The Dwikean League

The Dwikean League is small country located in the region of Futaba Aoi. It is a relatively young country having only been established as a nation for just over a century, but it makes up for this by being one of the greatest industrial and economic powers in history. It is currently the supplier of much of the world's advanced technology and has been the primary source of scientific advancement in the global community for decades.

History

The Dwikean League was initially an international province formed by a coalition of European and North American powers in the year 2090. Political and economic upheaval in the previous decades had lead to a global depression and widespread cases of epidemic disease and famine in several western nations. In order to increase industrial, scientific, and economic output, NATO sponsored the creation of a special zone where international laws and treaties would have no influence in order to promote rapid scientific and industrial growth. After several years of debate, a NATO peacekeeping force evacuated the local population from the Dwikea valley, located in central Europe near the Mediterranean sea, to prepare for the creation of the international province.

Dozens of powerful corporations were invited to set up their headquarters within the Dwikea Valley. Notable among them were: Allied Bionics Incorporated, Van Allen Pharmaceuticals, Pro-Tech Arms, Federated Aeronautics, and Levinson Labs. All corporations that took part in the international initiative were granted license to research, develop, and create new technologies without restriction for the benefit of mankind and more principally, their European and North American Benefactors. All corporate activity within the Dwikean Valley was closely monitored by an international oversight committee which sent monthly reports to the North Atlantic Council. Several technological and medical advances emerged from the Dwikean Valley in the form of gene therapy treatments, advancements in nuclear fusion as a sustainable energy source, and improvements in the development of biologically engineered crops.

By 2140, the members of the North Atlantic Council had become increasingly uneasy of its international province within the Dwikea valley.By this time, all of the seats in the international oversight committee responsible for monitoring the internal affairs of the province had been filled by corporate presidents and CEO's. Many members of NATO openly discussed the dissolution of the special economic province citing the fact that more resources were entering the Dwikea valley than there were being exported. Also, the majority of scientific research and development had been shifted to the valley; forcing several nations to contract the Dwikea Valley's services for medical or technological development. In an attempt to resolve these issues and reign in the Dwikea province, NATO passed laws which would restrict development within the province and increase international control.

In response to this, the corporations within the valley ejected international inspectors and the the oversight committee changed its name to the Governing Council of Dwikea. A three month long series of negotiations eventually failed and by October of 2141, the Governing Council of Dwikea officially declared independence from its parent nations and named the new country The Confederacy of the Dwikean League. A year long war broke out between the member states of NATO and The Dwikean League. Despite the former having a vast numerical advantage over the latter, The Dwikean League had superior industrial and economic power coupled with advanced technology. The crippling blow came to NATO forces when The Dwikean League employed genetically engineered viruses against several European states which caused the deaths of an estimated 30 million civilians and the collapse of the North Atlantic Council due to political infighting and idealogical differences. The Dwikean League secured individual peace treaties with several influential NATO members late in the war and by the spring of 2143, virtually all hostilities had ceased.

Government

The Government of The Dwikean League underwent major restructuring following its war of independence. The government is different in that much of its structure has corporate names and many corporations have various responsibilities in different government departments. The style of government, while outwardly appearing unique, is generally based on democratic principles and is highly authoritarian in nature.

The parliamentary body of The Dwikean League is called the Cooperative Board of Executives and consists of representatives appointed by each corporation in The Dwikean League. Each corporation is allowed one representative on the board which consists of seventy five members. The board is responsible for the writing of laws and the approval of directives issued by the executive branch of government. While no political parties exist in the traditional sense of the word, representatives on the board normally have to create joint ventures between other members in order to get laws passed by the board. Unless representatives are removed by their parent company or retire, they are allowed to serve indefinitely. The Cooperative Board of Executives is also responsible for electing the Chief Executive Officer. While the CEO's of the various corporations are allowed to appoint a representative to the board, they often choose to sit on the board themselves due to the fact that only corporate CEO's are allowed to be elected to the office of Chief Executive Officer.

The title of Chief Executive Officer in The Dwikean League is analogous to the title of president in a representative democracy. The Chief Executive officer is elected from within the Cooperative Board of Executives and is allowed two consecutive terms each of which last four years. The Chief Executive officer may make proposals to be passed into law by the Cooperative Board and he may also veto laws passed by the board as well. The Chief Executive Officer is in charge of all governmental agencies and has direct command over the armed forces of The Dwikean League although most military actions must be sanctioned by a two thirds majority of the Cooperative Board. His primary role is to use his authority to enforce laws passed by the Cooperative Board and quell unionization efforts by the lower class employees. The Chief Executive Officer's vetoes may be overruled by a two thirds majority of the Cooperative Board and he may also be removed from office by a two thirds majority as well, though this has yet to happen in The Dwikean League's history.

The Corporate Oversight Committee acts as the supreme court of The Dwikean League and interprets all laws passed by the government. It is also responsible for investigating corporate corruption and prosecutes offenders of corporate laws. It is also immune to dismissal by the Cooperative Board and the Chief Executive Officer. This has proven highly effective in routing out governmental corruption. Members of the committee are chosen by the Chief Executive Officer, but they must be approved by a simple majority on the Cooperative Board.

While regular citizens of The Dwikean League are not allowed to vote, it is possible for one to work his way up to the level of CEO in one of the countries many corporations, or be appointed by a CEO as a representative on the Cooperative Board; either of which are highly influential and lucrative positions in the Dwikean government. Citizens are also required by law to work as employees for one of the many corporations of the Dwikean League. Generally speaking, the more educated civilians are hired by scientific and technology firms while the lesser educated lower class are hired by the industrial companies and private military corporations which make up the Dwikean military.

Each fiscal year, all corporations within the Dwikean League allocate a portion of their gross revenue to the government treasury. Much of this money is held in reserve for emergency spending in time of crisis and the rest is carefully assigned to Private Military Corporation projects when they go over budget.

The Dwikean government generally has a strong stance of opposition towards social welfare reforms. Each of the seventy five corporations within The Dwikean League are responsible for providing medical and health insurance as well as injury compensation. While this has caused little to no benefits for some, the majority of Dwikean citizens do benefit from this system

Military

As a major economic power, The Dwikean League has needed a strong military force to protect itself and its interests from external threats. The Dwikean Military also contracts its services to other nations in conflicted regions of the world. This has become a major portion of the Dwikean Economy in recent years. The different branches of the Dwikean military have a combined strength of 1 million combat personnel

The armed forces of The Dwikean League are principally composed of four Private Military Corporations. They are Pro-tech Arms which is responsible for the regular army of The Dwikean League, Oceanic Endeavors Inc. which heads the navy, and Helios Technologies which is in charge of the air force. Each corporation has specialized branches for certain warfare units such as special forces and communications interception. The PMC's also work closely with other generally non-military corporations for certain projects such as the joint venture between Simonson Robotics and Helios Technologies to create A.I. controlled jet fighters.

The Dwikean military has had to crush several attempts at work related reforms in the past including a particularly bloody incident at Haupt Steel Refineries headquarters where a workers protest was violently ended by soldiers from Pro-tech Arms.

The Private Military Corporations also have a unique position in The Dwikean League's government compared to other corporations. While their CEO's are allowed to appoint delegates to the Cooperative Board of Executives they are not allowed to vote on the passage of laws. They instead report directly to the Chief Executive Officer. They are also the only corporations whose CEO's may be replaced by order of the Chief Executive Officer.

Economy

The economy of The Dwikean League relies heavily on the export of technology, medicine, and military services to neighboring countries. It is also the center for a variety of international business summits and trade agreements. The economy is highly diverse with industrial manufacturing, biological engineering,and weapons development being key among them. The Dwikean League is also home to several of the most advanced oil refineries in the region and has made several agreements supply small amounts of nuclear energy to neighboring nations.

Every type of small small bussiness or service industry is controlled by one of The Dwikean League's Corporations. For example, all of The Dwikean League's finest restaurants and fast food chains are owned and operated by Conglomerated Farms, an international leader in the development of biologically engineered fruits and vegetables.

Infrastructure

The Dwikean League boasts a well maintained highway system capable of supporting mass transit and domestic commerce as well as a highs speed train system which connects each of The Dwikean League's major cities. The corporation in Charge of maintaining all The Dwikean Leagues highways and train systems is the Unified Engineering Consortium. All satellite, telephone, and radio communications are under the authority of Lancer Telecom, a manufacturer of everything from cell phones to mobile military command centers. In recent years, the government of The Dwikean League has authorized Lancer Telecom to monitor all communications within the country in order to reduce corporate and industrial espionage.

Language

The government of The Dwikean League recognizes English, German, and French as its official languages. Additionally, minority workers that immigrate from foreign countries are known to speak a variety of different languages including Russian and Arabic.

Culture

While many citizens of The Dwikean League are of European Descent, a large minority of the population consists of those who are of Canadian and American Heritage. This coupled with the already independent minded atmosphere of The Dwikean League's political make up has led to a common perception of Dwikeans as a free willed, and hard working people. This is so true that the government both actively encourages this mind set to increase national pride and covertly oppresses any instances where it gets out of hand such as mass unionization by the lower class.

Various advertising and propaganda corporations also sponsor the development of the arts and literature as potential ways to recruit new employees while simultaneously promoting self expression. The people of The Dwikean League also generally possess strong backgrounds in scientific and technological research. Since the creation of The Dwikean League, the government has esteblished several universities to sustain and build upon this background.

Corporations are responsible for the education of the children of their employees and while this has cut down on the creation government bureaucracies, it has made it difficult promote an equal standard of education amongst the nation's children. Education in the Dwikean League is largely considered to be successful however.

The majority of Dwikeans identify themselves as atheist or non-spiritual.

Agriculture

While much of The Dwikean League's food supplies are imported externally, an increasing percentage of biologically engineered crops have been grown domestically for civilian consumption. Additionally Dwikean scientists have made several advancements in the field of hydroponics since the end of the war of independance, which saw many farms placed underground to hide them from NATO bombing raids. Commercial fishing has also provided a large quantity of food to The Dwikean League.