Brazilian RP Archive (Geopolity)

This is an archive of RP posts authored by Flourishing Southlands in Geopolity. It was last updated in 25 April 2024.

Nation Application, dated 19 June 2023

NS Account Name/Nation Name: Flourishing Southlands
Head of State: President João de Sousa Almeida
Head of Government: President João de Sousa Almeida
Claims: Federative Republic of Brazil, Rincón de Artigas, Ilha de Guajará-Mirim, Ilha Brasileira
Capital City: Brasilia
Preferred Map Color: Green, no preference as to shade
Demonym: Brazilian
Population: 217,240,060
GDP (Nominal): $2.081 trillion USD
Description of Economy: Middle-income developing mixed economy. Exports aircraft, steel, machinery, transport equipment, automobiles, vehicle parts, soybeans, iron ore, pulp (cellulose), maize, beef, chicken meat, soybean meal, sugar, coffee, tobacco, cotton, orange juice, footwear, gold, ethanol, semi-finished iron. Imports machinery, electrical and transport equipment, chemical products, oil, automotive parts, electronics.
Description of Government: Same as IRL - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil#Government_and_politics
Federal state under a presidential system. Country parcelled into States, which are further subdivided by municipalities. Legislature is bicameral and represented proportionally under a multi-party system.
Description of Military: Same as IRL - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazilian_Armed_Forces
334,500 active personnel, 1,340,000 reserve personnel, $19.2 billion USD budget. Equipment is multinational in nature, with Brazilian, American, German, Italian, Swedish, Austrian, etc. represented in Brazil's arsenal. Dated to late Cold War/modern day.
History: Brazil was inhabited by numerous tribal nations prior to the landing in 1500 of explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral, who claimed the area for the Portuguese Empire. Brazil remained a Portuguese colony until 1808 when the capital of the empire was transferred from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro. In 1815, the colony was elevated to the rank of kingdom upon the formation of the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Independence was achieved in 1822 with the creation of the Empire of Brazil, a unitary state governed under a constitutional monarchy and a parliamentary system.
The ratification of the first constitution in 1824 led to the formation of a bicameral legislature, now called the National Congress. The country became a presidential republic in 1889 following a military coup d'état. An authoritarian military junta came to power in 1964 and ruled until 1985, after which civilian governance resumed. The 1988 Constitution was enacted which made Brazil a democratic federal republic.
The country benefited greatly under the Plano Real and 2000s commodities boom, which caused GDP to skyrocket up until 2011. Howeer, the country became mired in several institutional problems (i.e: overcomplicated bureaucracy, overspending, overcompensation, over-retirement) which severely downgraded its economic prospects. Brazil is no longer the shining beacon of hope it once was. Sad!

A backup of the nation application is located on the Wayback Machine [1].

Expansion Application (Venezuela), dated 14 March 2024

NS Name: Flourishing Southlands
New Claim: Estado Amazonas and Estado Bolívar, Venezuela
Population: 1,866,480
GDP (Nominal): $14.435 billion USD
Military Used: 180,000 (initial intervention), 28,000 (occupation)
Valid Reason for Expansion: Operating on presumption that NPC territory is the same as IRL.
With the election of the right-wing President Franco dos Santos, relations between Brazil and Venezuela deteriorate significantly. Itamaraty is quick to discredit the PSUV-led leadership as illegitimate[/url], which is followed by the recall of diplomats from Caracas. It transfers diplomatic recognition to a Venezuelan government in-exile, comprised of opposition figures who have escaped to Brazil as refugees. The Venezuelan embassy in Brasília is offered to the government in-exile as a temporary headquarters, which is fiercely resisted by Caracas. Caracas retaliates by closing its border with Brazil.
At the same time, the continued (and now illegal) flow of Venezuelan refugees to Roraima reaches a tipping point as authorities are thoroughly overwhelmed and unable to meet the newcomers' needs. Venezuelan gangs exploit the desperation to establish themselves, inflaming anti-migrant sentiments. Ethnic riots and lynchings soon break out, prompting the military to sequester 200,000 refugees into hastily-erected camps for fear of further violence.
Caracas responds negatively to these events. It accuses the BRSC of instituting apartheid against Venezuelans, and halts power exports to Roraima. The state, which has historically depended on Venezuelan hydroelectricity, declares a state of emergency and rations its energy. The BRSC imposes sanctions in return, appeals to the GSA to impose an embargo, and plots with the exiled opposition to overthrow the PSUV. This involves 3 components:

• The transport of opposition fighters through the rainforest to Venezuela;
• The initiation of a Brazilian-armed uprising;
• Timed with an amphibious invasion by Brazilian-financed mercenaries.

The Venezuelan Armed Forces (FANB) conduct airstrikes in Brazilian territory in an attempt to stem the flow of arms to rebel fighters. Brazil responds in kind. The Brazilian People's Congress authors a resolution demanding the PSUV to relinquish its authority and government in Venezuela and cease its attacks on Brazilian territory. The calls are not heeded - the FANB initiates a round of surgical strikes in the Roraiman interior to destroy opposition targets - and the BRSC loses patience.
Brazilian troops invade Venezuela, swiftly battling the dated FANB and seizing control of southern Venezuela. Military government is imposed over Brazilian-controlled areas to:

• Administer the region on trust for the opposition;
• Battle Bolivarian insurgents;
• Suppress drug trafficking;
• Stabilize the region so that Venezuelan refugees in Roraima may be deported quickly (ulterior motive); and
• Extract the region's natural resources, i.e: the Los Pijiguaos bauxite deposit, steel manufacturing at Ciudad Guayana, etc. (ulterior motive).

The occupation ends with a transition of power to the opposition, followed by a speedy withdrawalwhen President dos Santos is inevitably voted out. The government in Caracas steamrolls the opposition without Brazilian support. The IRL state of affairs is restored for the next player.
Time line for Annexation in real world time: 3 months (buildup), 1 month (invasion), 1 year (occupation), 1 month (withdrawal)
Method of eventual Annexation: There will be no eventual annexation. The expansion is to be RPed as a temporary military occupation. Analogous with the RL United States Military Government in Cuba and Provisional Government of Cuba (1898-1902, 1906-1909).

A backup of the expansion application is located on the Wayback Machine [2].

Geopolity Posts Archive (chronological)

Date (DD/MM/YY)	Rawtext	Storyline (if any)
20/06/23	[list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][u][b]FOLHA DE S.PAULO[/u][/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][b]★ ☆ ★[/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][sup]Crime • Law Enforcement • Favela Life[/sup] [/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][b]Federal Police Clash with Gangs in Morro da Providência[/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list]12 arrested in what has become Rio's largest security incident in years[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [u]Tomás Simões Guimarães Lucas Moraes Fernando Mendes Álvarez[/u] [b]RIO DE JANEIRO[/b] A series of police operations in the favela of [i]Morro da Providência[/i] ended in deadly clashes after a police attempt to seize illegal wildlife shipments went awry. Recently, police operations across the nation have unearthed an explosion in the poaching of exotic species, as job losses and a lack of government attention have led more people to see the country’s wildlife as a way of making ends meet. From 2020 onwards, traffic stops across the country saw over 25,000 exotic animals being impounded, representing a 500% increase from last year. The incident occurred recently after around 200 birds, mostly species of parrots, were found in boxes filling the back seat and trunk of a passenger car in the favela. A confrontation between a local gang member and two police officers escalated, eventually culminating in a firefight. When backup was called by both sides, the police had reinforced the two-man patrol with two patrol cars, while the gang unleashed twenty heavily armed fighters on the police. The responding patrol cars were both incinerated, severely injuring all 8 officers on the scene. On the very same day, a team of police officers inspecting a warehouse full of exotic animals found themselves attacked by gang members. The use of improvised explosive weapons by the gangs led to the partial demolition of the warehouse, killing 1 officer and all the animals while injuring at least 8 others. The gang withdrew following the arrival of police reinforcements in what has been described as a "senseless hit-and-run attack on Brazil's finest". Resultant fires subsequently spread to other sections of the favela. Hundreds have been displaced after their poorly-constructed homes were torched, but the intervention of firefighters was hamstrung by the precarious security situation which rendered it too dangerous to enter. Subsequent attempts to douse the fire with water from police helicopters proved to be successful, although it was a time-consuming effort that lasted until nightfall. No arrests could be made amidst the chaos. Mayoral authorities have said they would "spare no expense in bringing the perpetrators to justice", with city and Federal authorities committing over 100 officers to the area to help suppress the violence. Street battles continued until night. Local police have reported that 3 of their officers had been killed and another 12 injured. 12 arrests were made for a litany of offences, ranging from attempted murder to illegal possession of weapons. Bullet holes were found dotting several residences across the favela. It is unclear whether the bullets were fired by criminals or the police. We are told that sporadic incidents of violence - both against law enforcement and local civilians - continue as the operations have not subsided in intensity. The day-long shootout has killed roughly 26 so far, making it the deadliest police operation in Rio since a similar operation in May 2021.	Operation Piraña
	[list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][u][b]JORNAL DO BRASIL[/u] Desde 1891[/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [list]Mundo Brasil Rio Informe JB Opinião Política Economia | Esportes Saúde Ciência Caderno B Colunistas Fake e Fatos[/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][sup][b]Brasil[/b][/sup][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Darkness Looms Over the Palace of Dawn[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] Originally a money-laundering investigation, a simple operation near a car wash eventually snowballed into the country's most significant corruption scandal ever. According to the Operation Car Wash task force, a series of investigations carried out from the 2010s till today have implicated administrative members of the state-owned oil company Petrobras, politicians from Brazil's largest parties, former Presidents, members of the Chamber of Deputies and the Federal Senate, state governors, and businessmen from large Brazilian companies. At least eleven other countries were involved, mostly in Latin America. The Operation gradually wound down when the Almeida administration was elected, pledging a platform of transparency and cleanliness. President Almeida oversaw the arrests of 88 people during his first 100 days in power, including several Congressional Deputies and local politicians, all of whom have been speedily imprisoned for corruption-related offences. His personal popularity reached an all-time high of 60% at the time. However, his administration's legitimacy has been called into question after a series of new revelations hit the newspaper presses today. Newsmedia had revealed that Attorney General José Medina do Amaral, incumbent since 2019, reportedly received over $65 million USD in bribes from Petrobras since 1997, further embroiling the oil giant in a miasma of corruption and scandal. This relationship dates back to the aftermath of the 1997 Guanabara Bay oil spill, when Amaral, then prosecutor for the case, was bribed to hand off the case to someone else. The 1997 incident resulted in unemployment for over 4,000 local fishermen and decreased economic prospects in the area. A second tranche of leaked documents suggest Amaral had received $5 million USD in bribes in exchange for him taking sick days to delay certain investigations from 2009 to 2011. One of these investigations was a wage theft incident which affected 500 Petrobras workers. Other people who were implicated include Vice President Delfim Peçanha, who was found to have embezzled over $15 million USD worth of funds meant for public schools in the state of Acre during his tenure as Governor from 2001 to 2005. He was also alleged to have received $70 million USD worth of "irregular campaign funding" from Odebrecht during his run for Vice Presidency. The Índice Bovespa had responded negatively to these revelations, dropping by almost 2% just this morning and ending the day 4.8% under. The rewarding of such blatantly corrupt figures with power has only served to worsen the reputation of the Almeida administration, especially as Brazil nears its election season. The administration has long been mired in controversy when President Almeida, in 2020, appointed a staffer previously implicated in Operation Car Wash as a personal aide. Findings from universities show that public faith and trust in Brazilian institutions has hit an all-time low, with many citing the unchecked corruption that has persisted for decades, bleak economic prospects, rampant inequality, and rising rates of crime and disorder as primary influencing factors.	Almeida's downfall
22/06/23	[quote=eurasian_commonwealth;52539915][list][list][list][list][u][i][pre]~~ Министерство нефти и газа ~~[/pre][/u][/i][/list][/list][/list][/list] [sub][b]Rosneft:[/b] Major Investment Proposal in the Brazilian Energy Sector[/sub] [b]Moscow —[/b] The state oil giant, [b]Rosneft (Росне́фть)[/b], has announced a major investment initiative in Brazil ([nation]Flourishing Southlands[/nation]). Corporate leaders have met with the government of President João de Sousa Almeida in order to trace a path going forward under which the Russian company can operate in the long-term. This investment deal aims at further strengthening the South American nation's oil industry and increasing its daily production. Rosneft will get the rights for exploration in the Tupi Oil Field, the Santos Basin and the Campos Basin with the intention of locating oil reserves for exploitation. Likewise, the Company will have the opportunity to drill for the oil found in these exploration campaigns. The goal is for [b]Rosneft to produce around 1,000,000 bbl/day in Brazil within 5 years[/b]. The cost of exploration, drilling and the construction of the necessary facilities is expected to reach [u]USD$1 billion[/u]. The Russian company has been granted the license to explore, drill and transport the crude oil produced for various ends, more specifically the export in the form of unrefined petroleum but mostly in refined products. In addition, Rosneft will construct a refinery in the Rio de Janeiro State in order to refine some of the oil extracted from the aforementioned drilling operations established by the Company. [b]Such refinery will have the capacity to process approximately 650,000 bbl/day into jet fuel, petrochemicals, gasoline and other byproducts[/b]. It will be located in a 6,180 acres (2,500 hectares) site and will be adjacent to a port and handling facility that will allow for all of these products to be exported to international markets. At full capacity, the facility will be able to produce 50 million litres (13 million US gal) of gasoline and 17 million litres (4.5 million US gal) of diesel daily, among other products such as plastics, jetfuel and chemicals. The refinery is the largest segment of the investment, costing [u]USD$7 billion and taking 3 years to complete[/u]. The work of this facility as well as the port complex will begin immediately in order to be ready for when crude oil is finally produced. The construction of pipeline infrastructure that will connect the drilling complexes to the refinery and the port facilities is expected to cost another [u]USD$2.5 billion and take 3 years to complete[/u]. The port that will handle the export of the crude petroleum and the refined products as well as be able to receive different shipments of cargo (mostly for construction and maintenance of the whole operation) will cost [u]USD1.5 billion and take 2 years to complete[/u]. Once completed, the port will begin operations right away in order to accelerate the construction of the other complexes. [b]The total cost of the whole investment will be USD$12 billion[/b]. Rosneft has agreed to design the infrastructure such as it causes the least negative impact to the surrounding environment. The Company is committed to building complexes that causes the least harm to the local environment and to the local population. Moreover, the Company has agreed to a [b]royalty scheme[/b] that gives Brazil ([nation]Flourishing Southlands[/nation]) the opportunity to also directly benefit from this investment: The gross profit generated from each barrel of crude oil will be [b]evenly split, 50/50 between Rosneft and the nation's central government[/b]. In this case, the gross profit is defined as the difference between the price of the oil barrel at which it was sold and the cost of production, administration and transportation. So far, the cost to produce a barrel of oil in the country is expected to be USD$$11.80 ($8.81 + $2.99). The price of the barrel of oil will be based on the Brent benchmark and be updated every week in order to have the most recent world market prices. The current price of oil is USD$77.04, therefore the gross profit per barrel of oil for this week is set to USD$65.24 per barrel - both sides would get a 50/50 split, meaning $32.62. [b]Once completed, the investment is expected to generate tens of billions of Dollars for Rosneft and for the government of Brazil ([nation]Flourishing Southlands[/nation]).[/b][/quote] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][b]EXTRA | BRASIL[/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [list][list][list][list][sup]Últimas Notícias  Economia  Rio  Casos de Polícia  Política  Brasil  Famosos  Entretenimento  BBB  Esporte[/sup][/list][/list][/list][/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [sup][b]Últimas Notícias[/b][/sup] [b]EXCLUSIVE: Petrobras lobbied Almeida to reject Eurasian investments[/b] Company seeks to maintain chokehold on Brazilian oil market by stifling competition Brasilia [list]State-owned enterprise Petrobras previously lobbied to delay federal approval of Eurasian investments to Brazilian oil infrastructure, according to previously unseen lobbying documents acquired from a [i]habeas data[/i]. The group had petitioned both local and federal lawmakers to enact laws limiting foreign investments into the Brazilian oil sector. These limitations include a month-long vetting period to ensure there are minimal national security risks, staffing quotas which require at least 50% of local staff to be Brazilian nationals, and more. Those in possession of these documents say this is a thinly-veiled move to regulate and deter competition in the Brazilian oil market. The draft law had reportedly made its way up to Almeida's office for vetting, but the paper trail fizzled out after that. It is unknown whether Almeida gave his blessing for lawmakers to proceed or whether he vetoed it. "The company's ulterior motives are clear," wrote a watchdog organization which litigated the [i]habeas data[/i]. "Petrobras aims to stifle foreign competition and hog the entire Brazilian market to itself. It is striking out at Rosneft because, quite frankly, game recognizes game...it is more or less the only other oil company in Brazil that has the size and earning ability to dethrone it." The documents suggest the lobbying effort was complemented by a smear campaign against Eurasia in general. Over $7 million USD was spent engaging PR and marketing firms to spread propaganda claiming Eurasian interference in Brazilian elections, predatory economic practices, hegemonic intentions, and ideological exportation. Another $3 million USD had been spent in gifts to local politicians, such as lavish banquets and holiday packages for family. Many of these named politicians have come out to denigrate the proposal in recent days. Several of the documents hinted that Petrobras plotted to plant listening devices at the hotel where Rosneft representatives were to make their proposal. This may be why the meeting venue had changed last-minute to a government building in Brasilia instead. The company has denied the allegations. "We are committed to fair and open market competition", it said via public statement. "We welcome Rosneft's entry into the Brazilian market as a peer and equal." [/list] [nation]Eurasian Commonwealth[/nation]
	[list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][u][b]JORNAL DO BRASIL[/u] Desde 1891[/b][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [list]Mundo Brasil Rio Informe JB Opinião Política Economia | Esportes Saúde Ciência Caderno B Colunistas Fake e Fatos[/list] __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ [list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][list][sup][b]Brasil[/b][/sup][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] [list][list][list][list][list][list][list]Hundreds hit Manaus streets following illegal concrete controversy[/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list][/list] Two cement plants in Manaus have received warnings from Procon, the consumer watchdog in the state of Amazonas, over supposed price changes since March of this year. Both plants have been given five days to present a defence and receipts to Procon, which will audit the price changes. This comes after a series of publications revealed that the price of cement in Manaus is higher than in 7 other state capitals. Cement from Manaus is double the price per bag compared to that in Brasilia. Procon had noted that increased cement prices can potentially affect the entire civil construction chain,� and that any infractions will be punished severely. A joint investigation into the cement prices was organized by Procon, in collaboration with the Federal Police. An Amazonas Senator publicly claimed that the plants had hired illegal immigrants to produce the cement. There were also allegations that foremen in the plants have beaten workers and refused medical treatment for their injuries. Phone-shot videos and photographs documenting internal memos and the violent incidents at hand have trickled onto social media since last night, prompting a promise to investigate these claims by the Federal Police. A press conference in which the Senator was due to clarify his claims was cancelled due to inclement weather. A local newspaper published an op-ed which named and shamed the current Vice President, Minister of the Economy, and the Minister of Infrastructure for complicity in the incident. The newspaper then alleged that the 3 Cabinet members had expedited the licensing and permits process for the construction of the 2 plants in exchange for bribes that exceeded $20 million reals. 200 people surrounded the Manaus City Hall later today, demanding justice for the injured workers and punishment for the Almeida cabinet. Among those represented include union members, fellow plant workers, and construction workers whose businesses have been strangled by extortionate cement prices. The demonstration was largely peaceful despite several attempts to barricade streets and roads, and the group dispersed upon nightfall. The Cabinet has refused to comment on the allegations.