NationStates Jolt Archive

It has come to the attention of Ankhmet that the world is full of incredibly powerful maritime nations, with fleets that could sink the Ankhmeti Offshore Red Guard in the blink of an eye. As a result, Ankhmet is beginning the policy of Naval Isolation. Over the next year, one billion mines will be laid in the waters around Ankhmet. Several corridors through this zone of death will be left. HOWEVER: no foreign ships will be allowed through. Only Ankhmeti civilian and military ships will be allowed through.

In conjunction with this extensive minefield, Ankhmet will use prisoners taken in the Red October battles to construct a systems of coastal fortifications. The entire coastline of Ankhmet will be covered by a system similar to the Nazi 'Atlantic Wall'. This Ankhmeti Wall will be superior, with more guns, more anti-aircraft defence, more air cover and more beach obstacles. Any foreign ship travelling inside Ankhmeti territorial waters that is lucky enough not to be blown up by the mines will be destroyed by the coastal defences.

ooc: sure you can afford to cover every piece of beach with a massive wall and lay 20nm worth of mines

[Unlike other nations, I don't have to support the people with welfare, there is no spirituality spending and I haven't given a timeframe for construction. Not to mention the fact that you don't know how big my country is.]

[ooc: He(?) spends more than $19 trillion on national defense, which ought to be enough to defend most of a nation of 2.7 billion citizens. I have fairly extensive defenses myself and I spend half that amount...then again, I'm also a smaller nation, but still...]

[Bingo.]

ooc: unless you live in giant skyscrapers on an island the size of Taiwan I don't think you can pull it off (and you do know welfare pays right?)

why don't you just do what China does and have an unstoppable Brown water defence force that way carriers and battleships can’t hurt your infrastructure

[I'm fine with my current policy. Anyway, you don't know enough to point-blank state that I can't do it.]

[I'm fine with my current policy. Anyway, you don't know enough to point-blank state that I can't do it.]

ooc: meh I will just bomb you back to the stone age

*notes down that it is justifiable to nuke Ankhmet in war*

Why do you this, are you at war with someone to adopt such a extreme decision?

If you were at war with other nation, no matter how powerful your maritime defenses prove to be, you would still be bombed down to ashes.

Official Communiqué

The Commonwealth of Granzi has always maintained a maritime policy conducive to open and free trade. At various periods of time since our founding, we have utilized the seas as a source of natural resources, a defensive barrier, and a medium through with which we build ties with other nations.

The Commonwealth of Granzi respects the right of your nation to take military actions within Ankhmet's sovereign waters, however, we feel that a policy of naval isolation will not benefit either nation. Not only will such a construction provide a large drain on the resources of any nation, but it also restricts the freedom of movement that should mark the civilized nature of the 21st century. (I'm assuming you are MT?) To that end, we request that the nation of Ankhmet raise the cordon by which this action has placed around your country, and allow the peaceful traffic of international trade once more flow into Ankhmet.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/Granzi/FM_Sun.jpg
Nathanial Sun
Minister of Foreign Affairs

N Y C, in the interest of its booming maritime trade, wholeheartedly adopts Granzi's stance.

OOC:Watches Ankhmets exports and imports plummet:

That should say enough, restricting travel to all but a your nations ships will, to put it mildly, severly discourage trade partners. So that means that your nations exports and imports will plummet, making your economy suffer. Even if you are self-sufficient in resources, you still lose alot of money from your lost exports. No money=bad economy.

The Free Land of Clan Smoke Jaguar does not see any reason to interfere with Ankhmeti affairs. However, we do offer some advice due in part to concerns of our own.

One billion mines is quite a lot. And even if you use extremely cheap moored contact mines, it will cost $1.5 trillion to implement that plan. But those are not that difficult to detect or deal with, and can easily be swept aside by invading fleets as they pound your fortifications into submission. However, the more capable bottom influence mines cost several times as much, and have limited life spans often measured in months or even weeks. Thus, maintaining a constant credible minefield of 1 billion mines could easily cost well over $20 trillion per year. For that same $20 trillion, one could build and equip (or purchase) a fleet of tens of thousands of missile boats, and still maintain them for their decades of service. These missile boats would do the same job but also be more flexible, able to respond and adapt to enemy tactics, capable of engaging targets beyond the territorial waters to help negate large caliber guns and cruise missiles, and most importantly, would allow the nation of Ankhmet to maintain trade with other nations, which is a vital aspect of any economy. Additionally, any moored mines run the risk of breaking loose and drifting into international waters, where they could cause a serious incident that the nation of Ankhmet may be unprepared to deal with.
If the current solution is implemented, the Ankhmeti economy will likely suffer an ensuing depression due to massive trade loss, while the treasury is rapidly depleted by the sheer cost of maintaining this defense. Thus, this could result in a critical situation in only a few years time, and we therefore respectfully urge the government of Ankhmet to reconsider this current position. Though security is indeed of paramount importance, one must make security decisions wisely.

The great government of the People's Republic of Ankhmet has put much thought into this decision, and have factored in import/export problems. All nations previously occupied by Ankhmeti troops will henceforth be known as Ankhmeti Socialist Republics, and will have access to the 'safe lanes'. We will not back down.

LIMITED licensed foreign traffic will be allowed into the Ankhmeti Republic, under escort.