Alikhstan

Alikhstan is a fictional country that was first introduced in the Spring of 2007 on the European Union Forums, and is a corrupt, decaying islamic caliphate riven by factional strife between a growing communist resistance, a powerful but crumbling islamic nationalist bloc, a rising liberal democratic faction and several other minor warring groups. Whoever wins, the West is almost certain to lose.

Alikhstan is the latest incarnation of a long and glorious Empire of Alikhi who have ruled over this region of the world on and off for over 3000 years. Spanning Persia, Anatolia, the Levant and bordering the Black Sea, the Bosphorus and the Caspian, The Alikhi are a vast mix of tribal ethnicities, united by their devotion to Religion, and are proud of their strong united culture, its ability to adapt to economic changes, and its frequent domination of its neighbours by vast millitary might, often made up of brave, if poorly equipped, soldiers of the religio-political dynasty currently in power.

Currently, the Caliphs and Emperors of all Islam(in name, if not, currently, fact) are the Jafarhim, led by Nasreddin Pasha am-Sahin, also known as the "Shield of Mohammed", as he seeks to defend the greater muslim brotherhood, and, perhaps dangerously, attempts to reconcile the various sects of Islam with each other, and also, even more dangerously, with that of Zoroastrianism and other antecedents. However, he maintains popularity by his hardline anti-west stance, selling oil at inflated prices and often challenging the primacy of Christianity, and making deeply offensive remarks about Judaism and the "mortal enemy" Zionism, often associating Jerusalem as the Whore, Babylon, amongst other things.

The Army of Alikhstan will be put into greater detail for later, but currently the five branches of the Armed Forces- Army, Air Force, Navy, Immortals and Muhjihadeen are largely made up of poorly trained, poorly equipped conscripts and religious fanatics, armed with third-rate soviet equipment, such as AK-47s, T-55s, etc.

ARMED FORCES

The Armed Forces of Alikhstan have been in decline since the end of the disastrous 1979 War against its western neighbours, across the Bosphorous Straits. All briefly courting the USSR in the early 90s in order to accquire badly needed replacement equipment and armaments, for the most part, the Alikhi Armed Forces are more or less equipped in much the same manner as the USSR was in the late 70s, subject of course to the wear and tear of nearly four decades of neglect. The Armed Forces are organized in a complicated and potentially divisive hierarchy, which the Caliph is largely unable and unwilling to reform. The Armies are divided into three rough groups, known as the Mujihadeen or Army of the Jihad, The Immortal Guard, and the National Alikhi Army, which is made of brigades and divisions funded and provisioned by regional Satraps and Corporate Factors representing wider financial interests.

MUHJIHADEEN

The Mujihadeen is one of the largest bodies, and is funded, trained and directed by the Council of Imams, who determine correct religious policy throughout Alikhstan, and direct the Army of the Jihad to enforce it. Made up of fanatics, thugs and blatant criminals, the Army of the Jihad serves both as a ragtag private army for the defence of the Imams Estates, Mosques and Religious Schools, but also as a Secret Police charged with enforcing strict obedience to Shariah Law and to the will of the Caliph and his Imams.

IMMORTAL GUARD

The Immortal Guard are a small but elite body of professional soldiers trained and equipped by the National Treasury, and sworn to defend the Caliph and obey his orders untill death. Many prefer to buy their equipment from abroad however, and as such they are influential customers for many western armsdealers. The Caliph cares little what they do in their spare time, but the Immortals maintain a strong code of professional pride and ruthless efficency, and they are able and willing to undertake the most impossible missions at the will of their leader, should he so instruct them.

ARMY OF ALIKH

Roughly equal to the Mujihadeen in size and standing, the Army of Alikh is funded jointly by the regional Satraps and Corporate investors, creating an ecletic and ragtag mix of draftees, Millita and corporate mercenaries. The Army of Alikh is charged with the defence of the Homeland and also representing the Caliph's interests abroad. However, many of the Brigades and Companies of the Army of Alikh are loyal more to the coin of their respective patrons, be they Satrap or CEO, and as such it is only in times of mutual emergency or interest, such as the 1979 War, that the Army of Alikh is ever brought into a cohesive command structure and co-operation with the other two branches.

ALIKH NAVY

Even worse provisioned than the Army of Alikh and the Mujihadeen, the Alikhi Navy has not had capital ships since World War One, and not had any cruisers since 1979. Made up of scavengers, smugglers, borderline pirates and criminals, the Alikh Navy extorts outrageous tariffs from local merchants and sailors in exchange for "protection", money which only rarely goes towards the maintenace of the rusting gunboats, destroyers and few frigates that the Alikhi Navy posesses. Although its Admiralty are nobles appointed by the Caliph, and has had a glorious maritime tradition stretching back to the 15th Century, the Alikhi Navy is seen as a joke amongst the Court of the Caliph, and appointments to the Admiralty are regarded as a mediocre career path at best.

ALIKHI AIR FORCE

The worst of the five millitary bodies, the Alikhi Air Force preformed suprisingly well in the 1979 War, managing to discourage air-raids into Alikhi airspace, but failing utterly to provide aircover for the naval and land invasion forces. Heavily reliant on civillian contracts and the good will of the Caliph for continued maintenace of their hideously out of date fighters and rusting transport planes, the Alikhi Air Force does little more than preform provactive manuevers and fly at civillian air shows, although signs of a resurgance of popularity and interest have begun to appear, and the AAF may be the first of the bodies to recieve any sort of overhaul in well over fourty years.

GOVERNMENT

The Court of the Caliph is the primary core government structure, and is made up of over a dozen competing ministries, funded by the National Treasury, which the Caliph has complete control over. The Treasury is the most coveted appointment amongst civil servants and quangos, and is responsible for the accquistion of funds and their dissemnation throughout the State, as directed by the Caliph and his chosen representatives. Foremost amongst these is the Vizier, who is appointed once every seven years from amongst the heads of the other competing departments and other rising stars within the administrative and financial arms of the Government. The Vizier may not hold office for more than three terms, and their appointment rests largely on public opinion and assessment by advisors close to the Caliph. The Vizier acts as the secular representative of the Caliph, and often directs fiscal and foreign policy. However, national policy rests firmly in the hands of the department heads and the Satraps, who are "elected" from their regional satrapcies, usually from amongst the wealthy and influential upper-caste citizens, such as Judges, Corporate Executives, and so forth. The Satraps have little say in foreign or national policy, but their influence in regional politics is profound, and by working together the Satraps have almost an equal amount of power as the Caliph. Finally, the Judicial Arm of the Court is almost an independent branch, and although the High Law Lords may be appointed by the Caliph, for the most part the Council of Imams has a profound influence on the running of the Judiciary and the maintenace of Shariah Law. However, secular laws passed by the Caliph must also be given weight, and it is far from uncommon for their to be clashes over the Judicial Branch between the Satraps, Caliphs and Imams.

RELIGION

Religion is strictly observed and enforced in Alikhstan, with the Council of Imams administering the practice of Shariah Law in Judicial and Theological Courts, and administering the day-to-day running of Mosques, Shrines and Theological Schools. The Council of Imams also maintains the Mujahideen, its Secret Police and its Jihadis who go abroad to conduct acts of Imam-financed and backed Terrorism, none of which can be proved of course.

Currently the Council of Imams finds itself loosing power rapidly to the secular "left", and the ageing Caliph seeks to use what remains of his power to challenge the men who seek to keep Alikhstan in the 14th century, and bring the nation forward into the Modern Era. However, a desperate alliance may be formed with the Nationalist Factions within the Armed Forces and the Court of the Caliph, and a full-blown Jihad may be called, in order to challenge the hated west. But in order to do this, a devil's bargain may need to be forged with other, anti-western factions abroad....

HISTORY

More to come, much more!