Gassasinia

Kingdom of Ghasasinah المملكة الغساسنة
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:  "النشيد الملكي لمملكة الغساسينة (Arabic)" Royal Anthem of the Kingdom of Ghasasinah
Capital	Jabiyah
Official languages	Arabic English Hebrew
Ethnic groups	90% Arabs 5% Jews 5% Other
Religion	45% Islam 45% Christianity 12% Atheist 3% Judaism
Demonym(s)	Gassasinian
Government	Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy
• King	Yousef II bin Al-Hashim
• Prime Minister	Ahmed al-Rashid
Legislature	Parliament
• Upper house	House of Peers
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Independence from [BRITAIN]
• Declared	1st of March, 1949
• Civil War	1972
• End of civil war	25th December, 1975
• First free General Election, modern constitution	2nd of May, 1979
Area
• Total	75,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi)
Population
• February 2019 estimate	14,729,181
• January 2015 census	15,103,000
• Density	200/km2 (518.0/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	$567,948 billion
• Per capita	$37,605
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$380.611 billion
• Per capita	$25,201
Gini (2018)	37.5 medium
HDI (2018)	0.882 very high
Currency	Gassasinian Pound (GAP)
Time zone	UTC+7 (Gassasinian Standard Time (GAT))
Driving side	right
Calling code	+962
Internet TLD	.ga

Gassasinia, officially the Kingdom of Ghasasinah (Arabic Language: المملكة الغساسنة, Modern Hebrew: ממלכת רסניד) is a Sovereign State in northern [MIDDLE EAST] bordered by #### to the South-West and #### to the South-East. Notable for its' hilly and mountainous north and fertile plains, Gassasinia is home to a mainly Arab population with a small minority of Jews.

Although through much of the 20th century, Gassinia suffered from violent strife and even civil war along economic and religious lines, today Gassasinia is a [EUROPEAN]-styled Liberal Democratic parliamentary constitutional monarchy with one of the strongest economies in [MIDDLE EAST]. The monarch of Gassasinia is King Yousef II bin Al-Hashim of the House of Harith, son of King Hashim II, who has ruled Gassasinia since 1979 and proved essential in instituting a liberal democratic system and reconciling internal tensions, turning the country onto the path of recovery, stability and prosperity from the ruins of its' recent past.

Whereas many of its' neighbours rely on oil to fuel their economies, Gassasinia is completely absent of any oil and instead relies on exporting electronics, computer software and hardware, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals, phosphates and refined materials to drive its' economy. Gassasinia is a developed industrialised country, with a well-educated population and one of, if not the highest standards of living across the nations of [MIDDLE EAST].

The Kingdom of Ghasasinah, and the House of Harith date back to the 14th Century, when members of the Al-Yaman tribe travelled from the hot deserts in the south to the fertile hills and plains in the north, forming the Jabiyah Kingdom which would eventually become the modern Kingdom of Ghasasinah.

History

Ancient History

-Originally populated by a mix of Paganistic and Christian Arabs, and Jews -Christian House of Harith migrated from the deserts in the 3rd Century, conquered lands and converted the local Pagans and some of the local Jews. -Conquered by Muslims in 8th Century, many converted due to Islam for benefits -Rebelled, House of Harith retook power in 12th Century -Deep ties formed with [BRITAIN] in 19th Century, English becomes secondary language of Christian elite -On and off wars with Muslims until 1880s, when it became a protectorate of Britain

Protectorate of [BRITAIN]

-Enforced religious equality between Jews, Christiand and Muslims -House of Harith client monarch of [BRITAIN] -Earliest roots of prosperity

Independence

-Independence in 1949 under King Hashim II -Prosperity grows, and so does economic inequality -On and off terrorist attacks until 1980s -Prince Yousef becomes voice for change

Politics

Gassasinia is a three-party constitutional parliamentary monarchy with universal suffrage, subject to the 1979 Constitution of the Kingdom of Gassasinia. Under the 1979 Constitution, the parliament is made up of two houses and an Advisory Council. The Lower house, the House of Representatives, which legislates on laws and votes to send them to the House of Peers, the upper house which finally criticises, votes on and amends legislation from the lower house before it is put into law, and is also responsible for scrutinising and criticising the government's policies and actions. The House of Representatives elected based on a proportional voting system by which each house is host to 150 seats.

Elections for the House of Representatives and local Councils are held every 4 years.

Along with the two Houses of Parliament, there is also the Advisory Council, which is made up of elected local council officials.

Members of the House of Peers are not elected. Instead, they are voted on by the Privy Council, which is mainly made up of prestigious politicians, experts and judges. Members of the House of Peers are required to relinquish their membership in any political parties, as Peers are supposed to be impartial to party bias. Most members of the House of Peers are prestigious politicians, technical experts, lawyers and judges. Peers are supposed to "Set aside all biases and prejudices in the name of impartially scrutinising the government and helping to secure the Liberal Democratic order of the nation." The House of Peers was formerly filled with nobles before parliament was suspended in 1979, only being reformed 4 years later in 1979.

The Prime Minister, who is the executive Head of Government and chooses the ministers who form the Cabinet, is generally chosen from the leader of the party with the most seats. If the largest party fails to gain a majority in Parliament, it will form a coalition with one or more parties. Generally the second largest party in this coalition government will be chosen as the Deputy Prime Minister, who is essentially the 2nd in line of succession.

There are three main parties in Gassasinia: the Liberal Party, the Labour Party and the Conservative Party. As of current Gassasinia is currently host to a coalition lead by the Liberal Party with Labour Party support after the 2019 election and the rise of the left-wing in Gassasinia in response to what is seen as an unfair wealth gap and disadvantages for the working class.

Legal System and Courts

The Gassasinian legal system is a common law system based on [ENGLISH] law, made up of mainly two branchesL criminal law and civil law. Each branch is subject to their own specific courts and procedures. Gassasinian law is based both on the legislation passed by Parliament, and case law derived from interpretations of the law from previous judges based on their reasoning and logic.

There are many levels of courts in Gassasinia, which are overseen by the Supreme Court of Gassasinia, the highest court of appeal in Gassasina, made up of prestigious judges who hear cases of constitutional importance, or cases which affect the general populace as a whole.

Magistrates and judges are not chosen by the Executive but rather by the Judiciary itself. Local magistrates are appointed by local Advisory Commissions who appoint Magistrates to be appointed by the Lord Justice of Gassasinia. This system, while criticised as elitist and undemocratic by some, is said to keep the courts of Gassasinia meritocratic, impartial and unbiased.

Administrative Divisions

Gassasinia is made up of five Mintaqah, translated into English as "regions", which are further divided into Qadaa or "districts".

Military

Main article: Gassasinian Defence Force

As of 2020, Gassasinia has an army of 72,000 active-duty soldiers with 30,000 reservists on stand-by who can be deployed as needed to fill demands, along with 200,000 Defence League militia reservists who are deployed in times of war to defend the homeland while the highly mobile Regular Army carries out offensive actions against any invaders. Equipped with 600 tanks and 528 infantry fighting vehicles, along with 242 combat aircraft, the Gassasinian Defence Force is well-equipped, well-trained and well-organised. Military spending in Gassasinia is at about 2.5% of the national GDP.

Since the 1980's, the Gassasinian Defence Force has been highly active in foreign deployments for peacekeeping and humanitarian operations. A Quick Deployment Force is kept ready to be mobilised with Gassasinian Royal Air Force C-5 Galaxy and C-17 airlift planes to provide technical help, humanitarian aid and peacekeeping forces across the world.

Gun Laws

Gassasinian gun laws are based on a may-issue basis by which the Gassasinian National Police takes in requests for a firearms license and reviews them, and often rejects licenses requested by those who are considered to hold extremist political views. To acquire a firearms license in Gassasinia, one must attend firearms training lessons. Within Gassasinia and prove that they can properly keep the weapon stored safely and securely. In Gassasinia, there are three levels of licensing that one can acquire from the National Police.

• Level 1: A Level 1 license allows one to acquire simple hunting weapons such as bolt-action rifles, hunting shotguns and low-calibre semi-automatic rifles such as the .22LR Ruger 10-22.
• Level 2: A Level 2 license allows you to acquire semi-automatic handguns, semi-automatic rifles, pump-action and semi-automatic shotguns, allowing one to carry their weapon either concealed or openly.
• Level 3: A Level 3 license allows you to acquire fully-automatic weapons, high-calibre rifles and explosives, and they are generally only issued for entertainment purposes to film armourers, to firearms dealers and shooting range owners, and to members of the Defence League. Firearms purchased under a Level 3 license are also subject to approval and scrutiny by the National Police.

Police

Main article: Gassasinian National Police

Civil Defence Force

Main article: Gassasinian Civil Defence Force

The Gassasinian Civil Defence Force is the government agency responsible for firefighting, rescue and emergency medical response in Gassasinia. Additionally, they organise and co-ordinate ambulance response through the National Ambulance Service, a child-agency of the Civil Defence Force which facilitates co-operation between the Civil Defence Force and volunteer aid organisations such as the Red Cross.

Geography

The al-Harith Nature Reserve, as seen from Mount Ghassan

Geographical map of Gassasinia.

Gassasinia's climate is mainly characterised by a Mediterranean-esque climate featuring long, moderately hot, dry summers and cold, rainy and snowy winters, whereas much of Gassasinia's geography is hilly and mountainous, with a few plains in the lower portion of the country. To the south-east of the country are fertile plains, whereas the north and west is characterised by hilly and mountainous terrain bordering on the mountainous, arid Qaroun Desert to the very north of the country. Gassasinia controls the western portion of the eponymous Lake Ghassan, which lies to Gassasinia's north-east, along with several other smaller lakes. The highest peak in Gassasinia's northern mountainous region is Mount Ghassan, a snowy mountain which from which Gassasinia lends its' name, and measures in at about 3,100 kilometres above sea level. Gassasinia is famous for it's vast forests of Cedar trees, which are the national tree of Gassasinia.

Economy

File:Panoramic View Of Beirut From Broumana 2016.jpg

Over-view of the capital city of Jabiyah.

Gassasinia's economy is a developed social market economy dominated by the services economy. The main exports and industries of Gassasinia include electronics, computer software and hardware, pharmaceuticals, phosphates and refined metals. Before the 1970's, Gassasinia was considered an emerging economy and many predicted that Jabiyah would become the centre of the [MIDDLE EAST]'s business world by the 1980's. However, this was disrupted by the outbreak of the Civil War in 1972. Regardless, after the end of the Civil War in 1975, the country quickly got back onto the road of recovery, and since the 2000's, Gassasinia has become the trade centre of the [MIDDLE EAST].

Although located in the [MIDDLE EAST], Gassasinia was thought to be mostly devoid of significant natural resources other than phosphates. As such, Gassasinia was forced to work hard to build up a diverse, industrialised economy with a well-educated population. Although Christian populace of Gassasinia is better off economically than the Muslim populace, it is generally agreed that in the past and even after the liberalisation period of the late 1970's, Gassasinia was at least partially built upon the backs of cheap labour from the Muslim populace. Most economists put the transition from a developing economy to a developed economy around the late 1980's to the early 1990's.

As of 2020, Gassasinia has an unemployment rate of 4%. Although generally considered a high-income country, Gassasinia has a history of stark economic inequality, and despite the measures instituted in the 1980's meant to even the disadvantage between the poor and privileged, even today Gassasinia suffers from income inequality.

Gassasinia has strong trade relations with Bakyern, amongst other developed nations. Gassasinia is home to a wide variety of modern high-tech industries including: Computer hardware and software, electronics, fruits and vegetables, communications equipment, tourism, medical equipment and technology, refined materials, phosphates, metallurgy, plastics and chemical production. On the other hand, Gassasinia's main imports are fossil fuels - particularly diesel and petroleum, along with natural gas, raw metal ores, motor vehicles, foodstuffs, meat and consumer goods.

Gassasinia is home to a moderate variety of major international and regional businesses including Zhayed Heavy Industries, Hacohen Microsystems, Al-Haddad Business Computers, SARACEN Industries, Bariq Communications, SuperSouq Supermarkets, amongst others.

Gassasinia is an emergent trade-partner of Neferheim, mainly in areas of mobile communications, with plans to expand into exporting computers, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, well-trained expertise, and to import iron ore and textiles.

With the recent election of the Labour Party to power, the Ministry of Economic Affairs plans to build a National Co-Operative Business Fund to provide government investment into worker-run co-operatives.

The currency of Gassasinia is the Gassasinian Pound (£GAP), with a value of about £1 GAP to $0.10 USD.

Healthcare

Healthcare in Gassasinia is a mix of private and public universal health insurance, which is paid in a ratio of 50:50 by the private individual and their employer. By law, all Gassasinian citizens and residents are required to have health insurance which covers all healthcare costs. Most citizens of Gassasinia have private health insurance provided by a non-profit corporation. Alternatively, poorer citizens who cannot afford private health insurance, orphans, individuals in state care, elderly over 65 and those with pre-existing serious health conditions are provided for by the National Health Insurance Service with costs being scaled based on calculations of one's disposable income after taxes, bills and costs of living.

Private for-profit health-insurance is generally only paid for by some middle-class citizens, along with most upper-class citizens. Private for-profit health insurance generally tends to get one seen quicker for less-urgent treatments and check-ups as private for-profit health insurance pays out much more, and often allows greater access to private clinics who often have a top-tier standard of care and shorter waiting lists.

About three quarters of hospitals and GP Practice clinics are run by non-profit corporations, whereas one in five are state-run by the Ministry of Health, often in poorer areas. On the other hand, about five percent of clinics and hospitals are privately-owned for-profit businesses. However, most of them are for non-emergency medical services as private ownership of hospitals is highly restricted.

The most common non-profit health insurance providers in Gassasinia are the Gassasinian Red Cross Health Insurance Initiative, Green Shield and the Gassasinian Health Coverage Society. On the other hand, the most common for-profit health insurance providers are Fupa Health Insurance, Gassasinian Insurance Services and TopStandard Health Services.

Ambulances, similar to hospitals, are run by the National Ambulance Service, which is a child agency of the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force which co-ordinates and sets standards for GCDF ambulances, along with ambulances run by non-profit health services. About three quarters of ambulances are operated by the Gassasinian Civil Defence Force, whereas the other quarter are operated by public organisations.

Demographics

Language

Name	Population	Largest City	Image
Jabiyah	1,500,000	Jabiyah City