|
|
| Line 1: |
Line 1: |
| | ''This page is a section of [[Olvana]].'' | | ''This page is a section of [[Olvana]].'' |
| | | | |
| − | At the heart of political power in [[Ariana]] is the Council of Guardians Revolution. The Revolution considers itself the vanguard of proper Islamic sentiment on the planet, and the heart of a global conversion to its version of Islam. The Revolution has successfully defended itself from both internal and external threats, and remains committed to the export of its vision of theocratic rule.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | __TOC__ | | __TOC__ |
| | == Centers of Political Power == | | == Centers of Political Power == |
| − | [[File:Ariana.png|thumb|Ariana]] | + | [[File:placeholder.png|thumb|Olvana]] |
| − | Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mahmood Mekhenei and the Arianian military are the centers of political power in Ariana. The late Ayatollah Khodadad established an Islamic republic based on the principles of Islamic law. A clerical body oversees the operation of each state institution and ensures the office does not deviate from Islamic law and the clerical community’s direction. Such governmental structure directly links all political power to clerical authority in an ideology known as velayat-e faqih, or the Rule of the Islamist Jurist. Even though a liberal, representative government structure ostensibly serves as the voice of the populace, clerical authority supersedes it and drives political direction for the state. Additionally, Ayatollah Khodadad co-opted the Arianian military to guarantee that no popular movement would be able to overturn the Revolution. The military established its own identity and power structures and continues to adapt to the fluid political environment to ensure its continual power, wealth, and relevancy. After an August 2009 presidential election marred by voter irregularities, the military played a major role in the suppression of protestors who sought reforms.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Military Authority === | | === Military Authority === |
| − | Ayatollah Khodadad co-opted the Arianian military shortly after the Council of Guardians Revolution. In addition to its role as ideological guardian of the Revolution’s Islamic ethos, the military evolved into an expansive socio-political-economic conglomerate. All facets of Arianian political life and society reflect its influence. Highly characterized by a populist, authoritarian, and assertive vision of the Arianian state, the military believes it represents the most faithful representation of Council of Guardians Revolution ideals. Its presence plays a powerful role in Ariana’s highly factionalized political system where the president, much of the cabinet, many parliament members, and a host of other provincial and local administrators hail from military ranks.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Religious/Clerical Authority === | | === Religious/Clerical Authority === |
| − | In 1979, Ayatollah Khodadad dramatically transformed Arianian religious and political landscapes and made Shia Islam an inseparable element of the country's political structure. He expounded velayat-e faqih (the rule of the Islamist jurist), in which the country is ruled by sharia, or Islamic law, via an Islamic jurist (faqih) that directs the government. The constitutional changes that followed the Council of Guardians Revolution created an Arianian government based on the same three pillars of power as the US—the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. The three branches, however, possess less power than the Supreme Leader, then Ayatollah Khodadad, and the Supreme Leader retains religious control.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == Attitudes Toward the US == | | == Attitudes Toward the US == |
| − | Current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mahmood Mekhenei routinely denounces the United States for its arrogance, greed, and contempt for the Arianian nation. Mekhenei also sees the United States as the leader in a “cultural onslaught” designed to undermine the Islamic Republic. The US characterizes Ariana as a “profound threat to US national security interests,” a perception created by Ariana’s military support to armed groups in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Palestinian group Martyr’s Army, the Lebanese Shia Internationalist Brigades, and especially by its nuclear ambitions in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Attitude Toward US Trade === | | === Attitude Toward US Trade === |
| − | Ariana is under a variety of regime sanctions and, by US law, US companies face significant restriction on trade with Arianian entities. Arianians usually employ third countries to work around sanctions in an attempt to obtain technology for oil extraction or military operations. Most US companies had their Arianian holdings nationalized in the wake of the Council of Guardians Revolution.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == Type of Government == | | == Type of Government == |
| − | [[File:Official Flag of Ariana.png|thumb|Official Flag of Ariana]] | + | [[File:placeholder.png|thumb|Official Flag of Olvana]] |
| − | The theocratic Arianian government contains three branches like the US, but the executive branch wields the lion’s share of federal power. The unicameral legislative and the judicial branches possess only limited means to check the Arianian president, Ahmad Moudin. The cleric-controlled Guardian Leadership Council must approve all legislation passed by the legislative branch. All judicial branch appointees are clerics who must use sharia law as the basis for adjudicating cases. The clerical community— headed by the Supreme Leader—must approve all public office candidates and appoints judges to ensure that all officials support approved beliefs/positions.
| + | To be published |
| − | | |
| − | Ariana consists of 30 provinces further subdivided into a total of 314 counties. Each county contains districts and each district has several rural districts. The average rural district encompasses several villages and generally covers about 620 square miles.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Much of the pre-Revolutionary federal administrative structure remains intact. The Minister of Interior (MoI) appoints a governor general for each province and a governor for each county. Since 1999, citizens elect their district chiefs, rural chiefs'','' and village chiefs as well as their councils. Although the pre-revolutionary structure remains the same, governor’s generals no longer possess the province level power they held before the Revolution. Local prayer leaders ''(Imam Jomehs)'' exercise considerable political authority because they head the local revolutionary committees.
| |
| | | | |
| | === Branches of Government === | | === Branches of Government === |
| − | [[File:Political Subdivisions of Ariana.png|thumb|Political Subdivisions of Ariana]] | + | [[File:Placeholder.png|thumb|Political Subdivisions of Olvana]] |
| | | | |
| | ==== Legislative Authority ==== | | ==== Legislative Authority ==== |
| − | The legislative branch consists of a 290-member unicameral body which represents all 30 Ariana provinces. Citizens elect members by “popular” vote to serve four-year terms. The Arianian constitution directs that the legislature draft legislation, ratify international treaties, and approve the national budget. The Guardian Leadership Council must approve all candidates who run for the legislature. The constitution reserves a number of seats for religious minorities. These include two seats for Limarian Christians, one for Assyrian Christians, one for Jews, and one for Zoroastrians. The legislature also appoints six members to the Guardian Leadership Council.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | ==== Executive Authority ==== | | ==== Executive Authority ==== |
| − | Second only in authority to the Supreme Leader, the president controls the Arianian national government’s operations. He also wields power, through leadership and patronage of the ministries, to exercise control down to the provincial and county level. Ahmad Moudin became Ariana’s president in 2003.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | ==== Judicial Authority ==== | | ==== Judicial Authority ==== |
| − | The Guardian Leadership Council consists of 12 members and serves as the Islamic Republic’s overseer to ensure that the country operates under sharia law. The Supreme Leader appoints six theologians directly to the Guardian Leadership Council, and the legislature approves another six jurists from a list of candidates selected by the Supreme Judicial Council. Since the Supreme Leader controls the Supreme Judicial Council, there is little chance that the Supreme Judicial Council nominees will share a different viewpoint than the six directly chosen by the Supreme Leader. The Arianian constitution establishes two primary responsibilities for the Guardian Leadership Council. As the government’s legal experts, the Council reviews each piece of legislation passed by parliament to ensure compatibility with both the Arianian Constitution and Islamic Law. Under Ariana’s legal system, judicial authority rests with the judge who both investigates and prosecutes crimes, with no trials by jury. When an accused person stands trial for something not expressly forbidden by the legal code, the judge issues a sentence based on his interpretation of Islamic law and custom.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == Government Effectiveness and Legitimacy == | | == Government Effectiveness and Legitimacy == |
| − | Internationally, most countries recognize the Islamic Republic of Ariana even though the country established a nuclear program in violation of international non-proliferation treaties. In recent years, “reformists” helped achieve a degree of regional stability by successfully tempering the government’s previous militant message to pursue long-standing national interests. One popular reformist attempted to strengthen Ariana’s relationships with Japan and Western European nations that oppose the Ariana-Libya Sanctions Act, a US law that essentially provides significant penalties to companies and governments which make significant investments in Ariana’s energy sector. These US sanctions successfully impact Ariana’s petroleum-based economy as they prevent large-scale improvements and technological advancements.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Domestic Political Issues === | | === Domestic Political Issues === |
| | | | |
| | ==== Elections ==== | | ==== Elections ==== |
| − | Arianian elections increasingly are popularity contests between candidates vetted and approved by religious authorities. Rising discontent with these sham elections has resulted in wide-scale demonstrations, but their effect to date on the stability of the Arianian regime has been negligible. The Revolution remains generally popular in more rural areas, and elections there are seen as reflective of the popular will, compared with discontent caused by elections in urban areas. Parliamentary elections occur every four years, with Presidential elections every six years. There are no term limits for any elected office.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | ==== Rule of Law ==== | | ==== Rule of Law ==== |
| − | Rule of law is based on the Arianian government’s significant power and utter ruthlessness in squashing threats to its rule or what it deems as anti-social behavior. The government uses law enforcement forces, military personnel, and private citizens to monitor the actions of all Arianians. Courts are generally functionaries of the executive, rather than independent.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | ==== Corruption ==== | | ==== Corruption ==== |
| − | Corruption is becoming a serious problem, with most Arianians turning to corrupt practices, especially in urban areas, to get access to government services. The regime sanctions also create an atmosphere of corruption, as military officers import hard-to-obtain items and resell them at inflated prices. The military uses its power to either muscle its way into most lucrative business deals, take over directly, or inject itself as a silent partner.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == International Relationships == | | == International Relationships == |
| | | | |
| | === Regional Actors === | | === Regional Actors === |
| − | Ariana desires not only to export the Council of Guardians Revolution to its neighbors, but to place itself in a position of regional dominance as well. Ariana remains friendly to any neighboring countries—other than Atropia—that are willing to negotiate or trade in the Caucasus region. Ariana and Donovia enjoy positive, though unofficial, political and economic relations despite the fact that Donovia is Ariana’s main competitor for the role of regional strongman. The country has a mutually beneficial political and economic relationship with Limaria, in which Ariana uses its smaller neighbor as a way to import and export goods internationally and Limaria gains access to much- needed hydrocarbon resources.
| + | To be published |
| − | | |
| − | The large Atropian population in northern Ariana and the minority’s predilection for a schism from the central government in Tehran makes Arianians suspicious of the Atropian government and people of Atropian ethnicity. Ariana also wants to gain control of the rich oil reserves in Atropian- controlled Caspian Sea areas since its own oil reserves continue to dwindle. Arianian relations with Atropia are generally antagonistic as a result, and Ariana also remains leery of Kalaria’s regional ambitions and its close relationship with Atropia.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Ariana has not taken an official political position that would support either side over the Lower Janga dispute; the country prefers to publicly state that it is interested in managing the conflict until a compromise is found. However, unofficially it provides small clandestine units to train and equip the Limarian Liberation Front (LLF) to counter Atropian aggression and attempts to retake territory. Ariana loathes the Western-leaning secular posture taken by Atropia and may leverage conflict in the area to export its vision of theocratic governance to Atropia.
| |
| − | | |
| − | Ariana’s nuclear weapons program represents a massive destabilizing influence in regional and international dialogue. This capability is most threatening to Ariana’s neighbors and remains yet another troublesome aspect to Ariana’s foreign policy. Politically, the domestic popularity of the nuclear weapons program, along with the obvious power and prestige it brings to the Ariana government, outweighs the trade sanctions and other political and economic costs.
| |
| | | | |
| | === International Organizations === | | === International Organizations === |
| − | Ariana has attempted to create an anti-Western, and specifically anti-US, coalition in most international organizations of which it is a member. Additionally, Ariana has attempted to use oil exports as a weapon to coerce or bribe poor, small, or neutral nations to support its anti-US cause. Ariana is a member of most major international organizations. About 30 to 40 smaller non- governmental organizations (NGOs) and international organizations (IOs) operate within Ariana. The major IOs in terms of programs and budget are the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and International Red Crescent. NGO programs generally are non-political in nature and focus on culture, literacy, and medical programs, especially in rural locations.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === International Economic Associations === | | === International Economic Associations === |
| − | Because of Ariana’s oil wealth and its somewhat dodgy status on the global stage, the country’s participation in international economic associations is limited to one exception, namely its non-US dollar denominated oil bourse. The oil bourse is an effort to break the US dollar monopoly on oil transactions. While not truly successful, as the majority of the world’s oil transactions are dollar- denominated, the bourse demonstrates Ariana’s continuing efforts to confront the US.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Military Alliances === | | === Military Alliances === |
| − | Ariana maintains no official military alliances, instead relying on foreign manned proxies or political support from nations it supports economically. Ariana also actively denounces other military alliances, especially Atropia’s alliances, which may introduce Western and specifically US forces into proximity with Ariana.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == Influential Political Groups == | | == Influential Political Groups == |
| | | | |
| | === Official Political Parties === | | === Official Political Parties === |
| − | There are no political parties in the Western sense in Ariana. The Arianian Clergy determine who stands for election, and the elections themselves mean little and are functional rubber-stamps of the Clergy determination of who shall occupy various seats of government. The Clergy’s stranglehold on government has created much of the popular frustration seen in recent protests against the government from the most liberal elements of Arianian society. The Arianian conservatives’ belief in a system of clerical authority remains ironclad, and they see themselves as defenders of Ayatollah Khodadad’s vision. If necessary, the conservatives would cheerfully remove the democratic institutions that occasionally challenge clerical authority. Conservatives believe they received their mandate from God, and neither popular will nor elected officials should challenge it. The conservatives display ambivalence toward popular opinion, because those who think as they do remain deeply entrenched in the institutions that ensure the conservatives’ continued rule. The leader of Ariana’s Islamic Truth Party noted, “The legitimacy of our Islamic establishment is derived from God. This legitimacy will not wash away even if people stop supporting it.”
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | === Other Domestic Influential Groups === | | === Other Domestic Influential Groups === |
| − | Arianian domestic groups split more often along ethnic and/or religious lines than ideologies. Examples include the predominantly Sunni Baluchis of southern Ariana, the New Dawn of Freedom of Arianian Kurdistan, and the approximately three million ethnic Arabs near the southwest Arianian-Iraqi border. Exceptions include the Arianian Free-Will Movement, the Islamic Republic’s primary opposition to the concept of velayat-e faqih. Because of the Arianian Free-Will Movement’s opposition to the current regime, it cannot register as an official political party and its members cannot run for parliament seats or the presidency.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | == Summary == | | == Summary == |
| − | Though facing some internal discord, Ariana is firmly committed to the export of its version of Shia Islamic governance. The religious authorities and military are, despite high current levels of urban unrest, firmly in control of the country. Ariana will continue to be diplomatically hostile to both Atropia and the US for the foreseeable future.
| + | To be published |
| | | | |
| | | | |
