THE KING'S COMING BACK
King Friederick Wilhelm II arrived in Astana after Peace Conference
Astana.
King Freiderick Wilhelm II just landed three hours ago at the Conrad III International Airport of Astana, after having spent many weeks in Aloia, personally attending at the Peace Conference he himself called for after the military tensions between SECURS and UPS escalated in a full-scale war.
And his return is triumphal: welcomed by thousands of Tarajani people cheering at him on every street linking the airport to the Royal Palace, with flowers thrown on the royal convoy and slogans praising the
"Saviour of the Motherland",
"Protector of the Empire",
"One of us" (just to mention three of the many different epithets used by the people).
It is probably the most triumphal entry ever enjoyed by a Tarajani monarch since the return of Conrad III and the restauration of the monarchy after the bloody Civil War.
All analysts agree that the decision of King Friederick to personally lead the government of the Empire under the dangers of the war, to personally take upon his shoulders the responsibility to call for a cease-fire and a Peace Conference, and to directly represent New Tarajan at the Conference itself, have all been winning decisions.
And, as their direct consequence, now King Friederick can not only present himself as the paladin of peace, order, and stability (in the best Tarajani tradition), but also as the true representative of the country and protector of the monarchical ideal: the decision of Ienara to keep the monarchy as form of government has been perceived as a true victory by New Tarajan and the other SECURS countries.
"The simple fact that Ienara still has its shogun at its head, demonstrates not only that we have fought successfully for the right thing, but also that the intention to replace the shogunate with a full republican government, as expressed by some members of the UPS, was fundamentally wrong, and against the will of the Ienaran people."A consistent political capital, thus, both domestically and internationally: at the airport King Friederick was welcomed also by the Antanaresian ambassador, Mr. Fhrong, as a way to thank him for proposing Antanares as mediator of the Conference (role that the Federation made with extreme efficiency).
A NEW BEGINNING
Carl Van Houden appointed as new Prime Minister
But King Friederick Wilhelm, though just arrived in the Kingdom, decided not to loose time, evidently.
Indeed, he immediately called for a Press Conference at the Royal Palace one hour only after his arrival, announcing the results of the Conference, thanking
"all the peace-willing countries which accepted our invitation, and which actively cooperated with us and with every other participant, in order to achieve the goal of peace."; then, the sovereign announced the main news: New Tarajan is going to radically change.
"This war showed us that the world has changed. And if we wish to continue to prosper in such a world, and to protect ourselves and our allies, to live our lives and to follow our own ideals without pressure, or constraints, New Tarajan shall change as well."From this, the King delineated an entire new program of reforms and reorganization at every level and in every field, with one single goal: to make New Tarajan stronger and, more importantly, to make it safer.
Together with this announcement, King Friederick Wilhelm also revealed that, after a brief consultation with the Landsraad, he has decided to appoint Count Carl Van Houden, the leader of the extreme Right Wing
Regeneratie Partij, as new Prime Minister of the Kingdom and Chancellor of the Empire.
A decision which is not very surprising: Carl Van Houden, heir of the disastrous political legacy of Baron Heinrich Van Oeerstaedt, founder of the RP, has been able to quickly rise into the political arena, leaving behind him the foolish anti-Van Vinkel ideas of Van Oeerstaedt (who elaborated them after the delusion of the failed coup against Conrad Van Vinkel) and transforming himself and his Party in the representatives of the growing skepticism arising against (mainly) the foreign policy of former Prime Minister Uriel Van De Groot.
After this same policy catastrophically failed to achieve its goals, with the birth of the UPS and many former partners and allies of New Tarajan openly attacking it, finally coming to a direct military confrontation, the resignation of Marquis Van De Groot opened to Van Houden (also elected Lord Mayor of Astana) the possibility to finally reach the Imperial Council.
Only the direct intervention of the King, who decided not to appoint a new Prime Minister until the end of the emergency period, avoided the completion of the process.
But now that the war is over, Carl Van Houden appears as the only true candidate for the Palace of Government: the era of the
"Liberal Project" of King Friederick, the days of a Conrad Van Vinkel, an Esther Farah Rumaki, or an Uriel Van De Groot, are over as well.
The message King Friederick wishes to send is clear: the behavior of some countries in the world allowed all the attempts of Astana to keep peace and stability to fail, and this led to the rise of a new nationalist Party.
But King Friederick is also, and mainly, a statesman, probably one of the best the Kingdom ever had: and he has no intention to leave his political project dead in the hands of an extreme Right Wing, especially if that project allowed the Kingdom to reach new peaks of prosperity and power.
Van Houden himself is conscious of this: and his many meetings with King Friederick (after his elections as Lord Mayor), together with many statements he released thereafter, clearly demonstrates that he is well aware of the new direction New Tarajan needs to take, together with the fact the Liberal Project shall not be set aside, but transformed.
This is the
New Paradigm, the name King Friederick Wilhelm is giving to the new project for New Tarajan, during a second Press Conference (held soon after the first one), which saw also the direct participation of Van Houden himself.
The new Prime Minister did not loose his time, and immediately announced that
"the Imperial Council is already working on all the main issues we need to handle with: monetary reform, strengthening of SECURS, infrastructural projects, complete reorganization of the military, technological and cultural development, recovery of the tourist sector."The goal: to make New Tarajan a more dynamic, economically prosperous, militarily efficient and technologically advanced country.
Not forgetting its allies and partners, present and past, which will see an increased interest of Tarajani diplomacy
"in all areas of trade, communication and culture."OMNI enveils New Paradigm Program
The first step is an overall military reform.
OMNI Enforcer, the military force of the Empire (thus including the combined forces of New Tarajan, Arveyres, Sdudeti-Karabak, North Ajania and Meisjegronden), announced the pillars of the project, secretly ongoing since the signing of the first cease-fire between UPS and SECURS: from the acquisition of a new Main Battle Tank (the Antanaresian
MBT-34 Serenade, in a special version specifically designed for OMNI purposes; probably the most advanced MBT of the world), to the introduction of a new omni-role fighter (the Tarajani-Arveyran produced
Nariman, masterpiece of aerospace technology).
The modernization of OMNI will also involve a re-organization of its overall structure: the Navy will be organized in four fleets, each composed by a number of independent squadrons (centered on a new series of amphibious assault ships, which will replace the supercarriers, assigned to the role of new flagships of the fleets, as backbone of the Navy).
Also the Army will enjoy a similar re-organization, through the establishment of
Rapid Deployment and
Rapid Reaction Forces (
RDF and
RRF).
The main goal is well represented by the most recurring words in the statements from OMNI: flexibility, versatility, efficiency, technological advancement.
"What shall be understood" said one of the notes of the military
"is that wars are not won through superior numbers, but through technological superiority, flexibility on the battlefield, and ability to carry on any kind of duties in a multi-faceted and constantly-shifting environment."Thus, New Tarajan will not pursue any kind of massive military enlargement: Astana does not want a giant; it wants an able warrior.
Many analysts already confirm that the New Paradigm Program is giving to New Tarajan a decisive technological superiority and more flexibility than its adversaries; and, more importantly, since it meets the true goal of Astana, a greater efficiency and efficacy in fighting asymmetrical conflicts and to carry on peace-enforcement and peace-keeping operations.
The VaP/Dassault Rafale-Nariman, new omni-role fighter of OMNI. Aerospace and military industries to reach new peaks
The New Paradigm Program will also have a strong, positive impact on a traditional pillar of Tarajani economy, which the new government wishes to further empowers: aerospace sector.
The new
VaP/Dassault Rafale-Nariman is the first project going along this way: with an incredibly-high level of agility, and a decisive technological superiority over its rivals, the Rafale-Nariman is intended to perform air supremacy, interdiction, reconnaissance, and nuclear strike missions.
But the boost provided by the aircraft for the Tarajani aerospace industry comes also from the fact that it will be the first aircraft designed also in different versions specifically for export purposes: Velikogovolka already placed an order for hundreds of Rafale-Nariman, which will become the new omni-role fighter of the Federation too.
The success the Rafale-Nariman promises to be will be flanked by a second project: the Am-Heem 39 Gripen, the traditional fighter of Tarajani Air Force, will be upgraded, with the new Next-Gen version (NG for short). Using the latest technology it is capable of performing an extensive range of air-to-air, air-to-surface and reconnaissance missions employing the latest weapons; the new Gripen is specifically designed to meet the demands of existing and future threats, while simultaneously meeting strict requirements for flight safety, reliability, training efficiency and low operating costs.
A new terrific improvement for New Tarajan aerospace technology and export (also the Gripen will be produced in variants for foreign markets, with the possibility for the acquiring countries to be active partners of future development and to see a consistent transfer of know-how to their own personnel), and for its military capabilities too.
An Am-Heem-39 Gripen. NEW FOREIGN ACADEMIES OPEN IN ASTANA
On the cultural side, the government is giving new inputs to the establishment of foreign Academies in Astana.
Marquette, Zackalantis, Aloia and Duresia have all recently inaugurated their new Academies in the capital city.
"I cannot think of a better way to improve the cultural ties between New Tarajan and the other countries of the world" said, during the inauguration ceremonies, Count Carl Van Houden (then still Lord Mayor of Astana):
"The decision to host foreign Academies in Astana has been taken with the goal to spread the knowledge of our rich cultural and historical heritage, the legacy of the Tarajani people, in the world. But it would be reductive to underline only the Tarajani side: the Academies will help scholars and citizens of our country to learn more about the world which surround us as well. This is integration at its best."Strongly supported not only by the government and the Royal House, but particularly by the Noble Houses of the Landsraad (which directly fund the Academies), the opening of new Academies is only the first step toward a general improvement of the cultural sector of New Tarajan, one of the most prestigious and thriving of the world.
It has to be noted that, alongside its Academy, the Kingdom of Marquette decided also to open a University in Astana, specifically for Marquetien and Tarajani students.
Palace Van Leeuwen, seat of the Duresian Academy. For the details:
Here is the new military factbook (not completed):
http://www.nationstates.net/nation=new_tarajan/detail=factbook/id=38232Here is the Foreign Academies factbook:
http://www.nationstates.net/nation=new_tarajan/detail=factbook/id=258167