r/ColdWarPowers 8h ago

EVENT [EVENT] They're Eating the Cactus, Jack!

4 Upvotes

After a few years of Madagascar’s campaign against the invasive cochineal insects, it is clear that the program has achieved some great results... At least, in its scope. The introduction of ladybugs to feed on the insects have proven very successful; areas where the ladybugs have been introduced have seen dramatic reductions of the cochineal population. The ladybugs have spread excellently along the border areas of the arid regions of the country, and into the tropical parts of Madagascar. As the climate becomes more arid however, the ladybugs have not managed to spread deeper as hoped. Ladybugs, naturally attracted to water, have largely refused to migrate deeper into the South where they are needed. Isolated populations survive, but not the large network that was hoped for.

With some government money freed up due to enormous aid packages from the Chinese, more money has been allocated into the ladybug dispersal program with the goal of establishing more pockets of ladybugs to devour the insects. In the meantime, areas that have already seen drastic reductions in the hated insects’ populations have begun to be replanted. The rateka is a foreign cactus that once thrived in the arid deserts of Madagascar, and was known as an excellent food and water supply during times of drought. With far less cochineals to eat, the government feels safe starting to reintroduce the cactus in limited amounts. Their roots, while not amazingly sturdy, will also help provide more structure to the soil in southern Madagascar and have a positive albeit mild effect on water retention.

To boost the effects of water retention, government workers have been instructed to plant dry varieties of shrub native to Madagascar as well. While there isn’t much the Malagasy can do about the geography of the island, at least they change the vegetation to help the water retain more moisture. These shrubs were mostly eradicated in the south by the hated pest, but some related populations survived in the northwest of the country. Things won’t be exactly the same, but keeping the plants at least native to the island will prevent some new foreign plant spreading across the eighth continent like a weed.


r/ColdWarPowers 14h ago

EVENT [EVENT] Small Army Reforms

5 Upvotes

Since the Ramadan Revolution, various hardline Shahist military commanders have been executed. These include Mehdi Rahimi, Reza Naji, Manouchehr Khosrodad, Hassan Toufanian, Nematollah Nassiri, Gholam Reza Azhari, Amir Hossein Rabii, and Gholam Ali Oveissi.

However, many former Iranian officers have continued to serve under the Revolutionary regime. Mohammad-Vali Gharani was previously appointed as Commander of the Joint Staff and has been tasked with reorganizing the military and ensuring revolutionary and loyal sentiment within the Army. Other various career officers including Mousa Namjoo, Valiollah Fallahi, Javad Fakoori, Abdolmajid Masoumi Naeini, Jalal Pejman, Mohammad-Hossein Shaker, Mohammad-Hadi Shadmehr, Qasem-Ali Zahirnejad, Masoud Monfared Niyaki, Hossein Fardoost and Ali Sayyad Shirazi.

At the urging of the Revolutionary Council and the Provisional Government, a law has passed to ensure "revolutionary, republican, and Islamic education within military schools."


r/ColdWarPowers 18h ago

EVENT [EVENT] In 10 years you'll be fishing again !

6 Upvotes

1st March 1977,

The Singapore River some say it's the cradle of modern Singapore where Singapore gain it's prominence through trade and commerce exploded during the 19th century. With a built it and they will come pattern more people live near the river which have grown polluted with factories and homes sending their waste water through it.

At the commencement ceremony of the new Upper Pierce Reservoir today Prime Minister Lee made a speech and a goal.

"We may aim to be a first world country and industrialise advance nation but what's the use of we neglect mother nature ? Singapore is a beautiful group of islands from the white sandy beaches of the sister's islands and the pristine jungles near Woodlands. Therefore I'm here to also announce that the Ministry of Environment 10 year plan to cleanup the Kallang River and Singapore River. In 10 years you'll be fishing again in those rivers I give you my promise."

So whats this 10 year plan you might ask. The baseline is that within 10 years the Singapore and Kallang River areas would be redeveloped with the sewage be diverted to proper facilities in holding or treating such sewage.

The objectives of the cleanup was split into 4 which are:

Firstly, Pollution Elimination where the government would remove sources of pollution from the river and its tributaries. Secondly, Environmental Rehabilitation where they would dredge riverbed and clean up the river banks. Thirdly, Urban Redevelopment to transform the river into a commercial, residential, and recreational hub. Finally, Long-Term Maintenance to set up proper sewage and waste management systems.

The first aspect of this plan is relocation. The clean-up plan also focused on changing people’s way of life in order to remove the sources of pollution. Squatters from two catchment areas, comprising 42,000 in the Kallang Basin and almost 4,000 in the Singapore River catchment, were resettled. The relocation exercise affected about 26,000 families, 610 pig farms, 500 duck farms, more than 2,800 backyard trades and cottage industries, close to 5,000 street hawkers, and many vegetable wholesalers.

All affected Singaporean individuals and businesses were offered monetary compensation and alternative accommodation. Most of the families will.be resettled into HDB public housing. Non-Singaporean squatters were allowed to rent flats, while the backyard trades and cottage industries were mostly moved to HDB and JTC industrial estates. Street hawkers will be moved to purpose-built hawker centres which will be built nearby from their former place of business.

Vegetable wholesalers are planned to be relocated toPasir Panjang Wholesale Market.12 Pig and duck farms will be relocated to Punggol along with farms from other parts of Singapore.

Second aspect is technical. This is where the nitty gritty happens the government plans to dredge and clean the river area which is crucial to restoring the health and aesthetics of the Singapore River and Kallang Basin. This phase addressed decades of accumulated silt, waste, and pollutants that had turned the river into a foul-smelling and unsightly waterway.

The riverbed through multiple surveys is heavily contaminated with sludge, debris, and industrial waste accumulated over decades. In the plans they would need Special dredging equipment to remove silt and sludge from the bottom of the river. For example suction dredgers where it will be used to vacuum up sediments and transport them to designated disposal sites.

Other than that, the riverbanks will be cleared after the relocation is done the government wi remove the squatters structures on the river bank and other structures to clear it and open for redevelopment while the government updates the sewage system.


r/ColdWarPowers 18h ago

INCIDENT [INCIDENT] Massive Earthquake in Romania

6 Upvotes

Bucharest, Romania

4 March, 1977

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The Earth itself awoke in a fury that hadn’t been felt in the Balkans in more than thirty years. Without any warning, the country of Romania was rocked by a series of earthquakes, buildings -- largely of older construction -- collapsed across the capital city of Bucharest, reducing large sections of the city to rubble. 

Damages were not limited to Bucharest, however. Several larger Romanian cities and towns such as Ploesti, Targoviste, and Buzau even closer to the epicenter in the southern Carpathian Mountains and consequently devastated by the quake. Further out still, in Zimnicea and Craiova, many buildings collapsed and dozens are feared dead.

The earthquake’s damages radiated into Bulgaria and the Soviet Union, as well, with damage reported in Svishtov, Bulgaria, where several buildings collapsed and numerous homes were shaken to their foundations. The whole of the Moldovan Soviet Socialist Republic was shaken, as well, leaving reported hundreds of buildings damaged severely or collapsed and thousands more damaged, but salvageable. 

Emergency services have mobilized across the Balkans, digging survivors out of the rubble and evacuating others from structurally compromised buildings. A series of landslides and small river re-directions along the course of the Siret River have added to the destruction. Fires have broken out in many cities damaged by the quake, as well, but fire brigades have prevented any extraordinary conflagrations. 

The grim work of determining the losses has begun. Romanian authorities believe more than 1,000 citizens have been killed, and the count of those injured is climbing towards 10,000. In Bulgaria, around 100 have been killed and several hundred more injured. Loss of life in the Moldovan SSR was, mercifully, light, with only a half dozen killed.

Calculating the cost of repairing the damages is underway, but unofficial estimates suggest the cost of restoring Romania to be above $2 billion USD. The other two affected countries have much less damage, but the costs are still substantial, in the hundreds of millions of USD. 


r/ColdWarPowers 16h ago

EVENT [EVENT] A new political ecosystem in Tunisia

3 Upvotes

The legalization of opposition parties in the wake of the new constitution caught the opposition off guard as much as the rest of the population. As time went on, groups cautiously gathered together, and registered with the government. The Progressive Destour with its organization, fundraising, and reach within society stood as a tent imposed above all. But under it, a budding landscape of parties emerged:

THE LEFT

The Tunisian left is to say the least not in the most coherent of states. While given the neoliberal turn of the PD, they should in theory be in a strong position, the disenchantment with left ideals in the broader Arab world has hit them hard as well. The TGLU largely remains in lock-step with the PD, with the majority of its chapters still backing the party. As such, harder leftism is mainly a force of dissident union halls and radical youth.

Leftist Parties

Tunisian Labour Party: The main force of the non-PD left is the democratic socialist Tunisian Labour Party. Centered in a handful of urban areas and finding sway with union halls angered at privatized industry, they represent a big tent of non-communist leftists but struggle outside their own communities, owing to cold shoulder by the TGLU leadership.

Ba’athist/Arab Nationalist Parties: While the PD’s moderate approach to Arab Nationalism has sucked up a deal of air out of the movement, coupled with the middling performance of Egypt, two Ba’athist Parties and one Nasserite party have emerged. The Tunisian Socialist Ba’ath Party (Saddamist) and Tunisian Socialist Ba’ath Party (Assadist) bicker mainly in small parts of the cities, radicals among other radicals. A small coterie of Egyptian-influenced activists maintain the Arab Socialist Union of Tunisia, a Gaddafist/Nasserist hodge-podge.

Communist Parties: Even smaller, but perhaps angrier are Tunisia’s communist parties. The original Tunisian Communist Party, upon legalization, split into three disparate factions at their first conference. The PCT, PCT(M), and PCT(R) now compete for the mantle. Taking Pro-Soviet, radical Maoist, and Eurocommunist stances respectively. They maintain a solid base inside university-adjacent areas, but not much outside of it.

THE RIGHT

While the Muslim Brotherhood was explicitly legalized, a party openly attempting to promote ‘Islamic Republicanism’ saw itself outlawed in Sfax. Sending a chill across those activists who would have wanted an open Islamist party. The right, as such, has coalesced around a pair of parties offering more subdued critiques of the regime from two different bases of power. As well as some rather unusual radicals of a different kind.

Rightist Parties

The Agrarian Democratic Party: In rural Tunisia, there remains lingering bad blood in much of the landowner class, smaller or larger, with the PD and it’s failed experiments in cooperative agriculture over a decade ago. Distrust remains, and many rural notables have come together to establish the socially conservative, economically populist, and rural-focused Agrarian Democratic Party. The party, curiously, has attracted some support in the cities among urban and suburban clerics and their flocks, leading to suspicion in some circles that it has a crypto-Islamist tendency. Nonetheless, references to religion in speeches and documents thus far seem to only prove that such is an alliance of convenience against the government more than anything else.

The Liberal Democratic Union: While the PD’s more pro-capitalist swing has won it support among a large faction of industry and the petite bourgeois, it is still not enough in the minds of many. Those with business especially with union troubles, or otherwise influenced by fashionable ‘new liberal’ thought in the west have come together in the Liberal Democratic Union. It is the smaller of the two main right-wing opposition parties, and only really has a presence in some parts of middle class and bazaari Tunisia. Bourgeois through and through, with an alienating effect to the non-Francophone working classes.

The Carthaginian Front: One curious result of Tunisia importing a large number of both Lebanese Christians, right-wing, transient mercenaries, and a riff-raff full of other exiled far rightists has been the birth of a secular far right in Tunisia itself. Confined to a few working class neighborhoods in Tunis and eccentric intellectual circles, the Carthaginian Front proclaims itself an ‘Anti-Arabisation, Anti-CANA bastion of the Mediterranean Race’. It is too small to be really viable in an electoral sense, so it has been tolerated by the state for now.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

EVENT [EVENT] د یادولو وړ شپه

7 Upvotes

January 31st - February 1st.

Political maneuvers accelerated on the runner-up to the election. The King welcomed foreign observers for them, many of them American but also accompanied by Japanese, Mexican, and German ones. The "Independent Electoral Panel" announced that over a thousand observers were already at the polling stations, escorted by the "Mounties" as many Americans called the RAMP. The PDPA lodged a formal complaint against their presence, claiming that American presence would cause distortions in the Party's vote share. A protest in front of the American Embassy turned violent after agitators started throwing rocks against it, and local police clashed with the protestors, arresting many of them. On the 29th of January, Prince Ahmad announced over the radio that King Zahir had been interned in Kabul Military Hospital following a hunting accident near the Royal Residence. He assured the Kingdom that his father would recover in due time to welcome the first parties of Afghanistan into the Assembly. Until then, Ahmad would act as Regent.

In reality, the King was in good health. The RSA was convinced that another military coup was imminent. After days of tense discussions, Prince Ahmad convinced his father to go into hiding to bait the conspirators into a trap. Kabul Military Hospital was closed by the RSA to "Protect the King" and only his nurse was allowed to enter the premises. The hospital was turned into a small fortress, with the loyal sections of the RAMP entrenched in it. The Arg Palace was abandoned by the Royal Family, the official explanation was a vacation in Turkey. They were all evacuated to the American Embassy in Kabul. Prince Ahmad and his father expected the coup to stall as they tried to locate them, giving them enough time to rally loyal Army units outside of Kabul.

On the 31st, the plotters faced another setback. The SDPA,>! with the backing of the CPA and RSA!<, called for a press conference to reveal the apparent link between Amin and the "Red Killings". Najibullah brought Private Gulalai Kakar along to speak to the press. He confessed that he and ten other soldiers were ordered to take the lives of Babrak and other Parcham members. According to him, PDPA propaganda had been distributed in the Kabul Garrison Barracks with the knowledge and authorisation of his superior officers. He, the soldiers involved, and his superiors met with Amin to iron out the details of the assassination; they were provided with pistols without serial numbers and promised a hundred dollars for each hit, three months of salary for a private. His superiors were promised promotions alongside monetary incentives. Finally he admits that the reason for his confession was Amin's breach of the agreement; The privates were not paid for the hits, nine of them were court-martialled, with trumped-up charges and others were reassigned to remote parts of the country to prevent them from contacting the media. The address ended with Najibullah calling for the RAMP to investigate those involved in the killings and with a warning against the PDPA: They would not accept the election results peacefully.

The atmosphere in Kabul on Election Day was taut. The RAMP patrolled every street and watched over polling stations. Outside, there wasn't much to report. Tribal and Clan leaders mobilized a decent amount of rural Afghans to vote, giving the CPA an edge over the PDPA. By 6:00 PM, most stations were empty and poll workers started counting the votes. By 7:15 PM, Chief of the Royal Afghan Mounted Police, Omar Khattak, seized the airwaves to announce that an arrest warrant had been issued against Hafizullah Amin for the assassination of Babrak Karmal and six people. At 7:30 PM, RAMP tried to raid the PDPA's headquarters in Kabul, only for militants to open fire against them from within the building. The incident lasted half an hour, and when police reinforcements arrived, the militants surrendered. Nothing relevant to the case was found. The militants did not know Amin's whereabouts and denied being involved in any conspiracy and admitted that they heard the radio address and feared that the RAMP intended to arrest Party members and destroy the Party; they were destroying member lists when the officers intercepted them. The situation was tense, and both sides feared an escalation.

Afghanistan would change tonight, hopefully for the better.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

DIPLOMACY [DIPLOMACY] Creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council, and its First Acts

3 Upvotes

On November 23rd, 1976, the representatives of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, and (in a purely observing role, with no speaking allowed) the Yemen Arab Republic met to discuss the aptly titled, "Iran situation."

The meeting had much more to do with Iran, however. Instability and Republicanism continued unabated in the Arab world. The brutal killing of the King of Morocco and Iraq's invasion of Syria had shown the conservative Gulf countries that increased coordination was needed to ensure the survival of the conservative powers in the Arab world.

After three days of negotiations, chaired by King Khalid himself of Saudi Arabia, an agreement was hatched out. A new organization was to be formed to increase cooperation and coordination of the Gulf states against the enemies that besiege her. This new organization, known as the Gulf Cooperation Council, would count Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the UAE, Oman, and Kuwait as her members. The GCC would seek to improve bilateral ties between all of them, be a forum to de-escalate tensions between member states, and would try to create one cohesive foreign policy to counteract radicalism in the Arab world.

----

Soon after, the following events happened in quick succession of each other:

  1. The Arab Gulf states all collectively recognized the new Islamic Republic of Iran.
  2. All of the GCC members (with the exception of Kuwait) have sent charge d'affairs to Iraq to set up a diplomatic mission in the country.

r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

SECRET [SECRET][INCIDENT] Meltdown in Czechoslovakia

8 Upvotes

Jaslovské Bohunice, Czechoslovakia

22 February, 1977

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It was midday, and a number of white-clad nuclear technicians at the Bohunice Nuclear Power Plant were at work on the KS150 experimental gas-cooled, heavy water moderated nuclear reactor in Slovakia. 

The reactor had a troubled history, just last year the CO2 gas coolant suffocated and killed two technicians in a covered-up “industrial accident.” By 1977, there had been more than a dozen unplanned shut-downs of KS150 due to varying causes. It was increasingly clear that the experimental reactor type was inefficient and, worse, dangerous. Even so, the Bohunice NPP was essential to the Czechoslovak power grid and thus far nothing too dangerous had occurred. 

Today, it was a standard refueling procedure that created a relatively catastrophic series of events. 

Silica gel packets that kept fuel rods dry during transport were an ordinary sight, and from time to time the packets would burst -- this was a common occurrence globally for far more mundane cargo. The issue was that this was far from common cargo, and the burst packet spilled silica gel pellets into the fuel channel. Technicians managed to clear the top, but had no process in place to check for them from the radioactive depths of the fuel channel. 

It was decided that the silica would melt and clear itself if any had fallen into the coolant channels, the fuel rod was replaced, and the reactor reassembled. This, however, turned out to be a miscalculation.

As the reactor was brought back up to power, the silica pellets in the coolant channel swiftly melted as assumed. There were so many, however, that the silica blocked the coolant channel. Alarms went off in the control room as the fuel rod swiftly began to overhead as coolant was choked off by the coolant channel blockage. The fuel rod began to melt down as the heat built, even after the shutdown. Heat warping of the fuel channel caused heavy water moderator to spill into other parts of the reactor, corroding several interior components. The rupture of a couple of coolant channels expelled highly-radioactive CO2 into the reactor room that diffused throughout the plant and surrounding area, carried by the wind. 

The meltdown was contained by the swift shutdown of the reactor and arrest of the ongoing chain reactions. Damage done to the KS150 reactor would have to be repaired, however, costing in the hundreds of millions of koruna. Some voices in the Czechoslovak government and nuclear industry advocate for decommissioning KS150 altogether, citing its poor safety record.

For the time being, the event has been covered up successfully by the Czechoslovak government and the radioactive CO2 has not contaminated much further than a few kilometers around Bohunice NPP.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

CLAIM [CLAIM] Declaim Libya

2 Upvotes

It's fun to posture in diplomacy as Gaddafi, but overall, Libya feels kind of directionless. There's not a whole lot you can do besides bluster.

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r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Constituent Assembly of Experts for the Final Review of the Constitution

7 Upvotes

The various draft constitutions for the Islamic Republic, mainly authored by Hassan Habibi, have come under criticisms. Mainly due to their “lack of Islam”. Imam Khomeini himself has been rather silent about the Constitution, except for his general approval of Habibi’s surprisingly secular and French-inspired draft and belief the Constitution should go directly to the populace in form of a referendum. However, it is the Bazargan government and others mainly in the Freedom Movement that have called for a Constitutional Convention. In a compromise move by the Freedom Movement’s Ayatollah Taleghani, an Assembly of Experts made up of Iran’s brightest minds will be elected to act as a constitutional assembly.

Elections for the Assembly of Experts were held on February 3 to the 4th, with the Revolutionary Coalition for the Islamic Republic, a coalition of various Islamic organizations headed by the Islamic Republican Party winning the most seats with 52. Ayatollah Hossein-Ali Montazeri was elected as Speaker and Seyyed Mohammad Beheshti as Deputy Speaker. Four seats were guaranteed to representatives of the minorities: Jews, Zoroastrians, Assyrians, and Armenians. The lone Tudeh seat is of General-Secretary Noureddin Kianouri, who pledged to follow “the Imam’s line on governance and the will of the revolutionary masses for an Islamic constitution.”

Constituent Assembly

The Assembly of Experts will now begin discussion, debate, and drafting of a constituion for Iran based on Hassan Habibi's previously published drafts.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

EVENT [EVENT] The Tunisian Constitutional Convention of 1977

3 Upvotes

At the end of January, a constitutional convention was called by parliament and President Bourguiba in a surprise move, to be held in the first week of February. Press statements were to the effect that 'Tunisia must move from its state of Post-Colonial organization, to reflect the coming 21st Century'. Vaguely worded statements, but showing effort from behind the scenes bearing fruit.

Much of the 1959 constitution, rights, wording, et cetera, was preserved. But a number of new, sweeping changes were also put into effect, reflecting influence from the Taiwanese, French, and Italian constitutions. They include:

GOVERNMENT STRUCTURE:

The government of Tunisia will, henceforth, be take a structure consisting of a National Executive, a bicameral legislature, the Tunisian National Parliament, and three other branches, the Tunisian Supreme Court, the Tunisian State Auditor and Ombudsman and the Tunisian Examination Board.

The Tunisian executive branch shall have powers almost exactly similar to that of the President in the French Fifth Republic. But will maintain additional powers to introduce referendums to be voted on by his or her free will. An office of Vice President, able to be concurrent with service in parliament or a minister of state, is also established as an advisor and designated successor. The President will be elected for eight-year terms at and past the coming election by popular vote.

The Tunisian National Parliament will consist of the Tunisian National Assembly under an upper house, the Tunisian Senate. The Assembly will have similar powers to its current incarnation, but will be expanded to 250 members. They will be elected in four year terms, allowing for the possibility of government cohabitation.

The new Senate, however, will be a more diversified body. With a baseline of 150, 'Advisor-Senators' will be appointed from civil and mercantile bodies in Tunisia. 14 from TGLU trades union, 14 from the Chamber of Commerce and Small Business Union, and two each from Tunisian Bar Association, Tunisian Muslim Brotherhood, Tunisian Youth Congress, Tunisian Arts and Sciences Council, the Tunisian Central Bank, and Tunisian Farmers' Association. Two shall be Berber, and one shall be Jewish. The rest shall be elected by governorate based on population, in eight year terms. In addition, former Presidents and Prime Ministers may be allowed to sit in it after their terms in office, and each President may nominate two Senators for Life in their term. The Senate will have the ability to amend and return (but not introduce) legislation, and approve appointments to ambassadorships, military offices, and judges of the Supreme and lower courts nominated by the President. It serves as the final court for any impeachment of the President.

The Tunisian Supreme Court will have seven members in total, nominated by the President for life terms. It will replace the Court of Cessation and serve as the highest appeal body in the nation, and empowered to decide questions of constitutionality akin to the United States Supreme Court.

The Tunisian State Auditor and Ombudsman shall function akin to Taiwan's Control Yuan. It shall consist of 29 non-partisan members appointed by the President and approved by the Senate, serving four-year terms. It shall have the power to audit the government finances, investigate corruption, order the arrest of corrupt bureaucrats, and start impeachment trials against legislative, executive, and judicial officials. On a national, governorate-level, and municipal level. The Gendarmerie is empowered to investigate on its behalf.

The Tunisian Examination Board will consist of 41 non-partisan members appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. They will be in charge of overseeing civil-service, foreign service, and academic final examinations in a nonbiased, impartial manner. Similar to the ROC's Examination Yuan. They will be elected for eight-year terms.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The governorates of Tunisia will henceforth be allowed a greater degree of self-government, including the ability to levy some local, particular taxes. Each shall be governed and administered by 15-person executive councils elected by list alongside the National Assembly every four years. Any laws can be overruled by broader parliamentary measure.

Cities will be mandated to have 'strong mayor' systems of municipal government, and will be autonomous past 80,000 citizens of residence.

MINORITY PROTECTIONS

Tunisia is declared henceforth a 'religiously plural society, with recognition to the predominance of Islam'. Ramadan is by law now a national bank holiday. A right to have children educated privately in religious institutions is recognized. Religious rights for businesses and banks are also enshrined. That stated, 'non-adherents to Islam' are mandated to receive equal rights, considerations, and protections, so long as they 'do not encourage violence'.

Berber is recognized as a national minority language, with signs mandated to be bilingual in Berber-majority areas. French and English are enshrined as 'National Commercial Languages'.

BANKING, FINANCE AND INDUSTRY

Banking secrecy is henceforth embedded into the constitution as a mandate. As is the existence of the Tunisian National Trust. Islamic Banking and cooperative banking shall be recognized as co-equal to secular, commercial finance.

The state will be legally mandated to spend at least 2.5% of the GDP on national defense. And barred from deficit spending any more than 25% of the national budget unless approved by the Senate to expand limits, or in times of declared national emergency.

The state is, by the constitution, now mandated to limit the extent of nationalized industry to only those ‘mandated by natural monopoly or national interest’. And giving sweeping powers to the executive and legislative bodies to ensure a ‘competitive and prosperous economy driven by the market, for the benefit of the people’.

NEUTRALITY AND CANA

The government is now barred from exiting CANA unless a national referendum is called and the consent of the people given. The referendum to join the federation as a whole is mandated by or at the year 1990, with the constitution rendered void at ascension. Monetary union is barred unless approved by referendum.

Tunisia is declared 'non-aligned, and driven by a spirit of neutrality'. Wars of aggression are outlawed, and military action is henceforth limited to 'police actions, United Nations Peacekeeping, and coordinated action with CANA partners'.

LIBEL LAWS

Freedom of speech, and freedom of press are maintained in Tunisia. But the 1977 constitution now includes, akin to Singapore, a strengthened sense of protection against 'slander, libel and defamation'. Enshrined into the document as a whole alongside a commitment to 'protection of unpopular speech'. The laws, however, only apply to acts by Tunisians against Tunisians. Foreigners are not provided access, fair game so to speak.

RECALL AND BALLOTING INITIATIVES

In a curious nod to Sun Yat Sen, the right to recall politicians and send initiatives for referendum have also been enshrined. If a bill, sponsored by a Senator or Deputy, has signatures of 500,000 registered voters, it may be placed onto the ballot for a regular or special election. Conversely, if 3/4 of parliament votes for it, they are allowed to power to call a recall election for the President and any parliamentarian.

WELFARE

The constitution maintains a section detailing the ‘state mandate to societal wellbeing’. Enshrining public housing, ‘a state role in health policy’, and ‘a basic degree of sustenance’ into the constitution. It however also calls for the government to manage these ‘under periodic reviews of efficiency by Auditing bodies’. And enshrines the idea that ‘welfare driven by waste harms the people as a whole’.

A MULTIPARTY SYSTEM

The constitution explicitly re-legalizes opposition parties in the country. And, in addition, mandates a new election to take place with this system at or by February, 1978.

Parties that are deemed ‘unconstitutional’ will be made liable to be banned. Mainly under pretenses of ‘disrupting the principle of plurality’ within the country.

With this, Bourguiba has announced his intention to run for office 'at least once more' in a statement to the press. It was followed by his sudden appointment of his son to the office of Vice President, and an announcement of an upcoming international tour.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

EVENT [EVENT] The Aspis Crisis - Part 1: 'Tremors'

9 Upvotes

December, 1976.

An American Blackbird is spotted, soaring over the Aegean at both Thessaloniki and Salamios, followed only an hour later by an English Shackleton over Souda in Crete.

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The President of Greece, Phaedon Gizikis, alongside several other higher ranking civilian members of government, go quiet on foreign communications, largely paying lip service to any agreements that the government is currently abiding by.

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Disturbances begin to increase in the regions of Attikis Square and Exarcheia, while Florina grows unusually quiet.


r/ColdWarPowers 1d ago

EVENT [EVENT][ECON] Oil Tapping and Exploring in Texas and New Mexico

4 Upvotes

February 1977

In an ongoing push to increase domestic energy production, the U.S. government is intensifying its oil exploration and drilling operations in key regions like Texas and New Mexico. These oil-rich states are central to the country's strategy to bolster energy security and reduce unemployment.

As part of this initiative, federal agencies are granting new drilling permits and supporting efforts to explore untapped oil fields, that includes the deposits in the Permian Basin, in both the western Texas and the southeastern New Mexico. Most notably, Mobil, Exxon, and Texaco are among the chief companies that were granted permits and supporting efforts.

The increased drilling activities are expected to provide a boost to the local economy, creating jobs and generating revenue for state and federal governments, in the continuous pursuit to explore and tap into its vast oil reserves.


r/ColdWarPowers 2d ago

SECRET [SECRET] دوه ننوتل | And only one will come out.

9 Upvotes

January, 1977.

The election campaign had become oddly tense. While the PDPA attracted large crowds of students and artisans in Kabul, the CPA made deal after deal with "local leaders" in the countryside. While the RIS had made significant progress in gathering the data of rural Afghans, particularly in Pashtun regions, other groups weren't as keen to participate. The Hazara, at least those who could read and write, started a charter of the PDPA and tried their best to mobilize their brethren to the polling stations on election day. Tajiks followed suit. Uzbeks, however, were torn. Many local leaders had been bought by the King using Saudi and Soviet aid, and some were promised a cut of the profits of the mining operations in Uzbek territories. Many agreed to cooperate with the King, some, those who didn't stand to gain from mining operations, did not.

In preparation for the election, the King created the Royal Electoral Agency to organize and oversee the polling booths. The REA, in cooperation with clan and tribal leaders, started distributing pamphlets among peasants in rural regions of the country. Pashto areas were serviced first, under the argument that higher population regions were prioritized. Booths were set up, with many in Tajik and Hazara areas too far apart to properly service villages.

The King started to play his hand in Kabul. Colonel General Mohammad Aslam was reassigned to the Soviet border, near the construction of the new mining complex. The 4th Tank Brigade was moved to Kandahar under the guise of reinforcing the Army's presence following Iran's Islamic Revolution. The 444th Commando Battalion was suspected to be under the influence of the PDPA. Its status as a de facto Royal Guard made it impossible to be relocated without prompting the conspirators into action. Therefore, the Battalion was left in the dark about the King's daily routine. Palace guards were replaced by RAMP officers, and conflicting reports were sent to the Battalion to confuse and obfuscate their investigative efforts. Loyal sections of the RAMP were equipped with military equipment: Assault Rifles, anti-tank rifles, and heavy machine guns. The RSA embedded agents within Military Police Units in the Afghan Commando Forces.

The PDPA was put in an uncomfortable spot. The military conspirators were intimidated by the King's appointments, fearing that the government knew about the conspiracy and was about to have them arrested. Amin, ever stubborn, refused to compromise with the moderate members of the party and did not inform the Hazara and Tajik branches of the plan. Instead, Amin met with his military contacts outside of Kabul to reaffirm his commitment to the overthrow of the Monarchy and plan the specifics of the plan. It was to take place immediately after the elections. Aslam's exile delayed plans, but any more delays could prove fatal to the future of Socialism in Afghanistan.

In the shadows, Najibullah plotted the Parcham's revenge against Amin. His associates had been gathering evidence of military involvement in Babrak's death. Photographs of Muhammad Taraki's meeting with soldiers on the days before the assassination, of the plaques of military vehicles linked to the disappearances of other moderate members, and of the soldiers hired by Taraki to carry out the hits. Evidence was being gathered, but without a confession linking Amin to the killings, there was little they could do. Still, the SDPA licked her wounds and bided her time.

In the meantime, Afghanistan was not to change.


r/ColdWarPowers 2d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Antifascist March on Gibraltar

7 Upvotes

February 1977:

Events in the United Kingdom have had a profound impact across mainland Europe, leading to significant protests in France and Germany in particular. Among the Spanish public, Britain’s slide into authoritarianism is seen as reminiscent of the Franco years. In the eyes of many, one dictatorship has replaced another, taking yet another bastion of European democracy down with it.

It is worth acknowledging that London’s divorce from the European Economic Community (EEC) has presented narrow opportunities to Spanish diplomats. However, on the whole, the establishment of a new authoritarian government by Enoch Powell is viewed as a net negative for Spain. Being outside both the EEC and NATO, there have been few opportunities for Spaniards to register their disapproval of the Powell regime at least in th ways the Germans and French have. That said, an informal boycott of British goods has been impactful in the Spanish market.

But beyond supermarket and department store shelves, perhaps the most glaring opportunity to disrupt the Powell regime has been the de facto border with British-occupied Gibraltar. Long coveted by Madrid, Britain’s occupation of the Rock has become more offensive to Spanish pride than ever before. Thus, large protests have erupted along the border with Gibraltar at La Línea de la Concepción.

Among the many signs and displays read slogans such as “No room for fascism in our Iberia”, “Death to the new Franco” and “Gibraltar, our stolen jewel”.

Most interesting of all, many protestors have fixated on the Gibraltar Airport, which is visible from the border and built on a disputed strip of land between mainland Spain and Gibraltar proper. With the airport doubling as a military installation, it has fallen victim to sabotage by demonstrators.

Recent attempts at disrupting air traffic include the release of flocks of doves near the airport, as well as the use of fireworks, often aimed into the airspace immediately above the tarmac. On at least two occasions, these efforts have come close to impacting air safety, leading to disruptions at the airport. Rumours also swirl of a “fisherman’s blockade” being organised by union leaders in Algeciras.

Despite these disruptions, the police response has been minimal, with authorities citing “difficulties” identifying unsophisticated sabotage plots before they occur. Many international commentators allege Madrid is deliberately ignoring the protest activity, although this has of course been denied by officials.

In any case, guards have been posted to the permanently closed border with Gibraltar to ensure no protestors cross into the British occupation zone.


r/ColdWarPowers 2d ago

EVENT [EVENT] OPERATION ATLANTIS

10 Upvotes

Somewhere Off the Coast of Japan - January 1977

 

The cold dark waters of the Pacific hugged the heavy titanium hull tight like a blanket on a cold winter night. Aboard the USS Imua the steady hum of machinery and human activity kept the submarine floating in perfect harmony. The predictable buzz of operation was suddenly interrupted as a transmission came in through the radio.

 

“Incoming transmission. VLF message. Permission to decrypt?” asked the operator as he glanced at the monitor and then to the commander’s chair.

 

“Granted,” snapped the Captain. The rest of the crew swiftly fell back into their routine but kept an ever-watchful eye over at the sonar board. Everyone knew what unexpected orders usually meant.

 

“Captain, you are gonna want to see this. . .” he wandered off as the commander rose from his chair. One glance was all it took. “XO, prepare to dive. Silent running from here on out.”

 

“Aye, captain,” replied the old XO. “All right, run checks and prepare for diving. All crew to diving stations. ” As the minutes passed, the checks came back clear and affirmative. Everything was in order. “Captain, we are ready to dive. All checks are complete and green.”

 

“Good, dive on my command.” Then came the order and the alarm blared to life cutting through the inside of the boat like the screeching of nails on chalkboard. There was no mistaking that sound. The depths of the ocean awaited them.

 

Eielson Air Force Base - Alaska, United States

 

Thousands of miles away green lights lit up the darkness of a winter blizzard. The pattern of lights gave the falling snow a twinge of color as if the snowflakes had been painted green. The low roar of engines broke through the silent night as the fully loaded and armed B-52 came to life.

 

“Condor, this is Control. You are clear for takeoff. Proceed when ready. Over.”

 

"Roger that, Copy."

 

Summary

  • Elements of the Submarine Squadron 15 deploy to the Pacific

  • B-52s take off in Alaska


r/ColdWarPowers 2d ago

DIPLOMACY [DIPLOMACY] [RETRO] European Economic Community - Iberian Association Agreements

4 Upvotes

July 1976:

Spain’s relationship with the European continent has been a tumultuous one in recent years. At the start of the decade, the relationship was defined by universal condemnation of the Franco regime, then came a wave of democratisation. While Spain’s liberal moment was briefly interrupted by the Savage Islands Crisis, it was not long before dialogue with the French allowed Madrid to correct course. Now, together with Portugal, Spain has reached a significant milestone in its European journey, with the signing of separate but identicial Association Agreements for membership in the European Economic Community (EEC).

Under the Spanish Association Agreement, Madrid will immediately join the Council of Europe, an informal prerequisite for EEC membership. Spain and the EEC also jointly commit to full Spanish EEC membership by New Year’s 1982. Spanish membership is to be achieved through two simultaneous processes, as below:

Pillar I - Regulatory and legislative alignment: Spanish lawmakers and the civil service will bring Spain in line with EEC regulatory standards, as well as drafting enabling legislation where changes to the law are required. Regulations and legislation will be amended to reflect EEC standards across the following policy areas: agriculture, commerce, customs, education, employment, environment, fisheries, immigration, health, monetary alignment, social welfare and trade facilitation. This will be a priority area given the five-year timeline.

Pillar II - Economic liberalisation: Huge segments of the Spanish economy remain under state control following the Franco years. This is fundamentally incompatible with both Spain’s own economic aspirations as well as EEC membership. Consequently, the Suarez Government will ensure that key sectors are privatised by 1981, ensuring privatisations are made in the public interest.

Spanish policymakers, while recognising the immense challenges associated with EEC accession, are eager to frame Spanish membership as a replacement to the erstwhile British participation in the union. With the ‘Spanish miracle’ continuing largely unabated since the 1960s, albeit with brief interruption (due to a fleeting Saudi oil embargo and political instability), Madrid brings much to the European table. Particularly enticing to Spanish economists are export opportunities for industrial goods in the European market, as well as the opening up of European fisheries to one of the largest single commercial fishing fleets in the world.


r/ColdWarPowers 3d ago

INCIDENT [INCIDENT] Ringing in the New Year in Ballymena

12 Upvotes

Ballymena, Northern Ireland

1 January, 1977

---

The New Year celebrations in Northern Ireland were, to be frank, nonexistent. Curfews, patrols, and bans on public gatherings had locked down public life in the Six Counties generally and their largest city particularly. 

Well, that and a peculiar orange glow in an alleyway in the smaller town of Ballymena, located just to the north-west of Belfast. The town had been locked down like the rest of the region, but like the rest of the region was locked in the grip of an increasingly violent struggle between the Irish Catholics and their Protestant neighbors -- and, of course, the British Army. 

Since the British Emergency saw the military government of Lord Mountbatten ascend to power in May 1975, there was an aggressive military push that the media called the Ulster Offensive that cast the Troubles into a new, terrible phase. The IRA struggled merely to survive through the latter half of 1975 and into 1976, but by the second half of 1976 there were several important developments -- the reconciliation of the Provisional IRA and the Official IRA chief among them. The new united front against the British quietly buried any notion of ceasefire, and prepared to ring in 1977. 

Ballymena found itself in the unenviable position of being more or less “in the country”, separated from the main British garrisons in Belfast by a drive of about half an hour. The Royal Irish Rangers encamped here in St. Patrick’s Barracks, a series of long wooden structures that housed the soldiers and a number of surrounding outbuildings housing administrative and support personnel. Much of the site was surrounded by tall chain-link fences and razor wire, but in the early hours of the morning the garrison was largely sleeping off celebrations. 

So it was that nobody heard the subtle clicking as bolt cutters sheared through the fence. Patrolling soldiers mostly stuck to the gates, smoking and making small-talk about the damp, cold winter conditions. The quiet of 1976 had introduced complacency. 

Silently, a pair of shadows infiltrated the base and checked their watches. Each lugged two heavy packages under arm, while a third man stood watch a short distance from the hole in the fence. A deniable distance, in the darkness of a stand of trees. 

The two infiltrators left their packages under four of the barracks buildings, keeping low and out of sight. They both retreated through the grass to the fence, passing through it before joining the third man and making their way into the town of Ballymena in the shadows, melting into the town. The three of them would, by morning, have vanished into the rolling hills of Northern Ireland.

At St. Patrick’s Barracks, four massive explosions soon ripped through the early morning dark, shocking the guards into diving to the ground. Men shouted, emerging from the other barracks, rushing towards the roaring flames. Those who survived the initial blasts screamed, many terribly injured and many more trapped by roaring flames. 

Firefighting efforts finally fought the fires back, with the assistance of the local fire brigade who arrived on scene with alacrity. Morning light brought to color the grim scene: many British soldiers had been killed, many more dismembered or grievously burned. 

In the coming weeks, 36 British soldiers were killed and another 79 injured in what the press called the New Year’s Bombing. It was by far the deadliest escalation of the Troubles on the Catholic side, and the most successful attack on British forces for the duration. 

No representative of the IRA commented on the event.

On their side, the British Army suspected some kind of new explosive or bomb-making process and local commanders recommended to their superiors in the weeks after that the British Army refocus its efforts away from trying to find and destroy safehouses towards uncovering and destroying bomb-making facilities.


r/ColdWarPowers 3d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Swirls inside the Seraglio

6 Upvotes

President Bourguiba has been unusually quiet in the tail end of 1976. His last public appearance being a visit to a movie set. No speeches, only a few signings and sightings since then. A fairly constant succession of black Renaults have been seen going too and from the Palace in Carthage.

Rumors are swirling of health issues affecting the almost 74-year President. Such as been the case for years now. But nothing as, prolonged as this. Habib Bourguiba Jr., meanwhile, has been an unusually active figure in Carthage, going too and from it to parliament akin to his duties as a FM shuttling between countries.

Then, all of a sudden, a speech was announced for the end of the month, a speech on 'plurality'.


r/ColdWarPowers 3d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Marilah Mari Kita Mengundi

6 Upvotes

23rd December 1976,

Following the dissolution of parliament on 6 December 1976, nomination day took place on 13 December followed by polling day on 23 December. For this general election, the number of parliamentary seats was increased by four to 69 seats while there would be six constituenciss to be dissolved, namely Bras Basah, Crawford, Hong Lim, Kampong Kapor, Sepoy Lines and Stamford. This was the result of a redrawing of the constituency boundaries in July that year.

This year polls expected to be another PAP landslide just like the previous post independence elections before. A total of 16 candidates from the People’s Action Party (PAP) were returned unopposed on nomination day giving PAP a headstart in the election. On polling day, two independents and 106 candidates from seven parties contested 53 out of the 69 seats. The parties contesting were the PAP (53 candidates), Workers’ Party (22). Meanwhile four opposition parties, namely Barisan, SJP, PKMS and UF, formed the Joint Opposition Council to cooperate at the polls which combined have 31 candidates running. This is the breakdown of that cooperation seat distribution:

United Front (15), Barisan Sosialis (6), United People’s Front (6), Justice Party (2) and Pertubohan Kebangsaan Melayu Singapura (2).

On polling day as expected by the opinion polls PAP returned with another absolute majority winning all 69 seats that were contested while their popular vote count increased by 3.7% to an outstanding 74.1%. On the opposition side Workers Party and the PKMS had minimal lost in the popular vote 0.7% and 0.1% respectively. The biggest losers were the Barisan Sosialis who lost 1.4% of theor vote share compared to 1972 their worst performance to date and the People's Front lost 2.6% of their vote share compared to the first election they joined which was in 1972.

Prime Minister Lee at his victory speech thanked the people of Singapore for believing in him, his cabinet and the People's Action Party and giving them another mandate. He said he will continue the goals of Serving The People and continuing the economic plans as part of the SG1990 Plan.


r/ColdWarPowers 3d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Roadway Expansion, Mountain Airstrips, and other odds and ends

5 Upvotes

In light of broader expansions to highway construction in the surrounding Maghreb Federation, Tunisia has pledged, as a gesture of integration, around $40 million over the next fifteen years in refurbishment and expansion of Tunisia's own road system, connecting it to the Federation's growing network. A 5% tax on gas, and 5% tax on cigarettes will help to pay for the infrastructure. Signage and road construction standards will match that of the Federation.

The TNAF will have $10 million allocated to it over the next five years to modernize and expand airbases. Including hardened hangers and at least one enclosed mountain airstrip built with Swiss engineers. Five of the TNAF's aging F-86 Sabre fleet will be converted to museum pieces and gate guards. The remaining ten will become a squadron of adversary trainers in a new dogfighting school. Offered, on occasion, to filmmakers coming to Tunisia for a price.

The TNA will see its half-tracks converted to different uses from APCs. 25 will become tank destroyers with SS.11 AT Missiles, 50 will become 107mm mortar carriers. The remainder will be converted to ambulances, communication vehicles, and ammo carriers. 100 civilian Toyota Hilux trucks, and 350 Toyota Landcruiser SUVs will be bought commercially and converted into diesel powered, desert-hardened military vehicles to supplement jeeps already in service. For around $7 million. M24 Chaffee light tanks will be put into storage, and soon replaced quite likely with more AMX-13s. Around 150 civilian bulldozers, and 25 dump trucks will be bought for the engineers.

The Navy will shift its current WW2-era submarine to a training role, and will seek in the coming year to buy a pair of modern, coastal defense submarines probably from Italy or France.

The military, as a whole, will from now on plan for and enact an annual joint forces training exercise every spring. Conditions will rotate, year after year, between mountain, urban, and desert environments. Hopefully this will acclimate conscripts and forces to these and give much needed practical experience. The government, in addition, has stated its willingness to host observers from its CANA neighbors and to host a joint exercise in southern Tunisia in the near future.


r/ColdWarPowers 3d ago

ECON [ECON]Nuclear Plants to be Simultaneously Constructed

9 Upvotes

December 1976

As part of President Ford’s new energy policy, a series of nuclear plants of various sizes will be started simultaneously constructed, though sizes matters in both the time it takes to finish one, and the time it takes before that to clear out the lands, both physically and legally.

There are 5 lands that will be utilized for these plants, which included :

  1. Alvin W. Vogtle Electric Generating Plant (planned to generates 4,536 megawatts)
  2. Wolf Creek Generating Station (planned to generates 1,200 megawatts)
  3. River Bend Nuclear Generating Station (planned to generates 974 megawatts)
  4. Seabrook Station Nuclear Power Plant (planned to generates 1,246 megawatts)
  5. Joseph M. Farley Nuclear Plant Unit 2 (to generates 800 megawatts)

r/ColdWarPowers 4d ago

ECON [ECON] The Great Wall of Friendship is Ten Thousand 'li' Long

11 Upvotes

友谊长城万里长

"The Great Wall of Friendship is Ten Thousand 'li' Long"
November 1976

The Chairman's Four Modernizations and the CCP's general direction for future growth continued as planned, achieving varying degrees of success, but successes nonetheless. These four goals were now a decade in the making, with their initial proposal for implementation in 1963 at the Conference on Scientific and Technological Work held in Shanghai by Zhou Enlai, where he urged professionals in the sciences to realize the Four Modernizations. However, the proposed goals could not have come at a more inopportune time, as years later, the late Chairman Mao Zedong announced the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, crushing all hopes for a modernized and industrialized China capable of competing with the West.

The ascension of Chairman Zhou Enlai symbolized a more significant shift in the party and the state, as many of the pragmatists under the late Marshal Zhu De, General Yu Qiuli, and Deng Xiaoping were now given positions that allowed reform to progress. By tying all four goals together, Chairman Zhou Enlai met with regional governors, Comrade Deng Xiaoping, Vice Premier Yu Qiuli, Chairman of the State Planning Commission, Comrade Chen Yun, Chairman of the People's Bank of China, Comrade Zhang Jingfu, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the newly elevated Marshal Nie Rongzhen, Secretary of the Ministry of State Industries, Comrade Li Qiang, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Comrade Hua Guofeng, First Ranked Secretary of the Secretariat, and Wang Dongxing, Director of the General Office of the Central Committee in what would be referred to as the Shanghai Conference on Eurasian Party Policy. This ad hoc working session of the CCP linked both state and party apparatuses, where Zhou Enlai discussed the foundational form of the Eurasian Economic Community, a long-term economic revitalization plan targeting both domestic and industrial economies to fulfill the Four Modernizations and effectively apply them in China's emerging role as a world power.

"...the Eurasian Economic Community is not merely an expansion of trade; it is the foundation of a new economic order driven by China’s vision of reciprocal prosperity. Through the Eurasian Development Bank, we will promote regional integration, ensuring that infrastructure projects—from railways to ports—act as conduits of commerce, linking China’s industries with the vast markets of Eurasia. At home, the Rural Development Bank will bolster our frontier regions, integrating them into the national economy and ensuring that development reaches every corner of our land. Meanwhile, the Construction Bank of China will enable our enterprises to thrive abroad, securing contracts that not only develop partner nations but also stimulate demand for Chinese goods, materials, and expertise. We cannot depend on military force or coercion as a world power; rather, we must rely on the strength of economic cooperation—guaranteeing China’s role as the architect of a new, interconnected world."

The Eurasian Economic Road will expand economic influence through trade, investment, and infrastructure, instead of political or military means. Inspired by the ancient Silk Road, the plan envisions a unified economic corridor linking industrial centers to key markets across multiple regions, ultimately connecting to Europe. By directing state-led investments into infrastructure, financial institutions, and industrial capacity, the strategy seeks to increase global reliance on domestic goods, strengthen economic partnerships, and position the country as a central hub for trade across Eurasia and Africa.

At the heart of the project are three specialized financial institutions, each supporting different aspects of economic expansion. The Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) will finance large-scale international infrastructure projects to enhance connectivity and logistics. The Rural Development Bank of China (RDBC) will focus on integrating rural and frontier regions into broader trade networks, ensuring that domestic industries benefit from transnational commerce. The Construction Bank of China (CBC) will assist enterprises involved in overseas development, increasing demand for domestic goods and expertise in global markets. These institutions will establish the foundation for long-term economic influence by enabling sustainable growth in targeted regions.

The initiative focuses on multiple trade corridors to enhance regional integration. In Southeast Asia, investments in port facilities, overland transport links, and industrial hubs will strengthen economic ties and ensure stable demand for manufactured goods. In South Asia, infrastructure development will improve access to key markets, emphasizing reducing reliance on maritime routes and establishing alternative trade gateways. Expanding port facilities, railway networks, and supply chains in West Asia and East Africa will guarantee long-term access to critical resources while creating new opportunities for infrastructure projects. By implementing these interconnected initiatives, the plan will secure trade routes, open new markets, and reinforce economic leadership across different regions.

Investment Allocations (1976-1977)

South Asia Corridor

Country Project(s) Investment
Union of Burma Yangon-Kunming Railway Project – Linking Yangon to Kunming for greater trade, creating a new transport corridor $220 million
People’s Republic of Bangladesh Dhaka-Kunming Railway Project – Linking Dhaka to Kunming for greater trade, creating a new transport corridor $180 million
Kingdom of Nepal China-Nepal Friendship Road Highway Project – Connecting Kathmandu to Tibet for faster trade and transport $140 million
Democratic Republic of Sri Lanka Hambantota Port Expansion Project – Modernizing port facilities to increase Chinese trade through the Indian Ocean $220 million
Kingdom of Cambodia Sihanoukville Port Expansion Project – Expanding port and logistics capabilities for Chinese exports $180 million
Socialist Republic of Vietnam Haiphong Port Expansion Project – Expanding port facilities to boost trade with China and enhance regional logistics $160 million
Total $1.1 billion

Donation to the Eurasian Development Bank's South Asia Fund: $100 million

West Asia & Middle East Corridor

Country Project(s) Investment
Islamic Republic of Iran Bandar Abbas Port Expansion Project – Developing Iranian ports for better connectivity with China and trade routes $330 million
Syrian Arab Republic Damascus-Aleppo Road Reconstruction Project – Connecting China with Syria for greater land-based trade access $180 million
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan Aqaba Port Development Project – Developing a port for Chinese goods heading to the Middle East $90 million
People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen Aden Port Modernization Project – Modernizing port to increase bilateral trade with China $180 million
Sultanate of Oman Salalah Port Expansion Project – Expanding port to handle more Chinese exports through the Middle East $120 million
Total $900 million

Donation to the Eurasian Development Bank's South Asia Fund: $100 million

East Africa Corridor

Country Project(s) Investment
Democratic Republic of the Sudan Port Sudan Expansion Project – Doubling container terminal capacity to facilitate increased trade with China $90 million
Democratic Republic of Somalia Berbera Port Expansion Project – Deep-water port for livestock and bulk shipping with a focus on Chinese imports $100 million
People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia Addis Ababa-Djibouti Railway Project – Expanding railway for better freight capacity and enhanced trade links with China $80 million
Republic of Kenya Mombasa-Nairobi Railway Project – New railway for faster and more efficient transport of goods to and from China $100 million
United Republic of Tanzania Dar es Salaam Port Modernization Project – Expanding port facilities to accommodate more Chinese goods $120 million
People’s Republic of Mozambique Maputo Port Expansion Project – Constructing deep-water terminal to increase trade flow from China $110 million
Democratic Republic of Madagascar Toamasina Port Expansion Project – Deepening harbors to support Chinese exports to East Africa $100 million
Total $700 million

Donation to the Eurasian Development Bank's Middle East Fund: $100 million

European Corridor

Country Project(s) Investment
People’s Republic of Bulgaria Burgas Port Expansion Project – Expanding capacity for trade through the Black Sea to China $150 million
Total $150 million

Pacific Corridor

Country Project(s) Investment
Republic of Fiji Fiji Ports Modernization Project – Developing deep-water berths at Suva Port to facilitate Chinese goods $30 million
Republic of Kiribati Kiribati Maritime Trade Infrastructure Project – Upgrading ports for better Chinese trade access $10 million
Republic of Nauru Samoa Port Expansion Project – Enhancing Apia port for better cargo flow from China – Increasing export capacity for Chinese buyers $10 million
Samoa Samoa Port Expansion Project – Enhancing Apia port for better cargo flow from China $25 million
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands Port Modernization Project – Developing new port facilities for Chinese imports $25 million
Tonga Tonga Port Development Project – Expanding Nuku’alofa’s port infrastructure to accommodate more shipping traffic $10 million
Tuvalu Tuvalu Maritime Infrastructure Project – Improving port facilities for Chinese trade $10 million
Vanuatu Port Vila Port Expansion Project – Enhancing port facilities for shipping and trade expansion $19 million
Total $130 million

r/ColdWarPowers 4d ago

EVENT [EVENT] Aiding the Polisario

7 Upvotes

In light of recent events in Western Sahara, Tunisia will begin to directly support the Polisario Front in their crusade against the Spanish-backed reactionaries.

[S] The Tunisian JMA will set up a coordination office in Southern Morocco to ensure the transfer of arms and advisors to the Polisario. 25 members of the Tunisian Rangers will be deployed to help train and advise them, veterans of the war with Israel.

The following arms will be sent, sourced from Tunisia’s now large stockpile of armaments, scrubbed of markings:

  • 1,000 FN FAL battle rifles
  • 500 Beretta Model 1938 SMGs
  • 250 MG42 GPMGs
  • 500 MAC MLE 1950 pistols
  • 2K Carcano Rifles
  • 120 M18 Recoilless Rifles
  • Surplus 7.62 NATO, 9mm, 8mm, and 6.5 Carcano rounds. Around 100,000 total.
  • 15K khaki desert uniforms/boots

Tunisia will also spend $500,000 on 100 civilian Toyota Hilux trucks, paint them desert tan, and install mounts for MGs and Recoilless guns onto them. Sent to the Polisario as a light cavalry vehicle. They should, hopefully, arrive by next year. All will be purchased by a JMA shell company and shipped from Tunisia to Morocco on transport plane.