Military: Donovia
Donovia is nominally a republic, but in reality operates as an authoritarian state. Despite outward moves toward democracy, the small political/economic elite maintain power through control of the dominant political party, the Unionist Democratic Party (UD). The UD, in turn, dominates the political and economic landscapes. Despite a tumultuous past, the Donovian political structure remains generally stable. The Unionist Democratic Party arose from the aftermath of the Four Traitors incident in 1991, with a mandate to clean up the corruption within Donovia that had collapsed the nation and arrested nearly 70 years of Donovian power and development. While the UD has managed to put the Donovian economy on a sounder footing and has been able to increase national prestige through assertive military and diplomatic maneuver, it has done so via highly- centralizing state political control. It has also attempted to centralize political control while retaining the veneer of democracy and an economic free market. Massive corruption exists despite the high level of integration between the UD and the government. While this corruption was tolerated by the majority of the population as the economy rebounded and international prestige increased, overall tolerance for corruption is starting to lessen.
Centers of Political Power
Real power within Donovia rests with a small group of elites. These elites distribute political power in a self-dealing fashion, using their political sway to ensure the success of economic allies, and using the proceeds of economic dealings to reinforce their political position through patronage and corruption. These elites arose from the elements of the law enforcement, military, and intelligence communities that immediately coalesced to contain the damage of the Four Traitors and the resultant decline of the Donovian state.
The collapse was precipitated by discovery of a massive embezzlement scheme perpetrated against the Donovian government by four very high-level individuals: a politician, Yassar Akbari; a military commander, Ibrahim al-Fatem; an organized crime boss, Ismail Jinat; and an industrial leader, Viaprom CFO Muhammad Hafiz. These four men embezzled huge amounts of cash from the Donovian government over a period of several years, and fled the country when other government officials discovered their malfeasance. The Donovian government refers to both the group of men and the incident as the “Four Traitors.”
The Donovian government responded with the selection of a group of three men who now serve as the core of the elite that governs Donovia. Granted wide-ranging legal and political powers to root out graft and corruption in the wake of the Four Traitors outrage, the three men rapidly became allies and a force unto themselves in Donovian politics. The first, Abdul Batin Muhammad, was a colonel in the military, renowned for his bravery and as a widely-published international relations academic. The second, Naaqid Tarraz Tabiah, was a longtime member of the intelligence services who focused on international organized crime and drug trafficking. The third, Sabiq Noordin, was a former prosecutor and functionary in the diplomatic service. The three still control the Donovian elite. Abdul Muhammad is in control of the UD and has served as defense minister, while Tabiah controls the intelligence apparatus. Noordin is highly engaged in selecting members of the bureaucracy, and controls and appoints most non-defense and non-intelligence related posts.
The current president of Donovia is Jahangir Jaheer, who while famed as a very handsome man, is reputed to be somewhat dim-witted. Jaheer previously served in a number of diplomatic posts, thus he has little in the way of a domestic political constituency.
Military Authority
The military is loyal to the political leadership and generally prides itself on its professionalism. The UD is wary of the military as possibly the only force in Donovia capable of ousting the existing civilian leadership, and is quick to buy off influential elements of the military with weapons outlays and post-military civilian employment to ensure continued loyalty. Additionally, the Donovian officer corps generally supports the UD’s military and international policy that stresses Donovian independence and power.