A World of Mud and Sweat - A Future Nation Development Quest

[Dadarian]

Preamble: I understand that the world can be a horrible place, and that this OC is one such interpretation. I don't assume how popular this will be, but I do know that if people get into uncomfortable territory concerning global/domestic politics, I will ask them to stop. If they don't then I will go to the mods. SV rules are that human suffering is not a good topic of jovial conversation and I 100% agree.

Vote Style: Following the pick of the nation that is being run, votes will be held on how the nation will face the uncertain future of the world of mud and sweat. These will be through an amount of goals, strategies, or directions being voted on regularly. If a democracy is picked, the votes will (with few exceptions) be counted as if the final percentages are the actual percentages, with the respective house looking (or not) representative of the overall vote. FPTP, dominant party, and corruption systems notwithstanding.

Other Notes: If you have any questions please ask, I started this as a writing prompt and has since developed into this. I really hope people have as much fun as I do with this.

World Building: It is 2078 and the world is not as it was. The Australian Deathstorm of 2033 killed nearly twenty million as mass electrical demands and torrential rains coupled with the intense summer heat, collapsing the aging system and causing mass heat death. The entire subcontinent was declared uninhabitable by the IPCC. This shocked the self-centred dictatorships and self-righteous democracies of Earth into decrepit, incompetent action. Public will for fixing the climate went as far as was easily swallowed, and saving the planet oft relied on nearly-scientific superprojects to ad hoc a solution. President Sisi's successful flooding of the Qattara Depression inspired billions being poured into pipelines throughout the Saharan Desert in Algeria, Morocco, and elsewhere. As these megaprojects were being built by millions of workers, the world did its best to survive. The Northern European Enclosure Dams were built around the failing English nation which has lost it's pieces after decades of agitation. The Bengal Seawall, financed largely by generous international Muslims, saved the poor and beleaguered nation from a horrendous fate and creating the Assam Lagoon in the process.

When the initial floodgates for projects were opened in 2064, it was not comprehended at the time the scale of the global endeavor. Guessed by academics perhaps, but when the oceans finally sank those few desperate inches, reality dawned of what the world now looked like. New oceans of mud were born in the Sahara; stinking, trash infested swamp bogs which now pocked the African continent. These were soon followed by a Chinese effort in the Gobi desert coming to pass, giving water to a shadow and producing the sunken steppes in tandem. These efforts, combined with the mass desalination campaign required to keep mass populations watered, forced an energy revolution. Nuclear and renewable energy are the primary electrical sources throughout the world. Coal has completely collapsed as the private supply industry imploded due to lack of buyers, which forced what few coal power plants were left to close.

The world now looks different as it was before. Immense water being pumped and pushed into former deserts has resulted in changed ecosystems. The Sahara and Gobi are now much cooler, as the land is forever covered in rain clouds produced by the water dumps, which in turn produced a sunless sea of mud. These eternally raining hotspots drift with the wind, increasing global humidity and rainfall. This synergized with global warming to produce immensely large temperate rainforests ranges, kicking the vast northern forests of the Nordic countries, Canada, and Russia into overdrive. These nations would experience a commercial agricultural boom, driving desuburbanization and creating permanent conflict between the agricultural and public land lobbies in the northern democracies.

Alas, that is not all, as wars continued to be fought as it ever was and ever will be. Cold wars, particularly between a tottering European state and Putin's zombie-state in Russia, and the Chinese and the Americans, continue to apply pressure to potential spark points. Hot wars, such as the decades long civil conflicts in Libya, Ethiopia, and Burma or the more recent conflicts throughout budding Tuaregia, Wales, and Central Asia. Finally peacekeeping missions, such as in Yemen, strain the resources and desires of those that sometimes try to keep peace that do not exist. These conflicts, by and large, are tiny compared to spiking crime throughout the world, now the leading cause of death after illness and suicide.

The world economy, forever altered by COVID, is grinding painfully. The 2030s oil boom combined with governmental/corporate commitments to carbon neutrality being (surprisingly) met collapsed the worldwide price of oil and gas, bringing down the economies of the last petrostates in fragmented Libya, Canada, Brunei, and Kuwait. Combined with the GoBot (the revolutionary automaton that allowed cheap manufacturing in any sized company) and the SmartBoard (which allowed private restaurants to automate out wait staff), this created the perfect conditions for a stagflated economy, as Keynesian economics combined with mass unemployment to push nearly a billion workers into permanent, institutional joblessness. Mass consumption, largely tagged to the American Standard Stimulus (the average monthly stipend delivered by the Federal government), allows for an explosion for the entertainment industry, now the third largest employer after public employees and agriculture. However not all are happy with this enforced listlessness, as civil protests have become a normalized, everyday affair while civil disruptions have become the largest source of crime in much of the post-industrialized world.

Choice: Which nation should be run?

[ ] America: A shadow of what it was, America's military might still remains uncontested as the most expensive in the world. However, ping-ponging governments, bouncing between progressive liberals and conservative populists, keeps the civil society in a perpetual state of outrage and the foreign diplomacy with much of the old world a wash as all the precedents of the current president will be eliminated by the next, and so on. Interestingly, foreign policy goals in East Asia remain the one constant, and NATO's international successor, the SOPATO (South Pacific Treaty Organization) remains the most powerful singular armed bloc in the world.​

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[ ] Europe: Containing every european nation excepting Moldova, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and England, Europe's worst enemy is itself. Hypernationalist blocs, currently in the Netherlands and Poland, continually veto the desperately needed centralization reforms as they seek to forever hold onto nationalistic power. Worse, the infighting between the Republic of Catalonia and the Kingdom of Spain grows ever more bitter, even in the uniquely unstable relationship of the two. Thankfully there is a bright spot in the form of the Balkans, as modernized and cooperative Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, and Croatia escape their horrific past to strive into the fastest growing bloc in the EU. ​

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[ ] China: Under the ever loving face of the Premier, Maoist-Xinping Thought reigns politically supreme. A new Cultural Revolution is in full spring, as the generation of propaganda mixes with entrenched youth unemployment to create a perfect clash of ideologies as Western-styled bourgeois youth fight working-class red guards in back alleys and ganglands throughout the nation. The Red Navy is the pride of the nation, and continually impedes on Taiwanese shores in a one way claim on the internationally accepted independent nation and SOPATO member. That said, the interior is in total collapse, as the Gobi Mud Lake and global warming both wreck havoc on the ecosystems, forcing the nation to rely on international food trade to feed itself. Further the retiree population is double the young population, and Chinese economic stability hinges on a nearly entirely automaton-based industry.​

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[ ] Russia: Still under the wrinkled grip of President Putin (who survives on purely by spite, constant organ transplants, and cybernetic upgrades), the nation is widely viewed as the Sick Power of the UN. Stagnant, irrational, and fiercely protective of what little it has left, the nation is widely viewed as going to collapse once Putin passes, as his successors Medvedev and Lushanko both passing in 2076. The former due to a stroke and the later due to lead poisoning following a breakdown in relations. The economy is based primarily off transport, as endless trains on an infinite amount of tracks brings the wealth of Europe and Asia together thanks to the modern fleet of sonic trains. Worries fill the Secretary Council though, as what's left of the Soviet nuclear arsenal rots in dump sites across the Ural and Karelia.​

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[ ] India: The worlds largest functional democracy, India is in a golden age. The troubles of the 2020s seem a distant time in the past, as domestic religious extremism lost against decades of double digit economic growth. While frictions remain with the Bengalis over the Assam Lagoon, with the Sikhs over their status, and the eternal cold war with Pakistan, life seems to be going good. The Indian nation has triumphed in true Gandhian fashion over the those that seek violence to tear the nation apart. The INPC (formed by a merger of the INC and BJP in 2040 as it seemed war with China was any day and after the BJP had dropped it's most egregious Hindu-nationalist positions) is the one dominant party, first among equals among the dozens of parties elected during their standard elections.​

[ ] UK: Having lost Northern Ireland and Scotland to the European Union, the crown of international finance to Saudi Arabia, and NATO in the past 50 years, the United Kingdom is an archaic democracy, its feet placed firmly in the past. Many fear that the formal dissolution of the nation is coming, as the Northern League and the Plaid Cymru gain in their respective territories. But that won't stop the pride of the British people, as youth empower the Labour Democratic Party to their first electoral victory in decades. Many are confident that another round of Troubles is not heading to the British mainland, however if all are as determined as their rhetoric suggests, the collision course might be assured.​

[ ] Japan: Wracked by civil strife between parties, between youth, and between corporations, Japan is now fiction become fact. The definition of cyberpunk, the Japanese gerontocracy continues. Youth unemployment, like much of the world, stays high. Japanese corporations fuel gangland warfare between bored youth in order to provide cover in contests of territory and intelligence. Japanese revisionists and ultranationalists fight with socialists and communists over the hearts of the people. Life does not look good here.​

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[ ] Egypt: Greened incredibly due to drastic increase of rainfall, the Egyptian jungle is slowly developing. The urban jungle, particularly around Alexandria and Cairo-New Cairo, are fully entrenched however. Millions go to work everyday from their air-conditioned homes to their air-conditioned work in their air-conditioned public transit. Boasting some of the highest employment rates, the Egyptian people are richer than they've been in modern history. Many chafe, though, under the yoke of a creaking military dictatorship. Democratic clubs are numerous on the Egyptian servers, and the spirit of Tahrir is growing as each day passes. ​

[ ] Saudi Arabia: Powered by the modern desert metropolis of Neom, which was created by the visionary late King of Arabia, MBS, the Saudis have survived the collapse of oil. Powered in a manner similar to 2010s Britain, international commerce and specialized industries drive the economic engines of the Kingdom. Seen by many as having stolen away the international home of finance from London during the UK's domestic rot, the Saudis continue to be the shining city of the deserts. Internationally renown for AI and anti-gravity technology, the Saudi army is one of the most advanced. It needs to, being outnumbered by the Turks, the Iranians, the Egyptians, and constantly under threat during it's eternal peacekeeping mission in Yemen.​

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[ ] Canada: Finally on its feet after the Second Great Depression caused by the final collapse of oil prices, Canada has continued its legacy as a primary industry power by switching from being a petrodollar to being a agrodollar. Pegged to the price of Red River Grain by bankers in Washington, Neom, and Shanghai, Canada has pulled itself back up by its bootstraps. However it faces issues as nearly two decades of net-population loss due to emigration and slow population growth leads to much of the nation's cities rotting, with only agricultural towns and the northern provinces growing. ​

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[ ] Korea: Everything changed after the entire Kim clan died during an avalanche in the Swiss alps in 2060. Supreme Leader Kim Yo-jong left none behind during what was meant to be a secretive holiday for the clan, oft speculated to be an inter-familial discussion on succession. This news, hidden by the military for nearly six years as they hastened to develop some sort of legitimacy, broke unexpectedly after a drunk general was recorded as insulting the now deceased family during a private officer's event. This led to a popular revolt by the North Korean population, now long regarding the Kim family as modern deities. When the military regime fell following SOPATO intervention on behalf of the people, a UN-back resolution saw the former pariah nation join with their South Korean brothers (barely voting in a majority over joining China in a vote widely viewed as interfered with by both China and SOPATO). The united Korean nation, having just held its free election, is a monstrosity. Southern Koreans were horrified as the North Korean population continues under the religious-fundamentalist Juche-Kimist Party of Korea. Meanwhile, Juche-Kimist party members continually attempt to convert South Koreans into belief in the deified Kims. The success of the United Korean experiment is in question.​

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[ ] Other: Write in here (note I haven't thought on every nation so if it's something small I'll have to think it up).​

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[Dadarian]

Brazil: A desolate land, robbed of much of its riches during the viscous exploitation in its recent past. Having been unable to stem the tide of consumerist, industrial presidents and politics, the Brazil of now in one of drying rivers, guerilla violence as the Amazonians protect what is left of their ancestral home, and endless pollution. The widescale collapse of much of the Brazilian rainforest was viewed as an unneeded ecological event of unmitigated ruination. There are some small hopes that the Amazon may once again live, akin to the massive reforestation efforts in North America and Europe, but that would many, many years.

Australia: All but abandoned, the continent lies by and large barren of civilization. Small communities exist in and around Tasmania, however these number in the low hundreds. Ironically, the widescale evacuation of the nation has let the wilderness explode. The stewardship of humanity removed, populations grow to abandon, as the Australian ecosystems try to reach some sort of equilibrium in the vacuum of humanity.

 

[Dadarian]

The Republic that is our home
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Overview: The Arab Republic of Egypt (henceforth Egypt) is the thriving home of 204 million people, spread from the humble oasis of Kharga, through the agricultural powerhouses of Faiyum and Tanta, past the modern marvels of successful geoalteration in Arish and al-Sisi, to the megatropolises of Greater Cairo (officially Cairo-New Cairo), in and itself home to 48 million people in sprawling towers and low-rise suburbs, and Alexandria. Between the creation of Lake Qattara, the world's largest artificial lake (encompassing 291 cu miles of salt water), the regreening of the Sinai, and the general increase in rainfall through the nation, Egypt is both an emerging agriculture exporter of note and international symbol of hope. Egypt has a powerful renewables sector, hydropower coming from Lakes Nasser and Qattara providing cheaply electricity to air conditions throughout the nation. However, although Egypt is by far the richest it has ever been, there remains many issues.

First and foremost is the Sisian's iron grip upon the political structures of the nation. Surviving the death of el-Sisi in 2032, the Nation's Future Party has remained in control of Egypt without disruption since 2014. It has successfully navigated the nation through numerous crisis' within Middle East and North Africa, but continues its illiberal legacy. Elections have been rife with intimidation, irregularities, and accusations of ballot stuffing to ensure that Nation's Future and its various supporters maintain absolute control of parliament, all the while the Egyptian military maintains an eye on said elections. But Nation's Future is old, it's technocrats entrenched in their ways, the military's once sharp gaze has been clouded with acceptance and arrogance. Egypt is the second richest nation in Africa after Nigeria, and one of those rising in this multipolar world. It's youth, not yet feeling the full sting of automation (partially due to the incredibly diversified nature of the economy), nevertheless wish to do as their grandfathers did and try to change Egypt from where it was to where it will be.

Second is the changing nature of international affairs. Democracy has returned with a vengeance to large sections of the Middle East and North Africa. The final disposition of National Liberation Front two years past and a successfully free election has allowed Algeria to finally embrace it's neighbours in Morocco, Tunisia, Sudan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq as a functional democracy. Libya remains a land of anarchy, it's rich deserts that could be home to so much seawater are instead home to petty warlords and breakaway states. Egypt's troops patrol the border, prevent raids by top-heavy Toyotas bearing weapons and ill intent, but one day it must be dealt with. Even Somalia managed to solidify into two functioning nations, internationally recognized successors to Barre after too many years of violence. Thing brings new challenges to Egypt, as it's traditional allies in Israel-Palestine and Jordan feign and counter in the shadows with intelligence services from Arabia, Turkey, and Iran. Ever watching are the hungry eyes of Europe, America, China, and India, ever ready to push the multi-polar balance of powers to an event that would be devastating.

This is what is now being inherited, and these are some of the challenges to be faced. But first, an essential choice must be made from the top at the Presidency down to the shoes that clamber past Tahrir Square. One that will begin this new journey for Egypt.

Vote: [Voting will begin in 4 hours to allow discussion]
[ ] Turn away from el-Sisi, seek a new direction for Egypt.
[ ] Turn towards el-Sisi, relying on his vision to ensure Egypt's growth.

 

[Dadarian]

The Regime Teeters
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Overview: Alas, the regime was too aged and it's leaders now represented the worst of Egypt's past. The opposition, once reduced to a handful of meaningless and toothless party apparatchiks seeking relevancy where none would come, began to coalesce in the shadows. Internet forums organized political meetings, mosques and churches gathered huddled men and women, and marketplaces across the nation grew increasingly hostile to security forces. This took time, but all things do. People worked, children were borne, peacekeepers died abroad in UN missions, the earth rotated on its axis, and political tension grew domestically. It would take the heat of the summer, as fans and air conditioning was blasting into the sweating faces of all who lived in Egypt, to the tension to finally break. When a historically watched byelection saw a popular professor, backed by progressive youth and a transgressive agenda, lose to an all but faceless candidate for the regime due to wide spread voter intimidation, all cried in anger. If one were to walk the streets of any city in Egypt, they would find justified outraged and enraged eyes.

The spark was lit, and from the attics and basements of those old enough to remember, stylized images of Bouazizi saw the light of day. Dust was swept from the long slumbering popular anger as people no longer accepted unfairness as simple fact. Corruption was rejected by the popular politic, and the doors of rage flew open. The nation was due for a change, but from whence will this change originate?

Vote: [Voting will begin in 4 hours to allow discussion]
[ ] From the masses! The people want to bring down the regime.
[ ] From the workers! A general strike will bring the regime to the negotiation table.
[ ] From within! Citing untold numbers of strongmen before, change must be accepted and controlled as much as possible.
[ ] From the military! The usefulness of el-Sisi is over, and now strength must shepherd Egypt anew.
[ ] From abroad! Egypt must remain stable, no matter the cost.

 

[Dadarian]

The Regime Falls
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Overview: The cries grew louder and louder, the people plead and screamed. Like the eternal river Nile, the many places and squares throughout Egypt flooded with life and vigor, an ecosystem of discontent. The regime's responses escalated in line with their failures to crush the protests. The policemen, who so selfishly betrayed their people in their shortsighted graft, were publicly embarrassed in the streets. The conscripts, originating from the poorest, could not shoot their own and joined the chorus. Libyan mercenaries were insufficient, too few and too poorly armed to keep back the waves of popular anger. As foreign parliaments and military cadres dithered and disagreed on next moves, the people organized. The regime could not keep track, it's ancient mechanisms (both software and human) inflexible and unyielding. But in the end, the regime could not succeed, and whilst the Europeans, Indians, and Chinese concerned themselves over the viability and safety of the Suez, Egypt began a new era.

((Sorry for the delay, finally got my charger back))

Vote: [4ish hours are allowed for discussion; voting opens 20:00 PST]
Leadership
[ ] Across all peoples, with modern social media there needs to be no singular leader. Every man a pharaoh, every woman a queen.
[ ] From the academics; the literary, artistic, and intellectual heart of Egypt. A new era dawns.
[ ] From the People's Parliament. Formed in Tahrir Square and representing the vast interests of the many representatives dispatched, this body is the soul of this new era.
[ ] From the colonels. Ever the land of history, the military has always been politicised. The most intelligent colonels threw their lot in with the protesters, and instilled a key level of discipline that the protestors required.
[ ] (Write In)

Final Straw
[ ] Death of the President; firefights became increasingly common, but the regime and the military rallied around the person of the President. When a bomb exploded in a certain car, that rallying point disappeared, and no successor had the will or sway to keep together the powerful men who defended the regime. A house divided could not stand, leaving thus a new Egypt to be born, free at last.
[ ] Surrender of the Regime; the President could smell it on the wind. Change, death, poverty, and decline. A patriot, he knew that for the best of this nation, to continue Egypt's rising star, the regime must fall. Thus was organized in Switzerland a meeting between the people and the regime, and (relatively) peacefully end. From this fertile dirt, a new Egypt grew, free at last.
[ ] Collapse of the Finances; international condemnation saw public sanctions and private boycotts. What work there was ground to a halt and bank accounts were frozen. When soldiers were no longer paid, the regime's elite fled to parts unknown. With no head, the regime withered and Egypt was free at last.

 

[Dadarian]

The New Era
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Overview: As the old guard fled abroad, often settling in Ankara or Putingrad, Egypt's masses gathered to hear their leader speak. He spoke with his distinct flair of the wrongs done to them by the fallen regime and the potential into the future. He waxed loquacious, reminding the elderly of similar men of yore, while the youth and unemployed stood enraptured. Honeyed words flowed from him as the bureaucratic-industrial complex of the state went into overdrive, as key positions saw new blood. The rank and file, with nothing better to do and salaries still being paid, continued to work for now. This was the initial file presented to the new President as he stepped off the stoop, away from the cameras and the endless cheers of his adoring flock.

The second file he got was much more pressing. The collapse of the former regime and international trade has left Egypt financially crushed. Unemployment, even for this new era of economic despondency, was sky rocketing. Work needed to be done to reduce it. International agreements need to be reframed in the wake of the successful regime change, but that takes time and is at the whim of the international financial community and it's invisible fingers. More on the ground actions could be taken, for better or worse.

Alas, that was not his only issue. A report was thrust into his hand. A Libyan warlord, seeking to probe the Egyptian state, had crossed the border and looted a small town on the coast. Whether from warlord hubris, or at the word of their backer, it didn't matter. Egyptian lives were lost and businesses were gutted. But was the Egyptian military ready for this? The military leadership is by and large exiled, with few openly and honestly loyal to this new Egypt. Worse, in this time of economic uncertainty, each bullet must be accounted for, and the larger the response the more funds are expended.

A new Egypt meant new challenges.

Vote: [12ish hours are allowed for discussion; voting opens 10:00 PST]

IF YOU (as a voting base) WANT TO BEGIN PLAN VOTING I'M OK WITH THAT

President's Name
[ ] Write in (if you are racist I will immediately ask for a threadban by moderators).

Fate of the Bureaucratic Rank and File
[ ] Keep the body alive, they are the faceless, if slow, circulatory system of government.
[ ] Engage in a minor reshuffle, removing the most loyal elements of the previous regime and corrupt.
[ ] Engage in a moderate reshuffle, removing those with a history of loyalty to the previous regime and those who've engaged in any corruption.
[ ] Engage in a complete reshuffle, removing all those with open politics and replacing them with apolitical individuals dedicated to their work.

Unemployment
[ ] Seek solely a foreign solution. International companies are job providers. Egypt is open for business, and companies are more than welcome in return for guaranteed Egyptian jobs.
[ ] Seek solely a private solution. The economy will fix itself, and the quickest way to lower unemployment is by making it easier for companies to get back to work.
[ ] Leverage foreign funds for an aggressive domestic solution. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund could easily provide loans, financing aggressive make work projects throughout the nation whilst waiting for private business to resume as normal
[ ] Solo aggressive domestic solution. The Egyptian nation needs to powerfully kickstart it's financial heart and it's internal commerce. Thusly a wave of nationalization needs to occur, as what represents a strategic industry for Egypt is broadened from strictly arms to include the human infrastructure of the nation.

Libyan Raid
[ ] Ignore the raid, there are more important things to do than engage with anarchists and bandits.
[ ] Reprisal; an eye for an eye. The Egyptian state will not tolerate hostile action. This warlord will end and all others will know never to cross the border but keep their eyes inward.
[ ] Full Reprisal; for one eye we take ten. The Egyptian state will ensure this warlord will no longer threaten citizens, and all warlords nearby will meet the same fate.
[ ] Invasion, the Libyan warlords must bend a knee to law. Egypt will secure their borders and create a needed buffer state between Egyptian citizens and the fractured Libyan wastes.

 

[Dadarian]

First Challenges
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Overview: President El-Harar sent aides flying left and right, his stream of consciousness policies being hastily written upon pads, scrap papers, and whatever was available. This information was then organized, digitized, and distributed across the land. As with all things it was not immediate, taking time as ideas turned to law. But the first result to arise was Egyptian sons and daughters hugging and kissing their loved ones goodbye as they had orders to march West. Elements of the Northern Military Region, some fifteen hundred mobile infantry, descended upon the porous Libyan border. Crowds gathered, silent and worried, as Egyptian columns moved through. Until gunfire sent people running and screaming, seeking only to live through the modern nightmare of warlordism. The specific warlord in question, based in Al Jaghbub, was captured and brought to Egypt for trial, his base and resources burnt. The columns continued on, with the pirate colony in Bardiyah and militia around Qasr al Jady exercised and power returned to the locals. A further joint action by Egyptian special forces and the Airforce destroyed a half dozen planes and helicopters based out of the occupied Marshal Haftar Airbase outside Adam. The President and his few generals were content with their progress, until rockets launched from Tobruk landed at the Qas al Jady barracks occupied by the Egyptians, killing four troopers and injuring another seven.

Prior to the breaking news regarding the Tobruk rocket attack, domestic affairs were the topic of the town. The civil service, the lifeblood of government, had engaged in a shuddering change. Competent loyalists and corrupt officials were equally removed, and the replacement rate couldn't maintain employment levels. Public services slowed to a crawl, especially in areas like the Department of Transportation which was filled with appointees, and the Egyptian Tax Authority which was a noted hotbed of corruption. Shuttering government services, combined with the discontent of these newly unemployed people, seeded growing calls for an initial election, to be held as soon as possible. Nevertheless, the civil service was no longer a respite for the morally impaired or corrupt. Social media reports of thieving officers or recording of smoky rooms plotting office coups all but disappeared.

Unfortunately, issues arose in the economic programs. It was initially successful, rebuilding infrastructure throughout the nation, expanding jobs in nationalized industries such as healthcare, dairy, pharmaceuticals, and chemicals. However a combination of swelling personnel costs, shrinking taxation rates, and shrinking sources of loans from friendly Egyptian banks caused the Keynesian engine to stutter. This is all made worse due to the expensive munitions expended by the military against their Libyan foes; which the generals urgently required to be replaced. It got so bad that it threatened to cause the draw down of the program as a whole. This limited the effectiveness of the projects, though the silvery-smooth tongue of the president ensured that he was not entirely blamed for the failures of his initial promises. While the efficacy of Egyptian taxation would increase over time, there must be a more timely solution in order to maintain the project as it currently exists.

As the new year approached, Egypt's honeymoon period seemed broken. The weight of state was a mighty yoke upon those that led.

Vote:

Hold an Election in the new year?
[ ] Yes; it is needed to further strengthen our mandate.
[ ] No; the nation needs to continue to be led by the President on behalf of all Egyptians!

Response to Tobruk
[ ] Ignore the attack, there are more important things to do than engage with anarchists and bandits.
[ ] Reprisal; an eye for an eye. The Egyptian state will not tolerate hostile action. Another warlord joins the pyre.
[ ] Full Reprisal; for one eye we take ten. The Egyptian state will ensure Tobruk is pacified.
[ ] Occupation; the peace will be kept in Libya from Tobruk on East by the barrel of Egyptian guns.

Financing the El-Harar Work Policy [Plans can include multiple entries here]
[ ] Seek international financing, the World Bank and International Monetary Fund could easily provide the loans.
[ ] Seek friendly foreign funding. Although tying ourselves to [write in] may be embarrassing, it will pay for the project for a couple years.
[ ] Begin printing funds; the best way to pay for the project is ensuring everyone can be paid. Printer goes brrrrr.
[ ] Shrink the scope of the project; it means more unemployment but it's keep the treasury afloat.
[ ] Begin privatization of the project; taking on such a momentous task was a mistake, sell off the most profitable assets to encourage private growth, whilst keeping all others.

 

[Dadarian]

The Siege of Tobruk
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Overview: A revolutionary state, borne on the wings of the common citizen, demands popular legitimacy. An election would do just that, although the timing was at the behest of the President. Earlier would mean no preparation by any sides, but later could allow any chicanery one could dream. But the reality of an oncoming election meant that the lens of all actions were altering, from a revolutionary state to a democratic(ish) one. This brought new light onto recent actions, both popular and unpopular. Social media sites began to bubble with information, misinformation, counter-misinformation, domestic propaganda, foreign propaganda, and all the chittering chattering of free thinking peoples. The first news to hit the rapidly expanding socialverse cloud was the financial push of the government.

Seeking to seize upon a wave of revolutionary fervor, the President himself, via a loquacious telespeech, announced a Patriot Bond campaign. Available in 2-, 5-, 10-, and 20- year bonds, the masses quickly took to it with gusto seeking to fund the success of the nation both in the short and the long term. Proud citizens engaged in "Bond Parties", where funds were raised from the community to buy Patriot Bonds. What's more, this brought in the otherwise disenchanted middle class into the modern political arena, as they began to finance Patriot Bonds as a stable investment in an unstable world. That was before internet sub-groups, both progressive-Western left and fringe-finance, took notice. Soon, international crowdfunds, private slush funds, and high-finance gamblers began to assemble outside the financial gates of New Cairo, and the government needed to make a decision whether to approve or decline private foreign investments. Regardless of the foreign decision, the Patriot Bonds themselves had already paid for the next year of public worksites, by which it would be a post-electoral issue.

This success was unexpected, to such an extent that the realities of Patriot Bonds would only be apparent following the signing of a major loan from the Republic of India. Widely applauded within the UN as a stabilizing influence to the 'insecure' Egyptian state, the Indian loan provided massive liquid funds and thoroughly invigorated all aspects of the government. Egypt was flush with cash, part of which was used to buy weaponry from places, such as India, as the Tobruk Incident had heated up.

Having dealt with a generation of petty Libyan raids, President El-Harar said enough was enough. The modern Egyptian military would see a trial by fire, and flushed with Indian funds it would have the bullets, rockets, and shells it needed. An early morning dronestrike was followed by mobile cavalry landings at key infrastructure junctions to the city. Airstrikes soon followed, blowing up elements of Tobruk Harbour and what few warlord naval craft there were. A general advance occurred midmorning. This is where the delicate plans of the relative neophyte General Staff imploded. The warlord of Tobruk had been planning his defense for years, and had an arsenal of desperation. IEDs were plentiful, carefully hoarded munitions were expended without second thought, and a pair of ancient T-55s which were carefully built into secure locations. All in all, the expected one day blitz took eight days of tense, door-to-door fighting. Some 200 Egyptians were dead, and 800 wounded during the Siege of Tobruk. It made international headlines due to the brutal fighting, being compared to the final Battle of Luhansk in 2044 when elements of the European Joint Military assisted the Ukraine in finally crushing it's wayward Eastern provinces. Interestingly, no serious discussion occurred in the UN, likely due to the universal dislike of warlord Egypt. Indeed, the Italian delegation of the EU allocated several naval craft from their section of the European Joint Navy to assist in the rebuilding and humanitarian work in and around Tobruk.

With the city secured, the entire band of warlords on the Egyptian border had fallen. Egyptian uniforms were acting as ad-hoc peacekeepers, military police, and administrators as once again the region was without any semblance of authority. The social media gossip began to gurgle and boil, with unflattering comparisons to the eternal peacekeeping campaign in Yemen. This was astutely picked up by those that sought to wrest control from the President, and domestic discussion began to rise. Answers were being asked for. What was Egypt's purpose with the occupation?

Vote: [Voting will start in 12 hours; or ~09:45 2021-04-30]

When will Egypt hold an election?
[ ] Immediately (next turn).
[ ] After some required planning (2 turns).
[ ] The infrastructure needs to be developed (3 turns).
[ ] Uhhh (4+ turns).

Allowance of foreign private investors to the Patriot Bonds?
[ ] Yes; private investors are a massive source of income to be exploited investigated.
[ ] No; foreign influence must be curtailed when dealing with any section of state finances, even public bonds.

The Tobruk Plan Outline
[ ] - Annexation; a new province for Egypt.
[ ] - Nation Building; stability begins with the establishment of peace, order, and good government.
[ ] - Peace Keeping; the Libyan people will do what they want, but Egyptian arms will keep the peace.
[ ] - Exploitation; Egyptian funds expended will be repaid by new solar energy banks and tariffs out of Tobruk Harbour.

 

[Dadarian]

The State of Cyrenaica
​

Overview: The Republic of Egypt had no interest in seeing a new province to further drain the domestic coffers, nor seeing the endless manpower and prestige drain of a Yemeny-style peacekeeping operation. Rather through the clever application of financial instruments, international goodwill, and Egyptian steel, a new nation will be borne. In the rubble of the Jaghbub Palace (soon to be the new seat of parliament), a small circle of bourgeoisie merchants, tribal leaders, and newly appointed militia commanders announced the creation of the State of Cyrenaica. International recognition was quick, started by the European Union, which created a positive feedback loop in legitimacy to President El-Harar's own regime. Flooded with good will, the first project issued by the Cyrenaican parliament was the repair of Tobruk Harbour. It was the hope of the new government to take advantage of international aide funds.

Similar international funds, although originating from the mercurial financial-gambling world, were turned down without much hesitation by El-Harar. This reinforced an institutional precedent of refusing foreign financial presence, spreading an economic cooling effect. Whilst the largest international firms, primarily entertainment, fashion, and retail (along with smaller Italian ones), had retained their presence, many medium and small businesses chose to pack up and leave. The gap had allowed Egyptian businesses and multinational e-commerce chains to expand into the gap widely, but it was not enough. Unfortunately, not all services could be replaced which resulted in rapid inflation on certain luxury goods and a point of discontent by the middle class. While every citizen could have bread, milk, prayer, and broadband internet, they didn't have access to the newest kicks or the newer trucks without paying a premium.

In the backdrop, domestic excitement took off. The first free elections in over sixty years brought a level of civic exhilaration and apathy in equal measure. Wherein some see it as a chance to secure a future for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and others a chance to secure the revolution, many were less than certain. A generation of unfree elections had left many of the masses passive to this first election, simply seeing it as a continuation of what was before. The freedom of the election, though a fact, was not a common perception. Some international experts had expectations under fifty percent for turnout. Nonetheless, polling stations were established, a date set and arrived, and citizens went to the polls. An election was beginning, and international talking heads held their breath.

Vote: [Voting will start in 12 hours; or ~09:45 2021-05-06]

Who do you vote for?
[ ] El-Harar Independent.
[ ] Technocrat Independent.
[ ] Arab Communist.
[ ] Islamist Conservative.
[ ] Islamist Moderate-Democratic.
[ ] Nasserist.
[ ] Liberal.

Engage in voter fraud?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No

[RULES REMINDER: No Islamophobia will be permitted on this thread. Furthermore, I'm vetoing any far-right write-ins because I refuse to write that quest. All votes will be tallied in the end, with them proportionally distributed in the parliament [excepting shenanigans and independent events]].

 

[Dadarian]

GLOBAL NEWS NETWORK
Your Globe, Your News, Your Network
​

New Cairo - Armchair analysts, tactless talking heads, and the international media have all converged here in Egypt for what is hoped to be the latest victory for democracy in the Middle East. In what is being described as a "new, decolonized era of freedom and opportunity" by the President of Algeria Walida Batit, Egypt's population is preparing for their first free elections since the early 2010s. GNN special reporter Muhammad Nader has written a report on each of the parties and factions vying for control of Egypt's parliament. Wherein this election was an action of high importance by the new regime, dozens of parties are all attempting for seats across the vast nation. However, for ease of understanding for the reader, they have been placed into European-style lists.

El-Harar Independents are devout loyalists to the current President, and seek to uphold his particular vision for the popular revolution which deposed the rickety dictatorship that had ruled for near-fifty years. Although not much is yet known of El-Harar, it has been fairly established that these loyalists will continue there campaign of diminished foreign relevance, strong Egypto-Libyan borders, and expansive use of state funds for Keynesian projects.​

​

Technocratic Independents are an interesting bunch. A mixture of old guards from the defunct Nation's Future Party (of the old regime), academic professors, fired civic servants, and political move-makers, the technocratic independents are seen as the greatest threat to the current regime. While the previous dictatorship was a dictatorship, they had provided enough stability to grow a middle class, and increased Egypt's prestige tremendously with the Qattara Lake and Sinai Greenification projects.​

​

Arab Communists are a broad front of Arabic socialists, communists, and far-left-leaning parties which have joined together in which to attempt to move the revolution farther left and maybe even into other Arabic nations. Seeing Egyptian as ripe for a vanguard to lead the way, the Communists are recognized as a junior partner to the El-Harar presidency. However this may change should they see victory in parliament.​

​

Islamic Conservative are another broad front, however this time of clerics, believers, and Islamic jurists which wish to see Islamic law returned to Egypt after decades of being away. While no longer seeking to create a theocratic state, the Islamic Conservative list believes in adherence to Sharia law and seeking pan-Islamic unity across the world. They are in direct competition for votes from the Islamic Democrats, which seek similar end goals, but through the institutions of democracy and the public safety net. Both have been described as being in opposition to El-Harar's government, particularly through the lack of focus on Islamization of civic institutions and the lack of use of international loans.​

​

The Liberals are near two dozen microparties, ranging from local business owners to politicians, are viewed as the most globalist list within the election. Running on a neoliberal positions such as the privatization of the El-Harar projects, opening the doors to international business, and taking larger steps to deepen relations with the EU, the Liberal list is seen as a long shot within parliament. Their lack of influence upon El-Harar has coincidentally turned into a strength, as dissatisfied members of the middle class are taking to the Liberals in (relatively) growing numbers.​

​

Lastly are the Nasserists, which fall under a single party (the Arab Democratic Nasserist Party). Self-described as "forward thinking" and "MENA focused" by the current chairman, the Nasserists have had a windfall under the protective wings of El-Harar. Whilst not explicitly Nasserist, El-Harar's use of the public sector to lower unemployment, defense of Egyptian borders during clashes with Libyan warlords, and internationally recognized Patriot Bond program have all elevated the Nasserists in Egyptian eyes. Seen as an ally to the President, the Nasserists are viewed as the dark horse of the race.​