Belarum

Overview
The Federal Republic of Belarum (the Federal Republic, the FRB, or Belarum) is a constitutional federal republic in the European Union, and serves as one member of the European Union Security Council, which will soon become the European Commission (modeled after the real world EU). Belarum has several semi-autonomous principalities, which all fall in line behind the strong presence of the federal government. The nation also has a federal district, the city of Bastia, which is the seat of federal government for the nation. Bastia has a population of roughly 10 million people, and is one of the chief cities in the nation.

For the past several years, Belarum has emerged in the European Union as a major power, and lays claims to one of the largest information technology sectors in the region. The UN classifies Belarum as "Liberal Democratic Socialists". The citizenry of the Federal Republic enjoy excellent civil rights and political freedoms, as well as a "frightening" economy and a high standard of living. After the FRB's resignation from the United Nations Belarum experienced a surge in exported goods, giving it a hefty trade surplus and creating jobs that had once been lost to developing nations. It can be argued that the nation experienced this surge in exported capital by no longer adhering to the UN's free trade policies.

The nation of Belarum was created on May 1, 1906, when several smaller nations signed the Treatise for Unification and the Creation of Belarum. Belarum has since grown from a patchwork of loosely confederated nations into a union of principalities consolidated under a strong central government, much like the real world United States of America. It is currently being debated in the Belarian Senate wether or not to phase out these principalities for all intensive political purposes, as the principalities no longer have the power to tax, create foreign policy, administer funds in their districts, etc. The motion is expected to pass by the end of the year 2006.

Unification of Belarum (1906-1923)
On the first of May in the year 1906, several diplomats from the small nations of Sarbonia, Galati, Gorzowa, Anatusia, Kaunus, Kalma, and Zamora convened on the city of Oristano to discuss their unification in order to create a single, powerful nation which could combine it's economies and create a regional superpower. The diplomats carved out the new nation and decided on the creation of a republic. A legislature and executive office was created, as well as a judicial court to provide for checks and balances in the central government. The old nations were turned into new principalities. A new city was created in order to accomodate the new central government, and construction quickly began in 1907. By 1913, the legislature settled on the name Bastia for the capitol.

Anatusian Liberation Front (1923-1929)
Very rapdily, the principalities soon lost their once great powers in favor of centralized control from the federal government. In 1923, General Marcus Budechenko led a violent splinter faction in Anatusia's principal military forces, which named themselves the Anatusian Liberation Force (ALF). For a little over four years, Budechenko's forces committed assassinations, kidnappings, and several bombings in Bastia and other regions which grew complacent and supportive of central rule. Marcus Budechenko was captured on June 19, 1927 in an apartment in Prezhnov, Zamora. He attempted to escape custody several days later, and was killed. The ALF quickly crumbled, and Belarum had regained control over the principalities. In order to combat such future actions, President Khaskovo signed an executive order, resulting in the creation of the State Security Bureau, which would ultimately become the Belarian Intelligence Office.

Ideological Shift and the Baltan War (1929-1947)
The economy, which was based entirely on corporate control at the time, soon took a horrid turn beginning in the 1930's because of the Great Depression. The Belarian Communist Party soon seized control of the government, and rapidly took control of commerce and what industry was available at the time. The government quickly instituted New Deal-esque policies, and the Great Depression went out with a whimper by 1935. Belarum quickly rose in the European Union as a regional power, as it rapidly mechanized and industrialized the economy. The military of the Federal Republic would be revamped as well because of the open hostility of the Baltan Empire, a fascist empire which openly sought to expand it's borders under the leadership of Imperial Emperor Gustav Harster.

By the year 1941, the Baltan Empire declared war on the Federal Republic of Belarum. Other nations would join the fight against the Baltan Empire and Gustav Harster, most notably the Imperium of Triera and the Soviet Union. Belarum, the USSR, and Triera banded together to form the Grand Alliance, in order to defeat the hostile Baltans. In perhaps one of the most brutal wars in the history of the European Union, the Grand Alliance was victorious over the Baltan Empire by the end of the year 1947.

The devestation of the war was felt across the whole European Union. Billions of dollars of damage had occurred, almost 47% of all economic capabilities in the region were destroyed, and over 134 million lives were lost. The Baltan Empire was quickly absorbed by surrounding nations, including Belarum, and the healing process was starting.

Post War Years and Democratic Socialism (1947-1989)
The economy surged in the post war years, as GDP per capita in Belarum rose sharply and new markets emerged, including arms manufacturing (private ownership of firearms was legalized in Belarum in 1940's; gun control would be instituted and repealed several times in the nation's history). As economic prosperity in Belarum skyrocketed, it created an unnatural dominance of Belarian markets acrossed the ravaged private sectors of the European Union. From 1949 to 1979, Belarum became a dominant force politically and economicaly in the EU.

Democratic Socialism became very popular in the late 70's, and soon large chunks of the Belarian Communist Party melded with parts of the Centrist Party to create the Democratic Socialist Party, which seized 76% of the popular vote in the presidential election in 1980 after an advertising blitz for the past three years. This also allowed the party to gain many seats in the legislature. Since 1984, Democratic Socialism has become extraordinarily popular, and seems very likely to last as a dominant force in Belarum's political machine. The party quickly moved to support more privatization in Belarum's economy, but kept the "main pillars" (railroads, utilities, energy, and to some extent agriculture) under state control, while using public funding to create social safety nets for those working in the private sector by creating masive public works administered on the local level.

Gorzowan Incident to the Present(1989-Present)
Belarum pursued isolationist policies after mild turmoil in Gorzowa exploded in national headlines when an ethnic Gorzowan terrorist group led by Andre Vikza detonated a large explosive device in the Oristano subway system in 1989, killing hundreds of innocent civilians and prompting action from the Belarian Intelligence Office. Shortly after, the same group kidnapped three senators and executed one, leading to a dizzying array of arrests and raids on the terrorist group that would come to be known as Black Winter. The group's leaders were captured by the BIO, and have since been sentenced to life inprisonment.

In December of 2005, Franklin Carter of Belarum was elected UN Delegate for the EU. In January of 2006, the Federal Republic was elected to the EU's new Security Council. Belarum celebrated it's centenial on May 1 in 2006. On June 1 of 2006, Franklin Carter resigned from service as UN Delegate for the EU, shortly after which Belarum withdrew from the United Nations altogether.

Government
The government of Belarum began as a federal republic, which is defined as a federation of states with a republican form of government. However, as the ethnic tensions which once pervaded the state of Belarum have all but faded, more and more power has been transfered to the federal government, making it more of a unitary state.

The FRB has a tricameral form of government, which includes executive, legislative, and judicial branches. The executive branch is headed by the President of the Federal Republic, who is the head of state and government. The legislative branch is the Belarian Senate, a unicameral legislature representative of population. The judicial branch is the Supreme Court. These branches are tasked with various duties, but primarily are tasked with enacting, implementing, and interpreting laws.

Executive Branch
The Federal Republic is a presidential system, which means that the executive branch is independant of the legislative branch. The head of the executive is the president, who is elected every four years for up to three terms of office. The president appoints heads of ministries with the approval of the Senate.

Economy
Belarum is the seventh largest economy in the European Union in real terms, placed behind Malvines, the Soviet Union, Byzantium, Nungeena, Dim Quai, and Triera. It also has the seventh highest GDP per capita in the region, which usually hovers around $36,000 USD.

Belarum has a social market economy, much like many other nations in the European Union. Since the Great Depression of the 1930's, Belarum had shifted significantly to the left, but in recent years has successfully straddled between capitalism and communism. This social market economy (or mixed economy) aims at balancing high economic growth and low inflation with full employment, social welfare and equality, public services, and good working conditions. Results on a large scale have been highly favorable.