they've attacked civilians.

I don't see them as anything less than savages. It's just something integrated into the persona of all those countries on Andraste. They are outright ridiculously provocative, and all they want is power. Complete and total embarrassment to the world, all of them. We should go to war, if only to teach them their place in this world.
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Allama Iqbal Chaleur, CH
5 minutes ago
NO WAR
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by **Virana** » Tue Jun 04, 2013 1:47 pm

Desert Warrior 2013 military exercises set to kick off in Rashidi
Second annual joint military drills fall in the wake of Tarsan invasion of Mardullah

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{June 4, 2013 10:21 PM | Kamrah, Islamic Republic of Rashidi}

U.R. special forces members (foreground) oversee, advise, and assist Rashidi troops (background) during a military training exercise in Warsin province in northern Rashidi as part of Desert Warrior 2013. The joint military exercises, which began as an annual event in June 2012, are intended to increase cooperation between the United Republic and regional partners. UP Photo/Dwight Sabathia.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Desert Warrior 2013 military drills
commence

:· Exercises fall in wake of Tarsan invasion
of Mardullah

:· SecDef: "No correlation" between timing
of exercises and political events

Kamrah, RASHIDI (UP) — The annual Desert Warrior joint military exercises have begun in Rashidi. The Desert Warrior program is designed to enhance military cooperation between the United Republic of Emmeria and its Middle Eastern allies, providing them with vital training to defend themselves in an evolving threat environment.

Joint military exercises are training drills involving the armed forces of multiple nations. Desert Warrior 2012 was a series of drills throughout June 2012 between the United Republic and Rashidi. The second iteration of these exercises, which began just days ago, finds itself occurring right in the wake of a Tarsan invasion into Mardullah, a Middle Eastern nation.

"There is no correlation between the timing of Desert Warrior 2013 and recent conflicts in Akkadiya," U.R. Secretary of Defense Aiden Lawson told reporters during a media conference, referring to the traditional name of the Middle East region. "Because the threat environment for participants in Desert Warrior 2013 is changing, the conflict will affect the content and execution of the exercises. However, they were scheduled for this time last year, and the Tarsan invasion did nothing to change that."

Thousands of Emmerian servicemen and women from all armed services will take part in the exercises in cooperation with Rashidi military forces. The exercises will focus primarily on ground combat operations, particularly counter-terrorism, urban warfare, and amphibious landings.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN PARDES

VIDEO: Tarsan troops in Mardullah [ 5243 ]
United Republic to host Rodarion-Belfras peace talks [ 9429 ]
Analyst: CDI mulling options as conflicts intensify [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
Ugh why do we keep doing shit like this? The people of Rashidi already proved to us that they wanted a military government over the democracy that used to be there. Why are we supporting their tyranny?
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
Are those the new Stemix helmets in that picture? Nice to see our boys are equipped with the best. Also great to have some friends down in that hellhole we call the Middle East. Let's hope they can defend their country against Tarsas.
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Allama Iqbal Kashfir, RASHIDI
5 minutes ago
These infidels kill other Muslims and prostitute their culture for the Emmerian westerners.. get out of our country infidel !
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by **Virana** » Fri Jun 14, 2013 3:31 pm

Basara: ACA breaks apart, abandons yet another ally in need
First Hippostania, now Castille de Italia: ACA once more proves that it will eject senior membership when crises spark

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^{June 14, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: ACA ejects Castille de Italia in wake
of illegal cruise ship attack

:· Basara: ACA proves that it is willing to
abandon senior members in need

:· Basara: Ejection proves ACA is quickly
falling apart

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — United Republic Secretary of State Lana Basara told reporters during an emergency press conference this past Friday that the Anti-Communism Alliance's recent ejection of major contributing member Castille de Italia showcased the desperation that has surrounded ACA member nations as they face scrutiny from across the world over the past few months.

"It is clear simply by analyzing the removal of the Imperial Theocracy [of Castille de Italia] from the ACA that the move was conducted as a desperate attempt by the ACA to restore its image in the face of violations of international law by its senior contributors," Secretary Basara said.

"This, unfortunately, means that the ACA is always willing to abandon its allies when they need help," she added. "[The Republic of] Hippostania had been ejected under similar pretenses; ACA leadership was unable to face the fact that its most important members commit atrocities in blatant violation of international law.

"As ACA leaders continually get ejected for committing horrendous atrocities, the alliance will break apart."

Castille de Italia was ejected from the ACA in response to its sinking of the Akimonadi civilian cruise ship MS Lusitania II as she transited the Mokan Strait during the Dienstadi Expedition cruise. The cruise ship was fired upon by Castillian naval vessels after her captain, Arthur Aldridge, refused to submit to an illegal boarding action by the Castillian navy.

Only 100 passengers aboard the ship survived and were rescued by Mokastanan forces nearby. The other 7,694 passengers aboard the ship, most of them of Akimonadi nationality, perished. There were 19 Emmerian citizens aboard the ship, 17 of which lost their lives.

Following the sinking, United Republic President Washington Hayes spoke to reporters regarding the incident.

"I would first like to give all my condolences to the friends, family, and loved ones of the people who perished aboard the Lusitania II," he said. "Castille de Italia attacked not only the Akimonadi people, not only their friends across the world, but also the way of life those people are accustomed to—one where no man, woman, nor child is denied their life without justice. Those responsible for the attack assaulted the freedom of the people aboard that ship—unjustly took their right to live.

"There is no doubt those who committed this atrocity will feel the full force of international law, face the justice they denied thousands. They will sit upon the pedestal and answer for the countless shattered and broken lives, and for the over seven thousand men, women, and children who they mindlessly slaughtered. And until then, we will stand together arm-in-arm with our brothers and sisters in Akimonad against the perpetrators of this horrible tragedy."

Senior U.R. officials indicated their support for subsequent Akimonadi retaliation. One official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told Emmerian media outlet TNN that "the United Republic, as a firm ally of the Republic and Commonwealth of Akimonad, will provide as much support in the wake of the Lusitania II incident as possible."

The Hayes administration has not indicated in what way it will support Akimonad following the incident.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN WORLD

VIDEO: Lusitania II sinking from onboard camcorder (NSFW) [ 5243 ]
World opinions: How Twitter reacted to Lusitania II incident [ 9429 ]
Analyst: Castillian move showcases continued volatility and instability in country [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
We should invade CdI and let them experience how it feels to mess with one of our allies!
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
All these people on this forum need to quiet down. We cannot afford to invade the Castillians. The Hayes administration has blatantly failed to diffuse the conflicts in Pardes, so it can't possibly think it's got the capacity to go to war in Greater Dienstad. Let the Akimonadis handle it, it's their people that died.

And please, ignore all the Castillian trolls on this forum that somehow feel the need to support the destruction of the Lusitania. That was a no-balls move.
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Christian Preslaff, CASTILLE DE ITALIA
5 minutes ago
The Lusitania II was violating our national sovereignty and was going too close to our ships without permission. If that fucking captain had let our navy examine the ship and let it go, maybe 7,000 people would be alive. Don't pin the blame on the Navy, they were simply protecting our maritime borders. Pin the blame on the captain for failing his passengers that trusted him.
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by **Virana** » Mon Jun 24, 2013 3:11 pm

FREEDOM TRIUMPHS: ACA collapses
Under weight of leadership's miscalculations, crypto-fascist alliance finally collapses, disbands

^{SHARE THIS:}

Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{June 24, 2013 10:21 PM | Berlin, German Empire}

United Republic President Washington Hayes welcomed the collapse of the Anti-Communism Alliance, indicating that its policies impacted opinions both inside and outside the alliance, eventually resulting in its inevitable collapse. UP Photo/Sarah Palmer.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Hayes: ACA fell apart due to
internal, external pressure

:· ACA falls apart in the face of a row of
ejections and resignations

:· German Empire declares alliance
disbanded

Berlin, GERMAN EMPIRE (UP) — After a roller coaster of events in Berlin, the Anti-Communism Alliance officially disbanded in the face of rising internal and external pressure.

The alliance, known commonly by its acronym ACA, has faced scrutiny from world leaders for months for its strong crypto-fascist tendencies. The United Republic's Castilla administration, under President Luis Castilla, strongly opposed the ACA for this reason before President Castilla's assassination in late May. His vice and now president, Washington Hayes, has continued President Castilla's attempts to oppose ACA influence.

Over the past few months, the United Republic and its allies, as well as other nations in Pardes, were part of a rhetorical cold war against various nations in the ACA. This incident tarnished relations between the ACA and a majority of Pardes, and led to the potentiality of war between the alliance and an anti-ACA coalition led mostly by Akimonad.

However, the ACA officially disbanded, a move announced early Monday morning, with no shots fired.

Hayes: Internal, external pressure destroyed the ACA

According to United Republic President Washington Hayes, the ACA collapsed as a combined result of overwhelming pressure both from within the alliance and from external organizations such as Oured.

"Alliance members like Hippostania and Castille de Italia were ejected from the alliance in their time of need," Hayes said. "Because the ACA's leadership exploited this loophole in the alliance's mutual defense pact multiple times, nations in the ACA were very concerned that, if they needed their alliance to come to their aid, they would instead be abandoned much like Waverley and Preslaff."

President Hayes added that pressure from his own administration in Oured, from Kent, and from various other nations was responsible for piling onto the ACA's impending collapse.

"People around the world knew that the ACA was a crypto-fascist organization interested solely in using bellicose rhetoric to achieve its hastily hidden agenda, largely due to our efforts to oppose the ACA. We froze its assets wherever we could, our sanctions left many of them without specific luxuries, and our information campaigns pulled off their iron veils to expose their tyrannical agenda. They may deny it, but our efforts had a more significant impact on their collapse than they can imagine."

He also added: "The ACA's collapse was yet another victory for freedom in the protracted war against tyranny. But this was just a battle; the war goes on."

United Republic Secretary of State Lana Basara had predicted the ACA's impending collapse during a series of statements to media outlets on February 14.

"Hippostania's ejection, a gradually decreasing role in Tyrrhenian affairs, [...] all point to one root issue: the ACA is collapsing both from within and out," she said. She also added that the alliance was "an imperialist far-right organization littered with fascism and tyranny" and that the alliance's existence alone was "detrimental to international diplomacy".

During a media conference Monday morning, she greeted the news of the ACA's collapse.

"As I had said before, the ACA is the personification of a fascist movement thinly veiled in its opposition to communism. It is great news for millions around the world who will no longer have to live under the repression of such an alliance," she said.

The collapse of a coalition: What does it mean for the United Republic?

The ACA has long been an organization opposed by the United Republic. Although it was more sympathetic towards the ACA than its counterpart, opposition to the ACA was one of the few things the right-leaning Conservative Party of the Republic (CPR) could agree on with the Democratic Liberal Party (DLP).

However, the ACA's collapse came under the administration of longtime Democrat Washington Hayes. With elections scheduled for later this year, and Hayes indicating that he will run, the disbanding of the ACA may shift polls that have for months leaned towards leading Republican candidate Representative Nicholas Tooney (R-FR).

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN WORLD

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Whistleblower: U.R. special forces a networked, global private army for president [ 9429 ]
Rodarian people stand up against repression for their rights in nationwide protests [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
You fucking republicans on this board keep thinking this won't change things. Trust me, this will bring a hell of a lot of swingers on Hayes's side.
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
The ACA isn't /that/ bad. It's great that it's gone, but Hayes is just overstating his role in its collapse to get re-election. I can't believe you liberals can't see that.
9 likes
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Christian Chaleur, CH
5 minutes ago
I am on the side of freedom here. The Republicans on here are indirectly supporting tyranny.
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by **Virana** » Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:12 pm

Protests in Rodarion intensify, turn violent in the face of suppression
Protestors: It's not about just abortion anymore

^{SHARE THIS:}

Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{June 26, 2013 10:21 PM | Romulă, Papal Republic of Rodarion}

Katerina Stoica, the leader of Free Press Initiative (FPI), was arrested by authorities Wednesday afternoon during a protest Romulă. FPI is a Rodarion non-governmental organization (NGO) that promotes the freedom of press in a country traditionally opposed to such freedom. At the time of her arrest, Stoica was chanting to supporters via megaphone calling for increased freedom of expression in Rodarion. UP Photo/Sarah Palmer.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: 180 feared dead in Pope Julius Square in
deadly massacre

:· Protests in Rodarion turn violent

:· Thousands arrested, many killed as objectives
shift from pro-abortion to democracy

:· Regime crackdown includes censorship of social
media, shutdown of phone networks

:· Profound economic impact on country, as result
of looting and regime action, deals
severe blows

Romulă, RODARION (UP) — Protests in Rodarion continued to intensify as clashes between the dissenters and Rodarian authorities left hundreds dead and thousands wounded through Wednesday.

The protests, which began as a small scale feminist pro-abortion protests on Friday June 21, intensified in the face of a large-scale government crackdown on individual liberties. Protestors indicated that their objective had turned from pro-abortion to opposing a vast array of regime transgressions on their rights as people.

UP affiliate and private Rodarian news outlet Vocea reported Sunday that protestors had wide-reaching aims, including promoting democratic reform, freedom of the press, release of political prisoners, and abortion reform.

In response, the Ceaușescu regime has censored hundreds of social networking sites in the country—including 85 online blogs and 600 chatrooms—and shut down telecommunications services to millions of people in an attempt to quell the protests by disrupting communication between dissenters. Although thousands of police officers have been deployed across the country to suppress the protests, the military was not deployed in an attempt to preserve Rodarian democracy, according to Rodarian state-owned news network PRRB.

The government also arrested numerous reporters suspected of undermining the regime, many of them from private news outlet Vocea.

A number of senior clerics denounced the protests, particularly due to the protestors' opposition to the strict religious codes preventing their freedom. Father Radu Malaxa, a prominent public figure, told people to rise up and fight the "beasts" who are dissenting against the regime.

"You stare the beast in the eyes, lift up the cross in your right hand and the sword in the left, and you cut out the beast’s tongue and let him choke to death on his own poison, place the cross on his corpse and then shall we say, we vanquished all that is evil," he announced to supporters during a counter-demonstration in Romulă.

Massacre in Pope Julius Square leaves at least 180 dead, thousands wounded

Rodarian state-owned media outlet PRRB reported Wednesday night that police cleared a protest in Pope Julius Square in the country's capital Romulă, potentially leaving 180 people dead in what is the bloodiest event of the ongoing conflict, according to Rodarian private news outlet Vocea.

Violent protestors allegedly threw bricks and petrol bombs at police before a massive surge by authorities to clear the protest. After a shot was fired, violence and chaos ensued as police fired upon innocent civilians and violent protestors alike. Because Rodarion has strict limits on foreign press in the country, the UP was unable to independently verify the claims.

Pope Julius Square, the location of the massacre, is directly across from the Vatican. The religious significance of the area has led many across the world to denounce actions by protestors and the subsequent police crackdown.

Several police officials responded to media queries regarding the incident. Deputy Police Commissioner Guran Florin indicated that an investigation would be conducted and any police officers found guilty would be charged.

Rodarian Minister of the Interior Radu Hasdeu, however, told reporters that an investigation was not enough. He said that any police officers who fired on the crowd are to be punished extensively.

Pope Pius also spoke regarding the protests, split between the incident being the fault of the protestors and the police.

"I will pray for the remaining years of my life for those poor souls caught between the forces of good and evil," he said, later adding "I believe that the terrorists within the crowd who fired the first shots intended to bring death to the square, but I do believe it could have been avoided."

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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U.R. State Dept to investigate claims of Rodarian state-sponsored terrorism amidst regime denial [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

KLevis Wichita, VL
3 seconds ago
The Rodarian people are finally standing up against the regime for their freedom. This is exactly what happened in 1801 when our Founding Fathers defiantly stood against the repression of the Empire. They planted the seeds for the free and peaceful country we have today. May those people in Rodarion do the same, and bless those poor souls who perished in the massacre.
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Mendas Phila, PR
30 seconds ago
Fuck the protestors! They fired first, the police were firing back in self fucking defense. It's their fault a stable country is falling apart and millions are dying around Rodarion. Come on now, be real: Rodarion is becoming shittier and it's all the protestors' fault.
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Christian Chaleur, CH
5 minutes ago
This is exactly what happens when highly religious assholes think it's a good idea to force their ideals on other people. Name /one/ person who died in the name of atheism. Religion is just a perceived hallucination; it doesn't exist. And yet so many around the world continue to die in the name of it. It's inherently destructive.
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by **Virana** » Sun Jul 14, 2013 10:35 pm

Army's long-touted Brigade Combat System modernization program reaches new height with fourth spiral
Common Combat Vehicle (CCV) family to fill a number of roles with one versatile "system of systems"

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{July 15, 2013 10:21 PM | Fort Manning, Merrimead}

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Army's main modernization program rolls
out versatile armored vehicle series

:· Last of vehicle variants set to revolutionize
Army mobility, lethality, and doctrine

:· Network centric capability allows soldiers to
interface with vehicle sensors for
extensive coordination

:· Common Combat Vehicle to supplant far heavier
vehicles with a single family of lightweight,
highly mobile, technologically sophisticated
systems

:· Vehicle will help push forward extensive full
-spectrum Army modernization program, allow
Army to rapidly face current and future threats

Fort Manning, ME, UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — The United Republic Army announced the completion of the fourth spiral of its widely touted Brigade Combat Systems (BCS) program, an extensive full-spectrum modernization launched in 1998.

The most significant part of the fourth spiral of the program was the last few variants of the Army's future manned armored vehicle, the Common Combat Vehicle (CCV). Other elements of the program were also operationally tested, such as a military-grade smartphone for squad leaders to connect them with the Army's Warfighter Information Network-Tactical (WIN-T), commonly described as the "military Internet".

The CCV series promises to enhance Army warfighting capability for the next few decades in a number of ways.

Slow and steady does not win the war

Following the beating it took in World War I, France constructed along its border the Maginot Line, a series of heavy (and mostly stationary) armed weapon systems and fortifications to defend itself from Germany in the future. Such a fortification was optimized for WWI style warfare, which heavily relied on stationary trenches and little overall movement.

After the outbreak of WWII, the Germany Army simply went around them. The country pioneered blitzkrieg, a form of warfare that epitomizes speed and surprise with the goal of keeping the enemy off-balance and focusing firepower on the weak points of the enemy's formation. This was one of the first instances of maneuver warfare in modern history.

Following the war, maneuver warfare remained part of the doctrine for almost every major military power. However, most countries still relied on relatively slow, heavily armed vehicles to provide a bulk of their firepower. In the modern era, the mobility provided by main battle tanks such as the M9 Hunter, which, despite its size and weight, can travel at 70 km/h on a smooth road, was a very important part of modern ground doctrine.

However, the U.R. Army intends to take maneuver warfare to the next stage with the entire BCS modernization project, which is heavily centered on the CCV vehicle series.

"A CCV-equipped combat brigade is far lighter and strategically and tactically mobile than a heavy combat brigade," then-Secretary of the Army Abdul Langley said during a press conference in 2005. "While heavy brigades must move 60-ton vehicles with an overwhelming demand for energy, the CCV's hybrid electric drive and light weight make it both easier to deploy and easier to maneuver rapidly."

The Army will employ CCV-equipped combat brigades as rapid maneuver units, utilizing advanced sensors for reconnaissance (gaining information about the enemy forces) to identify and attack the enemy's weak points with speed, surprise, and the maximum amount of firepower that can be packed into that small a package.

"All the sensors will be linked to the [Warfighter Information Network]," Army analyst Colonel Joseph Riaz (ret.) wrote of the program in Warfighter Weekly. "The soldiers in the field will be linked to the network. Everyone will have all the information about the battlespace, so we'll have a much better picture of what's happening than the enemy. "

Col. Riaz indicated this would allow units to identify weak points in enemy formations and deliver firepower to those weak points on a similar scale to traditional heavy brigades, but at much quicker speed.

"The mounted combat system [or light tank] variant of the vehicle is armed with a lighter, slightly shorter version of the same gun on the M9 Hunter main battle tank," Col. Riaz wrote, later adding that "In general, the firepower output of a BBCT [BCS-equipped combat brigade] would be similar to the Army's existing brigades, albeit in a reduced protective capacity. What it loses in armor protection, it gains with active protection systems and the unparalleled mobility it provides to modern forces facing any enemy."

According the Col. Riaz, the CCV is not only effective for maneuver warfare against a state enemy, but also against non-state actors and irregular fighters such as those Emmerian military personnel face in Acaema.

"The last decade of experience in Acaema has proven that in urban warfare, particularly against an irregular enemy, heavy vehicles like the Hunter are ineffective in an urban terrain where they are exposed to enemy fire from every direction," he wrote. "Lighter vehicles with enhanced situational awareness and unconventional protection systems, such as reactive armor and active protection, have been found far more useful in such situations. This is exemplified with the Army's preference for the wheeled WMAV series over most heavier vehicles in Acaema."

The WMAV (Wheeled Modular Armored Vehicle) is an Anemonian wheeled vehicle that provides similar versatile capabilities off a single chassis. The Army adopted the WMAV as an interim armored vehicle (IAV) while facing delays in the CCV program. WMAV variants served a vital role in Acaema, filling the Army's WMAV combat brigades (WBCTs) as the country's primary mechanized forces following their adoption.

The logistics advantage: many vehicles, 1 chassis

The CCV series consists of eight current vehicles and a number of planned ones, all based on a single common chassis. These include an infantry carrier vehicle (which carries a squad of soldiers in a protected armored vehicle), a mounted combat system (a light vehicle armed with a tank gun), a reconnaissance vehicle that gathers intelligence about enemies, a medical ambulance, and many more.

Current brigade commanders oversee the use of a variety of different armored vehicles, including the M9 Hunter and M2 Bradley. Each type of vehicle is vastly different in its operational capability, and requires an entirely separate logistical support system centered around replacement parts, fuel, and a host of other factors. The vehicles have their own types of parts, engines, electronics and sensors, wheels, and even tracks—all of which must be replaced or fixed over time.

Although Army heavy brigades provide almost unmatched lethality, they require an intensive logistics system to back them up. In addition, they are strategically immobile; aircraft are unable to deploy them rapidly because of their weight, so most heavy brigades are transported by ship—a process that could take up to two months for a fully armed heavy brigade combat team.

That amount of time is far longer than the acceptable period for responding to regional crises that spark and conclude rapidly and decisively. Such was the case in the 2012-13 Ralkovian crisis, when allied ships were engaged with Ralkovian forces off the coast of the Adiuvo Islands, a Lamonian colony in Tyrrhenia. U.R. naval ships, loaded with naval warfare elements and a hefty ground component of heavy vehicles, arrived on the scene after Ralkovian allies had already proven dominant, sunk an entire Arthuristan naval fleet, and signed a peace deal with Lamoni.

The BCS CCV intends to resolve both issues. By having all vehicles utilize a common chassis and share a majority of parts, brigade commanders do not have to plan for supporting several vehicles that differ significantly. Instead, they are able to use a single logistics system containing parts to support and sustain all vehicles in the series.

Because of this, brigade commanders have a far better idea of their capabilities.

In addition, all vehicles in the series can be disassembled and transported aboard the Air Force's relatively lightweight C-130 cargo planes, allowing for quick transportation to respond to regional crises. A normal CCV-equipped brigade combat team is expected to be able to respond to any regional crisis within 72 hours of notice.

Unlike the previous generation of armored vehicles, the CCV series has a common training infrastructure. Rather than training crews on vastly differing software for their vehicles and attempting to maintain a common training standard across the armed forces, the Army will be able to utilize a single software that can be specialized based on the particular vehicle's role. An embedded training system will allow crews to run simulated exercises in their vehicles alone, without requiring expensive simulators to reproduce the same environment.

Protecting the vehicle: Be proactive

As with all armored vehicles, the CCV features extensive armor to protect from enemy fire. However, due to weight concerns, the armor is far lighter and less protective than heavy vehicles like the M9 Hunter main battle tank. This issue has raised significant concerns among traditional Army brass, who would prefer to protect troops with heavy armor that weighs the vehicle down.

However, the CCV does utilize the latest armor technologies to protect its crew and occupants. Titanium disulfide, a revolutionary nanomaterial derived on inorganic fullerene-like (IF) substances, produces the main strike plate of the armor in the turret and hull armor configurations of the CCV. The same material is downsized for use in Emmerian body armor, providing NIJ Type IV+ protection against bullets.

In addition, the CCV integrates explosive reactive armor (ERA), which detonates an explosive upon contact by a penetrating weapon (such as a rocket-propelled grenade, or RPG) to drive together its sandwiching metal plates in an attempt to damage the penetrator. ERA has been used on other armored vehicles for decades, and has become more sophisticated in response to the increased strength of modern projectile penetrators.

However, the key element for the CCV's protection lies with its active protection system (APS), a system that detects and responds to projectiles that present a threat to the vehicle automatically. The system, dubbed "IDAPS" (Integrated Dual Active Protection System), utilizes softkill and hardkill measures to prevent munitions from hitting the vehicle.

An advanced radar mounted onboard the vehicle automatically detects munitions fired at the CCV. The CCV also gathers information from laser and radar warning receivers mounted onboard to determine the nature of the projectile. Depending on the projectile, the system launches a countermeasure. Softkill countermeasures include launched fragmentation grenades, infrared smoke grenades, and a host of other systems that attempt to direct the projectile away from the vehicle. If all these fail, the integrated system employs the hardkill aspect of its protection, vertically launching a small missile to engage the incoming projectile with precision and destroy it in its path.

The entire process takes just over a millisecond thanks to the vehicle's advanced tracking systems (including a radar and electro-optical/infrared sensors) and the sophisticated computer that compiles the data and fuses it into usable information.

The system is being integrated onto existing armored vehicles to enhance their protection as well. The M9A3's latest enhanced situational awareness package (ESAP) integrates the very same IDAPS system to defend the tank.

Combined, the three-way protection suite on the CCV defends the vehicle against an entire spectrum of threats.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE IN PARDES

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Opinion: Ongoing Pardes crises headline U.R. elections, will make or break Hayes campaign [ 1375 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

Aimhere · 3 hours ago
They killed innocent civilians because an innocent man was killed by their opponent. What makes the Pravenes any better? Please. They act like they have the moral high ground, but they are just as bad as the theocracy they're claiming to fight.

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Goggles · 3 hours ago
At least someone with a spine opened their mouth regarding Rodarion's violation of human rights. Oured is so two-faced - sometimes our money-hungry politicians are criticizing an obviously theocratic regime, and at other times we're defending them against a free country.

Emmeria truly is the root of all evil.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Pravengria drills for oil and destroys the environment there. They sink tankers and let millions of gallons of oil spill into the ocean and severely damage the marine environment in their own country. They aren't just an enemy to Rodarion, they are an enemy to Mother Earth.

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by **Virana** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 6:29 pm

500,000 Catholics massacred across Itailia
Mass bombings, riots, unrest erupt throughout Itailia as body count skyrockets

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{December 8, 2013 10:21 PM | Vinci, Empire of Itailia}

A fire on Popli Cathedral, a historic Catholic holy place in Itailia. A systematic attack on Itailian Catholics, targeting Catholic churches, has left over 500,000 dead. UP Photos/James Animan.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: 500,000 Itailian Catholics dead or wounded in
coordinated, targeted strikes

:· Law enforcement also targeted, unable to rapidly
respond

:· Reports: Attacks may have been launched by Paganist
extremists

:· Rodarian Catholic Church questions possible
government involvement, calls for international
investigation

:· Basara: attack a "deplorable tragedy"

Vinci, ITAILIA (UP) — A systematic bombing campaign against Itailian Catholics left over 500,000 dead on Sunday. Many notable Christian leaders, including Archbishop Gallus Secendus, lost their lives.

Catholics, who form a sizeable minority in the Pagan-majority empire, have historically been targets of attacks by extremist militants in Itailia. The bombings on December 8 have been the largest of such attacks. The Itailian criminal counterintelligence establishment is underdeveloped as compared to other countries in western Pardes, and it failed to foresee the campaign.

The attacks also focused on Itailian quick response law enforcement, notably facilities with garrisons of Itailia's elite domestic counter-terrorism unit, the Justicars. Their inability to respond to the nationwide bombings caused widespread unrest across the country, with Catholics and Pagans alike protesting the massacres.

The country was forced to deploy numerous military forces to handle the unrest, settling the riots. However, the government has yet to release an official statement on the death of the Catholics and how Itailian law enforcement were unable to prevent such a coordinated campaign.

Many international leaders are calling for an expansive investigation into the issue. United Republic Attorney General Umar Shammas offered to send members of the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) to aid in the investigation, but highlighted the importance of multinational involvement.

United Republic Secretary of State Lana Basara called the attacks a "deplorable tragedy" at Question Time, stressing the need for U.R. and other CDI officials to convene in Itailia and discuss the bombings. She also said that Itailian Catholics were eligible to apply for U.R. refugee or asylum visas, which would allow them to stay in the United Republic indefinitely for fear of persecution in their home country.

Many Rodarian officials expressed their distress regarding the attacks through social media, with some calling them a direct attack by the Itailian government; this was a rare case in a country that heavily censors social media otherwise. The Orducii, a Rodarian paramilitary volunteer force, wrote on their Facebook page: "God help those responsible, for the entirety of Christendom will be down upon them".

The Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), classified a Christianist terrorist organization by the U.R. Department of Homeland Security, posted a video declaring Itailia an "enemy of God". Many other groups called for a renewed crusade against the country. Several humanitarian NGOs and the Vatican opened emergency lines to aid Catholics who lost loved ones.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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[ 1375 ]

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SelectURE offers historic business incentives for investing in Emmerian companies [ 2782 ]
United Republic tightens sanctions on Central Levantian countries [ 1003 ]

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^{STAR THIS DISCUSSION}

Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Why are we still allied with these Pagan savages? Didn't they die out in like, 476?
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Goggles · 3 hours ago
Dear Jupiter, that is a massive killing. For anyone near it, I hope you stay safe. As an Itailian Pagan, I can tell you all that we aren't all like that.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Cut ties, sanction, kick out of CDI. There's no excuse. They're playing the "we didn't know" game, but they're doing a horrendous job at it.
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by **Virana** » Sun Dec 08, 2013 9:43 pm

Free Levantia Movement added to U.R. democratic endowments list
Bulgislavian expats' NGO, dedicated to ousting current regime, now to receive U.R. federal funding

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{December 8, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

Slums in Bulgislavia's most prominent city, Berezin. The country's communist revolution displaced massive amounts of people, who fled to downtrodden places like these to escape from repression, persecution, and war during the country's bloody communist revolution. Photo courtesy of Bulgislavian state media.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Sec. State Basara: Free Levantia Movement now
receiving U.R. democratic endowments

:· FLM formed by Bulgislavian expats and refugees
calling for removal of current communist regime

:· Basara: FLM dedicated to establishing liberal democracy
in Bulgislavia

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Secretary of State Lana Basara announced Sunday afternoon that the Free Levantia Movement (FLM), a non-governmental organization formed by Bulgislavian expats and refugees, was added to the list of NGOs receiving United Republic democratic endowments following Congressional approval.

In a unanimous vote, a joint Congressional committee overseeing the United Republic National Fund for Democracy (NFD) approved the action, with a committee spokesman calling it "an obvious and overdue action" during a media conference. The NFD is a nonprofit U.R. federal government organization under the U.R. State Department that uses soft power to promote democracy across the globe, particularly by funding NGOs like the Free Levantia Movement.

The move was part of a series of foreign policy reforms aimed at targeting repression by the eastern Tyrrhenian country. U.R. officials recently passed a series of sanctions on Bulgislavia and Strolingrad, following major Tyrrhenian powers New Belhavia and the German Empire in doing so. Additionally, the State Department initiated the Home Away From Home program to make applications for U.R. asylum or refugee visas more accessible, particularly in countries like Bulgislavia that endure significant government censorship of the Internet. SelectURE, a Commerce Department agency intended to promote foreign investment in Emmerian firms, offered Emmerian companies incentives to invest in businesses surrounding Bulgislavia and Strolingrad, hoping to reduce the potential for communist revolutions there.

The Free Levantian Movement was formed by Bulgislavian refugees determined to remove the current regime. After coming into power, the Bulgislavian provisional government instituted a series of reforms abridging civil liberties throughout the country, targeting political dissidents opposing the communist movement. In response, an estimated 5 million people fled the country, with many finding asylum in the United Republic, New Belhavia, and other anti-communist powers.

Bulgislavian economy doomed?

Bulgislavian state-controlled media reported that the government was already planning on a series of endeavors focused on repairing the country's ravaged economy. The economic modernization program is centered around "reach[ing] pre-war agricultural output by the end of the first five year plan by December 31st, 2018", according to Bulgislavian state media.

However, skeptics were not convinced, with many critics calling these goals "unrealistic". A report released by a research team at the Westlander Finance Group in New Belhavia slammed the abysmal economic climate in central Levantia, calling it an environment where economic prosperity is impossible.

"Central Levantia's long-term growth is effectively zero," chief economist Professor Samuel Rosenburg, head of the research team, told reporters at Question Time. "The lack of adequate institutions for credit and coinage, the absence of a functioning market economy, and backwards, pre-modern notions of a collectivist society that downplays the role of the individual have closed these areas off from any real potential for economic growth and its subsequent benefits, leaving that part of Levantia doomed to perpetual poverty as long as the current system stays in power."

In response, Bulgislavian officials lambasted the reports. Chairman of the Bulgislavian Interim Peoples' Assembly Igor Rukesku called the report's publishers a "[h]andful of spoilt [sic] selfish brats that are angry as being [sic] forced to help their fellow man out of poverty", according to Bulgislavian state media. All suspected members or sympathizers of the Free Levantia Movement had their citizenship revoked, were declared "[f]oriegn [sic] spies under the patronage of the Anti-Bulgislavian regime of New Belhavia", and were warned to stay away from the downtrodden country by Bulgislavian government-run media services.

The Bulgislavian government continued to utilize unconventional measures to oppose the FLM. According to Bulgislavian-Stravopolian refugee Vera Talmann, well-known expats "were receiving letters of intimidation from the [Bulgislavian intelligence agency] that threatened harm would come to family members who remain in Bulgislavia unless they return to 'face the justice of the people'" (despite being "warned to stay out of Bulgislavia" in the same article). Others received death threats or now face constant government surveillance, and are concerned for their families, many of which remain trapped in Bulgislavia.

In response to those reports, U.R. Secretary of State vitriolically called the Bulgislavian government a "maniacal, tyrannical institution designed solely to cause undue harm to innocent people." During the same press conference, she called on Congress to pass stricter sanctions, referring to them as a necessary measure to "pressure the Bulgislavian regime to reduce its immense oppression and tyranny."

"The people of Bulgislavia will never be at peace until they have a reliable, transparent, and free government," she said. "They have the right to alter or abolish a government that is unable to protect them from its own tyranny. And we will do everything we can to make sure they are able to exercise that right."

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Bulgislavia is a failed state, plain and simple. No need to get our hands dirty there.
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Goggles · 3 hours ago
Damn, Lana's being awfully outspoken today. Enjoy your last days in office!
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Hayes is so weak when it comes to foreign policy. If Castilla were still here we'd actually be seeing progress. I mean, where are the drone strikes?
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by **Virana** » Tue Dec 24, 2013 7:58 pm

STAR atmospheric research plane lost above southern Itailia
UR space agency loses contact with unmanned research aircraft, search underway

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{December 24, 2013 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: STAR press release: Unmanned research plane lost
above southwest Itailia

:· Report: Pilot lost control of plane while on
standard atmospheric research mission

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — The Space Technologies and Research agency, STAR, released a statement on its website announcing the loss of an atmospheric research plane over southwestern Itailia earlier today.

"During a standard atmospheric research mission over southwestern Itailia, contact with an atmospheric research plane was lost," the statement read. "While a search for its remains is under way, any information on its whereabouts should be reported to the STAR Emergency Hotline at 1-800-392-1993. Please remember that tampering with or stealing anything from the wreckage constitutes theft of federal property and is punishable by U.R. federal law."

A STAR spokesman confirmed the statement. "The aircraft was unmanned and the pilot lost control of it while it was in the air," he told reporters during a press conference. "We are currently investigating the cause of the issue, but the most likely scenario is merely a computer glitch."

When prompted for a name or image of the aircraft, the spokesman declined. "I unfortunately do not have that information, but I'm sure it will be released in due time as deemed necessary for the investigation."

STAR is the civilian space exploration and aerospace research branch of the United Republic federal government. Although pioneering government-led advances and wielding a massive budget during the mid to late 1900s, STAR has been victim of massive budget cuts and has increasingly invested in privatized space exploration and research during the last few years. However, it maintains a fleet of research aircraft that regularly fly missions in support of aerospace research.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Bashria passes anti-gay bill [ 1003 ]

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Why is STAR's budget so shitty nowadays? What happened to that whole 1970s desire for innovation and excellence in our government?

In my day STAR pioneered rockets and space travel and was at the bleeding edge of science. Today they're losing control of useless and unnecessary drones trying to gain information we already know.
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Goggles · 3 hours ago
Southwestern Itailia? Did anyone ever consider that this was an electronic attack by Rodarion?
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Damn. Hayes was a horrid president, look what he did to our space agency.
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by **Virana** » Fri Jan 03, 2014 5:54 pm

Unilisian strikes in Titianicia leave 23,000 dead
Sondrian directorate hits urban centers with cruise missiles, kills numerous innocents

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{January 3, 2014 10:21 PM | Chaleur, United Republic of Emmeria}

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Unilisian forces launch thousands of cruise missiles
at Titianician targets

:· Reports: Over 25,000 civilians dead

Chaleur, CH, UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Reports indicated that Unilisian forces launched thousands of cruise missiles at Titianician urban centers on January 3, which killed over 23,000 people according to the "Free Titianicia" non-governmental organization. The strikes were launched prior to Unilisian officials issuing an ultimatum calling for the disbandment of the Titianician military within 24 hours.

Free Titianicia, an NGO operating in the isolated dictatorship, faces severe government suppression against its calls for liberalization of the Titianician regime, and has in the past advocated for its overthrow. FT officials told UP reporters that an estimated 23,450 innocent civilians were killed in the Unilisian strikes, although UP is unable to independently confirm the reports because the Titianician government rarely allows foreign journalists independent access to conflict zones.

An FT spokesman who spoke with the UP under the condition of anonymity said the strikes killed so many people because they were aimed at highly populated urban centers. Extreme poverty and the lack of access to vital resources like food and water in Titianicia drive thousands of rural residents to move to overpopulated cities in search of jobs every year, the spokesman said.

United Republic Secretary of State Lana Basara condemned the attacks. In a written public statement, she said: "We have constantly worked to undermine and isolate the Titianician regime, and we are thrilled that Sondrian powers are moving to enforce our longstanding sanctions on the country. But their indiscriminate massacre of innocent people on January 3 violates the very principles of our opposition to Titianicia, and it makes it difficult for the oppressed people of Titianicia—people who have to deal with ineffective economic policies, outdated infrastructure, and immense tyranny and slavery—to see the line between their own government and the forces of liberty. Unilisian forces have blurred the lines that separate liberty from tyranny, that fundamentally separate us from them. We appeal to the government of Unilisia to exercise restraint in its offensives against Titianician forces, in the interest of regional stability, global security, and liberty and justice for all."

Unilisian and allied action against Titianicia is likely intended to overthrow a regime already weakened by the capture of its leader, Ditor Jack Lazin. During a raid launched by U.R. Navy SEALs on a submarine off the coast of Afalia during Titianicia's failed invasion of the peaceful democracy in March 2013, Lazin was captured and subsequently handed over to Afalian authorities to face a war crimes trial that continues to this day. One SEAL, PO3 Cory Harvan, was killed and posthumously awarded a Silver Star, the Navy's third-highest honor.

Neither the Titianician nor Unilisian governments have released an official statement regarding the strikes. Because Unilisia only gave a 24-hour window for the disbanding of the Titianician military establishment, analysts predict that Unilisian authorities do not expect Titianician forces to back down—not only to defend their sovereignty, but also due to the obvious impracticality of disbanding such a massive organization within 24 hours.

Shortly following the release of the reports, several UP reporters expressed an interest in accompanying Unilisian troops, should they be deployed to the country, to provide access to news from the front lines. Other press outlets conducted similar actions.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Soviet Socialist Republics hold New Years dinner for int'l leaders [ 1003 ]

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
They killed innocent people calling them savage slavers. No, the Unilisian forces are the savages. Killing massive amounts of innocent people is blatantly unacceptable for a professional military.

Not to mention the fact that there is hardly any outcry from the Unilisian people. I know for a fact that the Emmerian people would not approve of such actions from their own military. Just pure, disgusting stupidity from Unilisian authorities.
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Goggles · 3 hours ago
Why do people on this board not understand that the Titianician people support a government that enforces slavery? Those people died because they are slavers. Slavers aren't human, they don't deserve "human rights".
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Tina · 4 hours ago
It's great that Hayes was finally elected out of office. Once he finally hands over power at the end of the month, we might finally decide not to meddle with uncivilized barbarians like Unilisia and Titianicia. Let the fuckers kill each other, why are we concerned for them?
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by **Virana** » Thu Jan 30, 2014 9:01 pm

President Alex Vaziri inaugurated
Federalist president-elect inaugural speech highlights streamlining federal government

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{January 20, 2014 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

President-elect Alex Vaziri gave his 47-minute long inaugural address in front of the United Republic Capitol before a record-setting crowd on Monday January 20. UP Photo.

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Alexander Vaziri inaugurated as 38th president of
the United Republic of Emmeria

:· Inaugural speech focused on "small government
policies"

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Over 900,000 people gathered around the United Republic Capitol on Monday January 20 to witness the inauguration of president-elect Alex Vaziri, who won the U.R. presidential elections last November.

In his speech, Vaziri, former governor of the state of Frentia, focused on the reduction of the federal government's domestic authority in favor of economic privatization and deregulation as well as the relegation of several powers to states, calling these measures a "return to our historic traditions". In terms of foreign policy, Vaziri expressed interest in establishing partnerships to boost UR economic, security, and political interests across the region and globe. While his economic and foreign policy are supported by a majority of his Federalist party, his social policies have been criticized by numerous conservatives nationally while gaining applause from liberal progressives.

EXCLUSIVE: Full coverage of Vaziri inauguration

A few highlights from the speech:

"Let us never forget we are the heirs of that revolution—the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. Today, the torch passes to a new generation of Emmerians: tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter peace, proud of our ancient heritage, and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those human rights to which this Republic has always been committed, and to which we remain committed today at home and around the world.

"From the day on which these rights become compromised, only then shall we date the ruin of our great country. The warm sunshine of influence would melt down the virtue which the violence of the storm rendered more firm and unyielding. In a state of tranquility, wealth, and luxury, our descendants would forget the arts of war and the noble activity and zeal which made their ancestors invincible. Every art of corruption would be employed to loosen the bond of union which renders our resistance formidable. When the spirit of liberty, which now animates our hearts and gives success to our arms, is extinct, our numbers will accelerate our ruin and render us victims to tyranny.

"And yet our perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds remains undaunted. This generation of Emmerians has endured crises that steeled our resolve and proved our resilience. Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty."

Opinion: Vaziri has a lot on his plate

Later in the speech:

"To our sister republics, we offer a special pledge: to convert our good words into good deeds, in a new alliance for progress, to assist free men and free governments in casting off the chains of poverty and repression. We cannot let this peaceful revolution of hope become the prey of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors and friends know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or subversion anywhere on this continent, anywhere in this region, anywhere in the world."

WATCH: Vaziri inaugural address (FULL)

Vaziri administration inherits difficult agenda

Domestically, President Vaziri has a lot to address. From calls for gun control to an aging healthcare infrastructure to constantly rising debt, it is safe to say President Vaziri's schedule will be booked.

With Hayes' failure to fully implement a universal healthcare system in his first term (more or less a continuation of the Castilla administration), it will be interesting to note how the Castilla healthcare plan will transition into the streamlined state-centric Vaziricare program. President Vaziri indicated during his campaign last year that his vision would involve an increased role of the private sector and lower overall taxes.

President Hayes left an entire meal on Vaziri's plate for foreign policy. As tensions between Rodarion and Itailia escalate, security on the western continent has not been at such high risk in decades. The threat of conflicts lulls over the middle east and Seukutan as well, adding more complexity to Vaziri's job. In the extra-regional arena, traditional U.R. ally Eagleland has declared war on Titianicia in Sondria, stirring a powder keg in that region.

These developments will prove a major, early test for the Vaziri administration.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

MORE FROM UP

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Potential summit rumored in Vienna [ 2782 ]
Seukutan tensions heat up [ 1003 ]

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Both parties are the same. Vaziri and Hayes go to bed every night having gotten on their knees and prayed to corporate heads for money and funding. Vaziri's populist approach is merely a thin veil lying above a tight bond with Emmeria's richest.

The only difference is who sponsors them. The Heckler Brothers sponsor radical leftism and dumped tons of money on Hayes and Castilla. Reva O'Connor (CEO of Shale Oil for those who don't know) and her gang of gas giants let the bills flow into the radical right department. There's no good guy.
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CommonSense · 3 hours ago
I'm willing to give the guy a chance. Our last presidents pushed forward a liberal agenda that brought more pain than good. It'd be nice to see how Vaziri tries reversing 8 years of libtards.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
This is exactly the opposite of what we need. The 2013 elections were among the least free and most rigged elections in our nation's history. And now they've given birth to the very man who promised to reverse all the progress our nation has made.
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by **Virana** » Fri Jan 31, 2014 8:26 pm

Opinion: Emmeria the greatest country in the world? Yeah, no.
Emmeria an "empire in decline", says former Brettons Institution fellow

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Jason Ciorban, special to UP
^{January 31, 2014 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

Editor's note: Jason Ciorban is a former fellow of the Brettons Institution, the most influential policy think tank in the United Republic, and writes a blog on UP's Friendly Fire. His book, Emmeria in Decline, is about the deterioration of Emmerian geopolitical power. His views do not represent those of the UP or its employees.

I grew up in what could be called a typical Emmerian childhood, something even few Emmerians can say. My parents immigrated from Rodarion years before I was born, and they moved to a relatively rural area in the southwest, the country's "Bible Belt". We lived in a quiet Catholic community of only a few thousand people, a few miles outside of Montgomery, Merrimead.

Growing up I was taught to understand basic Emmerian values. Liberty, family, opportunity—these concepts were embodied in how I was raised. My mother cared for and nurtured us for the first few years, but after that, her method of raising us could best be described as anarchy. She never coerced us to agree with her beliefs, no matter how strongly she believed in them. In fact, she told us that we should approach every issue with skepticism and independent critical thinking, no matter how widely accepted a given belief was, and make our decisions on our own.

It is with this thinking that I approached a question an aspiring young student at Northwestern University—one of the nation's top schools—asked me after I gave a presentation in December: "Can you explain to me in a single sentence why Emmeria is the greatest country in the world?" It was a question I couldn't answer at first. That belief she espoused is one nearly ubiquitous in this country, and yet it continually puzzles foreign observers worldwide. I promised her I would respond to her question at a later time, but I was stunned that 12 years of work at Brettons [Institution] analyzing Emmerian political objectives, societal progression, and military and defense goals, I did not have the insight required to effectively respond to such a question.

I wanted to see what other Emmerians thought. I posed the question to a few former colleagues from my days at Brettons. "Diversity and opportunity", one of them told me confidently. "Freedom, freedom, and freedom," another responded with undue certainty.

I think that the entire basis of the question is incorrect. Emmeria is not the greatest country in the world.

Diversity and opportunity, which one colleague suggested as being the pinnacle of Emmerian exceptionalism, is not all too unique. Our country is no more multicultural than the countless other developed countries. Our "melting pot" (or, more accurately, "salad bowl") is about as diverse as that in the West, as that in New Belhavia, as that in Erucia, as that in innumerable others.

And opportunity? Please. One of my childhood friends moved to the city after college for "opportunity". He's currently living in a one-bedroom flat in a crime-infested portion of Chaleur, a city he's moved around for over a decade. His own and his significant other's minimum wage jobs have them living paycheck-to-paycheck. When I speak with him, I am constantly stunned at how much every single dollar counts in his life, whereas I can always spare an extra $60 to buy my kids the latest video game.

We live under this illusion that hard work will lead to success. But in reality, the opportunity inequality that precipitates through our nation is the pragmatic antithesis of that dreamy fantasy we cling to. We like to think we have a lot of upward mobility, and we try to focus on those few stories where such a case is true—such as the fact that our recently inaugurated president's father worked at a gas station, or that the richest man in Emmeria had a single mother working three jobs. And while these stories provide us with relief and assurance that the ideals we believe in still apply, it is impossible to generalize these success stories for the millions of people that don't get that opportunity.

The other response I received was "freedom". I could not believe that an individual paid six figures to objectively analyze Emmerian policy development responded to that question in such a way. Sure, 70 years ago, we were unique because we had freedom. But now? The Confederal States, New Belhavia, Itailia, Belfras, Erucia—hell, even Ulthrannia—they all have freedom. An easy 80% of the thousands of countries in the world have "freedom". In all of those countries, basic human rights are considered inviolable. In all of those countries, free enterprise is respected. Translation: freedom is the rule, not the exception. What makes us different?

Emmeria is first in the region in its incarcerated citizens per capita rate. First in the region in teenage suicide rate. Among the top five in income inequality. These surely set us apart, right?

The country that strove for space exploration now struggles to spare extra change to send another astronaut. The world's center for medical innovation is now unable to give its poorest citizens access to basic healthcare. The birthplace of modern justice now gives life sentences for using illegal drugs while freeing individuals responsible for billion dollar frauds. The bastion of liberty and privacy now spies on its own citizens, claiming to protect the very freedom it destroys.

We used to be the greatest country. We fought for what was right. We fought, made laws, struck down laws, based on moral reasons. We waged wars on poverty, not on poor people. We cared for our neighbors, we sacrificed, we put our money where our mouths were. We held intelligence as a virtue, not something to be ashamed of. We built great things, reached for the stars, aspired to be the best we could be. We were led by men who were revered, not ridiculed. We were once the first "new country", now we're the last of the old. The paragon of ambitious republicanism now an empire in decline. We're not the greatest country, but we sure used to be.

President Alex Vaziri told us in his inaugural address that he was returning to our "historic traditions". That once his work came into practice, "We will lead the world once more." But until his overly optimistic vision is realized, my point stands: Emmeria is not the greatest country in the world.

This article was written by Jason Ciorban, special to UP.

MORE FROM UP

A look back: How the country handled the death of a
leader [ 1824 ]
Potential summit rumored in Vienna [ 2782 ]
Seukutan tensions heat up [ 1003 ]

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Any person who doesn't consider gangs as the worst criminal problem facing Emmeria is a racist anti-Hispanic anti-minority in general - because it is ruining so many lives in their community allowing them to continue equates to a crime against humanity. So I hope that it is not from a defensive posture you approach. Terrorism is a world wide issue but when talking about Emmeria it is minor compared to the devastation caused by gangs. We have spent over a trillion dollars fighting people hiding in caves on the other side of the planet. Numbers mean nothing - If Acaema is having issues with Islamic extremist it is because they are a harsh brutal government that the people have no faith in - it is up to them to resolve their problems. Anyway have a great night.
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CommonSense · 3 hours ago
is a problem when corporations linked to the Military Industries own the most important TV Networks (i.e. GE, etc).
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Such is the nature of the past. Learning & growth follow. Emmerian politicians also have to deal with a legacy of genocide - the Emmerian Indian populations did not willingly reduce their sizes and move to 'reservations' (a.k.a. zoo-prisons).
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by **Virana** » Sat Mar 01, 2014 2:39 pm

Oured recalls UR ambassador to Rodarion
Ambassador Leslie Raza recalled as Rodarian forces surround CDI embassies

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{March 1, 2014 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

A Marine Embassy Guard stands atop a compound in the U.R. Embassy in Romula, Rodarion. Security guards at the UR embassy in Romula were placed on high alert as Rodarian military forces surrounded the embassies of the United Republic, New Belhavia, and the Western Confederation. PRRB photo

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: President Vaziri orders the recall of the UR
ambassador to Rodarion

:· Embassy security forces on high alert as
Rodarian forces surround compound

:· Romula government releases vitriolic statements
critical of U.R. and CDI policies

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Recently inaugurated president Alex Vaziri announced the recall of several diplomatic staff members of the U.R. embassy in Romula, Rodarion, notably including Leslie Raza, the U.R. ambassador to Rodarion. The move was prompted by bellicose rhetoric from Romula and appearance of Rodarian military forces surrounding the embassy.

Rodarian military forces surrounded the embassies of the
United Republic, New Belhavia, and the Western
Confederation. PRRB photo

An aerial photograph of the UR embassy compound in Romula
reveals U.R. Marine security guards who, due to short notice,
are patrolling the roof of the compound in shorts. PRRB
photo

"We stress the importance for Rodarion to commit to responsible behavior in response to the ensuing crisis," President Vaziri told reporters during a statement to the press Saturday morning. "In the meantime, we are recalling Ms. Leslie Raza, the U.R. ambassador to Rodarion, for safety reasons."

For weeks, a Catholic insurgency in southern Itailia has prompted large-scale anti-CDI sentiment throughout Rodarion. Anti-CDI protests and riots have occurred throughout the country, especially in front of the embassies of CDI nations. The threat these demonstrations present to the safety of embassy officials and staff members prompted increased security measures and techniques.

Saturday morning, as armed gunmen dressed in Rodarian military gear (but not wearing any identifying insignia) surrounded the embassies of the United Republic, New Belhavia, and the Western Confederation, U.R. marine embassy guards wielding rifles and body armor appeared on the rooftops of compounds within the U.R. embassy in Romula. Similar security forces became visible from outside the Belhavian and Western embassies.

It is currently unclear if the Rodarian forces are present to keep embassy personnel in check or to prevent protestors from storming the embassies. The UP is unable to independently confirm the reports because the Papal Republic retains stringent restrictions on foreign journalists.

Irresponsible behavior

Both President Vaziri and Secretary of State Alia Kouri referred to Rodarian actions as "irresponsible".

Secretary Kouri, speaking to reporters in Blackdon, Afalia where she went to discuss a security relationship with Afalia, said that Rodarian forces should clarify their position.

"We are indeed concerned for the safety and security of Emmerian citizens in Rodarion," she said at Question Time. "Armed military forces surrounding a foreign nation's embassy without specifying their intention is an irresponsible action that can cause unnecessary harm."

The U.R. State Department issued a travel warning for Emmerian citizens in January, advising against all non-essential travel to Rodarion. On the State Department's website, travel information for Rodarion specifies: "Extremist groups continue to target U.R. and CDI interests in Rodarion. Extremists have exhibited a willingness and capability to attack areas where U.R. and other CDI citizens are known to congregate or visit. Terrorist actions may include, but are not limited to, suicide operations, bombings -- including vehicle borne explosives and improvised explosive devices -- assassinations, carjackings, assaults, and kidnappings. [...] We remind U.R. citizens that even demonstrations intended to be peaceful may turn confrontational or violent. Rallies, protests, and demonstrations occur regularly throughout Rodarion and have often taken an anti-Emmerian or anti-CDI character. [...] Information regarding demonstrations is available on the websites of U.R. Embassy-Romula and Consulates in Voluntari and Videle."

Armoring the border

According to Rodarian state news outlet PRRB, Romula confirmed earlier Emmerian, Western, and Belfrasian intelligence reports suggesting that Rodarion deployed over 450,000 troops to the Belfrasian, Itailian, and Western borders in January. PRRB indicated that Pope Pius justified the deployment as necessary in preparation for the "inevitable" armed military conflict with the CDI.

"[W]ithout any action by ourselves, the CDI has sealed off the crossroads, the turning points and side routes, they trapped us and themselves directly on the path towards hostilities," the Pope told reporters during a session with the Sacred College of Cardinals.

Members of the Rodarian military confirmed their willingness to support the Pope, according to Rodarian state news. Colonel Traian Tudor, a spokesman for the Papal Army, told PRRB: "The CDI has rejected diplomacy and continue to brutally crush a pursuit for freedom and liberty by an oppressed majority. We will assist them, we will aid them, and we will secure their freedom if we are ordered to."

The UP is unable to independently confirm the reports, because the Ecclesiastical Security Commission, the current military junta led by the Pope, maintains strictly enforced bans on foreign journalists.

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
A guy who went into office spewing anti-war rhetoric is now threatening Rodarion with it? Ridiculous.
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CommonSense · 3 hours ago
UP is horrible news. Where is the mention of Itailia's own Rubicon Line? Rodarion's not the only one sending hundreds of thousands of troops to the border.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Why is Rodarion surrounding their embassies? Does Pope Prius think the CDI is about to invade Romula from three little embassy compounds?
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by **Virana** » Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:51 pm

Liberty Watch releases Freedom in the Region 2014 report
Renowned NGO releases Pardes democracy index on delayed deadline

^{SHARE THIS:}

Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{March 22, 2014 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

The Freedom in the Region 2014 report by Liberty Watch. Green nations are labeled as "free", yellow nations as "partly free", and purple nations as "not free" by the organization. Liberty Watch photo

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: Liberty Watch releases latest Freedom in
the Region report

:· 18 free, 8 partly free, and 15 not free,
according to Liberty Watch

:· LW Exec. Director: Tyranny still strong, but
liberty still winning

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — Almost three months after its usual annual deadline, Liberty Watch finally released its yearly Freedom in the Region report, a comprehensive report that indexes, classifies, and extensively describes the progression of democratic institutions throughout Pardes. Liberty Watch, one of the most prominent non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and a leading modern think tank in Pardes, conducts research and advocacy regarding democracy, freedom of speech, freedom of information, Internet censorship, and press freedom.

The report found 18 sovereign states in Pardes to be "free", 8 to be "partly free", and 15 to be "not free", based on an analysis of political liberties.

Traditionally, Liberty Watch's acclaimed Freedom in the Region report, cited by countless journalists, political scientists and analysts, and lawmakers throughout the region, is released by mid-January. The report includes comprehensive discussions on political freedom in each nation in Pardes, including an analysis of major events throughout the past year, as well as a system that ranks each nation's political freedom on a 1-10 scale. The report has been issued since 1953 and has become the staple of Liberty Watch research. Other reports, including on press freedom and freedom of the Internet, are released at separate times of the year.

In 2014, the Freedom in the Region report was delayed from its traditional release date. "Overwhelming developments in Pardes in late 2013 caused us to delay our report in order to cover recent events and their immediate aftermath," Liberty Watch executive director Kurt Walker told reporters. "Many of these events carried well into 2014, which resulted in a three-month delay as we continually analyzed the events and revised our report."

These events include a military takeover of theocratic Rodarion and a radical leftist coup in New Azura, both of which occurred towards the end of 2013.

Both Rodarion and New Azura dropped significantly on the index. New Azura lost a record amount of points, dropping from "free" to "not free" as a result of its recent coup. The report alleged major background influences on Azuran democracy.

"The Komitet's blatant suppression of political freedoms in [New Azura] represents the greatest and quickest emerging threat to Pardesian democracy in perhaps all of modern history," part of the report read. "Liberty Watch gained conclusive empirical evidence suggesting the Komitet organization exercises significant political influence on elections for and decisions made by the Saeculum [the people's congress]. The Komitet has transformed the country from a relatively free nation respecting individual rights and freedoms into a police surveillance state, enforcing loyalty and propaganda laws that jeopardize all Azuran democratic institutions."

Most countries did not show many significant shifts in their overall political freedoms rating. The United Republic gained 0.3 points due to "open government" initiatives enacted throughout 2013 by the Hayes administration and expanded in the early weeks of the Vaziri administration, which increase transparency and freedom of information throughout executive bodies and election commissions. These initiatives help offset the significant setbacks the country endured as part of last year's report, which criticized the United Republic's dragnet electronic surveillance programs.

The report finished with a stance that assumed a perpetual conflict pitting liberty against political suppression. "It is clear from any objective analysis that Pardes is sharply divided on a thin line between democratic and tyrannical political forms, particularly due to the prevalence of sovereign states on each extreme," the report read. "As the strengthening of totalitarian regimes confounds with the increase of authoritarian tendencies in liberal democracies, the need for increased statutory protection of absolute individual liberties is imperative, perhaps more so in history. Open government initiatives in countries like the United Republic and elsewhere serve as positive occurrences representing the revival of liberty before newfound authoritarian tendencies take root, but in many cases they serve as diversions for governments to seize more power while maintaining an illusion of freedom. The elections of classical liberals in top executive positions in the United Republic and Western Confederation are vital developments that have the potential to drastically shift the gradual rise in authoritarianism in the opposite direction, at least in traditional liberal democracies. Unfortunate events in New Azura and Rodarion, in both cases where a tyrannical government has forcefully taken control, undermine the recent successes in the United Republic and Western Confederation. It is necessary to conclude that tyrannical forms of government remain powerful and, in some areas, more prominent than democratic administrations, but this trend is gradually shifting towards a new era where liberty is present as the predominant government form, as evidenced by the continued existence of more democratic administrations than tyrannical regimes and the larger geopolitical influence of each respective democracy as compared to oppressive countries."

Poorest report yet?

Rodarian-Emmerian political pundit Peter Alexandrescu lambasted the report as the "worst Freedom in the Region report ever" on his daily WZNN show Peter Politics.

"One would expect after three months of additional delay that Liberty Watch is able to produce a more objective and reliable report for use by political analysts to properly measure the progress of democratic institutions in countries around Pardes," Alexandrescu said on Peter Politics. "But Freedom in the Region 2014 is the most insurmountably subjective report published by Liberty Watch in its 71-year history."

Alexandrescu pointed at the drastic drop in the Rodarian democratic ratings and contrasted it with the relative stability of that in Itailia. "Clearly a nation that allows a massive minority to be mindlessly slaughtered without its perpetrators facing justice is not a democratic system worthy of being considered 'free'," he said, "especially when compared to the effect of a military junta that transforms an obviously oppressive theocracy into... well, an obviously oppressive theocracy."

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
LOL. Like anybody believes these loonies.
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CommonSense · 3 hours ago
Why is Estovakiva "not free"? Clearly a 100% militant stratocratic meritocracy led by a junta is the freest country in Pardes. People just don't understand the Estovakivan political style.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Why do we base our foreign policy on mere ideology anyway?
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by **Virana** » Fri Jul 25, 2014 10:41 pm

Vaziri: UR to continue monitoring Chyekish nuclear tests
President denounces tests and vows to support international solution

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Kader Tarek (@KaderTarek) and Donald Voortman (@DDVoortman) (UP)
^{July 26, 2014 10:21 PM | Oured, D.A., United Republic of Emmeria}

Alleged photograph of the Naga-1 nuclear test conducted by the Chyekish Soviet Union. Seismic effects, air contamination, and satellite information from international sources confirmed the presence of the test. CSU state news photo

_{S T O R Y H E A D L I N E S}
:· NEW: President Vaziri denounces Chyekish nuclear
tests as "irresponsible", "belligerent"

:· Vaziri: "We will support an international solution
to ensure regional stability"

:· Air Force: Chyekish tests under extensive analysis

Oured, D.A., UNITED REPUBLIC (UP) — President Alex Vaziri condemned the recent nuclear missile tests conducted by the Chyekish Soviet Union (CSU) over the past week.

At Question Time, President Vaziri told reporters that the tests were conducted in a manner that openly invited concern. "Belligerently testing nuclear weapons severely undermines the sensitive regional stability of eastern Pardes. It is blatantly irresponsible," he said, stating that the tests far crossed the line for a peaceful nuclear energy program. "The United Republic will support and endorse an international solution to this issue because it presents significant threats to the Pardesian security environment. We will work with international bodies and aid in providing materiel support and intelligence data to extradite this process."

An OPA resolution to illegalize nuclear weapons testing above ground and in the sea was proposed recently by the Kingdom of Prestonia. The resolution would codify at least some of the typical international conventions against modern nuclear weapons testing conducted following the execution of proliferation of nuclear materiel and Uranium enrichment equipment and technical expertise. A majority of countries view the potentiality of nuclear proliferation in sensitive and unstable regions to be a significant threat to the security and peace of Pardes as a whole.

A U.R. official familiar with the matter, who requested anonymity because they were unauthorized to discuss the matter with the press, told the UP that the resolution was experiencing reasonable success on the floor of the OPA.

Monitoring the tests: How big and how many?

The Chyekish Soviet Union announced that it had tested a 50 megaton nuclear device in the Valchevsky Testing Range, a remote facility on islands north of Sutadoatzu, on July 24. New Shelvoy and Anikatian authorities independently confirmed geological seismic disturbances consistent with a nuclear test of that scale.

Capt. Matthew Larson, spokesman for the U.R. Air Force, confirmed the test's occurrence based on satellite intelligence. "Staring array infrared sensors on U.R. strategic reconnaissance satellites detected an ICBM launch north of Sutadoatzu on July 24. Non-imaging radiometers on nearby navigation satellites confirmed the characteristic double-light flash consistent with a nuclear burst signature around the same time."

Capt. Larson further announced that the UR is conducting air contamination flights in conjunction with New Belhavia and Alleghania in areas of eastern Pardes for further analysis. "The aircraft will collect air samples to conduct further analysis and confirm the presence of nuclear fallout," Capt. Larson said.

In some areas, commercial vessels have been asked to provide samples of material on their decks for the same purpose.

"We are trying to consolidate a lot of information to get a very clear, high-resolution picture of this nuclear test."

Dr. Jena Zhang, head of the nuclear engineering department at the Corsa Institute of Technology (CIT) and frequent UP nuclear technology consultant, told the UP that currently published data on the test confirms its sheer scale. "A 50 megaton test would rank as one of the largest nuclear devices ever tested," she said. "All available data, ranging from satellite information obtained from defense and commercial reconnaissance satellites, seismic data from sensors near the testing area, the spread of contaminated air samples, electro-optical intelligence, everything points to the potentiality that a very, very large nuclear device—on the scale of 50 megatons—was indeed tested in the area."

UP's Kader Tarek and Donald Voortman contributed to this report.

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Aimhere · 3 hours ago
Should it really matter if they're conducting nuclear tests? We conduct nuclear tests. What, are we just going to ignore the new OPA resolution on above-ground testing whenever we want to?
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CommonSense · 3 hours ago
We should support Valinor against the communists threatening the peace and stability of eastern Pardes.
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Tina · 4 hours ago
Let them do what they want. We should stay out of it. Nukes are a thing of the past, anyway; once we start to deweaponize, everyone else will follow suit.
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