Quote:There are three ways to look at that question, and I will address all three.  First, the traditional leaders of WIG are retiring, .most notably Faisal Abu Saq and Bashir ibn Ortoq. The former was one of several key players in restoring fiscal sanity to Jumhuriat al-Badara and the latter was the single most important figure laying the foundation of the current regime thereby rescuing the nation from anarchy.  And Hakim a-Sabah who laid the foundation for our reentry into international affairs from isolation is in fact about to retire.  So the WIG  long time leaders have indeed departed.
 
Second,  with our only current government connections being the SOMECO representative and the Member Presiding over the Majlis, are we pretty much sidelined and unlikely to regain power?  I might add I have been invited to replace Mariamne al-Qassem as Managing Director of Central Bank, and should  I agree would not be considered part of WIG leadership either. 
 
Now that is a good question, and a truthful answer is instead of alternating the chancellor job  with the Free Radical Supper Club, we will likely never have another WIG chancellor.  But the answer is also we have not given up on joining a future governing coalition.  We have plans which are realistic but admittedly not overly ambitious.
 
And third, more broadly, is our day done?  And the answer is no, we represent the business community in the Majlis.  We are the link of the government to commercial interests and for that matter the oligarchy.  Without us the government would be economically blind.

Quote:Well really as far as urgency there are two.  One is the system has changed. Why? The players are different. The Free Radical Supper Club (FRSC) was formed as a Majlis faction to insure that bringing back effective government did not end up crushing the rights or the economic viability of our citizens for efficiency’s sake or just because of indifference.
 
The Working Majority Group which became the Working Institutional Group (WIG) was formed to revive a moribund government.  WIG is composed of representatives and instruments of the oligarchy which saw a chance to restore the economy and their own power by making government work again.
 
FRSC was able to function as a check on WIG to protect the safety net and more generally the rights of ordinary citizens. The key to FRSC effectiveness was its two most prominent members, Khalifi and Mariamne al-Qassem.  He was the visionary who extended the benefits of civilization to the Bedwi and she was the nuts and bolts economist who brought order out of chaos to the benefits due our citizens by integrating the safety net into the budget process systematized in Central Bank.
 
The key to doing this was that Khalifi and Mariamne al-Qassem were members of the oligarchy, part of the family that owns and operates our most successful investment banking house.  So WIG’s leaders trusted them not to destroy the oligarchy but only limit its excesses and trusted them to shape pretty much what the they wanted to shape.
 
It is different now. With them gone and the old WIG leadership gone there is no real trust.  Instead of being one of two factions working together we are now one of six political parties  trying to make a deal to be part of a governing coalition.  Our objectives are the same but frankly we have yet to become surefooted as a political party.
 
The second is I think it is slowly becoming obvious that coming out of isolation in Majatra presents  a different problem than most of our predecessors faced.
 
Jumhuruiat al-Badara has never been a big player in oil producing consortiums but rather has sought partnerships with other nations looking to more generalized economic concerns.  And almost always Majatra based partnerships.
 
Well almost 100 years has not produced what we really need. We have had very encouraging false starts and no doubt some missed opportunities.  I can think of a few.
 
So it is past time to view Terra through a wider lens. A much wider lens.  And further we need to understand our own imitations. We are a small nation, we have no appetite for a monarchy of our own, we are not at the peak of the Terran technology curve, and we are not nor will we ever be wielding military influence.
 
But we will see what we can do with what we actually have.

Quote:As you know until recently our main focuses have been modernizing our missile and drone air defense and plans for repelling a hypothetical amphibious invasion.  We recognize the Army could use some more divisions, but right now we are trying to assess where to go with the Navy.
 
The two main missions Defense Command believe the Navy should prepare for are, first, knowing what maritime activity is occurring in the Sea of Lost Souls, the southeast South Ocean and the eastern Sea of Majatra.  Talks are underway for joint patrols both air and surface with the Majalite Kingdom.
 
Second, the Navy can help repel an invasion should it occur.  With that in mind we are looking at what we have and what we ought to have.  So let’s see what we have with that in mind.
 
First off, we just purchased for the Navy eight MOI – 72 long range patrol planes from Kafuri defense contractors which have submarine detection and anti submarine warfare (ASW) capability.  We likely will want more.
 
Second, for patrolling and invasion repelling we once had some 75 ships classed as destroyers, frigates or corvettes.  We are examining what we have to see how many are serviceable.   I can tell you it is considerably less than that.  Considerably.
 
The destroyers we had were of Trigunian origin  purchased many years ago.  None are still serviceable.  They were maintained by specialty contractors for many years but not any more.  We have not developed a destroyer on our own.  A ride based on one is featured at a casino resort on Mutassim claiming to use a few  original pieces of superstructure
 
Further, as far as we have been able to determine no corvettes are still in service in the Navy or for that matter extant on either island.
 
So we are testing and counting usable frigates.  We have facilities to produce three types. The Zulfiquar Class was developed in conjunction with the Kafuri High Command and defense contractors back in 5321.  We can produce this class at our Haijjadah Shipyards. Udayl Gunnery can provide its weaponry. It has ASW capability as well as ship to ship and ship to air missiles.
 
South Ocean Shipyards can produce similar frigates of the Jarthuni Class and Badaran Military Vessels, the state owned ship builder,  can provide the less expensive  Tawfiq Class with weaponry for both  provided by Udayl Gunnery.  What we are planning to do is determine how many we need, see what we have, and over time produce some more.
 
The Navy has some helicopters of two types both produced by New Dawn Nashwa. The NDN UH – 1 Y utility helicopters and NDN AB – 204AS which has some anti submarine capacity.  At one time we had planned to have a helicopter on board each Jarthuni and Tawfiq frigate but currently all Navy helicopters are assigned to one of our three naval bases.  Search and rescue, transport and medical evacuation missions will always be necessary but integration into our fundamental strategy may mean we need more or need further development.
 
We still have three old Foxtrot submarines we bought from Deltaria many years ago for training purposes.  For now we are inclined to keep them but they seem less and less useful as time goes on.
 
The navy handles port access security and from time to time has purchased patrol boats from Majatra Fishing Company of Al’Baharia located in the port of Al’Buqiyaa.
 
As far as fighters, the Air Force is tasked with providing plenty of air cover for operations and facility protection on both islands, and for now we are inclined to not duplicate their budget needs. 
 
Then there are drones.  Most reconnaissance and attack drones are being handled by the Army.  Some duplicating functions of manned aircraft may be developed as Air Force assets, but Navy duplication is likely unnecessary except for reconnaissance for now.   

Quote:The losses to parties were not evenly distributed.  All the religious oriented or affiliated parties grew, the Metzists of Majatra (MM) held their own, and the Working Institutional Group (WIG) and my party, the Free Radical Supper Club (FRSC) lost.  Think neither MM or Israi Vaues (IV) will want to leave an FRSC Chancellor in place when each has more seats than FRSC.
 
So at this point three scenarios are about equally likely. One is the existing governing coalition could remain in place but with either an MM or IV Chancellor.  MM and IV could come to an agreement but jettison either FRSC or the Forgotten Ahmadis of Majatra (FAM) or both.
 
My own opinion is MM and IV will each try to round up enough votes to lead a new governing coalition without the other

Quote:[font='Times New Roman', serif]That likely would be appropriate.  Seriously.  But no, I am discussing matters with WIG leadership in hopes of jointly encouraging IV’s Defense Minister Salman al-Makhtoum to form a moderate IV, FRSC, WIG, FAM governing coalition.[/font]

Foreign Minister Narouz Soqman, the MM leader, is quite capable of prevailing in these conditions,  and provide capable leadership if he does.  

Quote:That is complicated by a lot of factors. In the Majlis, no party and for that matter no one has as yet taken that position.  On the other hand, it is fair to say outside the Dufazi, no one actually supports having paramilitary forces.
 
There is of course an exception.  The Metzists of Majatra (MM) really do want to return to governing and would support the Dufazi position if favoring paramilitary forces would help them get there.  Or at least that is the opinion in my party, the Working Institutional Group (WIG).
 
You are asking me about it because it is no secret many military officers would much prefer the Jumhuriat have no paramilitary at all.  No secret. I can assure you however that the officer corps is well aware there is no authority for them to take action against them.
 
A deal was made. Made by the General Intelligence Service (GIS) and the Abadi Cleric Moqtada al-Dufaz, the now deceased leader of the Dufazi. The Al’Salmania Muhafazah would peacefully rejoin the Jumhuriat, the GIS, military and police would not annihilate the Dufazi, and the Dufazi would have their past offenses forgiven while their militia would surrender all weaponry but small arms which they could retain and cease resistance to the government reclaiming Al’Salmania.
 
Seemed like a good deal at the time.  But some in the GIS are now becoming dissatisfied, Bandar Qasabi, the GIS General Director is not going to scuttle the deal and move against the Dufazi, in breach of the agreement, but he will quite soon retire. It is expected the replacement process by the GIS Board of Governors may be the forum for a move to strip the Dufazi Militia of small arms.
 
In the Majlis, and in WIG for that matter, there is speculation this could well backfire. Why?
 The head of the Dufazi Party, Narouz ben Bella, is having a time of it keeping the more
extreme elements under control who want to reinstate a Religious Thought Police and
openly advocate the three religious practices favored by their founder, Moqtada al-Dufaz,
which contravene criminal law in every civilized nation.  So he is not about to let the GIS
strip the Militia of its arms without reacting.
 
Ben Bella would be expected to protect the Militia by joining the MM in a move against the
GIS Board of Governors to make them be selected by the Majlis not self  perpetuating and
be  funded by a budget not secretly funded.  Many in the Majlis really would prefer the GIS
 not be autonomous and omnipotent.
 
So there may well be a move on the Dufazi when Qasabi retires. But the outcome would be
anything but certain.