Time: Atropia

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The Caucasus countries, for the most part, do not believe in the sensitivity of time, and do not view punctuality or the importance of time as the US and most other Western countries do. Most of the people in the region do not view time as a resource and do not feel any compulsion to effectively manage their time. The people in the Caucasus region do not make the connection between effective use of their time and production. This lack of time consciousness will likely frustrate US soldiers as they work with their allies, but it will also give the US a battlefield advantage against its enemies.

Key Dates, Time Periods or Events

The entire region’s recorded history extends back at least 3,000 years, but people populated the area long before that time as indicated by the archaeological objects discovered in caves and at other long- inhabited sites.

Atropia’s recorded history dates back to the 9th century BC. During this long history, Atropia’s key event was its conversion to Islam by the Arabs in 642 AD. From that point forward, Atropia became the battleground for numerous invaders, including the Mongols and the Arianians. Each invader left its mark on Atropia, but eventually the various empires faded away.

• 9th century BC

Atropia's recorded history begins

• 642 AD

Atropia converts to Islam

1870s

Oil begins to dominate Atropia's economy

• 1919 May 28

Republic of Atropia founded

• 1950s–1970s

Atropian oil and chemical industries create high volumes of pollution

• 1951

Baku subway system construction begins

• 1953

Mingachevir dam completed in Atropia; associated city begins to grow

• 20 years ago

The Four Traitors are discovered in Donovia; Donovian economy collapses; Donovian regional influence abruptly curtailed

• 20 years ago

Lower Janga conflict begins, resulting in large numbers of internally displaced persons

• 20 years ago

Atropian embargo against Limaria begins

• 20 years ago

Large-scale privatization of Atropian agricultural land and industries begins

• 20 years ago

Salasyl insurgent activity in Atropia begins

• 18 years ago

Atropia begins encouraging production-sharing agreements in oil and gas industries

• 17 years ago

Lower Janga conflict ends

17 years ago

Atropian state oil fund founded

• 16 years ago

Current Atropian constitution adopted

• 15 years ago

Atropia begins actively exploiting oil reserves; begins experiencing strong Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth

• 15 years ago

Atropian government begins anti-Islamization programs

• 15 years ago

Large-scale privatization of Atropian agricultural land and industries ends

• 10 years ago

Atropian hydrocarbon boom begins

• 10 years ago

Rapid growth of Atropian telecommunications infrastructure begins

• 9 years ago

Atropian constitution amended to allow for only direct legislature elections based on legislative districts

• 7 years ago

First Atropia legislative election with membership based entirely on legislative districts

• 7 years ago

• Atropian President Salam Ismailov takes office

• 5 years ago

Scientific American names Sumgayit, Atropia, as one of the top 10 most polluted locations in the world

• 5 years ago

President Ismailov meets the US President during a state visit

• 5 years ago

CBS-P pipeline closes for repairs

• 3 years ago

Atropian oil production leaps after development of Vapenaz portion of oilfields

• 3 years ago

Donovia-Gorgas conflict delays CBS-P pipeline reopening by three months

• 3 years ago December

Atropian government bans rebroadcasting of foreign English-language TV programs

• 2 years ago

Atropia begins daily shipment of 53 million cubic feet of natural gas to Donovia

• 2 years ago

Atropian constitution amended to remove the presidential two-term limit

• last year

Most recent Atropian presidential and legislative elections

• this year

Atropia announces goals to begin research & development into its own space program

• next year

Fransaz oil Project platform expected to come online

Routine, Cyclical Key Dates

Traditional Wedding Seasons

Due to the heavy Muslim influence, most people will not marry in the month of Ramadan. Some areas extend the time prohibition against marriage to even longer periods, but it usually depends on the devoutness of the region’s inhabitants.

Most marriages in Atropia take place during two time periods—the spring season around the holiday Novruz Bayram (Arianian New Year’s), approximately 21 March—or in autumn after the crop  harvest. In southern Atropia, Muslims will not marry during Ramadan or the first two months of the Islamic year, Muharram and Safar

National and Religious Holidays

Atropia uses the Gregorian calendar. Muslims in Atropia celebrate religious holidays based on the lunar calendar, which moves 10-11 days earlier on the Gregorian calendar each year.

Holiday	Date	Description	Military Implications
New Year's	01-02 January	A two-day event celebrates the new year.	NA
Women's Day	03 March	Celebrates women in the culture.	NA
Spring Festival	20-24 March	A five-day celebration that commemorates the Persian New Year and the Spring Solstice.	NA
Republic Day	28 May	Commemorates the founding of the Democratic Republic of Atropia in 1919.	NA
Army and Navy Day	26 June	Honors the Atropian military.	NA
Constitution Day	12 November	Commemorates the country’s approval of the constitution in 16 years ago.	NA
Ramadan	29 May- 25 June 2017 18 May- 15 June 2018 9 May- 5 June 2019	Muslim month of fasting between sunup and sundown.	Very little activity will take place during daylight hours as people rest while they fast.
Ramadan Bayram	25-26 June 2017 15-16 June 2018 5-6 June 2019	Two-day candy celebration to commemorate the end of Ramadan.	NA
Qurban, Bayram	2-5 September 2017 22-25 August 2018 12-15 August 2019	Four-day celebration to commemorate the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son.	Many people will travel to visit relatives over a 5-7 day period.

Harvest Cycles

Atropia has four seasons that vary from location to location within the country. Most planting occurs in the spring, with harvesting from late August to mid-October. (See the Physical Environment variable for additional information on Atropia’s agriculture and the country’s seasons.)

Elections

The Atropian president, elected by popular vote, serves a six-year term. Subsequent to the constitutional reform two years ago, the president may now serve more than two terms, the previous limit.

Atropians elect a unicameral legislature of 125 members through direct voting based on legislative districts. Each district elects one member, who serves a two-year term, with a limit of four consecutive terms in office. The assembly formerly contained directly elected members via their district and a popular party vote. A constitutional amendment nine years ago altered the arrangement to provide for only direct election based on districts, but kept the same total number of representatives. The new system was first effective in the elections seven years ago.

Cultural Perception of Time

Most of the Caucasus area does not perceive the importance of time as the Western world does, especially as it relates to business. The more a country interacts with Western nations, however, the more the country accepts the Western idea of the importance of time.

While Westerners take time commitments such as deadlines and schedules very seriously, in the Caucasus, time commitments are seen more as an objective to be achieved, if possible, rather than a requirement. Promptness is based on relationships. In the West, time is money. In the Caucasus, there is no problem with making people wait all day, and then telling them to come back the next day. A person from the Caucasus will be much more likely to be on time if the person who set the time commitment is close to him, such as a friend or family member. Business is conducted more on the basis of personal relationships than on respect for time.

Atropia

Overall, Atropia’s society does not deem punctuality and accountability of time as important. These lax norms clash with those of Westerners who stress timeliness and punctuality. Atropians embrace a fairly casual attitude about punctuality in both the business setting and their leisure hours. Many Atropian proverbs, however, do suggest using time wisely. Atropians often translate these proverbs to signify the wise use of time in business or social meetings, but not necessarily to mean punctuality.

Atropian industrial sectors and urban centers demonstrate more punctuality and stronger time management than the country’s rural areas. The farther away from urban areas an individual travels, the more abstract the concepts of time and appointments become to the indigenous population. A large portion of Atropians go to sleep after midnight on weekdays and even later on weekends. Many Atropians also prefer to make significant decisions and conduct intense cognitive processes in the morning hours. Military advisors and planners should coordinate for major meetings in the morning hours with Atropian leadership.

Tactical Exploitation of Time

Caucasus Perception of Time

For the most part, people in the Caucasus perceive time as an unimportant resource in their lives. They believe that things will occur whether they take proactive action or not. Each country in the region possesses a long history and people believe that their country will continue well into the future. Most of the people in the region look back to times when their ethnic group held the upper hand in interactions with their neighbors and hope that one day their country can become the dominant power again. The people do not look at time in the short term, but look forward to the long term when conditions will again allow them to take their rightful place among the world’s leaders. For Ariana and Atropia, their hydrocarbon resources may provide them the impetus to become a regional—if not world—power. For Gorgas and Limaria, their lack of natural resources will continue to plague their countries’ ability to improve their situation in the short-term. Donovia wishes to regain the dominant regional influence it once commanded.

US Perception of Time

The time perception of allies in the region will frustrate the US, but the US can also take advantage of the lack of urgency of any enemies in the area. With its regional allies, the US will need to help them understand that time is a precious resource that once wasted can never be recovered. Punctuality and a sense of urgency remain essential for a military to defeat the enemy on the battlefield. Due to the enemy’s lack of a time table and its apathetic regard for punctuality, US forces and their allies will most likely find opportunities to get inside the enemy leaders’ decision cycles. Rapid US and allied action will cause the enemy to react to their actions instead of the enemy taking the initiative.

Summary

For the most part, the Caucasus countries view time differently than the US. Time is relatively unimportant to the people of Ariana, Atropia, Gorgas, and Limaria in almost every aspect of their lives. They lack a sense of urgency to accomplish tasks, in complete contrast to the Western world where almost everyone wants to accomplish as much as possible in as little time as possible. While the Donovian view of time is closer to that of the US than the other nations of the Caucasus, it is still notably different. All five cultures contain an immense history dating back centuries and people feel that whatever they do, their country will continue into the future. The area’s perception of time will cause the US to become frustrated with its allies, but will provide opportunities for exploitation of  US enemies. To do so, however, the US will need to understand the nuances as each country perceives the relative importance of time somewhat differently.