Mergerberger II

"AHHHHHH" Khan Drogo awoke in a cold sweat, his sheets wet, himself frightened beyond all measure. He began taking deep breaths, not wanting to wake the Khanum somehow still asleep next to him. That's odd, he thought to himself, normally she wakes up when I have night sweats, and that scream was sure to wake her. Drogo felt around the bed and indeed, her side was just as wet as his. Yet still she did not move. Drogo thought this was very strange, as she had almost always awoken whenever he had night sweats, and never failed to awaken when he had screamed or when her side of the bed was damp as this. "Aygöl?" Drogo said quietly. When she did not awaken, he repeated it louder. When that still did not wake her, he shook her. When that still did not wake her, he rolled her over so that she was facing him, and then he saw it. Her face was bloated, there was fluid coming from her nose, her feet were swollen and blue. Dead. Drogo panicked. He started by sobbing near uncontrollably, then gathered himself, and once his eyes had dried he called, "GUARDS!" Three of Drogo's most trusted guards rushed into his room and attempted to salute him, but before they could even reach their arms up, the Khan was yelling at them. "My wife has been murdered! You two, lock down the palace and the city. No one gets in or out. You, go fetch a doctor. I want to know what she was poisoned with, where it came from, how potent it is, and if I have been poisoned or not." The guards saluted and rushed out the door to fulfill their orders. Meanwhile, the Great Khan went over to his wife's side of the bed, squatted down, and stroked her swollen hand. He brought it to his forehead and whispered, "I'm sorry, Aygöl, I should have been able to stop this, I should have seen it coming, I should have been stronger, I should have been more powerful, then I could have prevented this. Then I could have stopped your death." He continued sobbing, and dropped to his knees. "I will become more powerful. I will finish the palace at Bakhchisaray. One year from today. I swear it. If I have to build it myself, I will build it, and it will be named in your honor." He knew that his wife could not hear him, her body was nothing more than an empty shell. He rose to his feet, and left the room.

On a national level, the Crimean Khanate wishes to extend full diplomatic recognition to the Kingdom of Sparta. On a personal level, KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN Drogo would like to extend his own personal hand of friendship to the King of Sparta, inviting him to Sevastopol for a meeting, as the Palace in Bakhchisaray was as of yet unfinished, and would not be able to host visitors for at least another three years.

Khan Drogo Institutes Mandatory Conscription BAKHCHISARAY - Standing in front of the ongoing construction of his massive palace, Khan Drogo announced today that Crimea would be instituting mandatory conscription for all males aged 18-40. The conscription rule will involve basic training for all those conscripted. Additionally, those seeking additional training or those deemed athletic enough will be placed in the advanced training for special operations depending upon how robust their condition is. He stated that the reason for this new law is "To ensure the safety of the entire Khanate. We are a small nation, but that does not mean we must be a weak nation." This was greeted with much applause. This means that approximately 532,700 young men will be conscripted into the military. Exact figures on how many of these young men will join the special forces have yet to be released, with the Khan stating, "The exact figures will be determined once conscription gets underway later this month. After conscription, all personnel are required to do basic training, even those who will join special forces later on. So we should know rough numbers in about six months." Opposition to this policy has come chiefly from the more liberal parties, who claim that every man has a right to self-determination, and therefore should not be recruited automatically into the military, but rather left to their own devices. However, these parties are a severe minority in parliament, making up just 30/465 seats. The bill passed Parliament 421-40 with four abstentions or absences.

OOC: I was about to flip shit. Am I officially in or not?

The Crimean Khanate acknowledges the existence of Constantinople, and extends recognition to the new state. As we both have significant interests in the occurrences of the Black Sea, we would also request a formal diplomatic meeting with the head(s) of state of the Second Rome.

Classified The diplomatic team from Poland would be greeted with no great reception on the runway, as this meeting was to be secret. There would be no special accomodations made other than renting out the Khan Suite from the Four Seasons in Sevastopol. The capitol at Bakhchisaray was still under construction and would not be prepared to receive any visitors for at least two more years. If you review our factbook, you will find that while the Khan has final say over all decisions, he must get majority approval for all matters concerning war, tax adjustments, and infrastructure projects costing in excess of one billion dongs.

I second Lynneth and nominate JEDJCT

Coat of Arms of the Crimean Khanate Capital - Bakhchysarai Largest City - Sevastopol Official Languages - Crimean Tatar, Russian, Ukrainian Demonym - Crimean Government - Constitutional Monarchy (single house parliament) ---- Khan has absolute authority over all decisions, but must get majority approval (50% +1) for declarations of war, tax adjustments, and infrastructure projects costing in excess of $1 billion Area - 27,000 km^2 (10,000 mi^2) Population - 2.4 million Population Density - 88.89/sqkm (240/sqmi) Currency - Tatar Drives on the right

Access to trade benefits, as well as military benefits. Does a nation need a reason to perform an action other than its economy? Fundamentally, every action a nation takes is due to its economy. And this is no different.

The Crimean Khanate wishes to apply for membership to the European Community.

Crimean Khanate Declaration of Existence This is a message to inform the world of the existence of a new state on the national level: The Glorious Golden Horde Khanate of Crimea, or Crimean Khanate for short. The territory we lay claim to will encompass the entirety of the Crimean peninsula. Our capitol will be centered on the ancient city of Bakhchysarai, which we intend to rebuild in all its former glory. Any and all embassies which foreign nations intend to set up will be located in this city. The Palace of the Great Khan will also be located in Bakhchysarai. It is our intent for this Palace to be the greatest in all the world. If your nation recognizes this new state, and wishes an exchange of embassies to occur, or more, please post in this thread.

Mark Crimea as the 'Crimean Khanate'.

[i]Classified[/i] [b]To: The Government of Legion From: The Office of the President of the Union of Guinea[/b] Because our normal foreign affairs representative for sensitive situations, John Olympio, will be in Khartoum for the foreseeable future, you may meet with the Vice President, Daniel Ouattara.

It was at this point that John Olympio finally stood and spoke. "Mr. Mohammed," he said in a slightly condescending tone, "if you and the empire you represent accept that only might makes right, and that morality is of no consequence anymore, then why are you even here? Indeed, why are any of us here? No one of us could hope to stand up to Tianxia or Athens, or even Draka, yet here we are, negotiating and attempting to reason with one another, despite your claims that it is only might that can possibly triumph. "And Mr. Darren, if you do not recognize the right of a state to exist freely because you claim it has economic issues, then why do you allow your state, or indeed any state, to exist freely? All nations have some economic problems, which are best resolved either internally, or if the nation has begun to spiral downward, diplomatically, not through use of overwhelming force as you have done with the Cape." John cleared his throat and took a drink of water, but remained standing, as all eyes were fixed on him. "If we as states, as African states who share a common heritage of colonialism and imperialism, are going to claim any right to exist, it must start with the Cape. We must realize that all peoples are just that - people. And as people, they are endowed with certain rights, and first and foremost among them is the right to life. Mr. Darren, your nation has taken this right from millions of Cape citizens, as well as some of your own people. It is for this reason that I propose a trial of Drakan leaders for war crimes committed against the Cape. You had no right to invade, no right to kill all those citizens, and no right to blow up an entire civilization simply because they were bothering you. "General Mogar had nothing to do with the situation in the Cape, and unless you can provide indisputable evidence that he did, we will remain firm in that position. Further, as the representative from the Cape said, they were facing outstanding economic growth, and the unemployment rate was <3% and falling. By this logic, we of Guinea have determined your crusade to save the people of the Cape from their evil overlords to be illegal, unethical, and immoral. "Switching to the topic that was proposed by the Sudanese representative, I do not believe it is possible to create a body to solve African problems so long as there are nations within the continent seeking to stir up trouble," he looked at the Drakan representative, who was giving him a scornful look back, but he just smiled and continued, "and foreign powers without any significant land in Africa practicing doublespeak at formal African gatherings," he now looked at Said, who show no emotion of consequence. "It is for that reason that I consider this meeting a waste of Guinean resources and time, and I would ask that if we are to get anything done here, we should remove the representative from Tianxia from this meeting," and with that said, he sat, fairly certain that his words would bring nothing but outrage from Draka and Tianxia. But maybe some smaller nations in the meeting would find the courage to support him.

When the message arrived at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was initially sent to the logistical department instead of directly to the minister. When the head of logistics got her hands on it, she assumed that the Minister already knew of it, and though she did find receiving a letter from another state odd, she simply shrugged her shoulders and booked a flight for the Minister himself. The Minister was unaware of the flight, until the day it was to be taken. Not being aware of any scheduled events this Saturday, the Minister was sitting at home in his robe checking his day planner, in which he wrote all the things he was planning on doing each day. There was no mention of the flight to Khartoum. In fact, there was no mention of any events for the day, so John decided to take the day off, and laid down on the sofa to take a nap. It was then that his government-issued cell phone started vibrating, and he looked to see who it was. It was the ministry. Initially, he determined not to answer it, but then there was that small feeling that something could be wrong, so he picked it up. "Olympio," he said, reluctantly. "Minister, with all due respect, where the hell are you right now?" he recognized the voice, it was that of Ellen Sirleaf, his director of logistics, and a close personal friend. "Is there somewhere that I am supposed to be?" he asked, rubbing his eyes as he forced himself to sit up. "On the plane?" she said, rather condescendingly, "the plane to Khartoum?" "Was I supposed to go to Khartoum for something?" he asked, now rising from the sofa and walking back upstairs to pack his bags. "The African Unity meeting? Did you forget?" John felt a massive sinking feeling in his gut, "I was not aware that the meeting was so soon. I don't have that on my schedule," he said, looking at his day planner once again. "Yes, it is in fact on your schedule, but not that awful one you keep in your book. It's on the online schedule for the Ministry." "Oh, right, that, yeah. I don't check that as often as I should," he said, smiling a half-smile and hoping that his well-known adherence to his more conventional ways of doing things would carry him through this. "You don't. Flight leaves in 30 minutes. Be there," and there was a click followed by silence. John had to laugh, he had known Ellen for a long time, since she was a journalist for the Daily Post, but that was 26 years ago. An age, it seemed. He felt nostalgic for those days long ago, but then caught himself, and reminded himself that he was in a much, much better situation now than he had been back then. He packed his bag, and left for the airport.

[b]Suicide Bomber Attacks Lagos[/b] LAGOS - A suicide bomber detonated in the middle of Lagos Island in the largest city in the nation, Lagos, today, killing upwards of 40 people and injuring about 100 others. It is reported by witnesses that the man shouted "Allahu Akbar" before detonating the bomb strapped to his chest, a phrase that has become almost synonymous with Islamic terrorism. The attack is widely believed to be linked to Boko Haram, a fundamentalist Islamic terror group based somewhere in Nigeria, due to the group's past history and notable terror activity within Guinea. The group, whose name roughly translates to 'Western education is a sin', has neither claimed nor denied responsibility for the acts, has waged a brutal war of terror for years against what they view as a 'corrupt, fascist government of sinners'. It is unclear who exactly committed this crime, but the government has issued a statement that "they will be found and brought to justice for their crimes." Boko Haram was also cited by the government as the most likely group for involvement in these acts.

"That is agreeable. I will draw up a treaty, if you'll give me a few days." He got up, and as he stood up so did Ambassador Darzi, then he sat back down and opened his briefcase, inside of which there was a document. "Oops," he said, taking the document out of the briefcase, "forgot I had this," he said with a coy smile as Ambassador Darzi sat back down. "Why don't you take a look at it, send it to your government, and get back to me and my government when you have it all sorted out?" "Obviously, the name is a work in progress," Olympio said as he smiled and handed the treaty to the Ambassador.

Guinea welcomes Romania back to the world stage, and would like to request an exchange of embassies as a predecessor to formal diplomatic relations.

John Olympio, Minister of Foreign Affairs for the Union, smiled at the mention that he didn't waste any time. "I find that our time on this earth is both short and precious," he said, "and personally, I intend to make the most of my short time in office." He smiled as he leaned forward and placed his folded hands on the desk. "Indeed we seem to share similar ideals, especially those of equality, and we recognize that the tribal leaders have immense influence over their lands, and that is reflected by their status in the government. We favor the reunification of Sudan and indeed, the eventual unification of the entire African continent. A dream, perhaps, but we must all have something to strive for in the end. In my case, it is African Unity." He relaxed in his chair and placed his right ankle on his left knee. "We will give you support in your efforts to unify Sudan however we can. In return, we ask only that you agree to a freedom of trade deal. That is to say, no tariffs on Guinean goods, and no Guinean tariffs on Sudanese goods. In addition to this, we would like to request that our companies receive preferential treatment by your government, paying the same prices and taxes to your government as domestic corporations. This will promote economic development. We could also agree to limited military cooperation, in the form of an Optional Defense Pact. "What are your thoughts, Madam?"

As the plane descended into Abuja International Airport, it would be met on the runway with Members of the Guinean Secret Service. They would escort Ms. Darzi to the embassy, whereupon she would be greeted at the entrance by the Guinean Minister of Foreign Affairs, and escorted inside. After a tour of the building, they sat down in her new office to talk business. "We are very much interested in your nation, Ms. Darzi, and wonder how we can best display the goodwill between our two nations. Perhaps a treaty, of some sort?"

Cent approved the addition of these two territories to totally transform the Union of Guinea http://i.imgur.com/2UShmhy.png if you would

Yayi Boni, President of the Union of Guinea, sat at his desk, alone, his hands upon his forehead in the typical stressed pose, eyes glued to the document he was reading. It was a struggle, this President thing, but he was beginning to grow used to it, and even beginning to enjoy it. His phone rang. Thankful for the break from the neverending droning of the language of this new bill, something about a new refinery in Lagos, he answered it. "I have the draft of the document to send to Sudan," a voice from the other side. "Very well, send it over," the president said, and hung up the phone. A man walked in the door, laid the draft on the President's desk, and waited for the President to review it before sending it out. The President handed it back to the man who brought it in, and gestured that it was okay for him to leave. He left, and the document would be delivered post-haste, while President Boni returned to reading about goat farmers.

Guinea supports fellow African nation Gabon in its bid for the Presidency.

Government Votes to Raise Corporate Tax ABUJA - Today, President Yayi Boni signed a bill raising the tax rate on corporations from 28% to 35%. The bill passed the House of the People by an overwhelming majority of 424-76, including all of the Social Democratic Party, all of the Left Party, and an overwhelming majority of the Guinean National Party and the Igbo National Party. John Adeyemi, leader of the Social Democratic Party and author of the bill, has said that this bill is, "Necessary to protect the interests of the Guinean people." It raises the cost of operations in Guinean sovereign territory for foreign companies as well, from 24% of total revenue to 35% of total revenue earned from Guinean operations. More specifically, it targets the oil companies operating in the Gulf of Guinea. It levies a 40% tax on all oil and gas exploration in Guinea. However, it also provides incentive to domestic corporations' drilling operations, raising the tax on new oil and gas exploration for a Guinean corporation to only 32%. As all land is owned by the government, corporations and residents are required to pay a tax for what they wish to use the land for. Some, like family farms and tribal villages, is tax-free, while others, such as oil and gas exploration are taxed. "We regret this disincentive to businesses," CEO of Nigerian Gas & Oil Co, a Lagusa-based corporation, "it will surely push business away and jobs will go with it." Nigerian Gas & Oil Co. is the largest oil company in Nigeria and the fourth-largest in the world. When asked about the NGO response, Adeyemi said, "I'm sure they will get along fine with a little less than their record profits they posted last year." NGO posted record revenues of $450 billion and record profits of $18 billion last year.

Government of Guinea The Government of Guinea is among the most unique in the world. While there is a President and a bicameral legislature, one of the houses is not elected, but rather appointed by tribal leaders from the five major ethnic groups of Guinea based on how much of the population their ethnic group makes up. This is the House of Culture, the Upper House of the Guinean Government. It has 500 seats, distributed as follows: Yoruba: 173 Akan: 125 Igbo: 89 Mande: 59 Hausa: 54 The seats in the upper house are based on the percentage of the population a particular ethnic group makes up. Remaining seats (for the other ethnic groups) are divided equally, starting from the ethnicity with the fewest seats to the most seats. The upper house has relatively limited power compared to the lower house. Its primary function is to serve the interests of the various cultural groups within the union, and therefore will only have authority to propose and vote on legislation related to cultural issues. The Lower House, or the House of the People (Ụlọ ndị Mmadụ) is comprised of 500 seats elected every 3 years via a proportional representation system, wherein a party must obtain at least a 3.5% share of the vote to be eligible. The following parties are eligible as of the last election: - Guinean National Party (70.2% | 355 seats) - Social Democratic Party of Guinea (12.8% | 68 seats) - Guinean Left Party (5.7% | 33 seats) - Igbo National Party (4% | 24 seats) - Yoruba National Party (3.6% | 20 seats) The following parties also participated in the election, and received at least 1% of the vote, but did not exceed the 3.5% threshold: Hausa National Party, Guinean Democrats, Liberian Liberation Front The President is elected every 5 years via a national election separate from the election for the House of the People. A majority is not required, and a simple plurality is all that is necessary to become President. The current President, Yayi Boni, is from the Guinean National Party (GNP). He won the election with 65.4% of the vote.