Commonwealth of Liberty

★ 𝚃𝙷𝙴 𝚄𝙽𝙸𝚃𝙴𝙳 𝙰𝚁𝙰𝙱 𝚁𝙴𝙿𝚄𝙱𝙻𝙸𝙲 ★

"𝖥𝖾𝖺𝗋 𝗂𝗌, 𝖨 𝖻𝖾𝗅𝗂𝖾𝗏𝖾, 𝖺 𝗆𝗈𝗌𝗍 𝖾𝖿𝖿𝖾𝖼𝗍𝗂𝗏𝖾 𝗍𝗈𝗈𝗅 𝗂𝗇 𝖽𝖾𝗌𝗍𝗋𝗈𝗒𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝖺𝗇 𝗂𝗇𝖽𝗂𝗏𝗂𝖽𝗎𝖺𝗅 - 𝖺𝗇𝖽 𝗍𝗁𝖾 𝗌𝗈𝗎𝗅 𝗈𝖿 𝖺 𝗉𝖾𝗈𝗉𝗅𝖾."
ANWAR EL-SADAT

_________________

_{𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐋𝐌 𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐌: 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝟑
^{1972 - ARAB REVOLUTIONARY FRONT}}
_{The creation of the Arab Socialist Union in 1962 had formed the first significant attempt at institutionalizing the tenets of Nasserism and the July Revolution. Serving as the blueprint, the ASU would soon grow to become the United Arab Republic's first true political party in at least a decade. However not without it's faults, largely considered ideologically inconsistent, corrupt, and not well-organized, the ASU couldn't meet the its purpose, and as such, President Nasser authorized the creation of a new political engine in 1970, the National Progressive Party, on the infrastructure and foundations that the ASU set.}

_{Two years later, and the National Progressive Party has underwent an intense process of integrating itself into every part of the state. Adopting the Soviet model as a basis, the NPP has begun to establish a presence in student unions, labour syndicates, the provincial level, and most factories and enterprises. In official government statements, the National Progressive Party has been hailed as the 'guiding light' of the United Arab Republic, the 'leading revolutionary torch of progress and Arabism', and as an 'integral part' of the United Arab Republic. The emphasis on a 'strong, central authority' by party leaders has manifested itself in greater oversight over the regional party cadres in Upper Egypt and rural Libya, in which the NPP has taken an active role in contrast to earlier entities which was content in only focusing over Cairo and Tripoli.}

_{It is of course no surprise that the two men behind this push, Kamal Rifa'at, and Khalid Muhyi al-Din, are heavily inspired by the Marxist ideology and are close followers of the Soviet Union, of whom the 'Socialization' of the United Arab Republic was mostly inspired from the Soviet experiences. Indeed, the NPP's heiarchal structure and practice of Democratic Centralism, its entrenched position within the state, and much more are quite heavily inspired by the Soviet system of governance.}

_{The NPP's dominance has been in part motivated by a desire from Muhyi al-Din and Rifa'at to have a strong power base to protect their position, having seen the Ali Sabri group exiled in May 1971, and the rightists of Zakaria Muhyi al-Din lose steam after 1967, the two men and their allies have realized the importance of a strong protection. For current President Sadat, who opposes their faction however, this has merely served as motivation for him to strengthen his power in other areas, mainly the economic sphere.}

_{With the new government adopting a policy of no peace, no war, the United Arab Republic has entered an air of almost normalcy which has made way for an economic revival of sort, with dozens of new businesses opening since 1970. In fact, President Sadat has begun a tour of courting prominent businessmen and industrialists both as a way to gain influential allies economically, but also for their support in the war effort, though unbeknownst to most people as to avoid leaking their involvement in things such as providing logistical support, or engineering support.}

_{One area where Sadat has been most in focus outside of securing support for the war has been in kickstarting the consumer electronics manufcuturing sector, boosted by its viability being proven in the Libyan economic zones., Sadat has devoted large amounts of capital towards the expansion of enterprises such as TeleMisr (prominent TV manufacturer) and the Nasr Company for Electronics. Meanwhile, also starting factory plans in Alexandria and Port Said, as to take advantage of their position as port towns to easier export the UAR's products. With an established history of producing transistor radios at a mass scale, as well as TV, cameras, and other such equipment, the existence of skilled labour, and strategic location, the government of Sadat has banked heavily on this sector as one to drive growth and exports in the future.}

_{As the two men, Khalid Muhyi al-Din and Anwar el-Sadat begin collecting their respective chess pieces, it seems that the U.A.R is headed for another clash to determine the future of the country.}

Republic of Lebanon - April 1972

Elections & Coalitions

The 1972 General Elections have just passed over Lebanon to a dizzying result. In a "sign of the times" as many would say, turnout only hovered around 54% and independents are gradually losing their place in the Lebanese parliament, securing 42 seats down 20 from the 1968 elections. Independents such as the Chehabist faction have been ever slowly losing members since 1964, the populations running to the parties as politics becomes ever more divided. Going along with the generally low turnout rates of Lebanese elections, very few are willing to believe that the nation has a hopeful future ahead. The only good luck to come from the fate of the Independents is the rise of Chehabist supporters, forming whatever could constitute a majority for this session of the nation's parliament, a boon for the President.

The election also brought many of the "radicals" into a position of authority, while subjecting others to 2nd place. The largest upticks were of the Progressive Socialist Party and Social Democratic Party, ones that could work with the Chehab regime. The most worrying of the new parties are the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, Union of People's Working Forces and Socialist Arab Vanguard Party. SSNP and UPWF both represent the two most influential Arab states, Syria and Egypt, respectively. SSNP has been acting as arm of Syrian influence in Lebanon since its arrival and while the UPWF hasn't been officially supported by Cairo since the death of Nasser, letting them go about isn't much of an option. The SAVP meanwhile are even more dangerous, they're not just socialist, they can easily work with the LCP, PSP, even the other two radicals to form a bloc of communist power inside Lebanon's legislature. They even have a paramilitary force and is rumored to collude with the Palestinian resistance forces in the country.

Last and not least are the Maronite right, the National Liberal Party and Kataeb. Thankfully for Chehab, they both managed to lose seats this election, though only because of other radicals appearing. Kataeb in particular is one of the highest threats to Lebanon's society with its open paramilitary, supremacist values and its ability to be as vocal in opposition as possible to keep itself popular. It has a good relationship with the Social Democratic Party, one that could infiltrate a potential coalition between them and Chehab, while the National Liberals maintain contact with other Maronite groups in the country as a form of political bloc.

The Future of Chehab

With his supporters now further in power in the parliament, President Chehab and his cabinet have begun the task of alliance building with the remaining independents, the PSP the SDP to form a solid power base. Positions had to be switched around, Kamel Assad would retain the role of Legislative Speaker and the PSP would need concessions in certain policies. The alliance would not be one to transform into a coalition, but the series of agreements meant to keep them voting on the same side brought in the independents to Chehab's fold, the thing he most needed out of it anyway. Karami would retain Prime Minister, something that was non-negotiable, and internally he began to prepare his trusted ally Elias Sarkis to be a successor in the next major election.

The Chehabists now held more sway over Lebanese politics, but less than they hoped. The Christians and the Muslims inside the alliance also have to be kept unified, and that required action. Seeing the rise of the SSNP, a clear Syrian proxy, many internally began to call for a ban on the organization but the government can't risk an all out Syrian invasion without gaining allies that could reasonably stop them. His base recommends Greece, a fiercely anti-communist force in the region and one that could react efficiently with its bases in Cyprus, however again open cooperation with the Orthodox Greece would illicit harsh reactions from both the Muslim and Christian blocs, it will need to be minor or secret.

On the domestic side, the new parliament may now finally be able to push through some of the planned social bills to help alleviate the burden placed on citizens in the Poverty belt. A national security law is now being drafted for later proposal that would allow government to use the police far more liberally to shut down possible insurgent behavior. Regardless, the Republic of Lebanon now is both more and less secure, Chehab has increased power while the country becomes more and more radicalized.

About a day ago the tranquility of Larkostigh was soon shattered by the drums of war echoing from afar. Across the seas, in the distant country of the Siamese Kingdom of Astarina, conflict brewed like a storm on the horizon. Larkostigh found itself entangled in the affairs of nations, drawn into a conflict it did not seek nor desire.

The Siamese Kingdom of Astarina, embroiled in a bitter dispute with the neighboring Chinese People's Republic of OsivoII, sought allies to bolster its ranks and secure victory.
Floren G. Bonne, however, was a leader of principle. He valued peace above all else and refused to be dragged into the conflicts of others. Despite pressure from various quarters, he steadfastly maintained Larkostigh's neutrality, determined to keep his nation out of the brewing storm.

Meanwhile, as the tensions brew many people of Larkostigh tried to make Larkostigh join the war and help whatever nation they chose and to stop the conflict saying that they are not comfortable with this conflict over seas.

But Floren G. Bonne citing his commitment to neutrality and peace. Despite the potential diplomatic benefits siding with a nation, he refused to compromise the integrity of his nation for the sake of foreign conflicts and did not want to get involved in this conflict for the sake of his people. For on the last campaign, he stated to stay out of regional conflicts and said at Foxtract that if they join the war, they will be even more comfortable saying this speech at Foxtract saying this.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Today, as your leader and steward of our beloved nation, I stand before you with a heavy heart and a solemn duty. The drums of war echo loudly across our borders, beckoning us to join the fray, to take up arms in conflicts not of our making. But I urge you, my fellow citizens, to heed my words and stand firm in our commitment to peace.

The Siamese Kingdom of Astarina and the Chinese People's Republic of OsivoII may be embroiled in their disputes, but let it be known that Larkostigh shall not be drawn into their conflicts. Our nation's strength lies not in the might of our armies, but in the unity of our people and the integrity of our principles.

I understand the allure of foreign entreaties, promising wealth and prosperity through trade and alliances. But let us not be blinded by the glittering promises of those who seek to entangle us in their wars. Our duty is first and foremost to the well-being of our citizens, to ensure their safety, security, and prosperity.

Joining the war would only bring suffering and hardship to our people. It would tear apart the fabric of our society, sow discord among our citizens, and plunge us into a darkness from which there may be no return. Is this the legacy we wish to leave for future generations? Is this the path we wish to tread?

No, my friends, I say to you with unwavering conviction: we shall not yield to the temptations of war. We shall stand resolute in our commitment to peace, diplomacy, and the greater good of our nation. We shall remain a beacon of hope and stability in a world consumed by conflict.

Let us not forget the sacrifices of those who have come before us, who have laid down their lives in defense of our freedoms and our way of life. Let us honor their memory by choosing the path of peace, by upholding the values that define us as a nation.

In the face of adversity, let us show the world the strength of our resolve, the depth of our compassion, and the power of our unity. Together, we shall weather the storms that rage around us, and emerge stronger, wiser, and more resilient than ever before.

So, I implore you, my fellow citizens, to stand with me in solidarity as we chart a course towards a brighter future. Let us hold fast to our principles, let us forge ahead with courage and determination, and let us never waver in our pursuit of peace.

Thank you and may the blessings of peace be upon us all.

As tensions escalated between the Siamese Kingdom of Astarina and the Chinese People's Republic of OsivoII, Larkostigh stood as a beacon of stability in a tumultuous world. All of this caused Larkostigh to refuse trades from both nations because they did not want to get involved in this conflict and keeping their people safe is their number one priority right now.