Razan

State of Razan ᛒᚣᛩᚮᛌ ᚢᛚᚢᛌ Büqoş Uluş (Chal)
National flag Symbol
Anthem: "Even Blossoms Eventually Scatter"
Capital	Shaghirsenir
Largest city	Sekizbulut
Official languages	Chal
Recognised national languages	List Altiqor Chabur Qisir Chalgan Orogur Kichchal Sachak Chiggit and various others...
Ethnic groups (2023)	20% Chals 20% Altiqors 14% Chaburs various others
Religion (2023)	65% Gregorianism 20% Himaya 2% Sendou various others
Demonym(s)	Razanite
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
• President
• Prime Minister
Legislature	Congress of Razan
• Upper house	Senate
• Lower house	House of Representatives
Formation
• Independence	1785
Area
• Total	6,587,948 km2 (2,543,621 sq mi)
Population
• 2023 estimate	160.0 million (2nd)
• Density	24.29/km2 (62.9/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2022 estimate
• Total	$4.48 trillion (2nd)
• Per capita	$28,000
GDP (nominal)	2022 estimate
• Total	$1.92 trillion (7th)
• Per capita	$12,000
Gini	39.2 medium
HDI	0.81 very high
Currency	X (X, RZN)
Time zone	UTC-2 to -5
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy
Driving side	right
Calling code	+937

Razan (Chal: ᛒᚣᛩᚮ, hernicized: Büqoş), officially the State of Razan (Chal: ᛒᚣᛩᚮᛌ ᚢᛚᚢᛌ, hernicized: Büqoş Uluş), is a sovereign state in northern Abaria, and the largest country in the world by land area. It is bounded by the Tayan Sea to the east, the North Sea and Glacian Ocean to the north, Yingok to the west, and Almeraei to the south. Its capital is Shaghirsenir and its largest city is Sekizbulut. With a population of approximately 160 million people, it is also the second-most populous country in the world.

Before the first millenium CE, southern Razan was dominated by the cities of the Tissic Sargian civilization, an entrepot for trans-Abarian trade, while north-central Abaria was presumably populated by Paleo-Cascay speakers and the east by Madic speakers such as Lunts and Yougs. The Berkic migration first introduced Berkic ruling elites to these regions in the 8th century, and with time displaced or assimilated existing cultures. Several major states including both sedentary and nomadic empires were established by the Berks, the most powerful of which was the Artuchid Empire that dominated the Abarian continent in the 14th century following the Catabole and the subsequent crisis. From 1444 onwards, it fragmented into several successor states.

The east coast of Razan, which hosted Calesian commercial outposts since antiquity, came under stronger control by the Waldish predecessor state of Jarnland in the 17th century, culminating in the establishment of the Triumvirate of Razan in 1683, which organized local allies of the Jarnish East Abaria Company, mainly the Chals, against regional rivals such as the Saqlaganid Empire. Tensions between the Triumvirate and the Jarnish during the 18th century resulted in a declaration of independence in 1785, followed by the Tayan War, which successfully expelled Jarnish forces with assistance and recognition from other Calesian powers.

Perceiving itself as a state rooted in and hinged upon the Calesianization of Abaria, Razan undertook campaigns of expansion against its post-Artuchid neighbors and north-western frontiers in the 19th century, defeating the Saqlaganids in the 1810s, expanding across the Cascay onto the borders of Yingok by the 1840s, and annexing central Abaria by the 1870s. The country's rapid expansion emboldened its entry into the Great War as a Sydenham Power, in which it was defeated by the war's end in 1940, though the internal ouster of the wartime government and the recognized value of its influence in Abaria secured a relatively lenient settlement. Post-war Razan experienced alternating periods of authoritarian rule and unstable democracy; the last dictatorship ended in 1992, inaugurating a relatively free and stable dominant-party political system that prevails to today.

Razan is one of the world's great powers and a superpower of the Abarian continent alongside Yingok, its reliable ally since the establishment of the latter's modern government; it also has a close relationship with Calesian powers such as Waldrich. Its developing economy is the world's second-largest one by PPP and the seventh-largest one by nominal GDP. It is a member state of the United Congress, the Abarian Regional Forum, the W3 Initiative, and the X.

Etymology

'Razan' is a Tissic term related to the root *raȷ́ʰ- "to abandon, free", likely connected to northern Abaria's position relative to ancient Tissic civilization. The Berkic endonym is 'Büqoş', originally büyük-qoş or 'great pair'.

History

Independent Razan (1785—present)

Beacon of Abaria (1785—1875)

Freed from restraint by the Jarnish and now party to a grand entente of more aggressive Calesian interests in eastern Abaria, newly-independent Razan focused its efforts south on defeating the Saqlaganid Empire. In 1811, a Razanite incursion into Saqlaganid territory triggered Yedibelgi's War, which ended in 1817 with the ouster of the Saqlaganids and the division of their empire into Danash, Osershan, and Matar under joint Razanite and Calesian protection. Although there were consistent efforts to wrest influence over and eventually annex the post-Saqlaganid states in the south, it was not until the outbreak of the War of the Backdoor in 1838 that Razan was able to do so in the name of supporting a liberal revolution in Matar and defending it against Calesian intervention.

The more highlighted efforts of Razan's territorial expansion from the 1820s were focused on incorporating larger territories in the Cascay. The nomadic states of the continental interior were enticed with trade and protection to mostly submit peacefully, but some such as the Arkanjak Khanate offered stubborn resistance and were only annexed after bloody conquest. By the 1840s, with the annexation of the Narsuren, Razan's territory extended to border Yingok. Razan also projected its influence toward the sedentary kingdoms of central Abaria such as Karadala, Aqqush, and Selgan, which by the 1840s had fallen into its sphere of influence. Though content to maintain them as independent client states, the spread of liberal political ideas destabilized their societies with pro-Razan republican dissent; in 1862 the outbreak of civil war in Karadala initiated the Razanite conquest of Central Abaria, as both filibusters and federal troops intervened to install revolutionary republics by 1868.

Through this period and concomitant with the expansion of liberalism abroad, the Razanite 'homeland' in former Triumvirate territory saw the rise of politics that challenged the increasingly oligarchical Triumvirate patriciate. Grounded in spiritual revivals and adventurism to establish utopian societies on the frontier, they rallied around reversionist autonomy movements, which established hundreds of sizeable settled communities across Razan that exercised self-governance and seceded from state authority. The turn of these movements toward revolution in the 1860s alienated members of the new, freeholding middle class that developed over the course of Razanite expansion and economic growth, pushing them into a counterrevolutionary coalition with the patriciate, the landed gentry, and Cascay chieftains. Dominating the federal government due to the reversionists' abstentionism and abortive insurrections in 1868, this broad alliance entered a confrontation with the new central Abarian revolutionary states, refusing to accede them to the federation.

In 1872, the reversionist central Abarian revolutionaries purged sympathizers of the Razanite government and united into the Artuchian Federation. In response, the Razanite government cracked down on reversionism, initiated the Southwestern War in 1873, conquered central Abaria, and at last acceded the central Abarian states in 1875. With this, all the broad constitutive regions of Razan today became part of the federation; agreements and conventions to limit expansion in Abaria between the Calesian powers meant Razan would no longer conduct large annexations.

Champion of Abaria (1875—1940)

The conquest of central Abaria marked the shift of Razan into a country and power with an Abarian rather than Calesian self-identity. As had been demonstrated in the liberal revolutionary wars, Pan-Abarianism became increasingly influential, and participation in federal politics by the newly incorporated regions was increasingly united by the ideology of Abarian empowerment. Meanwhile, Razan's territorial expansion now made it a rival rather than partner of Calesian agendas in Abaria, leading to a vicious cycle of confrontation in eastern and southern Abaria where their spheres of influence abutted. Although the political establishment attempted to shut out the seemingly dangerously radical pan-Abarian 'Young Berks' on one hand and maintain goodwill with Calesia on the other, the exertions Razan made in continental politics to prove this ultimately further emboldened the former while consternating the latter.

In the wake of the Southwestern War, the 'reconstruction' of reversionist communities in central Abaria and elsewhere, and the cause of suppressing 'contrarian' ideology more generally, transformed Razan into a much more authoritarian and paternalistic society, based on local political machines, big men, and patronage networks controlling 'contrarianism-policing' offices that supported a reactionary oligarchy in Shaghirsenir. Coordinative efforts by the bureaucracy organized the Cervine Party which suspended Congress and ruled the country from 1895 to 1912 with an authoritarian, technocratic governing style, but confronting increasing dissent it was eventually forced to dissolve itself and reconvene Congress. The post-Cervine period however was mired by discoordination in the political elite, while as Razan entered increasing confrontations with Calesian powers the military was empowered and tolerated to act on its own politically, soon even overriding civilian government.

In 1936 Razan joined the Great War on the side of the Sydenham Powers, expecting to establish its hegemony across the entire Abarian continent. However, its opportunistic incursions in Abaria were poorly coordinated with its supposed allies such as Falland, and after the frontline stagnated from 1937 participation in the war became widely criticized. In late 1940 the war government was overthrown after Transmedan forces entered Razan, and a new administration organized by parties that had made overtures to the Transmedan powers in advance declared an immediate surrender. For this, Razan was able to negotiate very favorable terms for a major defeated power, avoiding occupation and preserving its pre-war territories.

Post-war Razan (1940—1980)

The post-war government was led by the National-Civic Party, which was spearheaded by ultranationalists and national syndicalists sidelined and jailed during the Great War, although they quickly made sweeping concessions to other elements such as established bureaucrats and liberal reformists to consolidate a stable coalition. Domestically the NCP promoted what were essentially national syndicalist reforms in the name of dismantling the pre-war oligarchy and aligning with democratic, progressive values, which even enjoyed broad support from liberals. Externally, to bolster Razan's post-war position, the NCP government established an alliance with the Lisieux Pact, and offered aggressive support of Abarian national liberation movements in Pyinthar, Yingok, and Mizbeh. Here its national syndicalist elements were to enjoy their greatest influence, continuing the pre-war Pan-Abarian policy, and imprinting Razan-supported national liberation movements with a model of totalitarian party-states and drastic state-led developmentalism that even NCP policies in Razan itself could not fully establish.

In 1950, an internal power struggle caused the unceremonious dissolution of the NCP and a period of competition between its three successors, which campaigned through various local mobilization organisations known as Wolfpacks that formed a kind of Razanite activist civil society, although their tactics quickly turned violent and terroristic. In 1962, rioting during elections provoked a coup that brought the Constitutional Union to power, which sought a longer-lasting one-party regime under the mandate of undoing national syndicalist excesses and suppressing contrarianism. The CU also moved Razan away from its pan-Abarian, pro-Lisieux foreign policy, and sought rapprochement with the Nordbund; Razan adopted a strong anti-communist stance, and turned against the socialist states it helped to establish only years earlier.

The CU government was challenged by intransigent civil opposition and soon fractured itself, with factions attempting to manipulate the Wolfpacks and create a mass revolutionary initiative inspired by the Second Adanali Revolution and other concurrent movements that could dismantle local political machines in their favor. During 1972 this culminated in a wave of local power seizures by overenthusiastic Wolfpacks, at which point the movement became recognized as entirely out of control. But crucially, the military, supported by the intelligence apparatus, refused to suppress the takeovers — now widely believed to be for the sake of establishing opacity over intervention in the Yinese Civil War through collaborating with the contrarians. This caused the CU to collapse entirely, giving way to a series of ephemeral and increasingly paralyzed governments heavily beholden to yet unable to control local Wolfpacks. Wolfpacks aligned with the emerging deep state in the security apparatus formed the Society for Action and with this support gradually triumphed in these factional struggles, securing control of the federal government in 1980 to recognize the new disposition of power among the now-dominant anarchist confederations across the country.