The Territory
11-08-2003, 00:04
OOC: This thread is not so much for discussion as for me tossing materials relating to the Territory up on the forum.
The Territory
11-08-2003, 00:06
From a report expanding on UN data
http://www.nationstates.net/images/flags/uploads/the_territory.jpg
The Republic of the Territory
UN Category: Benevolent Dictatorship
Civil Rights: Superb
Economy: Frightening
Political Freedoms: Rare
The Republic of The Territory is a massive, economically powerful nation, renowned for its compulsory military service. Its hard-nosed, hard-working, cynical population of 1.081 billion enjoy great individual freedoms in everything except elections, which, where they exist at all, are populist shams for a dictatorship government that has no intention of ever giving up power.
The Republic of the Territory is a large nation, comprising the greater part of mainline Zambia and the north part of Zimbabwe, as well as districts in the Comoros (Territorial Naval Military District) and Nigeria (Port Harcourt Joint Military District). Its largely automated industry gives it an enormous production capability. This, the overall level of technology and the level of enhancement in the poulation make it the equal of a far larger nation in UN evaluations.
Many Residents choose to voluntarily extend their 12-month mandatory national service to the 5-year term that is a prerequisite for Citizenship. The 27.3 million population (19.5 million genofixed human, 4.1 million baseline human, 3.1 million ELCT3 "Territory posthuman", 0.52 million other organic species, c. 0.08 million established group minds whereof c. 12,500 semipermanent or permanent - this overlaps with other categories, c. 35,000 sapient AI, c. 4,000 other.) enjoys great civil freedoms and an unprecedented standard of living.
There is not even the pretense of traditional representative democracy. Instead there is a chaotic, machine-assisted system of debate, advisory referenda and headhunting among Citizens and delegation of power. There is a thick glass ceiling hindering the rise of Residents into positions of authority over Citizens, and a strong incentive for ambitious Residents to achieve Citizenship by meeting service, academic and moral requirements.
Ultimately the Territory is a dictatorship controlled by the Territory Advisory Board and a nepotism-ridden morass of lesser boards and bureax. Power is held by a small clique, and ultimately by Senior Advisor Renate von Saucken, apparently working with or for shadowy foreign groups; the S.A. appears to hold religious power of the grossly overrepresented posthuman minority.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, corrupt, pro-business government stops and the rest of society begins, but it is effectively ruled by the Department of Defence, with areas such as the Environment and Religion & Spirituality receiving almost no funds by comparison. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is dominated by the Uranium Mining industry.
The Territory embodies a near-postindustrial, approaching-posthuman variant of a Prussian barracks state. The ultimate priority remains the Department of War and vast civil defense works begun by human labor and continued by the toil of machines and ubiquitous nonsapient servitors derived from chimpanzee and human genetic stock.
In spite of the vast industry churning out weapons and machinery the great majority of the Territory is extremely pleasant, rebuilt from the destruction of the 2005-2025 era. Most Territorials live in dispersed clusters of fortified collective dwellings. Slightly more than 10% of the total area is covered by industrial districts, domed hellholes lethal to unprotected humans within hours or even minutes. The very rock is holed by mines, underground transport systems, power generators sunk kilometers down and vast naturally-occuring cave systems
Citizens can be frequently spotted going about their business stark naked, anti-government web sites are springing up, employers may fire workers without giving any reason, and the country's famous rainforests are being bulldozed by the mining industry. Crime -- especially youth-related -- is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Territory's national animal is the leopard, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the territory rand.
The government does not interfere greatly in matters of dress, allowing the common exhibitionism of more or less enhanced Territorials - note however that law requires Citizens to go armed or keep arms at hand at all times. There is no interference in marriage but strong incentives to allow the Territory Eugenics Board to vet and if necessary edit actual genetic contributions. Group marriages is the norm, the culture encourages bisexuality and the posthuman population is in fact engineered for according to this.
There is savage debate concerning policy and all sorts of matters through Territory society, eventually influencing policy in an informal manner. This debate occurs in a plethora of machine-assisted fora and on virtual and augmented reality mindscapes.
There is marginal crime. Coupled with pervasive implant computing and comms suites tied into the Territory nets, a vast, nonsapient AI-assisted system of surveillance and signals intelligence provides excessive means of control. Even more importantly, the Territory social structure is engineered to care for children. Not only do the surveillance and comms assets make child abuse virtually impossible, the need to socialize what would otherwise be inhumanly aggressive
posthumans means that organized therapy and friendly support are as pervasive as the comms nodes and cameras.
There is what amounts to a totemic cult, chiefly among the posthuman population; the most popular totem is the leopard. Paradoxically, the leopard is hunted for its meat, but with draconic limitations on weapons and the enhancement of the leopard population leopard meat remains a prestige food showing hunting prowess. Hunting fatalities are quite common.
Lavenrunz
10-10-2003, 08:54
OOC: RVS, I like the way you blended the NS factsheet with this one. I'd like to hear a little more, though, for instance a brief bio of some of the major leaders.
The Territory
28-03-2004, 01:44
That's right... I guess I shuould take my thumb out. Only been half a year...