Gassasinia
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Kingdom of Ghasasinah المملكة الغساسنة ממלכת רסניד | |
|---|---|
 Flag
 Coat of arms
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| Anthem: "النشيد الملكي لمملكة الغساسينة" (Arabic) "ההמנון המלכותי של ממלכת גסאנידים" (Hebrew) Royal Anthem of the Kingdom of Ghasasinah | |
| Capital | Jabiyah |
| Official languages | |
| Ethnic groups | |
| Religion |
|
| Demonym(s) | Gassasinian |
| Government | Unitary Parliamentary Constitutional Monarchy |
• King | Yousef II bin Al-Hashim |
• Prime Minister | Ahmed al-Rashid |
| Legislature | Parliament |
| House of Peers | |
| 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 | ~$762.75 billion |
• Per capita | $50,850 |
| GDP (nominal) | 2020 estimate |
• Total | ~$675 billion |
• Per capita | $45,000 |
| Gini (2018) |  38.9medium |
| HDI (2018) |  0.906very high |
| Currency | Gassasinian Pound (GAP) |
| Time zone | UTC-2 (Gassasinian Standard Time (GAT)) |
| Driving side | left |
| 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 1975 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.
Etymology
History
Ancient History
-Originally populated by a mix of Paganistic and Christian Arabs, and Jews
-Christian House of Harith migrated from the deserts of modern day Gorabo 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
Civil War
First Fair Elections
Modern Day
Culture
Society
Television, Theatre and Film
The Gassasinian Broadcasting Service was formed in 1979 as the public broadcasting service of Gassasinia, responsible for providing entertainment and news through television and radio, along with other media services. Funded mostly through television licenses, the Gassasinian Broadcasting Service is notable for several famous television shows and movies, well-known across the Arab world and even translated into English. Furthermore, the Gassasinian Broadcasting Service is also well-known for its' news broadcasts, which generally present a rather truthful and reliable - albeit generally somewhat Liberal slanted - perspective of events and are broadcasted around the world in a variety of foreign languages.
Gaming
Arts
Music
Literature
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. Before 2019, Gassasinia had been considered by many to be a dominant-party system, with the Liberal Party having held power for most of Gassasinia's history between 2019 and 1979.
Cabinet
- Prime Minister's Office
- Minister for Labour
- Minister for Economic Affairs
- Minister for Finance
- Minister for Defence
- Minister for Health
- Minister for Health and Social Care
- Minister for Culture and Media
- Minister for the Interior
- Minister for Foreign Affairs
- Minister for Education and Youth-Affairs
- Minister for Justice
- Minister for Transportation
- Minister for Science and Technology
- Minister for Information Technology, Communication and Information
- Minister for Agriculture
- Minister for Veteran Affairs
- Minister for Women's Affairs and Equality
Legal System and Courts
The Gassasinian legal system is a common law system based on [ENGLISH] law, made up of mainly two branches: 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
[[|right|thumbnail|500px|A map of Gassasinia, annotated with regions and basic national statistics]] Gassasinia is made up of four Mintaqah, translated into English as "regions", which are further divided into Qadaa or "districts", along with an Amanah which houses the capital of Jabiyah. Furthermore, Qadaas are divided by Baladiyah which are local municipalities for villages, towns and cities which house a constituency for the Advisory Council, and a council who can set certain local laws and standards.
| Name | Population | Largest City | Numbering |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jabiyah Amanah | 4,500,000 | Jabiyah City | 1 |
| Al-Aradi Almunkhafida Mintaqah | Al-Nasfan Mintaqah | 2 | |
| al-Qazzani Mintaqah | Lawdada | 3 | |
| Mount Ghassan Mintaqah | 600,000 | Al-Mukatra | 4 |
| Southern Judea Mintaqah | 300,000 | Ramat HaGassan | 5 |
Foreign Relations
Gassasinia is a member of the Two Rivers Pact, an organisation of similarly cultured nations mainly speaking Arabic, who are involved in mutual defence, single-market free trade, and have abolished most travel restrictions between each other's countries. While being the smallest country in the Two Rivers Pact, Gassasinia plays an important role in the pact, being the most technologically advanced and developed nation in the pact and being the source of both rivers.
Gassasinia is heavily involved in international peacekeeping. Recently, Gassasinia deployed the Gassasinian Defence Force to Ereska for peacekeeping and technical assistance.
Gassasinia has strong relations with Neferheim, and has upheld business ties, a free-trade agreement and foreign aid to the developing nation.
Human Rights
Military
As of 2020, Gassasinia has an army of 80,000 active-duty soldiers with 45,000 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 400 tanks and 528 infantry fighting vehicles, along with 282 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
Gun laws in Gassasinia are regulated by the Firearms Act of 1981, which replaced the Controlled Arms Act of 1965, and legislates the production, carrying and ownership of firearms, ammunition, explosives and firearms parts. In particular, the Firearms Act of 1981 legislates that the government shall make self-defence of responsible individuals equally accessible, meaning that fees for acquiring licenses and taxes for acquiring arms are proportional to one's income. Every year, the tax for arms purchases as a percentage of the firearm's base cost is recalculated depending on one's income.
Firearms ownership is 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 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 "Hunting Arms" License: 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 "Self Defence Arms" License: A Level 2 license allows you to acquire semi-automatic handguns, revolvers and pump-action shotguns, allowing one to carry their weapon either concealed or openly.
- Level 3 "Tactical Arms" License: A Level 3 license allows you to acquire semi-automatic rifles and shotguns, along with fully-automatic rifles issued by the Defence League. Level 3 Licenses are generally available for civilian purchase, but are also automatically issued to regular infantry militiamen of the Defence League.
- Level 4 "Military Arms" License: A Level 4 license allows you to acquire fully-automatic weapons, high-calibre rifles and explosives, and they are generally only sought entertainment purposes to film armourers, firearms dealers, security personnel, shooting range owners, and to members of the Defence League. While not impossible, acquiring a Level 4 license as a regular civilian is very difficult and requires intense vetting, a clean criminal record, supportive statements from one's peers and for one to have been a firearms owner for at least ten years. Firearms purchased under a Level 4 license are also subject to approval and scrutiny by the National Police.
Anyone with a Level 2 license can concealed carry, and only certain types of private property, such as schools, hospitals, places of worship and private homes can restrict or ban one's ability to concealed carry within their premises. While there are no laws against open carry nation-wide, local Baladiyah councils can set a restrict or even outright ban open carry.
The Right to keep and bear arms is not officially recognised or protected in constitution or law of Gassasinia. However, Gassasinia has a strong history of firearms ownership dating back to the turbulent and even violent times of the 1960's and 1970's, during which many - especially the lower classes - distrusted police to arrive, let alone protect them properly.
About a quarter of Gassasinian citizens - especially rural citizens and those living in more turbulent lower-class neighbourhoods - are gun-owners. Since the 1990's, low-cost sub-compact semi-automatic pistols have become particularly popular, with several firearms manufacturers producing models specifically for the Gassasinian markets.
Police
The Gassasinian National Police is the police force of Gassasinia. Formed in 1978 by the National Police Act, the National Police replaced the Royal Police, who were accused of supporting far-right paramilitaries and police brutality.
In spite of the horrific actions of its' predecessor, the Royal Police, today the Gassasinian National Police is recognised as one of the most professional and responsible police forces in the region, upheld by a strong and independent judiciary which seeks to fairly prosecute and investigate police abuses.
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
Gassasinia's climate is mainly characterised by a Mediterranean-esque climate featuring long, moderately hot, dry summers and cold, rainy and snowy winters, with the mountainous arid Qaroun Desert in the north.
hereas 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. 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
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 an emergent developing economy to a developed economy around the mid 1980's to the early 1970'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, Gorabo, Neferheim and New Sebronia, 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, optical equipment, ship-building, precision and scientific equipment, tourism, medical equipment and technology, refined materials, phosphates, metallurgy, plastics, textiles 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, miscellaneous raw materials 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, MEDTEK Health Solutions, SARACEN Industries, Bariq Communications, SuperSouq Supermarkets, BlueCross Pharmaceuticals, 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. Furthermore, Gassasinia is a trade partner of Gorabo and Mehrava, who both have strong economic ties with eachother and Gassasinia and form the single market of the Two Rivers Pact. Mehrava is an important business partner of Gassasinia, giving Gassasinian companies a large cheap labour base, while Gorabo is important for its' role in providing for Gassasinia's energy needs.
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.
Until around the mid 1990's, Gassasinia was a wide-scale manufacturer. However, nowadays, much of manufacturing by Gassasinian companies has been outsourced to cheaper countries as Gassasinia became a higher income country, inflating costs of labour. Nowadays, most Gassasinian manufacturing is outsourced to Mehrava and Neferheim where labour costs are much lower.
The currency of Gassasinia is the Gassasinian Pound (£GAP), with a value of about £1 GAP to $0.10 ACU.
Science and Technology
Tourism
Energy
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.
Education
Demographics
The majority of Gassasinia's populace identify themselves ethnically as Arabs, but not all Arabs in Gassasinia come from the same point of origin, nor are all Arabs in Gassasinia really descended purely from Arabs. Gassasinia's native peoples are known to have likely been a mixture of Arabs, Assyrians and Jews, who practised a mixture of Christianity, Judaism and paganism. However, these native peoples were conquered in the 6th Century by early Christian Arabs who had migrated from the deserts in the north in search of more fertile land and escaping from religious prosecution at the hands of local pagans.
Between the 6th Century and the 18th Century, the Assyrian natives of Gassasinia were assimilated into the Christian Arab populace, whereas the others generally assimilated into the Islamic Arab populace during Muslim rule in response to past forced assimilation on the part of the Christian Arabs. On the other hand, the Jewish presence in Gassasinia never really died out and has persevered into the 21st century thanks to their distinctive strong ethno-religious identity, which saw them retreat into the mountainous north as they fled Christian persecution.
As of 2020, it is estimated that Gassasinia has a population of about 15 million. Furthermore, Gassasinia has a moderate population density of 200 people per kilometre squared, much of which is centred around the urban regions in coastal areas and on the shores of Lake Ghassan.
Gassasinia is home to major populations of immigrant and naturalised Gorabonese and Mehravans. In particular, Mehravan Arabs tend to migrate to Gassasinia due to the cultural similarities, along with the economic reasons of most other immigrants.
Religion
- Christianity 42.5%
- Church of Gassasinia 32.5%
- Eastern Catholic 10%
- Islam 42.5%
- Irreligion 12%
- Judaism 3%
Before 1979, the state church of Gassasinia was the Church of Gassasinia, which is in communion with the Anglican Church. However, the 1979 Constitution defined Gassasinia has a secular state, severing the Church of Gassasinia of its' seats in the House of Peers and erasing any legal connection between the monarchy and the Church of Gassasinia. However, in reality, the House of Harith still performs its' religious duties within the Church of Gassasinia, and it is known that King Yousef II is a practising member of the Church of Gassasinia.
Freedom of Religion is a guaranteed right within Gassasinia. Furthermore, hate speech and discrimination legislation which have most recently culminated in the Equality Act of 2003 forbid discrimination based on religion in areas including but not limited to employment, education, government position, pay and provision of both public and private services, while also making inflamatory and hate speech against religious beliefs a summary, misdemeanour, or - if serious enough - even felony offence.