To avoid an Italian take over of the Balkans, Ashqar hurries to strengthen TBF bonds, by having meetings with Balkan Leaders on economics, transportation trade and energy, while still trying to get an appeal by the nation. More or less, the Balkans isnt so kind about the whole ordeal, they are still opinionated Christian's with less than desirable thoughts about Islam, however Italy is indeed much worse in those regards. The Muslim Alliance loves them however, and is the Caliphates biggest supporter. More nuclear weaponry has been built, namely hundreds more X-6 ICBMs.
The Balkan uranium mining operation in Romania has reported extremely strange radioactivity levels in the area. They appear to have been scattered eastward... the only explanation is that something has happened in the Socialist Eurasian Union. A request has been submitted to WESCO to investigate... environmental damage in Ukraine. Meanwhile, Narodna Armija grows in strength and appear to be funneling money from somewhere. They have become more aggressive in recent months, going so far as to assassinate a Muslim Alliance senator. Prime Minister Aleksič has condemned the assassination and pledged to protect all senators from the paramilitary and open investigations.
RUM's residents are divided on if they should let the leader go to war, or do the smart thing and keep to themselves. The right and left fight over it while the leader loves to announce how "amazing" he is whenever he gets a chance to be on TV or on radio. One day, he was talking an interviewer and he looked straight at the sun while doing so for a few seconds. This sparked a lot of questions about his intellect levels on the left, while the right brushes it off as if it never happened. In the interview, he addresses the health concerns about RUM being 100% nuclear-powered. He has tells the public that the nuclear industries have came up with a new measurement called (Sunshine Units) for the nuclear plants. He persuades the public that some nuclear radiation exposure is okay, and he even attempts to convince people that being exposed to some elevated nuclear radiation is actually good for you. The right, being uneducated, buys into it. Some of the left falls for it as well, while the health activists are aware of the lies that the "Sunshine Units" are. But after the interview, they are ignored while the leader proposes that an increase in nuclear production should happen if RUM is to become 100% nuclear-powered before the next year. (That actually happened in America's past. Back in the 50s, they came up with this insane idea of masking the idea of nuclear radiation with something benign called "Sunshine Units".)
The SEU Government, already preoccupied trying to deal with the disaster welcomes them; any help is good. SEU has mobilized 20,000 Liquidators to assist the cleanup. Pripyat was evacuated a month ago. The surrounding areas were also evacuated. In any case, the SEU Meritocracy is showing why it is effective with brutal, quick responses and cold triage to minimize the damage. The SEU Government has ordered a stop to Food from the Ukrainian Breadbasket; this has had disastrous effects on everyone's food supply. Because many will starve if SEU stops food from the Breadbasket, SEU has allowed some exemptions to food that is not near Pripyat. SEU will wait 90 days (10 posts) for the Radiation to subside by several hundred times before the food is allowed to be eaten.
The response is going well; the Socialist Party has contained the disaster to an extent and SEU is due to release the official report soon. Vietnam and Malaysia have had multiple violent clashes in the South Socialist Sea (Yes, that's what they're calling it now. The Malaysians call it the North Islamic Sea.). Vietnam asks the SEU to stick up for it; the Socialist Party obliges, as the SSS is under joint Vietnam-SEU ownership, at least in theory. Indonesia and Malaysia have made several hostile incursions into the SSS, whereupon Vietnam and SEU repelled them repeatedly. The SEUN has sortied Supercarrier SEUS Tang into the South Socialist Sea and told them to please get out, but this time the Malaysian Navy stood their ground. This resulted in a total loss of cohesion for the Malaysians as the Tang tore the Malaysians apart. The Indonesian Navy arrived the next day and called this an act of blatant aggression. SEU responded by dropping bombs on them and telling them to please get out. The Indonesians state that SEU a bully that uses their great military strength to push around smaller nations and that Indonesia will not stand for it. SEU responds that they are so generously giving away their historical backyard to their allies, and that if defending their gift to their allies is bullying, they should get a reality check. Indonesia and SEU are on the verge of full-blown war, when INDIA (yeah, remember them?) intervenes and offers to split the Sea. SEU rejects the offer, stating that the SSS is their Sea, which they have given to Vietnam as a reward for their commitment to the Socialist Cause. Indonesia states that Imperialistic actions do not make the NIS the SSS. SEU ignores Indonesia and states that any non-Vietnam or SEU authorized vessel that enters the SSS will be blown to bits with all hands. Indonesia backs off. In any case... SEU is currently reviewing the safety of all RBMK reactors. SEU has made shutting off safety mechanisms for all RBMK reactors punishable by death. Retroactively. In addition, SEU has put more money into the MSR; this is because over 95% of SEU's Nuclear Reactors is some sort of RBMK, and the RBMK reactor has proven unsafe. The LWR is only suitable for military applications. The MSR is the only reactor that can match up to RBMK in cost and LWRs in safety, but it's like 10 years away. LWRs are far too expensive to build. As a stopgap measure, SEU has mandated new rules in all RBMK reactors. These are: An increase in fuel enrichment from 2% to 2.4% to compensate for control rod modifications and the introduction of additional absorbers. Manual control rod count increased from 30 to 45. 80 additional absorbers inhibit operation at low power, where the RBMK design is most dangerous. SCRAM (rapid shut down) sequence reduced from 18 to 12 seconds. Precautions against unauthorized access to emergency safety systems. These will make RBMK less cheap, but SEU has calculated that these design flaws will reduce accidents to the point where it is both Economically and Ethically more viable than the previous designs, with less deaths. SEU has mandated a staggered shutdown of reactors successively and construction of several new designs of RBMK (labelled RBMK+) that will improve safety and be the new standard reactor configuration. RBMK+ will serve as the bridge to the MSR.
SEU has released the official Chernobyl accident report. It is the first complete timeline of the incident available to the outside world; the SEU Information Ministry was focused on informing its own of the accident and supressing leaks to the Outside. The SEU Report states that Pripyat will be cordoned off for the next 999 years and that SEU is taking measures to ensure that Radiation does not leak. 200,000 liquidators have been mobilized to ensure a greater disaster does not occur. Each and every one of them will recieve a special (cheap) medal and 2,000 Soci. They will also recieve free healthcare, as in actually free. In any case, the disaster is, if barely, under control. The official narrative is that through the heroic efforts of the liquidators and Socialist Party, the disaster is slowly being brought to heel and that the threat is dimishing day by day very slowly. It's not that far away from the truth. But it overstates the Socialist Party's role. And the disaster, if under control, is barely. The cause was apparently incompetent management and some design flaws, at an 70:30 ratio; (It's more 50:50). SEU will reduce both risks by purging its ranks to destroy corruption and modernizing their RBMK Reactors. The Socialist Party states that the accident was one of the most catastrophic SEU Nuclear Power incidents, but that the accident would assist SEU comprehension of the RBMK reactor and help prevent future accidents. SEU states their utmost intention is to prevent more accidents and to make a safe, clean, cheap energy source out of Nuclear Energy. The part launches a purge of their Nuclear Power administrators and finds any excuse they can to fire underperformers in safety and power output. This will leave the reactors undermanned for now but SEU intends to train new ones to replace the old.
The Disaster continues, and the Government acts to further contain the damage; the damage is contained and is no longer spreading. SEU orders a team of "Special Liquidators" to build a large sacrophagus around reactor number three. This sarcophagus will contain the radiation once and for all; it will take weeks to build if not months, but preparations have been going on for a while and won't take extremely long. They have been motivated by the fact that they will all be awarded the Order of Lenin, the fourth-best award in SEU. Many, many desperate protctions were built and stopgap measures. Heroism was shown on a scale unseen; SEU has asssed that around 300 liquidators have died as a direct result of the Radiation and hundreds more because of accidents. Every single one of them has posthumously recieved the award Order of Sun, the third-highest honor in SEU. One man in particular has been awarded Hero of the SEU, the second-highest honor. This man stopped a masssive steam explosion that would have completely destroyed Liquidator efforts to contain the disaster and saved tens of thousands of lives. He was quite alive at the end of his ordeal, mind you, but the Government saw it fit that he be rewarded appropriately for his heroism. The SEU Government has ordered the building of 15-25 100-megaton Nuclear Weapons. This is to fend off any lethal asteroid that may collide with Earth; SEU has also designed several prototype anti-asteroid Rockets, based off N1-13 designs that could take Cosmonauts to the Moon. The Nuclear Weapons will all be launched at the Asteroid and divert its path towards somewhere else; the goal is to make the Asteroid miss, not outright destruction. All of these Nuclear Weapons will be carefully aimed to disrupt the orbit of the Asteroid. It won't ever come, but the Socialist Party doesn't know that and it would be terrible if SEU's great Communist Project was cut short by a space rock. SEU is tolerant of Marijuana and Alcohol, nothing else. Possessing any other drug is punishable with death. This is less than optimal when everyone in your Society is stressed, and people drink their troubles away. So the Socialist party is attempting to clamp down on Alcohol. But that leads to increased suicides. So SEU clamps down on Suicides, and then they start rioting on the streets. Repeat Ad Infinitum. SEU accepts LGBTQ+ is going to happen and so nothing is outlawed. But they provide zero benefits because it does not benefit society because they have no children at least in theory. In truth, it's Orthodox and Confucian values kicking in, nothing more. SEU takes suicide very seriously and educates to ask for help when needed; unfortunately for SEU, their whole societal model is built around stress and taxing a person to their limits and treating humans as a disposable resource, and this is of limited success. Gambling is completely outlawed. SEU has outright blown up entire illegal gambling operations.
SEU is agitated that the WESCO delegation has failed to arrive; they've been dealing with this disaster for two months with zero aid and have done pretty well all thing considered. But now hundreds are dead thanks to lack of aid. SEU condemns the Balkan Federation for failing to send help when SEU had welcomed it; they blame this on the Democratic system (which is frankly underserved). SEU states that when the blockade on Ukrainian food is opened, the Balkan Federation will not get any. This will raise food prices by huge amounts and make life hard for them; this is SEU retaliating against the Balkan Federation for their incompetence wasting the lives of hundreds of SEU citizens. SEU knows full well that their raw bulk will allow them to withstand any retaliation by the Balkan Federation and outlast them. That's why they're doing this. In any case, SEU has made it their goal to go to the Moon by 1968 and show the ultimate superiority of the Socialist System over all others. Even a poor imitation of true Socialism brought about by unfortunate circumstance is infinitely superior to all others, they want to say. Maybe it is. SEU openly challenges the Sunayyad Caliphate to a race to the Moon; SEU will attempt its best to win. The goal after the Moon is a Space Station, by 1970. SEU wages a propaganda war against its enemies; they attempt to make the advantages of Eurasian Socialism more apparent and the disadvantages of other systems more clear. In addition, SEU is attempting to conclusively remove Malaysia from the South Socialist Sea. They are enacting their policy and have thus far driven Malaysian fishermen out of the SSS with many methods. After multiple Vietnam-SEU vs Indonesia-Malaysia clashes, Indonesia has officially filed a complaint against the Socialist Eurasian Union to WESCO, directly to the Sunayyad Caliphate; their complaint is that SEU is blatantly disrespecting international law and fairness for its own benefit. SEU ignores this complaint and announces a program with Vietnam to develop the SSS into a Socialist Power Base; Vietnam will control the SSS Oil and Gas, while SEU will use it as a military platform. SEU has more than enough Oil and Gas and so they want Vietnam to work independently as a power to constrain Indian and Caliphate influence in what SEU sees as their own personal backyard and swimming pool. SEU and Vietnam has a 999-year agreement where Vietnam has partial sovereignty over the SSS but is still technically SEU territory. The SEU Supercarrier Tang stays near Vietnam ready to defend SEU's interests. In any case, SEU states that they will help Vietnam develop the Oil reserves.
The Roman Union states that they are the legitimate successor of Rome. Any other claims... I don't know, the Balkan Federation? Constantinople? The Sunayyad Caliphate? Fake. Not real. Of course it doesn't matter that they posses the City that held up the Empire for 1,000 years! In any case, Italy in particular states that they do not intend to become a Plunder Economy like old Rome; they will produce their own stuff and create a strong middle class. Since SEU holds all the cards on Heavy and high-tech industry, they will emulate the Germans and their booming Economy that consists of High-Quality products that outcompete SEU. They will also capitalize on the Legacy of Rome, and create Rome-based tourist attractions. France intends to use their cultural strength for more independent Tourism as well as attractions based on the conquest of Gaul and Caesar. They also intend to produce complex Pharmaceuticals, something SEU can't compete in by spamming medium-quality goods. France intends to have the strongest Economy in the Fascist Bloc and an equal to Italy. Spain, as the poorer of the nations has a goal to just industrialize and to figure out details later; that was Mussolini's plan for Italy, and that worked fine for him. Given, he accomplished this by plundering several national treasuries, but still. The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian union's plan is roughly the same as the above; industrialize, rob a few national treasuries if need be. They're following their leader, Italy. This bodes ill for Poland, which has lost the protection of the Socialist Bloc and is currently surrounded by great powers. Germany and the Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union are both eyeing it to expand their lands and rob their treasuries. SEU won't help.
The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union and Germany have cut a secret deal. Germany wishes to expand their Grossdeutsches Reich. The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union needs money to sustain its Fascist Economy. They will both invade Poland and Lithuania. Germany will annex the territories of former Prussia and make Poland a part of their Reich. The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union can loot the Polish and Lithuanian treasuries as well as a portion of the taxes each year. The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union needs the money to develop into a powerful, non-plunder Economy. Fascist Faction Extremeness Guide Nationalist Democracy BONUS: Germany UK and Ireland France Belgium Netherlands Spain Italy Portugal Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union IRL Fascism Italy is informed of this and agrees on the condition Germany swears to a non-aggression pact with the Roman Union. SEU catches wind of some sort of military deal and readies troops in Belarus to defend SEU should Germany try anything funny.
The Caliphate is a right wing government, it's more appropriate to call them even Centrists, yet they aren't. They are strong in holding tradition, and yes, religious tradition stands firm, and Ramadan and other Islamic traditions are held very high. The Caliphate is also strictly anti same sex marriage, and is focused on military and stayin' alive. However, they are the most progressive in any Eastern country according to women and human rights, and have eased quite a lot on the Islamic law side of things. To say the least, it's weird. Women can drive, women can be in the Lesser Government, but there are still mighty gender roles. It's weird, it's all weird, no one understands how an ISLAMIC MIDDLE EASTERN NATION has better human rights than a Socialist Asain nation.
The economy is interesting as well. Is it capitalist? Yes, but the government is sometimes considered Islamic Socialist, something every marxist hates dearly. There are private businesses, but there are still a lot of government owned ones, and becoming rich is a thing, but becoming an aristocrat who owns literally 50% of the wealth is impossible, you will just be heavily taxed. With that said, healthcare and education are meant to be free, sometimes it doesn't work, but its improving. Generally, hospitals need health insurance from you so you dont need to pay every visit. In the case of emergencies in the ER like for example a construction accident and you face a broken leg and a concussion or two, you won't be charged anything if you have insurance, and even if you dont have insurance you still won't pay anything. This is only done by taxes, at a high rate. People still struggle though, how can one survive of a small salary if all their money is taken? That's simple, tax levels. Low taxes for low income families, very high tax for massive companies and rich elite. It's a lot more of a market economy, the country is capitalist but really believes in benefiting the people. The main goal of the entire caliphate is to last as long as possible with a glorious reign, and that can only be done by leaving the people in great condition.
The CSA has been heavily underfunded. The SEU will win the space race no doubt, but in the end it benefits the Caliphate. More money will be spent on the nation, and not the space station (rhyming). Satellites will still be sent, but spending billions on missions to the moon is no longer in the questions for now. Maybe in the 1980s, but not now. The golden age is glorious, but estimators state that after the golden age is over the countries economy and well being will drop, as the country will literally be broke from the space race. But, the Caliphate makes the SEU think that the race is still on, even though the Caliphate cut all funds by 50%. Why? Just let the SEU spend all their money, and end up in debt. Yes this is impolite.
WESCO firmly condemns the SEU for their intolerance in the South Socialist Sea. First off, renaming a sea, and literally taking all benefits away from Malaysia and Indonesia. The Caliphate, now away from the space race decides to aid with Indonesia and Malaysia, backing them up. The Caliphate stays true to their Islamic Friends, and notes a war would be a tremendous and awful idea. Basically, the Caliphate is telling Indonesia what to do because they know they can do something terribly wrong. OOC: if the SEU now controls basically Rome, can I control Indonesia and Malaysia?
You have to control Indonesia and Malaysia as Otus_Nigrum. Warlord678 is playing the NPC Roman Union, since no one has come to take control. Rome and SEU's good relations is a fragile one that could fall apart at any moment. It's like USSR and Nazi Germany 1939-1941. They have different ideologies that cannot coexist and only work together because of temporary mutual benefit. If this benefit ends, they will tear each other to bits. Indonesia is a far different case. But you should still think differently.
Germany is demanding territorial concessions from Poland. They demand what they have once owned; Prussia. Now, all the nations of Western Europe are nationalist Democracies in some way mainly because "Fascism" has worked out for basically every nation that has tried it, although "Socialism" has done the same thing. This is basically a casus belli to attack Poland and take what they want; they think in the border reshuffling of 1918-1920, Prussia was robbed from Germany. Germany has come to take what is theirs back from Poland. For obvious reasons, Poland refuses. The Austrohungarian-Czechoslovakian Union backs Germany back; they agree that Germany should be able to rebuild their legacy, especially when it was robbed from them 40 years ago. They did it too, Germany can as well. Poland states that they will not allow Germany to just take their land. GERMAN DEMANDS SEU just asks both sides to not invade Belarus, Belarus has autonomy and they would rather like to be not invaded.
Poland refuses to submit. Germany says "too bad". German tanks roll into Poland; the Leopard 1 proves overwhelmingly more powerful than the T-54 tanks of the Polish Army. The German Public are loving this as they are reconquering the old lands they once lost, and the German Army seems unstoppable. The Polish are putting up a good fight with what they have, but SEU took all of their MiG-21s and other advanced military equipment. They have tried to produce their own, with little success. Poland cannot defend itself, and the SEU do nothing. Then the Austro-Hungarians come along. They are substantially less industrialized than Germany, but they still have Italian equipment and Tanks. Italy and Germany actually cooperated once or twice on the Leopard 1 Tank and both nations use a diverging design of that tank. Poland doesn't stand a chance. But they hold firm. They stand and fight. The German Army is hampered by determined Polish resistance. The Austro-Hungarians don't have the raw punch to break through the defense with their relative lack of Armor. But the Germans are determined as well, and the Leopard 1 provides the punch to smash through the defense. The Polish defense slow the Germans down, but the Germans take low casualties and the War, if slow, seems easy for the Germans. Things are actually going well for them. The Austro-Hungarians are a different matter. They are taking much larger casualties, and the unity is fragile. They decide that Airstrikes are a much more viable option, as losses are too high. They pull troops after just 9 days and commences a massive wave of strikes and artillery bombardments against Poland.
SEU Tax Rates are based off a mathematical formula that caps out at 90% for rich people. Corporate entities cap out at 20%. SEU taxes churches. SEU has a entire selection of state-owned enterprises that make it a small income of around 2.4 million Soci every year. The SEU Government budget is far larger. SEU living standards are around 10-15th place in the World. Everyone above it has Oil or is one of those weirdly rich small nations (UBR, Luxembourg, Switzerland). SEU has the #3 Suicide Rate on Earth. This is because the whole system is very demanding and the meritocratic mentality of... everyone means that around 10% of the people are just ground up over and over as the Government tries to find them something that they can be productive in. They can't ever hold on to jobs and despite the Government's best efforts Meritocracy is not so good when it works against the Party. In any group of 10 people, there is 1 that is destined to have a half-decent life at least. There is also one that is destined to have a half-decent life if they have everything go right for them. That last group is the most dangerous portion of the population, and the exact portion the Socialist Party is trying to integrate into the 80% of the general middle class. Their efforts are somewhat successful, but SEU's Economic System is brutal. There is no mercy for the weak, and everyone's impossibly high standards mean that everyone is chronically understaffed; the entire nation is a Meritocracy, but the worst part about Meritocracy is that the elite are only the best. The Elite consolidates power and turns the entire nation into a dystopia, because they are the cream of the crop of the cream of the crop. It inevitably turns into a very Capitalist Society. The Socialist Party's worst nightmare. The only thing preventing this is the infamous, human-rights violating (or rather, human rights ignorant) Socialist Party. They exist to protect the common folk, and to create a future Communist Society where all is equal and good. In any case... Germany continues their relentless march forward; the goal is in sight. They are going to take the areas of former Prussia from Poland and make their Greater German Republic truly German in its fullness.
Dubai has seen progress, the oddly small and ignored city of fishermen has been funded greatly by one of the region's richest emirs, which has lead to the first skyscraper in the city to be erected. Animal Abuse in the Caliphate is illegal on all scales, and ends up with fines or jail time. Oddly enough, goats are the most abused... Drugs are a thing, and aren't supported. There's opium, but no real drug crisis. People do take drugs, but the reputation socially is very against it, which has helped lower the intake because even the youth think taking drugs are stupid, there is no "cool" factor.
The Roman Union and the Greater German Republic has agreed to carve up Europe in their image in secret. The Germans are stuck between the Romans and Russians, and they would rather not work with Socialist Russians, their old buddies the Italians are more appealing. In any case.... SEU is displeased that the Germans are getting uncomfortably close.
