Revision as of 13:54, 16 February 2006

Arov

ܞΛμσνܞ Љοςìßчєܨܢܽ [Arov-Yosivein, Askarian Arovian (Arovian Major): The State of Arov]

The Allied States of Arov is an active nation within the Global Right Alliance. Geographically, the nation occupies a rather large land mass consisting of mostly grassland and cold desert. However, there is a large mountain range and a river (flowing from the mountains) to the east, as well as a many underground reservoirs, upon which is built the capital, Amehein (Askarian Arovian: Λܡєқܨܢܽ). To the west, the 3,000 miles of coastline is dotted with harbors and is the home of two large maritime cities.

History

A.R.O.V.I.: The Golden Days

The Allied States of Arov began as an agricultural social experiment and trade enterprise by the political scientist and businessman Kusru Ioannes Henry, who invested his many billions of dollars into an experiment in Anarcho-Socialism which he called A.R.O.V.I. (Adaptability in Residential Omnitude and Vested Interest). His idea was that the best government would be run by a corporation whose trade interests would make it unwise to crack down on the population it rules (its work-force), guaranteeing safety and rights, so long as weapons were held by the state to prevent land squabbles among the citizens, foreign corporations traded with the nation via the ruling corporation, and the ruling corporation did not try to sell its own goods to the population. Finding many citizens in the nationstates world who would participate in such a radical endeavor, the colony blossomed and was governed from the totally state-run city that was dubbed Gan-Jawa(garden of happiness), in the Aramaic that was encouraged in the city (Kusru Ioannes Henry saw Aramaic as the ideal language since it was, in his view, the language that jumpstarted civilization).

Farmers settled the fertile land and grew their crops with the help of some immigrants, and in return for shipping their crops to be exported, they recieved a free pension in more crops (foreign-grown this time, as AgriCorp traded mostly with poor agrarian nations) to plant the next harvest, and a small check that was proportional to every amount of grain exported. Goods and services were accessed via these non-monetary checks, and they were 100%imported as part of varying trade agreements. AgriCorp became incredibly wealthy and large, and the population, so long as it remained small, was entitled to all of AgriCorp's benefits. New recruits for the project constantly moved in from all corners of the world as interns, farmers, accountants, doctors, and many other fields. Despite some fluctuations in the amount of goods and services available, the lack of adequate services for the chronically sick and the elderly among the farmers and planters (winters were dreadful), the high risk of crime and invasion (AgriCorp kept invaders back with trade deals), supression of trade opportunities under threat of losing crop income, and an educational system that was an international pariah (foreign immigrants who came to work for AgriCorp were the most educated in the nation, and were paid in money rather than grain), A.R.O.V.I. fended relatively well for a radical social experiment compared to others in their early years.

The Era of Borkhal

Sargon Ioannes Henry died after a long thirty two years of manning A.R.O.V.I. and AgriCorp. His successor, Yalish Borkhal, redirected AgriCorp's profits to favor more aspects of the bureaucracy than others, cutting jobs and services so as to enrich himself. He then rehired some of those who were fired from AgriCorp into a trans-national army, so he could militarily enforce trade deals and keep the population in line. Now, AgriCorp could start supressing human rights, and it did with a boulder-like force, cracking down on immigrant workers who had earned enough to own land as well as political dissenters. Industry, however, was diversified, and the economy became a money-based one. Services to the sick and elderly increased (to an almost microscopic extent, however), and cities sprung up rapidly. Education was essentially the three r's and political indoctrination, though much better than before. Despite all this, everyone lived in fear.

A.R.O.V.I. simply became Arov (which Bible scholars pointed out was the Biblical Hebrew name for the Plague of Darkness as a way of saying that God was punishing Arov for people's sins), and AgriCorp became "The Unified and Purposeful Government of Arov."

Economically, Arov became one of the world's most competitive nations due to its cheap labor based on indenture, and its famous book-publishing industry. Laborers from all over the world fled into Arov's borders to find work when their countries' economies collapsed (Arov's strategy was still based on poorer nations, and this overwhelemed them).

Borkhal then began a campaign to eliminate the flow of immigrants into Arov by attacking their nations by force. Borkhal invaded the nation of Golhod on August 11, 1974 (RL August 11, 2005), and Arovian flamethrower divisions marched through the capital Amehein on August 15 after a bloody fight that cost the lives of 300,000 on both sides. Golhod was annexed one month later, but rebels led by ousted leader Andrzej Nur-dizhal took back the eastern half of the country but never made it to the capital (Golhod would later merge with neighboring Golguz to protect its military interests). Amehein was annexed on June 16, 1983 and became Arov's new capital city to protect against dissent and uprising in the area. In the meantime, immigrants from various backrounds poured into Golhod's pourous borders before the Arovian "Unity" Guard sealed off the border with bayonets and watchtowers armed with anti-aircraft guns.

The Rise of Communism

The works of Karl Marx were already well-established in the literary and academic world of Arov by the time Borkhal had come into power. A radical interpretation of Marx's principles had been used as the basis of A.R.O.V.I., and the first generation of Arovians themselves had a strong familiarity with Marxist dogma beforehand, as one needed it to become a member of the bizarre social experiment they took part in. Under Borkhal, however, Marxism faced a barrage of criticism that spread first from the ruling elite, and then down to the population itself. Eventually, Marx's works were banned and the only people who read them were the illegal immigrants from Communist countries who entered Arov to find work in the fields as indentured servants when their countries' economies collapsed. Indenture was a strong part of the labor economy under Borkhal, for it sped up urbanization and brought down the price of goods, perhaps the reason why the surrounding Communist economies collapsed.

As soon as these immigrants numbered around three million, Marxist revolutionary gangs began springing up in the urban areas due to high unemployment. These gangs behaved like the Mafia only the excess was split among themselves in a Marxist fashion. Trading drugs, weapons, and prostitutes, these Marxist gangs often took control of local justice and fought among themselves for supremacy to the point where gunshots could be heard almost every night. Yet, the gangs served as a beacon of hope for the many Arovians who were impoverished, and crime skyrocketed.

Mikhail Gorokhov was the grandson of Russian immigrants who had come to work for AgriCorp in Arov's early days. Mikhail and his family, however, emigrated back to Moscow when he was age three, so he could be properly educated and escape from Borkhal's regime. Mikhail was a star student throughout his education and became a professor of Sociology and Political Science at Moscow University. Throughout his life, however, he had an incredible fascination with Arov and the way it was under AgriCorp, so he decided to return there at age thirty-two. Upon arriving, he was accused of being a spy and beaten until he was paralyzed from his waist down. When the Russian government inquired, Mikhail was placed in a wheelchair and returned home. What followed was Arov's first economic depression due to a massive trade embargo. Poverty hit one third of the population, and there was talk of Revolution. The aforesaid Marxist gangs grew larger, and began to work in more honest means, using the money they got from selling drugs to government officials to help the poor. Mikhail Gorokhov, from his wheelchair back in Russia, urged the gangs on and funneled them money until he entered Arov a second time just when Revolution was about to break and the government could do nothing.

He organized the gangs into a cohesive Revolutionary force with himself as its head, abolished the illegal trade of drugs, weapons, and prostitutes as income, and hired Eduardo Lapaz, a low ranking gang member, to the position of Secretariat of War. Using an intricate plan, the Revolutionary Council of Arov managed to bribe Borkhal's mistress (he had many lovers despite being married) into placing a sugar cube laced with arsenic into her paramour's tea. In the chaos that ensued upon Borkhal's death by poisoning a few hours later, Revolutionaries armed with rifles marched through the capital city and took over the government in an almost bloodless fight. The Government called itself the Second Order of Arov and conditions improved for many Arovians in the following years.

Civil War

Twenty-five years after the Revolution, and a very large scandal involving the imprisonment of dissenting author Boris Mikhailyevich, tensions arose as to whether to return to capitalism. Nations were no longer trading with Arov and the economy was ready to collapse (Arov adopted Trotskyism which involved not trading with capitalist nations; the only reason Arov stayed afloat was due to the many social programs put in place by the government). Azlan Marikazin, the Minister for the Promotion and Teaching of Marxism after the death of the first Minister, Li Zheng, wondered if the population could be mobilized to produce goods and services on their own with the help of the government's many social programs. Corruption was springing up among local officials, and people were becoming increasingly unhappy. Mikhail Gorokhov, the Supreme Chairman, chided him by saying that capitalism was a bourgeoise affair only. Azlan was imprisoned for five years in the Gorokhov Internment Facility, known for its hard labor and beatings. However, elements among the Labor Councils themselves were beginning to lean towards a more capitalistic worldview. Some members of Parliament were already enriching themselves off of the still prevalent book publishing trade, and whether capitalism should be implemented was a hot topic in Arov's top-of-the-line universities behind closed doors. Soon, this movement saw a figurehead in David Malikasios, a lawyer who backed Azlan in his closed-door proceedings. Challenging the government, he was imprisoned for fifteen years and tortured. Upon release, he found that his house had been destroyed and his family exiled, and he felt that he could lead an underground revolution like Gorokhov had done in the past. He conducted his activities from a farm owned by his third-cousin, allied himself with capitalist nations, borrowed money from foreign governments who supported his cause, and taking in foreign militias who were concerned about the oppression of their countrymen in Arov. The militias later assassinated Eduardo Lapaz (then the Speaker of Parliament), and a ten-year-long civil war was fought. David Malikasios took over a good portion of land, including the Capital, and renamed the area he conquered the "Allied States of Arov," as the land was owned by the allied militias. The Communist government retreated to another part of the original Arov, where it still rules today under Mikhail Gorokhov (nearing his eighties, defying all medical expectations as a parapelegic). A peace settlement was reached. The death toll was over 20,000, mostly civilians, but it had brought about a change that finally guaranteed a sense of freedom to the many who inhabited our nation. Reunification efforts are underway. However, we have signed an agreement that until then, the Allied States of Arov would return any persons who flee from the Second Order to their respective country.

Government

Arov's government is currently marked by the UN as a Corrupt Dictatorship, but it also consists of a bureaucracy whose job is to promote Arov's capitalization. Each department sends representatives to meet in a legislature, and each department recieves government funds to survive. However, Arov's citizens have been given the opportunity to choose where their tax-UGS's go, meaning non-functional entities are demolished, keeping the free market as well as other civilian institutions out of government hands when the people don't want it to be. Arov has adopted a policy that as the national infrastructure improves, elections will be allowed gradually. We have recently implemented local small-scale elections.

Economy

The economy of Arov is based upon the idea of free progress within a free market, but making sure that this is done in a way that larger companies cannot overrun smaller companies and communes (Arov has many left over from Communist rule). The implementation of a free market must be done cautiously since Arov is an ex-Communist state (not counting the Second Order of Arov, which currently resides in the region, Soviet Union).

Currency and Foreign Trade

All domestic industry within Arov trades with UGSPC, or Universal Gold Specie Paper Currency: currency directly backed by the gold specie in the national treasury (represented by the Syriac Aramaic letter ܟ, or kaph, the first letter of the Aramaic word for "money"). Foreign transactions are conducted with government-issued banknotes whose value is proportional to the effect of an enterprise on the entire domestic market (in other words, large businesses have an individual value that is obtained by trading in the domestic market only), not the specie (represented by the Syriac Aramaic letters ܟ'ܚ, or kaph het separated by an apostrophy: the first letters of the words for "money" and "foreign"). This currency is backed by the domestic market value of the UGSPC times the net worth of a company's stock divided by 100.

Use of this system allows for small enterprises who have not the funds to trade out-of-nation to trade among mostly themselves, keeping the value of treasury specie in domestic hands; and making sure that foreign products get filtered down to the majority, providing a greater commodity base for domestic industry (imported products are sold to many small businesses and communes so the value of the corporation that sold them increases, specifically larger ones. However, if there aren't that many larger communes or small businesses at a time, products get distributed (sold) throughout a greater number of smaller domestic enterprises at a cheaper price). The system also makes sure the domestic market isn't directly affected by the foreign one (if the net value of the foreign-trading enterprises goes down, domestic industry and commerce itself will not be affected, and will only become strengthened (less foreign products means more domestic industry and commerce by this system), providing more opportunities for foreign trade). Most importantly, however, this system serves to keep Arov's economy on a balanced track, in which the worth of the individual enterprise and the net worth of the nation are not only interchangeable, but also concur.

Banking

Due to the complex nature of our economic system, banking is handled by the state, but by local government banking agencies who compete with each other. The agencies themselves are only one per town/commune, but are constantly improving themselves so the town doesn't lose its banking system. Should a bank fail, local officials can found a new one, but will inevitable have less of a competitive edge. Banks from other towns may set up outposts outside of their home-town. If one bank should emerge supreme, the central government will be able to oversee it, and the hometown of this bank will become an economic center of Arov, but it would still be in the country's best interests to allow private banking at that point.