Chimaea
17-10-2003, 00:59
An editorial by Alistair Saward
In recent months, after more than an year of relative quiet, the 'Chimaean Bloc' of the Empire of Baron is once again boosting its defences... and many are wondering what this may mean.
The facts are quite clear and unhidden: in the last month Chimaea, Clock Hill and Street Island, three nations who signed a pact to have the same defence expenditure percent-wise, have boosted their annual defence expenditure to 15% of the annual budget. This means a startling 4 trillion Sils will be spent on Defence in Chimaea alone. The funding for the Empire of Baron's notorious anti-terrorism taskforce, The Baron Counter Terrorist Organisation, has had its funding boosted to nearly double the already significant amount.
So what does this mean? Has the world gotten more dangerous? Well no. We've always had wars, from small-scale tactical geurilla warfare to the larger wars conducted by such powerhouses as Iesus Christi and SATO. Nuclear devices have devastated the Earth again and again. Even space has been used as a staging point for interstellar battles.
So what's new? The answer may lie not in war but in politics. In Chimaea, Governor Styles has been losing popularity. Ever since the intervention in Hrstrovokia, where elite special forces soldiers lost their lives due to gross mismanagement of military resources, Governor Styles has been steadily sliding down the popularity scales.
In Clock Hill, President Fedrov Garcia is being widely criticised for his refusal to hand full power to the newly established, democratically-elected Parliament. He has used the excuse of rebuilding Clock Hill (a process that has been going on for years since the end of the Chimaea-Clock Hill war) to hold on to almost complete executive power over the state. Whilst civil rights have been steadily returning people in Clock Hill fear yet another tyrant is in the making.
In Street Island, Prime Minister Joan Fraser is also suffering in popularity. Her innefectual efforts to remove the Chimaean military and the BCTO from Street Island a few months ago (a situation now lessened) has caused strong voices of opposition calling for an early election; one where she will almost certainly lose.
So how does a leader who's policies are failing regain the hearts and minds of the people? With a war. It seems almost perverted, but a war-time leader is always respected and looked up to as a hero, standing for democracy, truth, justice and warm towels for all.
And there is plenty of war available. As I write this, the Baron Intervention Taskforce is preparing to intervene in a huge scale worldwide, in such hotspots as Sri Lanka, the Balkans and Indonesia. And whilst these wars are being fought out... more and more money dissappears from health, welfare and education.
Our children suffer because the politicians need to fight the good fight, and fight other people's wars.
In recent months, after more than an year of relative quiet, the 'Chimaean Bloc' of the Empire of Baron is once again boosting its defences... and many are wondering what this may mean.
The facts are quite clear and unhidden: in the last month Chimaea, Clock Hill and Street Island, three nations who signed a pact to have the same defence expenditure percent-wise, have boosted their annual defence expenditure to 15% of the annual budget. This means a startling 4 trillion Sils will be spent on Defence in Chimaea alone. The funding for the Empire of Baron's notorious anti-terrorism taskforce, The Baron Counter Terrorist Organisation, has had its funding boosted to nearly double the already significant amount.
So what does this mean? Has the world gotten more dangerous? Well no. We've always had wars, from small-scale tactical geurilla warfare to the larger wars conducted by such powerhouses as Iesus Christi and SATO. Nuclear devices have devastated the Earth again and again. Even space has been used as a staging point for interstellar battles.
So what's new? The answer may lie not in war but in politics. In Chimaea, Governor Styles has been losing popularity. Ever since the intervention in Hrstrovokia, where elite special forces soldiers lost their lives due to gross mismanagement of military resources, Governor Styles has been steadily sliding down the popularity scales.
In Clock Hill, President Fedrov Garcia is being widely criticised for his refusal to hand full power to the newly established, democratically-elected Parliament. He has used the excuse of rebuilding Clock Hill (a process that has been going on for years since the end of the Chimaea-Clock Hill war) to hold on to almost complete executive power over the state. Whilst civil rights have been steadily returning people in Clock Hill fear yet another tyrant is in the making.
In Street Island, Prime Minister Joan Fraser is also suffering in popularity. Her innefectual efforts to remove the Chimaean military and the BCTO from Street Island a few months ago (a situation now lessened) has caused strong voices of opposition calling for an early election; one where she will almost certainly lose.
So how does a leader who's policies are failing regain the hearts and minds of the people? With a war. It seems almost perverted, but a war-time leader is always respected and looked up to as a hero, standing for democracy, truth, justice and warm towels for all.
And there is plenty of war available. As I write this, the Baron Intervention Taskforce is preparing to intervene in a huge scale worldwide, in such hotspots as Sri Lanka, the Balkans and Indonesia. And whilst these wars are being fought out... more and more money dissappears from health, welfare and education.
Our children suffer because the politicians need to fight the good fight, and fight other people's wars.