Gwenstefani
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| Flag of Gwenstefani | |
| Motto: "It's My Life" | |
| Region of Gay | |
| Region | Gay |
|---|---|
| Capital | Galiano |
| Official Language(s) | English |
| Leader | Queen Gwen Stefani |
| Population | c. 5 billion |
| Currency | nodoubt |
| NS Sunset XML | |
Contents
Summary
The Tragic Kingdom of Gwenstefani is a massive, liberal nation which is both economically and militarily powerful, with a population of circa 6 billion. Ruled by the benevolent and fabulous Queen Gwen Stefani, the nation is renowned for, amongst other things, its fashion, warmongering and its leader's outlandish behaviour...
Geography
As can be seen from the maps above, Gwenstefani is located on mainland Gay, Triangle island. Originally occupying only a small territory to the east on the coast of the Capitalist Sea, Gwenstefani has exanded continually westward, now occuping a band across central Gay extending to the Western coast on the Socialist Ocean.
Gwenstefani has a temperate climate, consisting mainly of prairies and forests, with mountain ranges running along the southern borders. However, the eastern coast enjoys a much hotter and sunnier climate compared to the cooler, wetter regions of the west.
The capital city of Gwenstefani, Galiano, also the seat of government, is located on the eastern coast on the eponymously named Galiano Peninsula. Gwenstefani is largely an urban society, with over 80% of the population living in large urban areas.
Political History
Gwenstefani is an influential political actor at both the regional and global level. On 8 November 2006, Gwenstefani was elected Regional Delegate of Gay, and has previously held a seat on the Regional Council of Gay.
The United Nations
At the international level, Gwenstefani is active within the United Nations, and has had two proposals taken to the UN vote, and passed as resolutions: Humanitarian Intervention and the Computer Crimes Act. The former caused a great deal of controversy due to its elevation of individual rights over the sovereign rights of the state, and many feared that this new legislation may be abused by nations using humanitarian ideals to mask more self-serving motives.
Military Intervention in Kilmarjo
These fears were particularly prevalent in Gay when, not long after the legislation was adopted, Gwenstefani launched a humanitarian military intervention in neighbouring Kilmarjo following its collapse into anarchy and accusations of ethnic cleansing.
Following regional criticism, Gwenstefani eventually withdrew, but not before setting up local elections and a referendum on whether to become a Republic of Greater Gwenstefani. The outcome was seen by many as dubious, but after the Reordering of Gay, Gwenstefani's borders had been extended to incorporate the former territories of Kilmarjo, which today can be found on the north eastern coast of Gwenstefani.
Gwenstefani-Citta Nuovan tensions
More recently, Gwenstefani has again been the cause of regional instability after its monarch, Queen Gwen Stefani, disappeared for several months, only to suddenly reappear in several other Gay states to commit acts of violent and disturbing terrorism. The most severe case occurred in Citta nuova, involving the use of portable nuclear devices, leading the Citta Nuovan government to arrest all Gwenstefanian diplomatic officials, and the detainment (and eventual expulsion) of all Gwenstefanian nationals. These actions led to an alarming escalation of hostilities between the two nations, war being averted only when at the last minute it was revealed that it had not, in fact, been Queen Gwen who committed the terrorist acts but a doppelganger, the origins of whom are still under investigation. Relations between Gwenstefani and Citta Nuova remain strained, and the issue of refused reparations is unlikely to be forgotten soon.
Despite this chequered history, Gwenstefani contributes greatly to regional security. It's military forces are one of the largest in the region, with over a third of its all-consuming economy devoted to defense. Furthermore, its large nuclear stockpiles act as a powerful deterrent to any nations, both internal and external to the region, who might consider any kind of military action.
Government
The Tragic Kingdom of Gwen Stefani is a constitutional monarchy, and Queen Gwen is the Head of State. However, while still highly influential, Gwen's rule is not absolute, and Gwenstefani has a democratically elected government.
The Royal Family
HRH Queen Gwen Stefani
Gwen Stefani had always craved fame, fortune and adulation. Having achieved international recognition with her band, No Doubt, she soon went on to have a successful solo career, amassing a large fan base of several million. Still feeling unsatisfied, Gwen realised that she could take her fans to the next level.
Following the release of her next single, "Bow down and worship me as your Queen", her fan base did just that, and swiftly amassed and seceded, forming their own nation, and appointing Gwen, now Queen Gwen, as their head of state. (This fact is often pointed to when political commmentators question the legitimacy of Queen Gwen's leadership, or criticise Gwenstefani's democratic process. Queen Gwen was originally a democratically elected monarch.)
Queen Gwen still enjoys a successful career in music, and often combines her diplomatic tours with her musical ones.
In recent news, Queen Gwen disappeared for several months leading many to fear the worst, and question the future of their nation. Worse was yet to come, as on her reappearance in several other Gay nations, Queen Gwen was accused of committing acts of terrorism. It later transpired that Queen Gwen had been kidnapped and held captive on the Southern Paridad Island, whilst a clone or doppelganger (it remains unclear) committed the atrocities. Queen Gwen was later returned to her homeland, apparently unharmed.
Prince Kingston
Prince Kingston James McGregor Stefani I is Queen Gwen's only son, and is second in line to the throne. This is somewhat meaningless, however, as Queen Gwen is immortal, but if for whatever reason she is incapable of performing her duties, the throne would temporarily pass to him.
For example, during Queen Gwen's prolonged disappearance earlier this year, the duties of the Head of State would normally pass to the second in line. However, given that at at the time Prince Kingston was less than 1 year old, this did not happen.
Government Officials of Note
The Gwenstefanian government is a meritocracy- positions of power are granted to those most qualified for the role and are not elected positions. This, combined with a general dislike of bureacracy means that a disproportionate amount of power is held by relatively few individuals. The following are some of the most influential Gwenstefanian citizens holding governmental positions.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs
The daughter of Kilmarjan refugees who fled to Gwenstefani during the Kilmarjan Revolution, Hara Juku's diplomatic career began in the Kilmarjan Relations Office. She quickly progressed through the ranks of the Diplomatic Service, and reached the pinnacle of her career when appointed as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, and personal advisor to Queen Gwen.
As Secretary of Foreign Affairs, Hara Juku's role lies mainly in diplomacy and international issues. She is usually the representative of Gwenstefani at any international conference or diplomatic exchange, and is also responsible for developing foreign policy, national PR, and liaising with the Department of Defence.
Highlights of her political career include the negotiation of the Torvaldian Pact (a territorial agreement); her handling of the allegations of terrorist activity against Queen Gwen and subsequent coordination of the investigation; and her involvement in Gwenstefani's actions during the Kilmarjan crisis.
The controversial nature of the Kilmarjan crisis escalated to such an extent that Hara was kidnapped while performing diplomatic duties on Enclave Island. She was returned unharmed at a later date, though the identities of the kidnappers remain unknown.
While highly personable and diplomatic, Hara is also renowned as an astute negotiator and political thinker, as well as for her partiality for lewdly named cocktails.
Defence Secretary
Major Max Puissant was promoted to Defence Secretary after becoming Gwenstefani's highest ranking and most decorated military officer.
At 6'7", with a bodybuilder's physique, Major Puissant is a formidable presence and many find him intimidating. He has a reputation for being extremely hawkish and trigger happy, and must often be restrained by other government departments, such as the Department of Foreign Affairs. Consequently, he has helped build up and train a massive and powerful army, as well as a state of the art airforce. He is also personally responsible for Gwenstefani's stockpiling of a huge nuclear arsenal.
Clandestinely, he has negotiated a series of agreements and alliances with other nations, which of course can not be divulged here.
Economy
All statistics correct as at 9 January 2006
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Gwenstefani's economy is extremely strong and all-consuming. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Arms Manufacturing and Uranium Mining industries, with the retail sector being a vital and lucrative part of Gwenstefanian life. The fashion and music industries are huge, receiving many government subsidies, just one example of Queen Gwen's influence on government policy.
The government is very pro-commerce in its policies, and actively encourages businesses and development, offen to the detriment of the environment and those who would oppose it.
Gwenstefani is internationally renowned for its "discreet" arms trading, and places very few, if any, regulations on this industry. As such, many of its clients are less than reputable.
The nodoubt is a very strong currency, consistenly one of the top ten strongest in the region.
Budget
The government of Gwenstefani is mainly concerned with Defence, although Healthcare and Education are secondary priorities.
History
The Scilicet Empire
It is not known for sure when the area now known as Gwenstefani was first inhabited. Its written history, however, can be traced as far back as the early 12th century, when several dozen small clans spanning much of Central Eastern Gay signed an agreement to unite and form the Scilicet Empire. The Stefani clan was just one such clan, who originally inhabited the area of the Galiano Peninsula in north eastern Gwenstefani. Other notable clans included the Wyysters, the Kumars, and the Kilmarjans.
The Scilicet government consisted primarily of the House of Representatives- each clan having one representative and one vote. This newfound cooperation between the previously dispersed and separate, and often conflicting peoples of the area allowed for a new era of development- economically, scientifically and politically.
The Scilicet Empire grew rapidly in both wealth and geography, giving rise to a new feudal system. As the population increased, the old clan system was gradually replaced by the rise of powerful political families (Houses), who eventually were able to disband the House of Representatives and its voting system in favour of an oligarchic system headed by the oldest and most influential families- votes were now allocated in proportion to population, territory and wealth. As some Houses had become significantly more powerful than other, many smaller Houses were forced to either merge and combine forces to combat these rising powers, or alternatively ally with one of these larger families themselves. The Stefani family became a particularly prominent House owing to the Empire’s largest port falling under their jurisdiction: Galiano Port allowed access to foreign markets and the Scilicet Empire’s overseas colonies. It is estimated that at the peak of the Empire, almost 70% of the Scilicet Empire’s foreign trade passed through Galiano Port.
Gwenstefanian Independence
The Scilicet Empire continued to prosper for several centuries. However, by the late 15th Century, tensions had begun to manifest between several of the main factions which had formed after many years of alliances and mergers between the ruling classes. These rifts were beginning to develop largely due to growing sentiments that the political systems was unjust, and growing inequality- both between the more and less successful families, and between the ruling and working classes. The differences were especially evident between the wealthy central regions of the empire, which were perceived to be ruling the empire, and the outlying regions, who felt ignored and neglected.
The tensions between the ruling families were exacerbated by the pressure put on them by the working classes over which they ruled. In the central regions the working classes were fairly content as the benefits of the vast wealth which was being accumulated could be observed by the poor- the building of hospitals, schools, etc improved their quality of life. However, the outer lying regions were either less affluent or more prone to corruption. The taxes they paid to the Empire were rarely reinvested anywhere outside the Centre. Or so their leaders would say, as they pocketed their cuts and left their people with nothing.
The beginning of the 16th Century was met with widespread rioting, and the government was becoming increasingly ineffective as rival factions could no longer agree on even the simplest of issues. Civil war appeared imminent. Instead, talks on the division of the Empire soon ensued, and the End of Empire Act was eventually signed on 3 October 1509, splitting the Empire in four. The newly founded Gwenstefani was by far the largest of the new states, incorporating most of the central and southern territories. This result was controversial- several large, but less influential, families were still active in this area, but ultimately their lack of political sway left them powerless to affect the outcome, especially as they did not have the popular support of the serfs under them, who envied the wealthier eastern regions. Wyysteria was allotted the most northern territories, as well as a large colony on Bear Paw Island. All other overseas colonies were granted independence, and most immediately cut off any ties with their former Imperialists.
The final state to be created was Kilmarjo, nestled between Gwenstefani and Wyysteria on the eastern coast. This was originally intended to become part of Greater Gwenstefani, as no ruling class large enough ehad previously existed. However, a last minute alliance between the Kilmarjo and Kuma families allowed them their own state. The two peoples had an almost symbionic relationship- the Kilmarjans were a populous nation with a large territory, however, the mountainous environs had resulted in a lack of economic development, and consequently were somewhat poor. The Kumars, on the other hand, owned most of the industry that did exist in the area, and had the wealth to develop the rest of the region. On their own, however, they owned very little land. This was to prove an uneasy alliance however, as their relationship appeared to echo that of the preceding Empire. The Kumars were deemed to dominate as a wealthy ruling class, as even the Kilmarjan leaders were struggling financially at the time.
The division of the Empire effectively ended the feudal system in the former Scilicet republics- the leading families were now in absolute power, and had established themselves as monarchs. Although lesser noble families still existed, they were not granted political power, either through fear of future uprisings or attempts at the throne, or through the monarch’s good intentions in restoring power to the people.
Kilmarjan Intervention
Despite the shaky start, the alliance between the Kumars and the Kilmarjans formed a stable state which would prosper over the next few centuries. It was not until the 19th century that ethnic tensions would once again rear its ugly head. By the end of the 19th century, the Kumars had enjoyed a virtual monopoly over all government and private industry in the country. Although they accounted for only 20% of the population, they held over 80% of the wealth. By contrast, Kilmarjans in many areas of the country were living in abject poverty. Many questioned whether the country had ever truly left the feudal system behind, especially as the government seemed powerless (or unwilling) to change the situation since the written constitution required 50% membership for each faction.
The situation continued to worsen, and Kilmarjan rebellions increased in scale and severity. The next fifty years saw increased violence as riots often destroyed buildings, often by burning Kumar estates or government buildings to the ground. The Kumars, often through the largely corrupt and Kumar funded police and army forces, would retaliate brutally to any form of protest, in an attempt to squash the reistance, a tactic which would prove unsuccessful. In 1969, the largest scale rebellion to date took place, later to become known as the Kilmarjan Revolution. The government fell, and the country descended into anarchy, sparking a refugee crisis as millions attempted to flee to neighbouring countries.
The Wyysterian government soon closed its borders, resulting in the majority of refugees ending up in Gwenstefani. Although able to provide emergency refugee camps for the majority, Gwenstefanian forces were soon overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people involved, and eventually led a humanitarian military intervention in the Kilmarjan capital to regain control. Having first put an end to the anarchy at reign, Gwenstefanian forces quickly worked to help rebuild infrastructure and government to the point that Kilmarjo would be able to elect a new government. An interim government was hastily assembled and although the fledgling government seems as of yet incapable of running the country, the regional outcry at and condemnation of Gwenstefani’s actions in Kilmarjo forced Gwenstefanian troops to be withdrawn, not least because the promised gift of territory from the Gay Regional Council as a reward for Gwenstefani’s recent UN successes were threatened should Gwenstefani fail to comply.
Unsurprisingly, the new Kilmarjan government failed to control the still hostile populace and the state fell once more into anarchy only one month since the government had been installed. Gwenstefani organised a referendum for the kilmarjan people to choose the future of their country, whether to remain as one country, to be divided into independent Kilmarjan or Kumar territories, or to become part of Gwenstefani. The majority voted for the latter. Any dissent soon dissipated when work began almost immediately to rebuild and modernise the devastated area, and large sums were invested in the development of its economy.
Religion
Gwenstefani is an avowedly atheist, secular state. While freedom of religion is granted to all citizens, very few Gwenstefanians exercise this right. No government funding is allocated to spirituality, and religious organisations are expected to pay tax like any other business.
Culture
Under Queen Gwen's influence, the Tragic Kingdom of Gwenstefani is a haven for artists of all kind, and music and fashion especially permeate every citizen's life.
Please see below for a history of Gwenstefanian fashion, as modelled by Queen Gwen:
