J.K. Stockholme
Right Opposition
BT Update 1 - 2100-2120
The Daily Standard
GLOBAL NEWS
GLOBAL RATE OF RURALIZATION HIKED
As civilizations decline has ushered in the long process of reversing, most of the surviving governments of the world have identified food scarcity as their biggest problem often diverting funds meant for the military to agricultural growth. This pouring of funds has significantly increased the power and leverage of rural elites and created work away from urban centres, indicating the global process of ruralization will not cease anytime soon. While some republics and liberal minded monarchies have been trying to increase their populations standards of living, authoritarian and military regimes have been trying to mitigate the effects of stronger rural elites by providing better living standards to the powerful wealthy including warlords or leaders of newly settled lands. The effects of increased ruralization have been varied, with some unlucky countries simply failing to seriously increase their crop yield, such as the Far Eastern Republic, or other countries finding themselves under internal or external attack for their wealth. A few governments had not put any focus on agriculture, and have been able to further consolidate their power in urban centres, keeping places such as La Plata and England centrally controlled by the elites of the status quo.
NEW NATIONS TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LOW MILITARY SPENDING
With surprisingly minimal military expenditures among the family of nations, many yet to be organized territories adept at combat from experience have found ease in attacking and pillaging the organized societies. Though raids overall havent increased, the level of success has, and previously disagreeing tribes have been consolidated in the wake of these adventures, producing numerous new, hostile and warmongering nations. Yay.
EUROPEAN NEWS
TWO GERMANIES COMPETE FOR HEARTS AND MINDS
The monk-like technocrats of Bavaria tried to use persuasion to include the rest of Germany in their domain, demonstrating the merits of their governing system by reclaiming poorly maintained infrastructure the most astonishing effect being on German rail and roads, which have allowed people to travel and trade easily, impressing much of north-western Germany. Independent of South German actions, the greater Berlin area had been slowly creating a populist republic. With rhetoric of liberal republicanism and democracy theyve effectively criticized the technocratic system along the coast, gaining them this portion of Germany. A propaganda war now rages on the borders, as tensions rise between the two Germanies over the fate of the nation.
ENGLISH TRADERS FIND HOSTILE FRENCH MILITARISTS
The English navy, revived and restored, has been attempting the settlement of Normandy, creating a safe port at Le Havre, and securing the English Channel from piracy. In trying the 20-year stunt England discovered a violently nationalistic French police-state centred in Paris, and settlement was far more successful along the coast, particularly in the lowlands, where disorganized communities welcomed an alternative to German technocracy and French belligerence. Together, with growing industrial output, emphasis on urban power and a strong navy, Englands current holdings seem extremely secure internally from dissent and externally from attack.
TENSIONS BUILD OVER GREECE BETWEEN LOMBARD LEAGUE AND TURKEY
Making claims in all directions, the Lombard League pushed into the French Riviera, Rome, and Greece the lattermost of which Turkey was found to be coveting as well. In the west Lombard companies met and worked with begrudgingly accepting locals, and in Rome found a desolate and devastated city worth little more than prestige and propaganda the Vatican had been almost entirely obliterated, and there is no sign that any pope is currently alive. In the east was the real tension, however, as extremely welcoming Greeks were divided up between Turks and Lombards. Even if the two countries could come to some kind of resolution of the future of Greece, it actually seems that native Greeks are more vociferous about their choice in patron than the patrons themselves with suicide bombings and occasional shootings being claimed as in favour of one country or the other. These flare ups have nearly caused clashes between Turkish and Lombard troops, and though Turkeys military presence is stronger, neither power has deliberately attacked the other yet.
RUSSIA MAKES PUSH TO CAUCASIA, STOPPED BY PATRIOTIC INHABITANTS
As Russian troops barged into villages on their way towards the towering mountains of the Caucuses, they began finding progressively more and more inhabitants unhappy with their presence. While bribes of crops or goods persuaded some (which were exported to the displeasure of many Russian elites), the Russians were halted suddenly by a multi-front ambush in Georgia, keeping them out of that territory since then. A very patriotic federation of Caucasian states has formed, under pressure from both Iraqi inclusion of the Kurds and Russian advances, and has been entirely unwilling to talk with other powers. Elsewhere, Russian settlement into the Urals and Siberia has went adequately, though reconstruction of rail lines has been slow and expensive, leading to criticism that focus ought to be on more immediate Russian interests in the west.
HUNGARY WELCOMES POLES
Holding hands at a summit on the integration of Poland into Hungary, Polish and Hungarian leaders took a glorious photo with recovered Hungarian cameras. While Romanian settlement was correctly predicted to be slow, south Polish leftists and egalitarians, admiring of Hungarys democratic system, formalized their annexation though much of Poland still remains to be contacted and explored.
NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN NEWS
NUMEROUS NORTH AMERICAN STATES DECLARE SOVERIEGNTY
Free of two former federations, numerous new national identities have formed, some from their own independent course, and some directly in opposition to Canadian and American attempts at expansion. In the Pacific Northwest an authoritarian a self-sufficient leftist Cascadia has been organized by a combination of maritime and army strength. Neighbouring them, a warlordship of horseback soldiers, oppressing their few urban centres for supplies and revenue, has halted Canadian westward expansion, and harassed both American and Canadian settlements. Canadian pushes east also evoked anti-federal forces, which rallied around the close trade ties of the Maritimes and dug-in positions in New Brunswick. The biggest new addition to the North American continent was Dixieland, an adamantly democratic and republican state along the east coast. US settlement plans were derailed down the Mississippi by a religious Baptist state, while Californians may have to confront a religious Mormon State soon as well. Overall expansions by Canada largely failed in the face of anti-federal forces, while the US had mixed results, gaining large tracts of new farmland in the Midwest, but finding uncompromising Dixie and Baptist forces in their south, while California had to stop at Cascadia, and made less progress into the deserts of Nevada.
MEXICO SETTLES TEXAS
Probably to the immense surprise of the US and Canada, which found inhabitants willing to create whole new countries to prevent themselves from being settled, Mexico found no resistance towards their attempts in taking the Gulf, including a large amount of Texas. While locals have been fairly negotiating, Mexico will have to choose whether to integrate Texas into their system and extend privileges to the white elites there, or work with Hispanic Texans instead a choice theyll have to make as the pleasant initial reconstruction of society there starts to fade into memory.
VENEZUELA AND PERU MAKE SLOW PROGRESS
Peru found itself surrounded by generally ambivalent but often disinterested groups, none yet self-organizing enough to fight Peru, and so made slow but distinct progress in all directions. Venezuela took more land, pushing into Colombia in what appears to be preparation to move towards Panama. Ships sent to scout the coast found the canal in disrepair, and dedicated resources would clearly be needed over a long time to make it, or other big projects like it, usable.
LA PLATA FIGHTS WAR WITH NEWLY FORMED CHILE
Patagonia was indeed easy to settle, but in every other direction La Plata found resistance. Moving northeast they discovered a city-state forming in southern Brazil, and west they came into abrupt contact with a cunning and paranoid Chile. Run by a coalition of communists, socialists, and anarchists the Chilean dictatorship made multiple offensives into La Plata pre-emptively preventing the La Platans from seizing their capital. La Plata did make inroads in southern Chile, but lost territory in the north. A kind of stalemate has been the case for several years, as La Plata builds up war materiel and central authority in their capital, and Chile seems to be plotting secretively.
NORTHERN AND SOUTHERN BRAZILIAN CITY-STATES FORM
Two city-states formed over the past 20 years, Sao Paulo and Sao Francisco, named after a city and a river respectively. The southern government has adopted a monarchy, with a very stratified society the city itself has actual walls between the poor and rich communities within it. In the north, mineral and oil companies that held together basic trade have now asserted themselves as governors of the region, with a good degree of popularity due to their charity and administrative proficiency. Tensions have yet to build, and it might in fact be likely that Brazils two identities will grow independently for a while.
AFRICAN AND MIDDLE EASTERN NEWS
THREE WARS FOUGHT IN WEST AND EAST AFRICA
Stockpiling technology and massively expanding agricultural growth obtained the attention of two otherwise insignificant tribes in West Africa, which have reaped massive gains from raiding and robbing the country. Fighting two wars on two fronts with two powerful warlords taxed the Malian military, and, in addition to losing resources, the country is losing the enthusiasm of its military elites and the general populace. One coup attempt was thwarted during a period of lower level conflict, but the possibility remains. On the other side of the continent, Swahililand, desirous of the Great Lakes had to fight just unified Tanzanians soldiers, which incited a revolt in southern Swahili territory. Though hostilities have died down, and Swahili settlers have taken Uganda to meet another border of Tanzania, the two countries are incapable of working together with so many local interests pulling their central governments.
SOUTH AFRICA GROWS SLOWLY
Intellectuals and political leaders in South Africas free republic have been extremely critical of what they believe to be the wasteful use of valuable resources on the navy, especially in the face of extremely slow gains in Namibia despite its few and accommodating inhabitants. Regardless, general militancy has still been mitigated because of rising standards of living with both the reclamation of old equipment and the focus on increased food yield.
TWO SHAHDOMS ESTABLISHED IN IRAN
In the Middle East several new countries have been effectively organized. While a lonely federation of Arab nobles has been formed, two Irans have been fashioned in the north and south of the country. Both have become absolute monarchies, ruled by somewhat populist kings, though their peaceful nature is mostly due to the degree of decentralization that exists in both countries, preventing either from really waging war.
INTEGRATION BUILDS NEW BONDS BETWEEN IRAQIS AND KURDS
A new chapter of Middle Eastern peace has possibly begun with the integration of formerly Turkish Kurdistan into the Iraqi state, which has made benevolent overtures to the people of the region and gained their approval so long as Kurds are properly represented in the new state. This has happened to their satisfaction, and begun movements for integration of other peoples as well, such as Jews, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese.
ASIAN AND PACIFIC NEWS
PAKISTAN FIGHTS COMMUNIST ARMY IN GANGES
Believing the Ganges would be a hard but eventually triumphant venture to rebuild food supply lines and capture harvests, the Pakistani corporate military has been horrified by the organization of their coveted territory by a democratic Maoist army. Though elections were only held after a tense struggle between Pakistan and the Ganges, the new country has made its national pride the elimination of corruption, and constantly used the Pakistani menace as a foil for their propaganda. Unless a new offensive is attempted, the Ganges leftists might secure the rivers entirety.
MAHARASHTRA FORMS
Meanwhile, more peaceful news happened in southern India, where Hyderabad made reasonable and peaceful progress along the west coast, and a new republic formed in central India, though unlike the alleged corruption-free communists to their north, the place has been a bastion of illicit behaviour. In any case, their government has maintained for a long time that they do not wish war, and have made no offensives even towards Pakistan which took territory immediately to Maharashtras west.
WARLORDS VOW ALLEGIANCE TO PROCLAIMED CHINESE EMPIRE
Militarism has grinned its ugly and vacuous smile in East Asia, where a very rapidly created North Chinese state has come to dominate regional anxieties. Ruled by a medieval Mongol-like warlord dictator, whose control of industrial production has given him leverage domestically, North China has been engaged in on-and-off warfare with the Far Eastern Republic, while putting its efforts to expansion southward. Fighting in the cold north has been seasonal and, especially over farmlands the Far Eastern Republic wished to feed its own people with, bitter. Overall the Chinese have had the upper hand, though the Far Eastern Republic is larger than it used to be. In the south, Guangdongs appeals to the communist past has gained it respect with the people (most of whom think capitalism was the reason for their destruction), but put pressure on further away warlords vow allegiance to the north, which has protected them beyond the Yangtze.
JAPAN LOSES TOKYO TO NORTHERN ARMY
While South Japan developed its navy, the country was struck by a surprise offensive into Tokyo, which wrestled half the city from them, and has been the site of urban warfare for years. While a few islands were taken with ease, the armed forces have been simply inadequate to push back North Japan, which is deeply isolationist and nationalistic. Because of this, South Japan actually made more progress in Korea than in the north, and with the population there fearing the Far Eastern-Chinese conflict may spill into their lands, Japanese partnership and defence has been welcomed.
INDONESIA AND VIETNAM ORGANIZE
The passage of time has, in the quiet lands of Southeast Asia, resulted in the slow accumulation of power in two areas Indonesia and Vietnam. In the first an Islamic theocracy, built around an emphasis on peaceful cooperation with outsiders, has been established with a small but well-trained air force and navy, while land forces have been generally left to local territories. In Vietnam a tenuous situation existed between people in the south and north and centre, only the might of corporate interests through a formerly reformed state capitalist system could bring stability to the country. Both countries show promise, as war and strife seem endless in the rest of Asia.
World Map:
Spoiler :
OOC:
This is the style I intend to do the remainder of the BTs in, focusing on the political events mostly, though as cultural and economic matters become more important I plan on introducing different newspapers to represent their perspectives. The Daily Standard can be interpreted as your typical bourgeois liberal unbiased international paper, something like the BBC perhaps, though with a bit more poetic use of language.
There will be a rule change: Minor Powers are no longer eligible for players to play. If your country is demoted to a Minor Power, youll have to pick another one. Minor Powers will not be bolded in the stats. Therefore, the following is the full list of available countries as of right now:
Chile, Prairies, Sao Paulo, Sao Francisco, Venezuela, Czechia, North Germany, Sweden, Algeria, the Arab Sultanates, Ethiopia, Nigeria, North Iran, South Iran, Tanzania, Indonesia and North China. (All current players are playing at least secondary powers, so dont worry this turn)
This turn I applied a get out of revolution and/or annexation free card for everyone, but from now on any country can be toppled or taken over in updates.
Please address all errors and questions via PM, thanks.
Finally, I want every player to consider the following things when writing their orders, so that I have more material to work with:
- I dont want to generate important figures myself, so I would like it if players could invent them as we go along business tycoons, elected leaders, dictators, religious figures, and, perhaps most importantly, ideological intellectuals (the Karl Marxs of our time). For example, there is currently no pope, and only La Plata has given me a pontiff that could at some point become a global figurehead.
- How do you treat your various ethnic groups? This is especially true for countries like Iraq, where peoples want inclusion in your government.
- What is your main line of propaganda? I got a bit of this in Germany, but knowing how you intend to convince people of your greatness helps me determine how different people react to one another. Just like with the relations between peoples, I am open to innovative and new kinds of rhetoric, like the technocratic ideas in Germany.
Game Notes:
- Diplomacy cannot be done with NPCs, you cannot get me to give you any guarantees for a 20 year period. That said, you can interact with, make peace and war, but only through your orders. You might say for example that you want to not fight a particular country, and therefore you move out of some land as a good faith gesture the NPC would have a higher chance of acting how you would have preferred.
- Most countries are eligible for wars of aggression, so go nuts.
- Reminder: you can, instead of settling new territory, consolidate your domestic control, if you choose.
Next deadline for orders will be sooner than last: Monday, December 30th.