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

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I'll close the voting, it's fairly unanimous.

Hopefully a quick turnaround on turn this go.
Scheduled vote count started by Dadarian on Jul 29, 2021 at 12:09 PM, finished with 11 posts and 8 votes.
  • [X] Plan: Soaring Eagle
    - [X] Write In: If the West wants to try to subvert the Egyptian peoples' will through astroturfed marches, then we will show them popular will. Respond to the marches with marches of our own. Organize sympathy marches across the country, including Cairo itself, in support of the president and give these marches ample media coverage on both TV and social media.
    - [X] Write In: Using Egypt's intelligence agency, begin quietly investigating the instigators of the El-Harar Square protests. Keep a watchful eye out for any potential foreign involvement in the protests.
    - [X] Yes; through Sudan.
    - [X] Write in: Support Tuaregia's defense of their country with airstrikes while coordinating a ground invasion of Niger through Sudan. Given the sorry state of the Sudanese military, they will be better suited for rear-line duty and peacekeeping operations in occupied territory.
    - [X] Write In: Counter the NEOM propaganda campaign with one of our own. Point out how Egypt seeks to bring stability to the region, which has been long exploited by the West and, by extension, NEOM. Use genuine, unscripted accounts and interviews from the Egyptian and Cyrenaican people about how the actions of President Hara have brought prosperity and hope to a long stagnant region. Appeal to both the Arab left and right abroad by demonstrating how the destabilizing actions of NEOM and the West have pitted Arabs (Muslim and Christian alike) against one another. As the capstone to this campaign, either President Harar's cabinet or President Harar himself (should he wake up) will commute the sentence of the Algerian assassin, who was obviously misled by NEOM propaganda, from execution to life sentence.
    [X] Plan: Watchful Eagle
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2080; Another March
  • Threadmarks

    • Another March
    ​
    Overview: The march brought an initial wave of terror to the governing body. The people were protesting! The people wanted out! But those most loyal to the President were the fiercest in defending his actions. Do they not have the legitimacy of the recent election? Did they not end the eternal bandit raids by stabilizing Cyrenaica? Are they not the government that pushed out foreign interference in the economy? No, this march in Cairo was led by wreckers and opposition, no doubt prodded and poked by the Neom-regime that so sought Egypt's downfall. The body took time but it was convinced. The march was not born of the innate desire of the people of New Cairo, but of the grim realities of the Middle Eastern Cold War.

    With this in mind, the call went out to the party officials of the Communists and the Nasserists, and to the various pro-El Harer circles. The nation needed you! When the next march for peace was called, they met a million counter-protestors. But this was not the sole march, for pro-government marches were held in Greater Alexandria, in al-Sisi and Arish, in Luxor and Suez. GNN reports that over three million people across Egypt marched in support of the government, and more importantly, President El-Harer. Back in Cairo, the most radical vanguard of both the pro- and anti-governmental protests engaged in riotous street fights, forcing the watchful police to take violent members of both parties into custody.

    This assisted in the secret service's investigation, as anti-governmental protestors who were arrested were detoured to rooms without recording devices. THere they made few discoveries. The vast majority were unsurprising, the permanently unemployed who were taking their frustrations out, recently fired civil servants, members of the opposition parties. But the one person was held for further questioning. A native of Riyadh, he is in Egypt on a tourist visa and said he just took a wrong turn into the march while looking for a noted local restaurant. However, that particular restaurant is nearly ten blocks away in the other direction. No other individuals of note were observed either by uniformed or secret police other than the many members of foreign media who were recording the events.

    The counter-protests would be bolstered by another propaganda campaign by the Egyptian government, this time more grounded into the people which made up the nation. Daily interviews with the average people, be they local storeowners, employed labourers, or retained civil servants, gave a litany of praise to the government. They spoke how they were able to reach more consumers now that the large western business have fled, how they finally have a real job after years of unemployment, and how graft and corruption within their offices were at the lowest levels in memory. Furthermore, in a great televised event, the terrorist would have their sentence commuted by the administration. Egypt was ruled by the better angels of humanity, and would not resort to the barbarism of hate. Although some were shocked by this event, baying for blood, many many more took it as a sign of the nation's collected humanity. Catharsis would not be needed. It was certainly helped by the news that El-Harar has awaken, although too weak as yet to say more than a few words. This brought about a redoubled effort by the counter-marchers, as the faithful gave their thanks to their President by the hundreds of thousands.

    Meanwhile, the Chadian Campaign was only beginning. Following an agreement between the Sudanese and the Egyptians over the movement of troops over mutual borders, members of the Egyptian armed forces came down in mobile columns to their new home base of Kosti. From there they'd take the highway west to Chad, across the notoriously treacherous B26 and chaotic Darfur region. Thankfully the janjaweed militias, watching the Egyptian armour columns atop camels and electric trucks, were much more interested in harassing Sudanese military convoys and villages. Like the vultures they were, they simply watched and followed the Egyptians as they passed through. Unfortunately, they did deign to harass the Sudanese reserves which followed, striking to steal new trucks and weapon shipments to replace those older pieces that were had. The Egyptians arrived to their goal of Al Junaynah without issue, and prepared themselves for the entering Chad. But the Egyptian's entrance into was anticlimatic as the entire garrison of Adre had retreated West. Satellite showed that Neo-Gaddafian army formations drawing up around Abeche while the Egyptians set up a forward base in Adre.

    On the Northern Front, the siege of Tripoli finally came to an end as the neo-Gaddafian column from Chad assisted their pan-African brethren and eliminated once and for all the splitters under Col. Ahmed. From Tripoli, through Sabha, to Toummo the neo-Gaddafists rejoiced. Indeed, under General Hasaan Sadiq, the entire section declared themselves part of the Chadian nation under the rule of the Green Book. Other successes were seen in Niger, where pitched fighting in Niamey saw the government flee south to Gaya on the Benian-Nigerian border. Similar to Tripoli the newly installed military governor of Niger, one General Raimi Omar, declared the nation under the auspice of Chad.

    The first good news would be in the Western Front, where an ambush by Tuareg forces blunted the advance of Chadians. Perhaps expecting a cakewalk, the Chadians did not bother to scout the roads, only to find themselves along a highway lined with IEDs. Through the destruction of a decade's worth of effort into their infrastructure, the Tuaregs management to inflict significant casualties upon their enemy and force them back. Furthermore, this reduced the only western entrance for heavy machines to rubble, as the highway was flanked by the great mud seas of Tauregia.

    The other set of good news would be the deployment of ECOWAS peacekeepers to Gaya. Although never particularly loyal to their Niger cohort, the rapid fall of Niamey shocked and appalled the politicos in Lagos and Accra. In the largest deployment in decades, members of the Senegalese, Nigeria, and Ghanian militaries established a demilitiarized cordon around the lone free city of Niger, and issued a set of demands to their aggressive northern neighbour.

    As marches and counter marches continued unabated, another foreign venture was born.


    Vote:
    Plan voting is accepted. 18ish hours of discussion prior to opening the voting (opens 08:00 2021/08/02 PST).

    What will be the strategy going towards Chad?
    [ ] Write in

    What to do about the protests / Neom?
    [ ] Write in

    OPTIONAL: Are there any other actions which need addressing (x1)?
    [ ] Write In
     
  • Threadmarks
    • Well, it's really unfortunate that the pan-Africanist won in Tripoli and the Chadians basically control Niger. Cyrenaica might be attacked soon. What does every think? I feel like an aggressive, quick push through Chad might work out for us, shock and awe. And what else should we do about the protests/NEOM? I'm happy to see our counter-protests worked out.

    Also I feel a bit dumb for asking but what is NEOM? Is that an organization or a place or something?
     
    Noroboro said:
    Well, it's really unfortunate that the pan-Africanist won in Tripoli and the Chadians basically control Niger. Cyrenaica might be attacked soon. What does every think? I feel like an aggressive, quick push through Chad might work out for us, shock and awe. And what else should we do about the protests/NEOM? I'm happy to see our counter-protests worked out.

    Also I feel a bit dumb for asking but what is NEOM? Is that an organization or a place or something?
    Click to expand...
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    A place, specifically this place.
     
    Excellent, good to see our counter-protests and propaganda campaign were successful.

    I think our primary strategy going forward with Chad should be to redouble our efforts in building a regional coalition against the Neo-Gaddafists. Sure, we could very likely win a conventional conflict on our own against Chad (though it could take a while as per the second point below), but international support would not only make the post-war settlement much easier but also would continue to lend legitimacy to our operations in the region, building up the soft power we so desperately need to counter NEOM and the West. While Algeria and Tunisia were previously reluctant to engage in the conflict, perhaps they may change their minds given the recent, rapid advances of the Neo-Gaddafists.

    Tactics wise, our present course of action of striking the Chadian capital could and should work, but I don't think it will have the intended effect of "cutting off the head of the snake" so to speak. Neo-Gaddafism isn't a country, it's an ideology, and I worry that the Neo-Gaddafists will simply relocate northwards to newly reconquered Tripoli. This is why a coalition is even more important, as we need to press on the Neo-Gaddafists from all sides if we are to successfully strike them down. That is not to say we shouldn't continue to march on the Chadian capital (it's still likely the best option for the Egyptian military aside from continuing our defense of Cyrenaica), just that it alone won't be enough to conclude the conflict.

    With all that mind, several questions for @Dadarian :
    1. How willing are West African countries to engage in operations in Niger against the Neo-Gaddafists?
    2. Would the remaining warlords in Western Libya be amenable to working together against the greater Neo-Gaddafist threat? If they supported Egypt against the Neo-Gaddafists, Egypt in turn could push for a post-war settlement that could be amenable to all sides, such as a Confederation of Libya.
    3. If the remaining warlords aren't willing to coalesce, are there any that ideologically align with Egypt in someway that could be allies?
     
    Arrow said:
    With all that mind, several questions for @Dadarian :
    1. How willing are West African countries to engage in operations in Niger against the Neo-Gaddafists?
    2. Would the remaining warlords in Western Libya be amenable to working together against the greater Neo-Gaddafist threat? If they supported Egypt against the Neo-Gaddafists, Egypt in turn could push for a post-war settlement that could be amenable to all sides, such as a Confederation of Libya.
    3. If the remaining warlords aren't willing to coalesce, are there any that ideologically align with Egypt in someway that could be allies?
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    Click to shrink...

    1. Not particularly, but increasingly. Depends on how ECOWAS-Chadian discussions go.
    2 & 3. Unlikely, most warlords view Egypt as a larger threat than the Neo-Gaddafists. The most tangential is an alliance of convenience with the Tuaregs until the neo-Gaddafists fall
     
    2080; Farewell to Alexandria
  • Threadmarks

    • Farewell to Alexandria
    ​
    Overview: As the camera draws back from the Egyptian people, a recollection of the past two years is created. Once, oh so recently past, Egypt was naught but a decrepit state, shuddering along. Akin to the zombie-mania of western media during the '10s and '20s, it was a dead creature brought along by the Cthulhian forces of bureaucracy and inertia. But a revolutionary vigor, inspired and molded around one charismatic young colonel, shook much of the world's perception. Giving a broadside to the neo-liberal connections that bound it to Europe, a new Egypt strode forth to seize its own destiny and establish a list of non-traditional allies. Grabbing the tree of destiny with both hands, the world's oldest nation gave it a mighty shake.

    However, the tree shook back. When Egypt sought to free itself from eternal raids on its Western borders, it opened the doors to endless mission creep. Tobruk became Cyrenaica. Cyrenaica became Libya, and Libya became the entirety of the Sahel. The former Chadian government, having seized much of Libya and Niger, agreed in a massive propaganda effort to dissolve itself. In it's ashes rose the Sahelian Jamahiriya, a non-partisan direct democracy tied strongly to the Chadian military and the ideological writings of Muammar Gaddafi. ECOWAS expanded their war footing, but it was not enough. Although the spearheads into Tauregia, Cyrenaica, and Sudan were all blunted and turned away, Gaya fell and the green flag rose above the burning city.

    As the hot war increased in heat, the cold war continued as Neom demanded the arrested tourist back. A lack of action by the Egyptian government, outraged the Saudis, who arrested a pair of Egyptian businessmen on espionage charges soon after. Any questions as to the timing of the arrests were waved as being strictly coincidental.

    Unfortunately, Egypt's time has come and past. El-Harar, in his own way, was to lead the nation onto its future. As a family left from Alexandria for Limassol for vacation, the time came for another nation to rule. Different decisions to engage in.

    ((Given the lack of any votes and my own business with my new job, I thought it best to cut and change tack all together to a different nation (hopefully there is interest). GNN will be sure to continue updates on the Egyptian news))

    Vote: 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. Has begun to face a mutagenic virus in agricultural crops whilst the Eighth Party System begins to develop.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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.

    [ ] 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).
     
  • Threadmarks
    • [x] Japan

    The young must overthrow the old. Make an age limit on politics. 65 or 70, and you're out.
     
    If anyone has questions feel free to ask, half this quest is about worldbuilding
     
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