Skinny87

The Sovereign Nation of Skinny87

Flag of Skinny87
Freedom Is Sacrosanct.
Official Languages	English, Latin, Composite Praetonian.
Capital	Dowland City
King	Alexander I
Colonial Possessions	Hitlerreich, Die Boerstaat, New Dowland
Prime Minister	N/A
Area  - Land  - Water	900,630 km&sup2 1,800 km&sup2
Population  - Total (January 2006)  - Density	2.1 billion 280,90/km²
Foundation	1800, Succession of Yarmouth.
Government Type	Constitutional Monarchy
Nation Type	Kingdom
National Animal	Lesser-Spotted Eagle
GDP (2006)   - Total   - GDP/capita	74 Trillion Dowlands D$D$74,252,755,212,543.61
Currency	1 Dowland (D$) = $1.7696
Time Zone  - in summer	GMT +1 GMT +1
International Abbreviations  - sport  - government	S87 Skinny87
International Power Ranking	12.900 (T-135th)
National Anthem	Bittersweet Symphony, The Verves
Internet TLD	.Ski
Calling Code	+95

The Grand Monarchy of Skinny87 is a large and prosperous nation in Haven and is currently a Kingdom under the Constitutional Monarch, King Alexander I. The country is landlocked to the North and West, and with an open coast to the South and East. It borders the nations of Aldea and Gerfaanlich, as well as sharing a small watermass with Hallad; a number of small islands and landmasses are also part of the nation, known collectively as the Greater Mass. The Grand Monarchy is a centrist nation that leans to the left wing of politics, and has recently been through a devastating civil war.

The nation is one of the larger nations within Haven, primarily due to the large tract of land that the Grand Monarchy took under its control after the demise of the nation of Neo-Soviet Russia and subsequent negotiations with the neighbouring nation of Hallad. Although the land from the former Neo-Soviet Russia is technically part of Skinny87, it is counted only in elections and other governmental duties, and is not part of the main nation; it is more akin to an extremely close colony than anything else.

The climate of Skinny87 is generally mild, with bouts of weather and climate changes that are reminiscent of Britain to all visitors coming into the nation. The north of Skinny87 is generally the colder and less mild part of the country, with an average rainfall of nearly twice that than of the most extreme southern part of Skinny87. The south of the nation has far less rainfall, although it is vulnerable far more to the icy cold winds blowing in from the south of Haven. It is a generally internationalist country, although it is now in a period of semi-isolationism. Skinny87 is also a part of the Woodstock Pact and a close ally of Questers, Praetonia and Sarzonia.

Overview of the Nation

The People and Culture of Skinny87

The population of Skinny87 are racially and culturally diverse; most are descendants of British origin, as well as a minority of German and French descendants who emigrated to the country over hundreds of years. The current population of the country is just over 2.1 Billion, and is steadily increasing in rate after the aftermath of the devestating Civil War. Skinny87 has one of the largest life expectancy ratios in Haven, with citizens often living to see their 100th and even 110th birthdays; the average life expectancy of males is 97 years of age, and that of females 94 years. The fully subsidised health system that operates alongside a small and heavily-regulated privatised system is often quoted as the reason for such high rates of living, as well as the general good health of all citizens of the country.

The culture of Skinny87 and its citizens is often extremely similar to that of many Western countries. The arts, opera and other upper and middle-class ventures thrive in many areas of the country, whilst more mainstream entertainment and cultural options exist alongside them without conflict; there are hundreds of television companies and thousands of channels in Skinny87, and the film and computer industries are two industries that always top the governments list of most rapidly-expanding industries in the country.

The nation and its people are often seen as reserved and semi-formal, especially government officials, law enforcement and military personnel. However, this is a stereotype that many have tried to dispel, often in vain, by showing their true nature as a warm and friendly people that are only reserved at a distance, becoming open when known.

The Economy

The economy of Skinny87 is a mixture of laisse-faire economics combined with key industries, such as the health and educational ones, being subsidised by the usually socialist-leaning government to ensure the populations health and safety. The rest of the free market economy is built around the Defense Industrial Complex and the military, with a defense budget often approaching a third of the national GPD every year. The main non-military industry of Skinny87 is the white-collar Information Technology industry, responsible for many famous computer games, such as Pyramid Attacker and the trillion-copy selling, multi-award winning computer game Pegasus: Attack of the Cute Unicorns and its sequel Pegasus: Cute and Dangerous. However, the dominant industry in Skinny87 is the Defense Industry, led by Republican Incorporated Systems and State Defense Inc. The military, as the average visitor and tourist will attest to, is a fundamental part of the nation, partly due to the past history of Skinny87. The Defense Industries generate hundreds of Trillions of Dowlands every year, and the military receives the largest proportion of funding from the government, usually in the 30-40 percentile range.The major imports and exports of Skinny87 are listed in the table below:

At the moment, with a Lib-Lab majority in Parliament and Alexander I sympathetic to their wishes, the economy has become an international one, withdrawing from the protectionist style that the recent Neo-Conservative government under President Martin instated. Many Lib-Lab members believe that replacing a policy of protectionism and isolationism with a free-market policy, by opening up trade and allowing the Dowland to be floated freely against all other currencies, will allow the economy to grow again after its severe destruction and stagnation during and directly after the Civil War.

Geography

The geography of Skinny87 is varied and differs vastly from coast to coast. The northern areas of the country are quite far from any large bodies of water, and are far more hilly and mountainous than the rest of the country. Large forests dominate much of the northern areas, including The Great Range, a belt of forests that stretch acros much of the country from north to south. The southern part of the country is far more flat and has very few hills or mountainous areas; it is also home to several large lakes that form near to the coastline and form part of the Myrhnee River that snakes slowly through Dowland City.

Politics and Government

The laws and politics of Skinny87 are very much that of Britain, with a few political changes that have occured throughout the history of the nation, especially since the end of the Civil War and the beginning of the Monarchy. Before the Civil War, the system in Skinny87 was that of a liberal democracy. A President was elected one every five years in a General Election, and there were By-Elections in the country every two years to ensure a balance in government. Below the President came Parliament, acting in much the same way as the Prime Minister and Parliament do of ancient Britain, creating a system of checks and balances between the two powers. However, with the end of the Civil War and the abuse of the Presidential System, the system was scrapped and replaced by a Constitutional Monarchy, one that reigns over the country and essentially acts as President, but is advised by Parliament far more thoroughly than before. Parliament also has the power of veto over the Monarch. At any time, Parliament may vote on dethroning the Monarch; if more than 50% of those present agree, the King will be arrested by the Parliamentarian Security Council and be replaced by either another Monarch or a Parliamentarian Candidate; ultimately the decision will be put to the public in a General Vote of Confidence, to decide as to whether to keep the dethroned Monarch, the new Monarch or the Parliamentarian Candidate.

Constitutional Form

All legal and political power is invested in both Parliament and the Monarch. The Monarch acts as Head of State and Head of Government, and is advised by a ten-member Cabinet, each member being the Minister of each major State Department. The Cabinet advises the Monarch but cannot take any direct actions; only the Monarch may pass laws and make executive decisions. The Monarch may also appoint government Ministers and other officials in the government.

To act as a system of checks and balances to the power of the Monarch, the power of Parliament is much increased. Divided into the House of Lords and House of Commons, the two Houses will assess each bill and decision that the Monarch makes and ultimately decide whether or not they shall be passed, denied or sent back for editing; the usual political wrangling and deal-making occurs here, as per any government. The Monarch may make suggestions and advise Members of Parliament and the Parliament as a whole what he wishes to accomplish in each act, and can use influence, but ultimately Parliament can veto any decision the Monach makes.

Courts are completely independent law-making bodies, and cannot be influenced officially by either Parliament or the Monarch. As with the Praetonian style of government, there is no written or official State Constitution, so bias is often eliminated in official decisions of the court.

Electoral System

There are three election-types in the Skinnian political system, although only two are used ordinarily. The first is the General Election, held every five years. This election allows every vote-worthy citizen, this being anyone who is in a fit state of mental mind or is not currently incarcerated in the justice system, to cast a single vote for their desired Member of Parliament, or MP. This style of election thus favours a First-past-the-Post system of government, allowing for two or three main political parties and a small number of minority parties to be present. Elections may called at any time, although the four to five year gap is the usual period.

County or By-Elections are held every two years without deviation. It is in these smaller elections that each vote-worthy individual may cast a single vote for their desired Council-Member, Mayoral Candidate and sundry other minor political positions, as well of course as their local Member of Parliament. All of these positions, with the exception of the Member of Parliament, hold very litle political power and are more for show than ahy real power or social use.

The third election type is the General Vote of Confidence, held whenever Parliament demands it. In this election, Parliament will dethrone the Monarch and release the reason publically. Parliament will release a statement with the reasons for the dethronement, and the dethroned Monarch will release a similar statement listing reasons why they should stay. The ublic will then decide as to whether to keep the dethroned Monarch, the new Monarch or the Parliamentarian Candidate.

Political Landscape

The current political landscape is dominated by two major parties, the Neo-Conservative Party and the Lib-Lab Coalition. At the moment the more socialist-leaning Lib-Lab Coalition is in power and has a large majority in both Houses of Parliament; the Neo-Conservative Party is slowly growing in power, having been heavily associated with President Xavier Martin and have been accused of supporting a Civil War, even though all MPs were arrested at the beginning of the conflict.

Several minority parties exist at the fringes of the major political spectrum. The Isolationism Now! Party is leading a close third behind the two major parties, having gained considerable power after the end of the Civil War. The party is closely followed in the ratings by the Peace and Prosperity party. All of the minor parties were formed at the end of the Civil War and represent the often divided state that the country suffers from even now, decades after the end of the bloody confict.

Political Parties

The Military

The armed forces of Skinny87 are divided into five seperate and equally important groups. The Royal Army, the Royal Navy, the Royal Marines, the Royal Air Force and finally the Royal Space Force. All five groups act interdependantly within the military hierarchy, and complete and utter coordination and effiency are trademarks that the Royal forces are proud to have, whether as a Republican military or as a Royalist one.

The Royal Army

Since the end of the Civil War and the triumph of the Parliamentarian forces, the armed forces of Skinny87 have been renamed, adding the Royal prefix to show the change to a Constitutional Monarchy instead of a Republic. However the core essentials of the Army remain unchanged, as is the case with all arms of the military. The current number of personnel in the Royal Army is roughly 7 Million, of which 2 Million are Reservists. Troops in the Royal Army use the latest weapons and vehicles, including the ARC-4A1 Infantry Rifle and the Champion MBT. The Royal Army is the largest arm of the armed forces of Skinny87, and is one of the proudest branches. It was the first branch of the military to support the Parliamentarian forces in the Civil War, and took most of the losses during the bloody conflict. The Special Forces of the RA are some of the best troops in the Skinny87 armed forces, and are deployed in the 95th Special Operations Regiment.

The Royal Navy

The Royal Navy is historically one of the weaker branches of the armed forces, used more for transportation and convoy guarding duties than actual battle. The reason for this has never been fully explained, although many historians theorise that it is because Skinny87 has never seen any large naval battles, nor needed any particular naval protection in Haven. Consisting of around five to six hundred vessels, the Royal Navy has around 3 million active personnel, and is armed with the latest Questerian, Praetonian and Sarzonian vessels and arms. The recent purchase of five Superdreadnoughts from Questers has significantly bolstered the firepower of the RN.

The Royal Marines

A small but powerful part of the armed forces, the Royal Marines are akin to the US Marine Corp in their actions and have around 1 million personnel . They generally have better equipment and training than the average trooper in the Royal Army, and are trained to be rapidly deployed to military or humanitarian situations around the globe. The government often uses them as a rapid strike force, mobilising Rapid Reaction Forces stationed onboard RN Carriers or in military bases in foreign countries. The RM have been in several notable conflicts, including the Czardian Conflict and the defense of Tyriandor.

The Royal Air Force

The smallest and perhaps weakest branch of the armed forces, the Royal Air Force has an estimated 3 million active personnel in its ranks. Funding has often been limited to the RAF compared to other branches, although this is in the process of being rectified.

The Royal Space Force

The Royal Space Force, the renamed Republican Space Force, is the newest arm of the military of Skinny87. Developed under the personal tutelage of President Xavier Martin and his protege, Major-General Warner, the RSF was designed to give Skinny87 a powerful presence in the 'Fourth Dimension of Warfare', space. Beginning with the creation of the Republicana-Class Space Interception Vehicle as a crude prototype for exploration of the space around Terra, the RSF has rapidly expanded, encompassing many new designs to strengthen its flexibility, such as the Wellington-Class Battleship and the Rorke's Drift-Class Fighter. The current number of personnel in the RSF is 1.5 Million. Under Warner, the RSF has conducted several vicious space battles, including conflicts with Chronosia, and there have been several victories. Space exploration has also been a secondary objective of the RSF, which has conducted surveys of Terran space and several sectors outside Sector 001; it has been rumoured that the RSF has acquired an FTL engine for exploration purposes, although this has not been officially confirmed. To this date, only one RSF vessel has been lost in combat, the RSS Trafalgar, a Centurion-Class Destroyer; the Trafalgar was engaged by multiple ground-based ASAT weapon arrays and was crippled, taking heavy losses. The surviving crew was rescued, but the Trafalgar was too damaged to salvage; after destroying all vital and secret equipment, the vessel was launched into the atmopshere of Terra, where it burnt up.

A Brief History of Skinny87

Main Article: The History of Skinny87

Beginnings

The history of Skinny87 should be like the history of all other nation states on Terra. It should be full of dashing heroes, and skulking villains; of brave politicians, evil politicians as well, and their actions. It should be full of the military history of Skinny87, telling tales of the wars that Skinny87 was involved in during the past; of the riots and rebellions it faced and survived, of the Civil Wars it may have had; of the international conflicts the country was embroiled in during its rich and vibrant history. There should be volumes of books that tell of the nations cultural history, of its people and culture and traditions that stretch back as far as anyone can remember. In short, all that every other nation on the face of Terra has in their own books and memories.

Historians throughout Skinny87 are sure that the nation has such a long and interesting history; unfortunately, very little of it is known, although strides are taken every year to find more of the country's rich tapestry of history. Working with historians around the globe, the SIH (Skinnian Institute for History) has discovered that Skinny87 was in fact a colony of Questers for a long period of its early history. Named Jesselton and established in the late 1400's by a small band of Questerian explorers, the colony thrived for several centuries and exported small quantities of coal and iron back to Questers itself. Records both in Skinnian and Questerian archives are fragmentary at best, but it appears that the distance between the colony and mainland Questers caused communication to be difficult, as was transportation. Communications between the two nations tailed off somewhere in the late 1700's, and for reasons unknown were never restored; historians have numerous theories behind this, ranging from simple bureauocratic errors that forgot the colony, to more radical theories of an independence movement that killed or silenced many Questarian officials in Jesseltown and caused the colony to sever all connections with Questers. Whatever the cause, neither country remembered the other or their common links until very recently and files were exchanged.

The early modern history of the country is still unknown, although this is still a historical agenda, as the earliest records are from 1962. It appears that in the late nineteen sixties, something dreadful occurred. What many historians throughout Terra believe to be some sort of alien experimentation, or experimental weapons technology, was used on the nation and its population. Long-term memories were wiped out by the incident, and the resulting panic as people tried to regain their memories led to large-scale rioting and destruction that lasted for a long period of time. Eventually a mysterious entity known only as Skinny87 gained control over the remnants of the country and formed a provisional government. Rebuilding took a long time, but eventually the entire nation recovered from the attack and its aftermath. After nominating several leaders and calling for a democratic system of government, Skinny87 was never seen again; the citizens of the country voted to name the country after this mysterious figure. The democratic government under President Woodrow Martin began to explore the nations status and geographical position, eventually contacing the other countries of the Haven region in which Skinny87 was in fact situated.

Internationalism and Conflict

This period of Skinny87's history can be characterised by its involvement in international affairs, and the government under President Xavier Martin aggressively expanding its power in the international community. The procurement of several colonies is also a notable part of this period. The first significant event in the period is with the nations involvement with Hitlerreich; after this nation uses force to try and annex its neighbouring country Ostland via rigged elections, President Martin joins a coalition to stop Hitlerreich from continuing these actions, first with diplomacy and then with military intervention. Notable for the first use of the nations military overseas, the conflict was brief but intense, resulting in several thousands casualties but an allied victory and the division of Hitlerreich between Skinny87 and her allies. The colony of North-Western Hitlerreich was created in the wake of the conflict and is still occupied to this day.

After Hitlerreich came the creation of the Republican Space Force and its first engagement in space, known as the Calypso Incident. The crew of the RSS Calypso, the first space vessel of Skinny87, boarded an unknown and adrift alien vessel in search of survivors and salvage. Instead, the crew found a hostile group of xenophobic aliens that engaged and killed the majority of the vessels Marine complement, before forcing the surviving Marines and crew to retreat back to Terra. At the same time that the Calypso was limping back to Terra, the nations first major conflict began to unfold. Aiding new-found ally Camewot in a diplomatic incident with the national socialist government of Nerotika, the Republic soon became embroiled in a blitzkrieg military conflict. The Nerotikan government killed several Camewottian citizens accused of spying, and Camewot retaliated. In order to stop the Nerotikan government from fleeing, a coalition of nations headed by Camewot and Skinny87 invaded Nerotika.

Surrender by the Nerotikan government ended the initial invasion, and Nerotika was occupied. However, very soon the local population became restless, seeing the allied nations as invaders, not liberators as the first believed. Uprisings occured all over the nation, led by Nerotikan rebels and the remnants of their military, and war broke out. It would take several months and tens of thousands of casualties before the conflict was over, and the Republic withdrew from Nerotika in exchange for reparations in the form of money and land. Only a few months later would come the nations greatest challenge they had ever faced, coming in the form of a missile strike against Dowland City by the nation of Guffingford. Retaliating against Skinny87 after the Republic sent a Peacekeeping force into a nation allied with Guffingford, twelve missiles hit Dowland City despite the best efforts of the military to stop them. More than 200,000 people were killed in the attack, and the city virtually destroyed.

Shocked at the attack, and devestated at the death of his daughter in the initial bombings, President Martin authorised a retaliatory airstrike against Guffingford. The result was a massacre of the Republican Air Forces Strategic Bomber arm, and much of its Fighter arm; the Guffingford air defenses destroyed the majority of the armada before it reached Guffingford, and the remnants either limped home or ditched in the ocean. More than 5,000 personnel died in the attack, and the public turned on both Martin and the military in response. It was in the aftermath of the attack that Parliament passed a number of military reform acts, and the military defense budget was tripled in the next two years at Presidential Order. The nation had been hurt badly by the attack, and President Martin was never quite the same.

Two final incidents can be seen to end the period of Internationalism on the part of Skinny87. The first came with the expansion of the Republican Space Force and the creation of the Centurion-Class and eventually Wellington-Class spaceships by the RSF. When the Kriegorgrad government launched its own space force, it soon came into conflict with Chronosia, a nation it had had previous encounters with. The initial Kriegorgradian vessel was engaged by a Chronosian vessel, and the RSS Centurion came to its aid in orbit over Terra. When first diplomacy and then firepower failed to stop the Chronosian vessel, Republican Marines boarded the Kriegorgradian vessel to protect it from Chronosian boarders. A firefight ensued between the two sides, broken only by the involvement of first Halladian troops and then a mysterious race of aliens known only as The Angels by the Republican crew. Losses were heavy on all sides, and the Chronosian vessel eventually retreated. However, the incident had shown the neccessity of a strong space force, and also its effectiveness.

The second incident came with the botched operation against the Guffingford-controlled territory of Theohuancu. Whilst the planning and reasoning behind the conflict have never been fully explained, data collected over several years suggests that President Martin decided the time was right for a retaliatory raid against Guffingford. With the Republic's armed forces stretched with peace-keeping duties and several small conflicts in other nations, a covert operation was instead authorised. Two regiments of the Republic's finest special forces troops, the 95th Special Operations Force, were landed in the jungles of Theohuancu, authorised to attack Guffingford troops and military installations. Commanded by the now infamous Colonel Hal Briggs, the operation was a disaster. Native trackers located the Republican troops and allowed them to be ambushed by superior Guffingford forces. In the close quarters slaughter that followed the ambush, only Briggs and his second in command escaped the deathtrap and fled back to Republican territory. The incident was never revealed to the public, and the loss of the two regiments explained away as a 'freak accident' involving a naval accident.

Civil War and Isolationism

The Civil War was the most devastating conflict ever to involve the Grand Republic; lasting more than three years and causing more than a million casualties on both sides, the majority of which were innocent civilians, the Civil War would fundamentally change the political and social landscape of the entire country. The Republic would fall, and in its place a Constitutional Monarchy would rise, elected in a strange twist by the people themselves.

The conflict began with the dissolution of Parliament by President Martin after allegations of bribery in Praetonian affairs, and the arrest of every MP in Parliament. Hours after this occurred, Martin declared himself President for Life and renamed the country the Authoritarian Republic. Martial Law was declared, but too late; spontaneous riots broke out across the nation as outraged citizens clashed with newly-christened Loyalist forces who had sworn an oath of allegiance to Martin. Many riots ended with Loyalist victories, although in one infamous incident a small mob of protesters cornered and massacred a Company of Loyalist soldiers who had threatened to torch several streets to drive away protesters from the Grey House.

After a small group of MPs were released from captivity in Fort Sparrin by Special Forces Operatives, forces loyal to Parliament gathered together, becoming the Parliamentarian forces. Operating out of Port Stanley, they organised resistance to Martin and broadcast speeches to the nation. Determined to wipe out all resistance, Martin declared war on the Parliamentarians and attacked Port Stanley, thus officially beginning the Civil War. The conflict ebbed and flowed for nearly a year. Initially the superior numbers of Loyalist forces made Parliamentarian victory seem far from certain, and Port Stanley itself was nearly taken twice. However, months of warfare proved too much for many Loyalist soldiers, who deserted to Parliament lines. This, combined with allied aid from countries such as Sarzonia and Hogsweat meant that the Parliamentarians could engage the Loyalists with equal numbers. Armoured drives on Dowland City and New Kaylee met with success against fragmented and disheartened Loyalist forces, and within weeks Dowland City was encircled.

Eventually all but Dowland City itself was taken. In a bid to end the conflict permanently, Special Forces Operatives landed in Dowland City and arrested Martin and his Cabinet. When news of the surgical strike became public, most Loyalist forces surrendered. With many public and government figures distrusting a Presidential System, it was arranged that a Constitutional Monarchy would rule the country and begin a short period of Isolationism so that the country could rebuild. Private Antony Franklin, a former Loyalist conscript turned Parliamentarian volunteer, was found to have royal blood linked to the Praetonian Royal Family. Two months after the end of the conflict, Alexander I was elected Constitutional Monarch of Skinny87. He led the country into a period of loose international isolationism as the country rebuilt itself from the wreckage of the Civil War.

Post-Isolationism

The period of isolationism from the rest of the international community lasted for several years, as the newly formed Grand Monarchy went through an intensive period of rebuilding. Several new cities were built on the coastlines to replace those too badly destroyed during the conflict, and much of Dowland City itself had to be rebuilt due to the extensive damage it had suffered during the closing phase of the war. The official end of the period of isolationism was signalled by a ceremony headed by the King, in which the newly built Parliament House was opened to the public.

It was hoped by many that the Grand Monarchy would be able to refrain from entering any large-scale conflicts in the immediate future, but this hope was soon dashed by the Invasion of Czardas. The alliance of nationstates known as Crimmond-Alexei-Doomanum or CAD launched an invasion of Czardas after negotiations between Czardas and the alliance stalemated and then broke down completely. The Sovereign League voted to aid Czardas in repelling the CAD invasion, and as a close ally of Czardas, the Grand Monarchy was impelled to intervene and send military aid. Said military aid was initially slow to assemble, due to the complete purging and reformation of the military in the isolationist period. As such, the government took up the offer of one Timothy Yarmouth - a former Major-General in the Republican Army and Royalist-sympathiser. Yarmouth called for the recently formed volunteer International Brigades to be allowed to be deployed into the Czardian theatre of war in support of the Czardian government. Whilst officially stating that the Brigades had no affiliation with the government of the Grand Monarchy, unofficially the government supplied the Brigades with modern military equipment, including Champion Main Battle Tanks, M-8 Assault Rifles, and adequate ammunition and logistical supplies.

As the first echelons of the International Brigades were escorted by the Eighth Fleet into Port Khufi in Czardas and began unloading, King Alexander ordered a general mobilisation of the military forces of the Grand Monarchy. Members of the Sovereign League, including Praetonia, The Silver Sky and Ollieland also began their mobilisations - the Praetonian Grand Fleets setting sail towards Czardas - at the same time as several CAD nationstates began deploying their forces into Czardas, and reinforcing those already in control of much of Czardaian territory, including Dorándor. A massive naval taskforce belonging to Banduria had assembled off of Northern Czardas; although not an immediate danger, it would soon bode ill for the men and women of the International Brigades, and the regular military forces following them in massive naval convoys from Skinny87. The city of Tyriandor, the target of the fearsome Bandurian barrage, suffered heavily, although the Czardian CAMERA system fought back and took a heavy toll on the invasion fleet. The Volunteer Brigades landed at Port Khufi, and advanced to the Czardian positions. Fierce fighting erupted as the Volunteer Brigades engaged the enemy forces, buying time for the regulars to land and aid the Czardian defense of Port Khufi.

The other Volunteer Brigades arrived in Tyriandor just ahead of the Bandurian assault. They were given little time to entrench themselves and set up defences before the Bandurian assault began. The Bandurian's launched a fearsome amphibious assault on the beaches of Tyriandor, landing tens of thousands of soldiers there. The Allied forces engaged the first waves, driving them back into the sea; in the process however, Grand Monarchical forces suffered heavy casualties. After several more waves were launched onto the blood-soaked beaches, sheer weight of numbers forced the Allied forces to abandon the beaches, covered by an aerial bombardment. The Allied forces moved inland and occupied the defences of the bomb-shattered Tyriandor, fighting off several more assaults before the Bandurians apparently retreated. Little then occurred until the regular forces arrived in Tyriandor and licked up with the remaining Volunteer forces. The conflict came to an end shortly afterwards; it is generally considered by military historians of the Grand Monarchy to be only a minor success for the Grand Monarchy and it's allies. Little was achieved apart from repelling the invasion of Czardas, and tens of thousands of casualties were the only appreciable results of the conflict. The political status quo changed little.

Die Boerstaat

The acquisition of the third major colonial possession of the Grand Monarchy, after Hitlerreich and New Dowland, was caused initially by a humanitarian mission. The announcement by the government of Die Boerstaat that it was to begin a policy of apartheid occurred at a fragile time for race relations in the Grand Monarchy. The trail of the so-called 'New Kaylee Three' as the mass media dubbed it, was the trial of three police officers stationed in New Kaylee. It was alleged that the three officers had executed eight minority suspects caught in a police raid; after doing so, they had then attempted to cover up the act. The three men were convicted of eight counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life without parole; the public outcry over the actions took the country by storm. When the announcement by the Die Boerstaat government was released less than a week after the trial, the public demanded action.

Although documentation on the conflict and occupation remains shallow due to the Hundred Year Rule invoked by Parliament, it appears that this announcement coincided with attempts by the Neo Conservatives to foot a bill in Parliament attacking welfare spending and social security funds. In order to disrupt this bill, King Alexander and a number of Lib-Lab MPs decided to criticise Die Boerstaat to divert attention. This ploy was even more successful than the King and his supporters hoped; when the Die Boerstaat government ignored the demands of the Grand Monarchy to cease the policy, and snubbed the King, the Neo-Conservatives began demanding an invasion of Die Boerstaat. They dropped the previous bill they had supported in Parliament, instead rapidly authoring the 'Protection of Minorities Act - Die Boerstaat' which allowed for the protection by military force of the minorities in Die Boerstaat.

With any future attempts at diplomacy made impossible by the attitude of the Die Boerstaat government, and with all Parliamentarian sides wishing for a conflict, the King declared war on Die Boerstaat. Aided by Leafanistan and Skgorria, the Fifth Rapid Reaction Force landed in Die Boerstaat and occupied the nations capital city. Effective military resistance came to an end shortly afterwards, and the nation was divided into three zones, one for each occupying power; the Grand Monarchy took control of the western sector of Die Boerstaat. Follow-up military forces landed in Die Boerstaat and began engaging the guerilla and resistance factions that sprang up to fight the invading forces.

At this time, the Grand Monarchy has more than 200,000 troops in Die Boerstaat fighting the insurgency, and has gained control of the majority of its allotted territory; an effective policy of 'Equal Rights' throughout the Grand Monarchy's sector has paid dividends by bringing minority citizens to the aid of the occupying forces. These citizens have aided the military in rooting out remaining pro-apartheid forces, although a few factions remain fighting in the far south.

International Relations & Foreign Policy

Skinny87 is a minor world power, and one that is recognised as a small but influential nation on the world stage. However, the nation does have a great many allies, as well as enemies, and has been involved significantly in many major conflicts and situations throughout the decades.

International Relations

Skinny87 has friendly relations with a large number of countries, and diplomatic ties with an even greater number. The Skinnian government is also open to diplomatic relationships with any country that passes a small number of political, economical and social tests as administered by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This ensures that no fascist or totalitarian governments are made the allies of the Grand Monarchy. The country is also a member of the Woodstock Pact and the Questerian Commonwealth. There are, however, only a small number of countries that the Grand Monarchy regards as close allies. These are:

• Sarzonia
• Questers
• Praetonia
• Hallad
• Kriegorgrad
• Krendakov

Foreign Policy

Historically the Grand Monarchy has fluctuated between pursuing an active and open foreign policy, and one that focuses more on isolationism and internal exploration. These fluctuations can be seen to show roughly when the Neo-Conservative Party is in power and when the Lib-Lab Pact replaces them. An active policy, such as that seen in Nerotika and Hitlerreich mirrors a Neo-Conservative majority, whilst the period after the Civil War depicts a Lib-Lab Pact majority.

At the moment, the Lib-Lab Pact has a majority of MPs in Parliament and a Monarch that is sympathetic to its wishes; thus a semi-isolationist stance has been taken by the government, with few diplomatic ties being conducted or pursued. The conflict in Czardas is an exception to this policy, as Parliament voted unanimously to aid Czardas in its hour of need.