NationStates Jolt Archive

Mizrachi: Good night - I'm Andrew Mizrachi, for the EBG. Welcome to The World Tonight - in this half-hour segment, we interview King Andrei Kleinheart of Granate. [turns] Sir, it is an honour to have you here tonight.

Andrei: Glad to be here, Andrew. I would like to be the first one, from Granate anyway, to say that we all very much enjoy EGB and it's fine Shows. As you may have noticed, most Granatian TV Stations are small, regional networks, very much unlike EGB.

Mizrachi: It's a pleasure to hear that. Now, tell us a bit about yourself, your role in Granate, et cetera.

Andrei: Where to begin? Well I guess at the beginning would be a good start. I was born on March 24th, 1968 in the City of Lucianus at the Royal Granatian Medical Centre. I spent most of my childhood hidden away from my vicious and quite possibly crazy parents, Nikolai and Selene Kleinheart, with my younger brothers. I honestly don't remember much of my Childhood apart from the constant moving, always trying to stay one-step ahead of my parents.

On May 17th, 1987, the Granatian Parliament with help from the Military, disposed of Nikolai and Selene. They were summarily found guiltly of heinous crimes and were sentenced to Life Imprisionment. It was also around this time I was contacted about ascending the throne, even though I was only 19. I was cautious at first, wary of a position of power. Eventually, through much discussion among my brothers and I, I decided to ascend the Throne as the 21st King of Granate. I took the mostly Ceremonial title of King of the Republics to signify my agreement to allow the Parliament a good deal of power, but enough of the History Lesson.

My role in Granate is mainly one of a De Facto President. I hold many of the same powers as many of the numerous Presidents around the world. Theres a few differences though. I have the power to enact certain laws without Parliaments Consent. These laws deal with things of Royal Family and Royalty, this also extends to the small Nobility of Granate. I can also declare war without the Parliaments Consent, although I doubt I will use this power ever in my lifetime. Thats basically the extent of role in Granate's Government.

Mizrachi: Could you tell our viewers a bit about Granate itself?

Andrei: Well Granate is actually a particulary young nation. Most of Granate was a series of small, petty kingdoms back in the 1500s. Many of these small kingdoms fought each other for various reasons, some trivial, and others very much important. Out of all these small Kingdoms a powerful State grew and used it Military Might to assimilated the rest of the small states. This state was the City State of Lucianus. The Monarchy of Granate was formed sometime in mid-1500's. Our records can't pinpoint when.

Granate today is a Semi-Constitutional Monarchy. The Head of State is the current Monarch of the Country, Me. This person holds powers similiar the president. The Monarch is assisted by a cabinet of 8 people, whose focuses range from Trade, to Foreign Affairs, to Defense. These people help him or her make decisions based on their judgements of whats on the table at the time. Underneath them is the Parliament, which is broken into two house. The first house is the House of Nobility, while the second house is the House of People. The House of People is commonly refered to as the People's House. The Parliament makes most of the Laws in Granate and enforces them through other channels. A smaller version of this graces each of the Provincal Governments.

Now, the weather in Granate is mostly Temperate. In the northern portion of the Country, it's possible to see 90F Degree Summers and -10F Degree winters in the same area. We receive around 235 Inches of rain each year, which is very helpful for Granatian Farmers. The weather in southern end of the Country is very much Sub-Tropical. Rainfall falls down there at almost 450 Inches a year. This makes Farming in the south a nightmare. Fruit Plantations dominate the south instead of farms. Small hurricanes are also a problem in the south, as it is almost odd not to see a Hurricane down there atleast three times a year.

OOC: Sleepy Time. We'll work on this tommorow.

Mizrachi: I've come to understand that Granate has a rich culture - could you tell us a bit about that as well?

Andrei: Well, Granatian Culture is a mix of German and Russian/Ukrainian. Granatians are a very engineering people, much like the Germans, and most, if not all, of them are very hard workers. This is evident in our very fine Automobile Industries. Granatians were, until a few years ago, a very Conservative Country. Religion was very much a high point back then. It still is today, but it takes a backseat to other things, such as money and pleasure. In the past few years Granate has become a more liberal society and I actually encourage this change. More and more liberal bills come through the Parliament and from what I hear from my aides is that most of these bills are being well received by the parliament. Just in the past year we elected to begin the process of implementing Near-Free Education Across Granate. Granatians place education near the top of their priorities. Of course there are some details to be ironed out, but I have hopes for that plan.

Also in the past Granate was very much a Military Oriented nation. We have had compulsory conscription for about 110 years now, and only recently have we received alot of flak for it. We still plan on upholding it, even through all the flak. A soldier is conscripted for a legnth of 9 to 18 months, depending on his job in the Military. If he is say a combat engineer 9 or 10 months would be his service. If he was a base quartermaster, 17 or 18 months would be what he would serve. Exceptions are made all time from things like Sexuallity, Religion, Disabilities, and other such things. But in the next few years, I plan on slowly downsizing our Military, as it is currently the Largest Employer in Granate.

I hope you have a clear idea on what Granatian Culture is.

Mizrachi: When you say "liberal", is that referring to social policy or economics?

Andre: I mean in the terms of a Social Policy. Not long ago, we had a ban on gay marriage, and other such 'Unmoral' Acts, atleast accoding to Conservative Groups. But as of late, the Parliament and other groups have begun to rescind most of the bans. A few are still in place, but thats to be expected in a country thats moderate with a little conservative tinge. Also, Granate's economy has always been moderate, and probably will continue to be much into the future.

Mizrachi: Where do you see Granate in the upcoming years? Will Granate continue to have a large effect on international politics?

Andrei: I see Granate becoming more of a player in international politics then anything else. Be it militarily or diplomatically, although I hope we don't have too many of the former. We have mostly kept to ourselves throughout these last couple of years, and I aim to change that. Isolationist policies rarely work, in my opinion. So in short, you can expect a few larger things from Granate in the coming years.

Mizrachi: You're shedding your isolationist policies. Are you going to engage in interventionist actions?

Andrei: Interventionist actions are always a possibility. Granate's military may be downsizing, but is still quite large in comparison to most nations militaries. We usually don't get involved with other nations problems, but with our new willingness to be part of the international community, we may decide to intervene on the side we feel needs us. If we do intervene, we will most likely be supporting any Democratic or Monarchist side.

Mizrachi: How would increased military action affect the Granatian economy, and thus, the world economy in which Granate participates in?

Andrei: Increased military action may swing the Granatian economy in two entirely different ways, depending on what happens. The first one being the most beneficial, we have an effect much like what happened after World War II in the United States of America. The Economy booms, not to mention the population, do to the influx of hard-workers. The other option isn't as beneficial. The Granatian economy begins a slow decline. This decline may be minor, or it may be major. It all depends on how the Granatian Troops and their commanders do.

Mizrachi: On that note: briefly, how would you evaluate the Granatian military?

Andrei: I would evaluate the Granatian Military as moderately advanced, very large, and quite mobile. We can fight a major war on any continent on the Planet, so long as we have a good reason to. I am most proud of our Special Forces though. The LS, Land and Sea, Teams are among the best trained troops in our military are can be deployed in a moments notice.

Mizrachi: Earlier you mentioned that Granate will play a bigger role in international politics. Do you feel that UN membership would be a benefit to Granate's power?

Andrei: No I do not. I beleive the UN to be organization that is not powerful enough to help in World Politics. Sure, Granate does follow most of the International Laws set down by the UN, but only out of choice. We feel that we can be more influential in world politics without entering the UN and that basically sums up our beliefs.

Mizrachi: It seems that we're running out of time for this interview. Is there anything you'd like to say before the conclusion of our broadcast?

Andrei: I do have one thing to say. Where did you get those delicious finger sandwiches you had in the waiting room? They were absolutely superb.

Mizrachi: [laughs] Seventh Avenue Deli, Your Majesty - a favourite of Kensington. I'm sure that the Eurasian government will try to export more of those sandwiches to Granate after this. [turns to camera] This has been a broadcast of EBG Finance. For a complete transcript of this interview, visit www.finance.ebg.co.uke. [turns back to Kleinheart, extends handshake].

Andrei: [Shakes hand] Thanks for having me.