No Endorse

No Endorse

Flag of No Endorse
Motto: "Watch the flames burn"
map in progress
Region	Haven
Capital	New Heisen
Official Language(s)	English
Leader	Atal Amner
Population	~5 billion
Currency	Paper
NS Sunset XML

No Endorse is a large, ecologically irresponsible nation located in Northern Haven. It is world renowned for its somewhat unstable leader, Atal Amner, and its love of nuclear warfare.

Politics

Overview

No Endorse is a pseudo-democratic corporate oligarchy beneath an outright dictatorship. It consists of a full fledged democracy at the local level, transitioning up to dictatorship in the Federal Government.

Borough

Political units at the local level are called "Boroughs" and are based around, as the name suggests, communities. A Borough consists of the relevant crossroad, village, town, city, etc, and the surrounding countryside that is directly influenced by the aforementioned community. As such, their borders may gradually change over time, but the basic area remains relatively unchanged over time. Boroughs are the basic building blocks for Provincial Politics.

At the Borough level, there are frequent and relatively fair elections overseen by appointed individuals from the Federal Government. A council of multiple persons will run an area, each specializing in a different aspect of the area. For example, there would be a Councilperson for Energy and Infrastructure, a Councilperson for Industry, a Councilperson for Justice, et cetera. They vote on all matters related to the local government. The Head Councilperson, however, is always appointed by the Federal government, and retains Veto power over votes with less than 60% approval.

Province

Political units at the "state" level are called Provinces. Each Province consists of two or more Boroughs grouped together beneath a single Provincial Government. Political power for each individual Province depends on land area and population, resulting in intense competitions between Provinces for Boroughs. However, Boroughs may ally freely with any Province they wish to, and large Provinces generally fracture under accusations of inability to represent their Boroughs.

At the Province level, the political landscape gets extremely confusing. Some positions are elected, and some have been appointed. Still others alternate depending on the group in power. With the lack of standardization between state governments and the frequent semi-autonomous nature of these states, it is often hard to discern between appointed democracy and elected dictatorship. Additionally, Boroughs on the border between established Provinces often see extremely varied Provincial oversight.

District

The largest political subunit within No Endorse is the "District." There are four districts currently within the Glorious Military Junta: No Endorse, Aerona, Havia, and Muncheria. These have fixed borders and very little political relevance. In recent times, Provinces have been allowed to form across District lines, and many District functions have been transferred to the Federal and Provincial levels. The only District to maintain some semblance of political relevance is the Muncheria Special Administrative District, whose Provinces are extremely weak to compensate. However, as Muncheria is highly autonomous, operating as almost its own Federal Government, it can safely be considered a political outlier.

Federal

The Federal level, however, is extremely simple. The Parliament is fully elected, and has nothing to do with any sort of decision making process within No Endorse. They exist to 'approve' the actions of Atal Amner, and anything less can be fatal. The Executive Cabinet, however, consists of an entirely appointed group. It is charged with advising Atal Amner and then executing his orders. It is interesting to note the extremely high correlation between the CEOs of domestic Mega-corporations and Executive Cabinet members.

The Amners

Sometimes considered to be one of the more mentally damaged leaders in NationStates, Atal Amner began life rather simply. He was born on May 12th, 1976, son of Jonathan Amner (1934-1983) and Miranda (1938-1983) Amner and brother of Gale (1962-2000), Sarah (1964-1995), John (1967-), and Elen (1969-) of Lover's Leap. Solid facts on his childhood are difficult to find, but his parents died in the Four Day's Revolt of 1983. This forced Gale, the eldest and only University graduate, to seek employment under Journalist Mark Thompson, architect for the Glorious Revolution, in 1984. During the next decade, the revolution would slowly build steam until 1994, when it burst in full force across the nation.

After graduating from Lover's Leap Secondary School #668 in 1993, he took a gap year and began an apprenticeship with journalist and political commentator Nathaniel J. White. It is believed that his yearlong apprenticeship with White was the catalyst for his subsequent political viewpoints, especially pertaining to Darwinism. In fall 1994, he attempted to enroll in Vercin Mallor University of Lover's Leap, but the events of the Glorious Revolution forced the University to close in December of that year. He was swept up in the events by his older brothers John and Gale, who were instrumental in organizing the overall strategy of the Glorious Revolution. He was deposited as the Minister of the Interior by then 'Arch Leader' Mark Thompson due to his relation with his brothers John and Gale. Thompson was killed in November of 1995 during a suspicious accident during a military parade, in which a 21 gun salute peppered the Arch-Leader's box with rounds. Sarah Amner, Atal's only sister and best friend, was shot while trying to shield Arch-Leader Thompson, ultimately resulting in her death on December 25th of that year.

In order to prevent the destabilization of the nation, Minister of the Military Gale Amner installed himself as 'Head of State' without an election. His rule was extremely despotic, harkening back to the days of the French Directorate. During this time, Atal became engaged to Violet White, daughter of Nathaniel White, marrying her in June of 1997. In 1999, after four years of the despotic Gale regime, Atal headed a coup to overthrow Gale and install himself as Prime Minister for life. In mid 2000, Gale was convicted for ordering the killings of Sarah and Arch-Leader Thompson, and was executed by firing squad. Over the next several years, Amner solidified his rule, established many pseudo-democratic reforms, and organized an extremely efficient economic sector. In 2004, he helped organize an effective PR campaign that shifted focus away from his brother John, who had been caught in bed with a twenty five year old male diplomatic aide, and has since kept him out of the public eye.

Atal is married to Violet White (1977-) and has four children: Ceinwen (1998-), Gwythyr (2000-), Owen (2001-), and Aerona (2006-). Atal and Violet are also caretakers of Sarah's only child, Elain (1987-). He is currently Prime Minister.

His titles are as follows:
Prime Minister of No Endorse
Arch Leader of the Glorious Military Junta
Senior Director of Muncherian Affairs
High Commander of the Armed Forces
Praetor of the Nuclear Commonwealth
Lord-Protector of New Heisen and Surrounding Lands
King of the Greater No Endorse State
President of the Senate
Duke of Havia
Baron of Aerona
Bearer of the Razor of Ockham
Loyal Advocate of Darwin

Geography

To Be Completed

Ecology

Due to the environmentally irresponsible actions of the Amner regime, much of the nation has been devastated ecologically, with tremendous tracts of land uninhabitable. To Be Completed

History

To be completed

Recent Times

In 1975, a woman by the name of Sabra Chime came to power in the Heisen Bay government. She organized numerous economic and social 'reforms,' driving the nation slowly into economic poverty. The reforms included universal health care and welfare, as well as in excess of 90% tax rate on the upper and middle classes, slowly driving the nation's postwar economy into depression. It was so bad, that by 1980, the bottom had fallen out of the economic sector, with a negative GDP growth rate for several months of the next year.

By 1980, several reform groups began to come to the forefront, including Capitalism Now! and the Coalition to Endorse Freedom. However, none of these groups were able to secure a date for new elections from the Chime government, and were largely ineffective. Finally, on September 27th, 1983, a small revolution swept the nation. Known as the Four Day's Revolt, it was brutally suppressed by the Chime government in areas it could reach. However, some sections of southern Havia, western No Endorse, and northeastern Aerona managed to successfully revolt, creating a large, ungoverned region for some time. Known as Aeravia, it was alternately governed by multiple people and governments until its collapse and conquest by the Chime government in 1989.

To be completed

Economy

Industry

Primary industries are commerce and defense, with manufacturing in a close third. It is often hard to tell the difference between the defense and manufacturing industries because of the formation of super corporations. It is entirely illegal to form a horizontal monopoly (defined as controlling more than 30% of the domestic market) however, vertical monopoly is actively endorsed by the government. Industrial regulation is extremely lax, instead relying on self-policing, especially as it pertains to the environment.

Tourism

Tourism is not one of the major aspects of the No Endorse economy, but the relatively simple (Read: none) customs procedures have created an artificially inflated tourism industry. It is easy to get into No Endorse if you follow the rules, and numerous tourism spots have opened up, mainly along the southern and eastern coasts and in the Tyne district. Additionally, there is a thriving internal tourism industry due to a powerful public rail system, overseen by the Ministry of Defense.

Commerce/Exports

Because of the lax labor and environmental regulations in No Endorse, it is often used as a Flag of Convenience. Its registration fee is slightly higher than some other nations, but the extreme (read: unlimited) flexibility afforded by such a flag generally outweighs the small costs of registering as a No Endorse vessel every year.

Energy

Due to the high levels of coal and uranium deposits in No Endorse, those are the primary power sources in the nation. The oil market is extremely small, and as such, what oil reserves No Endorse has access to exist solely for the export market. Most of its limited oil reserves have been exhausted, and the viability of most of its other reserves has been brought into question[1].

Imports

To Be Completed

ALDA: ABM the No Endorse Way

ALDA, which stands for Andorran plateau Laser Defense Array is the pinnacle of No Endorse military might. Originally simply a single laser defense station in the center of the Andorran Plateau, it has slowly spread to encompass a dizzying array of ABM systems. It has now become a multi-tiered system that has served No Endorse well, deflecting attacks from many nations over the years. It encompasses all aspects of a nuclear attack, from detection to counter attack to elimination, to even emergency response plans in case of impacts.

Detection and Tracking

Obviously, if you don't see it, you can't shoot it. As such, over the years there has been an ever increasing presence of No Endorse surveillance satellites in earth's orbit. It is believed that any ICBM in the world can be located and tracked within five to seven minutes after launch maximum, and many, especially those in locations of interest or in global hot spots, can be identified almost instantly.

The signals from all of these feeds are integrated at three redundant bunkers within No Endorse, each capable of withstanding a nuclear blast. The exact tonnage of the blast it is able to withstand obviously depends on proximity and blast type, but it is speculated that due to the active nuclear testing range above one of the sites, the yield is rather high. These stations track every nuclear warhead's path on NSearth, and from this, determine which might be threats to No Endorse. It is also from these bunkers that all interception and retaliation is organized, though there are many dozens of redundant locations for those.

Retaliation

In the event that a threat is determined to be directed at No Endorse, a retaliatory strike is immediately ordered. The strike is generally overwhelming, with multiple impacts per city for the top ten cities in the nation, as well as nuclear sites, major locations of infrastructure, major military bases, and locations of national importance. The latter include, but are not limited to, landmarks and historical sites. The excessively large number of warheads launched is designed to saturate missile defense nets, with several detonating at high altitude to fill the skies with enough of an electromagnetic cloud to make interception difficult.

Additionally, there will be an all out assault on all satellite based assets, as well as any location remotely related to a space program, of the target nation to eliminate any hope of mustering a reasonable second strike.

Interception Stage 1: Boost Phase

The instant a retaliation order is issued, the Interception systems are activated and cycle to Stage 1. This consists of a priming of all later stages, as well as chemical laser strikes, nuclear strikes, and kinetic strikes (Brilliant Pebbles, but more fun, accurate, and effective) against all targets as they accelerate upwards along their trajectories. Satellites also begin to take evasive maneuvers if necessary, to ensure that they are not eliminated by enemy action and can continue to provide necessary information throughout the duration of the conflict.

Preparation

At the same time as the retaliation, emergency personnel across the nation are activated and civilians are told to report to their local fallout shelters. The emergency personnel are to report to bomb proof staging locations for organization and in order to ensure that the enemy cannot hope to eliminate all emergency response units. At this point, all non-authorized traffic must be by foot. Also, utilities lock down and prepare for impact, above ground reservoirs are drained into below ground holding tanks, power stations shut down and prepare all backup grids, and the sewer lines are blast-cleared in case their use is necessary to get between locations. The entire nation is turned into a bunker, waiting for impact.

On the military end of things, all active naval vessels depart port as rapidly as possible in order to evade possible destruction. Submarines dive within their ports to specially designated locations, ensuring protection against everything but a direct hit. Those crewmen unable to board in time must take refuge with the rest of the armed forces in bomb-proofed bunkers.

Interception Stage 2: Cruise Phase: Over the Horizon

If warheads manage to avoid the Stage 1 Systems, the entire ALDA array activates Stage 2. This consists of space based interceptor systems that are effectively giant claymore mines. Additionally, the original ALDA laser arrays are activated, reflecting their beams off orbiting mirrors, ensuring total global coverage. Other interception methods include orbital nuclear weapons, bomb pumped XASER charges, and other equally entertaining weapons of doom. In the instance that an Orbital Combatant is on station, it will provide all the fire support it can, and will then begin an attack on enemy space assets. All Stage 1 assets remain in action, ready to fend off a secondary salvo, however some in non-useful locations for Stage 1 actions may be re-tasked to attempt to aid with Stages 2 and 3.

Interception Stage 3: Cruise Phase: Cleared the Horizon

Once the Horizon is cleared, the game really begins. Ground based interceptors of all types join the flurry of orbital assets, and ALDA arrays switch to direct fire mode. By this time, many Stage 1 assets from areas that cannot directly participate in Stage 1 will join against the incoming targets, ensuring that the skies are a death-trap for anything not neutral or No Endorse friendly.

Interception Stage 4: Terminal Stage

The final interception stage consists of short ranged low yield nuclear rockets fired from targets of interest. It has been determined the damage potentially caused by a low yield nuclear device blowing a higher yield one to smithereens at high altitude to be an acceptable alternative to a direct hit. Other localized weapons, such as kinetic kill and high explosive rockets are also used, the former being the fastest and arguably some of the most effective. Additionally, if any airborne laser systems are in the area, they fire for effect against the incoming enemy missiles.

Response

As warheads impact, emergency response teams are notified of locations and initial yield estimates. As soon as the initial blasts dissipate, airborne units are mobilized, preparing to transfer massive numbers of emergency response units to the location of a disaster. Satellite Command monitors all outgoing missile traffic and checks to see the effect of the initial volley against enemy positions. At this point, a decision is made whether to stay in and ensure complete demolition, or to push back from the table and call it a day. Needless to say, the former has been chosen in every use of the system.

Ignore List

A bit of OOC in here, because it's unfortunately necessary. I hate having to have one, but this way it's public and in an easy to access place. This list is in honor of those who have somehow managed to get on here.
Allanea

Others will be added as events transpire

Not The Droid You're Looking For?

If you're looking for information pertaining to my FT version: check out the GIoNE Factbook