Quote:Absolutely.  We realize many believe because we have a Majority Israi population while they have a Majority Abadi population, that we must be constantly at odds and are fundamentally opposed to one another.
 
This hardly the case. Both of our governments have an Ahmadi faction as its majority population while also having another Ahmadi faction that is highly vocal, easily offended and constantly acting as though it is being disrespected.
 
In fact, we each have similar problems and concerns as we try to do what is best for our constituencies.  We believe this was part of the reasoning of the Majaite Kingdom when it established the Ahmadi Cooperation Council.
 
So yes, we are conferring with our Ahmadi neighbor, the Majlite Kingdom,  about current tensions in Majatra, in an appropriate forum, the Ahmadi Cooperation Council.
 

Quote:When my brother was Chancellor, he outlined the problem and the plan. The Bedwi on the whole do not really want or see the need for their children going to our schools while we really think their children have a right as  citizens of Jumhuriat al-Badara to an education and the government has an obligation to deliver it.
 
What we tried was educational outposts in settlement villages which often are quite transient. We devised curricula where those who attend are receiving assignments strictly focusing on the next attendance to encourage short term commitment rather than fear of long term entanglement.  And we emphasize practical skills.  Math, prices, buying and selling, distances, heights, measurements, use of common tools, music, cooking, hygiene, room maintenance. And language.  They know a fundamental fact. Those who want to engage with the civilized world are much better if they can speak and for that matter write a civilized language.
 
We also made the outposts attractive and friendly to the Bedwi generally.  Starting with mail delivery service, veterinary care and electronics repair.  We have also allowed grocery vendors to operate at the outposts and other services at various outposts.  We have most recently been scheduling free dental care which has really been a success.
 
We are making progress.  A lot of children are getting some education. And we have been at it long enough that we have Bedwi instructing and operating many of the outposts.  Under ideal conditions, some students want regular schooling and we arrange for their transportation and enrollment in the regular school systems maintained by the Muhafazas.
 
So things are improving. Improving a lot.  But they are still a long way from where they really need to be.

Quote:It is likely.  Our reading of the numbered paragraph 2 of the treaty does appear to us to recognize that Migrants Pass has international waters passing though it while numbered paragraph 3 thereof  seems to us to indicate that of course there are several nations whose boundary waters abut those international waters.
 
Accordingly we are likely to join. Our current government formed in 5936 has had two positions on Migrants Pass.  Migrants Pass has international waters through which all sovereign nations may traverse and, second, rerouting all trade away from it since various Majatran and Artanian nations have from time to time insisted they had control of it since we are a small nation not inclined to go to war when other alternatives are available.  We are very glad the situation has changed.

Quote:Perhaps surprisingly, yes. Our monetary and fiscal policy can not be dependent on one indispensable person; no more me than Faisal Abu Saq before me. I would like to think we contributed, and substituting the Dinar for the BDR may insure we are remembered, but seeing that trained and experienced capable people can take over for us and continue the work is really the critical test for success.  My successor will be drawn from large pool of such people from the Central Bank, the Finance Ministry and the commercial and investment banking sectors.
 
Understand that my retiring will include retiring from holding the Education Ministry as well.  The reason I was there was my brother’s vision for improving the life of the Bedwi; I am a numbers cruncher not a visionary.  But I do feel like by providing budgetary support as an absolute priority, we made outreach to the Bedwi successful.
 
There are iron laws of bureaucracy, one of which is if leadership is left in place too long, the same things are done right while the same things are done wrong.  So it is time to bring in those dedicated to quality to upgrade what we have been doing for a long time.
 
Make no mistake, we are proud of the progress we have made.  When my brother was Chancellor, he outlined the problem and the plan. The Bedwi on the whole did not really want or see the need for their children going to our schools while we really think their children have a right as  citizens of Jumhuriat al-Badara to an education and the government has an obligation to deliver it.  After persisting for a number of years, Bedwi leadership does not on the whole see the government as an existential threat to their way of life.
 
We established educational outposts in settlement villages which often were quite transient. We devised curricula where those who attend are receiving assignments strictly focusing on the next attendance to encourage short term commitment rather than fear of long term entanglement.  And we emphasize practical skills.  Math, prices, buying and selling, distances, heights, measurements, use of common tools, music, cooking, hygiene, room maintenance. And language.  They also have learned a fundamental fact. Those who want to engage with the civilized world are much better off if they can speak and for that matter write a civilized language.
 
We also made the outposts attractive and friendly to the Bedwi generally.  Starting with mail delivery service, veterinary care and electronics repair.  We have also allowed grocery vendors to operate at the outposts and other services at various outposts.  A great success has been scheduling free dental care. More recently we have added vision and hearing checkups and made glasses and hearing aids available.
 
So a lot of children are getting some education. We have Bedwi instructing and operating most of the outposts.  Many students want regular schooling and we arrange for their transportation and enrollment in the regular school systems maintained by the Muhafazas.

But now is the time for new leadership to add something to the progress we have made.

Quote:No. I am pretty sure we will see a shift this time.  Several things are driving the likelihood of quite a bit of change.  The first is that both the Israi Values (IV) and Metzists of Majatra (MM) really want the ban on actual political parties lifted.
 
The second is the Dufazi really want their founder, Moqtada al-Dufaz, to have the Religious Affairs Ministry. 
 
The third is most delegates by a sizeable majority are identifying with one faction or another.  This is the first time this the case.
 
Chancellor Abdul Jabbar has indicated to the Free Radical Supper Club (FRSC) faction leadership that it is likely that several factions with a specific agenda will band together and take over most of the Ministries. 
 
The Working Institutional Group (WIG) faction looks like it is ready to make this happen.
 
The FRSC has been fundamentally dedicated to making things work while trying to protect our citizenry from the corruption and exploitation that repelled them sufficiently to bring down our predecessor government.  But it looks like this cycle is likely to sideline us.

Quote:It’s a whole new game.

Quote:Some but not much.  Two other factors will matter  much more to our faction, the Free Radical Supper Club. First, retirement of Khalifi and Mariamne al-Qassem, our founding leaders who were a bridge between the oligarchy of which they were a part and the delegates representing the citizens who had thrown out the old government because of its corruption.
 
And second, most delegates are now associated with one interest or another.  Our main function in the past was helping employ the powerful while being a check on abuses.  Now I see us changing to a technocratic and centrist party.  Initially, outgoing Foreign Minister Abdul Aziz will lead us. 

Quote:I can say the Ministerial Council is inclined to join MATO; Jumhuriat al-Badara has generally been a member of Majatra wide mutual security organizations when they existed. Particularly since the demise of the World Congress as a security organization.  In fact, it was military action by several nations responding to a then operative Majatran wide mutual defense treaty that finally brought the invasion of our nation by religious fanatics to an end.
 
Realize that Majatra and Artania is not the same as Majatra, but the Ministerial Council is very much of the opinion the principle is the same.  I do note that Jumhuriat al-Badara can not just join MATO.  Approval by all the member states is required by Article 8 of the treaty creating MATO.
 
The Foreign Ministry is reviewing the MATO treaty.  My understanding from Foreign Minister Hakim al-Sabah is that deciding on our interpretation of a few clauses would be necessary before the Ministerial Council would recommend it to the Majlis for ratification. But that should present no real problem should membership prove to be possible.

Quote:Not an enemy.  Currently we are two of the factions or parties in a fragile governing coalition.  There are two Abadi parties – the Dufazi and the Forgotten Abadi Majatrans.  The latter has a very similar program to ours; protect freedom of religion so that we can practice our Ahmadi religion and live in peace with our neighbors foreign and domestic.
 
The Dufazi want more control of the lives of others.  We are not unaware Jumhuriat al-Badara was invaded  by angry foreign Israi , and it took several nations helping us out to end that invasion.  So we are not holding out the proposition that Israi are necessarily better or more peaceful than Abadi.
 
So the Dufazi are not an enemy but are a very different party from Israi Values.  In all honesty the coalition can weather our differences better than the differences of the Metzists of Majatra (MM) and the Working Institutional Group (WIG). 
 
Be that as it may, we are trying to hold together a governing coalition and feel like we may.

Quote:Obviously it could or you would not be asking. But historically, we have generally had  a mutual defense arrangement with many of our neighbors that has helped to protect us and allow us to prosper. That is where we think we are.