Arnland
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Arnland sits on the southern tip of the Torrikan peninsula; originally part of the Skolkan Empire, it gained independence in 1917. The Arnish try to maintain neutrality in the region while fostering diplomatic (and in some cases military) relations with their regional neighbors.
Contents
Political
Arnland is a multi‐party democratic republic with open elections. While there are now currently six political parties with varied representation National Assembly, two political parties have dominated the political landscape in Arnland since 1992; the Arnland Prosperity Party (APP) (center‐right) and the Arnland Socialist Party (ASP) (social democrat).
Arnish foreign policy supports its strategic goal of maintaining its independence. The regional and international relationships it maintains and the priorities that are placed in maintaining them change as the ruling parties change and are a major cause of internal political tension. The EU has been in negotiations with Arnland over membership but has yet to enter in to any formal Stabilization and Association Agreement. Arnland has announced it will leave the GBCC, but has taken no action.
Military
The Arnland Armed Forces consists of two distinct components, the Active Defense Force (ADF) and the Standby Defense Force (SDF). The ADF is comprised of the regular Army, Navy and Air Force. Nominally, there are in total, some 29,000 ADF personnel in uniform. If the SDF is mobilized, the force expands to a theoretical strength of 56,000 (including 4,000 border guards) or approximately 0.7% of the population. In principle, there are a further 200,000 people with a reserve commitment that could be called to arms for a total national mobilization, but the structures to put a national mobilization into effect are virtually non‐existent.
Arnland’s military forces are essentially dysfunctional. Although there are pockets of excellence, the majority of the forces is poorly trained, poorly equipped, badly paid and ineffective.
Economic
The economy is undergoing massive adjustment. The impact of past policies, trade imbalances and aggregate demand are gradually unwinding in banking, the housing market, the government budget and the labor market all having a large impact on public debt, unemployment and general living standards. However, after some years of deep recession, activity seemed to have reached a bottom in the first half of 2013. The intentions are to derive a mild, export‐driven recovery although domestic demand is likely to be unaffected in the short term due to the pressing need to reduce the budget deficit. The government intends to continue policies to bring the fiscal accounts closer to balance and restore competitiveness through the re-balancing of international trade. The first ripples of policy and structural changes started in 2014 by the Arnish authorities under the recommendations of the IMF are beginning to be felt. If sustained, this trend should help bolster activity and support employment growth in the longer term.
Social
Arnland is a homogeneous society with a population of approximately 3.4 million people. Arnish people are generally very hospitable and welcome new business contacts and friendships, but the change from a communist regime into a democratic system has proved again it is not a simple change of mind. A newly formed, free‐market economy with inadequate law and general freedom allowed corruption and organized crime (OC) to flourish and take an important role in private and public life. Politics and current events are important to Arns and are often talked about in private or in public forums. People have very strong opinions and despite a pretty large participation in elections, usually are not happy with how things are done by the Government.
Information
Arnland’s communication infrastructure and landscape is no different than most nations. Citizens and visitors alike partake in a society that allows them the freedom to listen, watch, read and socially engage in a modern digital world. The only barrier to full participation is creativity and knowledge.
Infrastructure
The development and maintenance of infrastructure in Arnland is, in theory, carefully controlled at national level and is driven to satisfy two criteria, both of which have equal weight in terms of investment. They are; support to the economy, and support to the military. Domestically, the Ministry of Public Order (MOPO) is responsible for allocating national funding to programs according to priorities in accordance with the annual budget. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) has the responsibility for allocating funds regarding defense infrastructure. Even before the end of the Cold War the development of infrastructure was seen as a high national priority to support the economy and for defense, and there have been numerous long term projects post WWII. More recently, since the end of the Cold War, a succession of Arnland governments have struggled with generating sufficient funding to maintain the national infrastructure and their economy and standing in the region has suffered as a result.
Physical Environment
Despite its northerly location, the climate is fairly mild and temperate, due to the warm Atlantic Gulf Stream. Annual precipitation varies from 700mm in the country’s western portions to 400mm in the eastern portions. The growing season lasts 240 days. Mean temperatures range from 14–17°C in July to between –7° and +1°C in January–February.
Time
Arnish approach to time is consistent with the other countries in the region; good time keeping is the norm, and poor time keeping is seen as disrespectful. The relative proximity to the North Pole means that in the summer the days are very long (up to 18 hours of sunlight) and short in the winter (7 hours of sunlight). Arnland sits within the Central European Time (CET) zone, which is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC); however in the summer months (late March to Late October) Arnland observes Daylight Saving Time (DST), making it two hours ahead of GMT/UTC.
Significant Threat Conditions within Arnland
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