Office of the Game Moderator - Employment and Financial Indicators

[Simfan34]

Republic of Atlasia OFFICE OF THE GAME MODERATOR

F.L. 32-5: The Game Moderator is responsible for providing the Senate and Atlasia with the necessary information to conduct debate and create legislation. The GM, at his discretion, shall provide information on wars, natural disasters, foreign events, and basic economic information including unemployment and inflation.

Welcome to the office of the Game Moderator. I am the twenty-fourth Atlasian to hold this office, which has been a part of Atlasia since its founding in April 2004.

This thread will provide several services:

• official news on events occurring in Atlasia
• updates to Atlasia's basic economic indicators, published at least once per two months
• on request: information about Atlasia

RELEVANT LAWS
F.L. 32-5: Game Moderator Reform Act
Amendment XV: Game Moderation Reform Amendment


FAQ Adapted from former GMs Sirnick and Averroes' Q&A.

Q: What is the Game Moderator?
A: The game's so called "God," the GM provides news and analysis on national, regional, international and economic matters.

Q: What is the Game Moderator responsible for?
A: Amendment XV §2.1: The Game Moderator shall be responsible for providing the Senate and Atlasia with the necessary information to conduct debate and create legislation. The Game Moderator, at his or her discretion, shall provide information on wars, natural disasters, foreign events, regional events and basic economic information including unemployment and inflation.

Q: What else does the Game Moderator do?
A: Amendment XV §2.2: The Game Moderator shall provide updates on basic economic indicators, including at a minimum national and regional figures for unemployment and inflation, at least once per month. 

Q:  Who does the Game Moderator work with?
A: The Game Moderator works with the Secretary of Internal Affairs (SoIA) and Secretary of External Affairs (SoEA). In addition to their policy-making responsibilities, the SoEA and SoIA may formulate stories within their respective jurisdictions - foreign and domestic, respectively. The Game Moderator has final authority to modify all stories reported by both of these officials.

Q: Do real world events happen in Atlasia?
A: Amendment XV §6: A real world event shall not be considered to have occurred in Atlasia if it is a result of other real world events that did not occur in Atlasia or if the Game Moderator has expressly stated that such an event did not occur. In other words, events such as natural disasters, scientific discoveries, and foreign events from the real world may be assumed to have occurred unless there is a specific reason why they would not have in the Atlasian timeline, which diverges from real world events in 2004. 

The Community Portal thread is the place for discussion of what you read here. This division enables new GM updates to more recognizable from the Atlas elections board.


PREVIOUS GM UPDATE THREADS
Office of the Game Moderator (Averroes)
Office of the Game Moderator (Adam Griffin)
The Atlasia Dispatch-Herald (Shua)
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=17967.0
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=28225.0
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=39177.0
https://uselectionatlas.org/FORUM/index.php?topic=97914.0
The Atlasia Dispatch-Herald (Purple State)
Red Flag (Al)
Office of the Game Moderator/Atlasian Mustelid Post Gazette (Badger)
Office of the Game Moderator/Voice of God (Yelnoc)
The Atlasia Guardian-Informer (Marokai)

Budget Process Committee of 2010

[sentinel]

Please sticky.

[Simfan34]

Furthermore I must report some entirely new confusion. Atlasian maintains relations with an entity known as the "State of Eritrea". However, there is no entity, sovereign or otherwise, by that name. Likewise, we also maintain relations with a "Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia", which has long been to the considerable bemusement of Ethiopian consular officials in our country and abroad, who know their country as the "Empire of Ethiopia", of which the aforementioned Eritrea is a province (here is a map provided by the Embassy). This deserves rectification, because the Ethiopians state we maintain considerable economic, political, and military ties with them- I am told we have an Atlasian naval base in Asseb, and the AFRICOM headquarters at a "Kagnew Station" in the city of Asmara. Being Africa's largest economy, this cannot be ignored. His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Zera Yacob II MA MJur MPhil DPhil (Oxon.), MPhil PhD (SOAS), MDiv MTh (Holy Trinity), is rather confused about it all.

Here is some information about Ethiopia.

In 1969 we have mistakenly believed President A.A. Shermarke of Somalia was assassinated. But he was in fact not. This seems to have eased military pressures in Ethiopia and in that year a modest land reform bill is passed, increasing protections for tenant farmers and taxing large landholdings. In 1970, Prime Minister Aklilu Habtewold is dismissed and replaced by Lt. General Abiye Abebe, a close associate of Crown Prince Asfa Wossen. Local grandee Dejazmach Haregot Abbai is appointed Viceroy of Eritrea in 1971 and by 1974 the insurgency there fizzles out.

The economy grows throughout the 1970s, and Ethiopia maintains close ties with Israel and Iran- getting subsidised oil from the latter.Haile Selassie chooses to increasingly focus himself on foreign affairs and capitalising on his status as an elder statesman, the last of his kind, perhaps. In 1980, he won the Noble Peace Prize for his work in multilateralism in general and his involvement in the Zimbabwean settlement in particular.

In 1977 Djibouti becomes independent, but it is placed under Ethiopian military dependency and a fiscal and monetary union with that country.

Somewhere along the line, a large comprehensive agricultural program is established- not a "big push", but part of it, beyond the system of loans, expanding the (private) financial system into the countryside, are also literacy programs, infrastructure programs, and telecommunications. Education in this world is the key to forging nationhood, the Eurocentric focus of the system is recognised and replace with a consciously Ethio-focused and patriotic education system. Great progress in literacy-- and increasing fluency in Amharic-- is made.

This education would instill, besides basic skills in reading, writing, and arithmetic- useful things for farmers- a sense of loyalty and love for (their respective) God, Emperor, and Country. Especially for children. The number one thing in every government room: post office, school, police station, town hall-- a picture of the Emperor. And of course, with an eye for the future, focus on the Crown Prince and his son to get an early start.

In the 70s Ethiopian-Korean ties are deepened, that Ethiopia looks to the Saemaul Undong movement and Park Chung-Hee's leadership in Korea as a model. Some tens of thousands of Korean workers migrate to Ethiopia in the 70s and 80s-- and bring their families at the government's invitation. The close ties between South Korea and Ethiopia, today, lead to it becoming a manufacturing centre for companies like Samsung.

Either way this push to the provinces helps regional centres develop-- Dire Dawa, Harar, Awassa, Jimma, Bahir Dar, Mekelle, Asmara, Dessie, and so forth. The rise of agriculture pushes people into towns, not all Addis. Light industry begins to develop-- processing facilities, mainly, nothing too much, tanneries for export, then leather-works, or coffee processing. Farm sizes get larger and larger, yields go up, and more people move into the many cities.

Haile Selassie reigns until 1985. His Golden Jubilee is a worldwide celebration, with it being perhaps the largest assemblage of world leaders and monarchs in history. Addis Ababa is thoroughly reconstructed for the occasion, with grand public buildings, new international hotels (I mean Intercontinental, Sheraton, Marriott- not just hotels with "international hotel" appended on) built, whole new avenues laid out, large apartment complexes built by developers replacing the shanties of old. He remains at all times the master of the situation, his prestige and power undiminished, merely delegated.

Zera Yacob is crowned as Amha Selassie is crowned in 1986, which makes everyone look good, and is able to focus attention on him. Largely wheelchair-bound and not a skilled manoeuvrer, however, the power shifts towards those in his circle- people like Zewde Gebreselassie, Endelkachew Makonnen, Mikael Imru, and Aman Andom. Regionalism is strengthened, and elected assemblies and provincial Chief Executives are established in several provinces. Political parties are legalised in 1989, but the politics stays the same- politicians chasing after a piece of the pie of patronage, joining, leaving, and forming cliques-cum-parties at will.

The 1989 elections are won by a catch-all party representing farmer's interests, but it cannot form a government due to the opposition of the Senate. This party finally gets a PM in 1995, but over time it is weakened and largely co-opted by the landed interests it was intended to stand against.

Industries have grown in Ethiopia, which has moved up the manufacturing value chain. Costs, which remain lower outside of central Shewa, Eritrea, and Dire Dawa, help fuel further expansion of low-cost manufacturing and the development of a true "emerging economy". Infrastructure projects like the national railroads, dams, electrical network, and telecommunications defined the decades. Bole Airport carries 31 million passengers a year, Ethiopian Airlines 24 million- and a new airport in Dukem is on the way. Massawa, with its sea level location and presence at a booming cargo port and tourist hub, is becoming a rapid competitor, and carries 9 million- the low-cost Nasair based there carried 4 million passengers Indeed, Massawa, the "Dubai of Africa", is AirAfrica in many regards with Addis Ababa for primacy, with the metropolitan population having boomed to 1.4 million, and expat real estate developments constituting a major element of the city.

Amha Selassie died in 1997 and was succeeded by his son, who is Zera Yacob II. Indeed, there are up to two million foreigners living in this Ethiopia. Of this, perhaps 400,000 are Italians- the original population of 50,000 having increased eightfold, many being old settlers and their descendants, they are half divided between Eritrea and the rest of the country. 200,000 or so are other Westerners- expats retirees, workers for multinational corporations, and, increasingly, migrants from depressed economies such as Portugal, Spain, and particularly Greece (who are able to leverage relations to Greek Ethiopians for residency). Another 220,000 are the Koreans- as mentioned before. There are as many Asians- mainly Indians, but also increasing amounts of Chinese and Filipino. The remaining half are other Africans- Kenyans, Sudanese, Nigerian, all over-- seeking opportunity in Africa's largest economy.

There are some problems, however. The agrarian-led government favored rural roads over motorways, railways over airports, and infrastructure generally designed to cover wider areas as opposed to that which moved people between two points. The agrarian party lost the premiership in 2009, in a broad coalition, and the new government has built some of that infrastructure and is planning to build more. Income inequality is fairly high- many capitalists and business owners are members of the aristocracy who liquidated their land holdings into cash. The issue of ethnic minorities has been papered over by an assimilation process, albeit largely successfully. While fair, Ethiopian politics remains one of patronage rather than ideology. All governments have needed to build broad coalitions in order to hold power, and the Prime Minister is appointed by the Emperor from a list of acceptable candidates drawn up by his advisers.

Here are some statistics:

Gross GDP (nominal): $557,411,763,154
GDP per capita (nominal): $6,143.60
GDP growth rate: 7.83%

Population: 90,730,421

Emperor: Zera Yacob II
Prime Minister: Samuel Assefa
Foreign Minister: Yohannes Mengesha

Military expenditure: $12.87 billion

10 Largest Cities, 2013:

1. Addis Abeba - 6,740,350 (Metro: 9,520,349)
2. Asmera - 1,670,351 (Metro: 1,893,220)
3. Dire Dawa -  1,120,393 (Metro: 1,646,303)
4. Massawa - 970,780 (Metro: 1,033,348)
5. Bahir Dar - 956,395 (Metro: 1,134,830)
6. Nazret (Adama) - 843,012 (Addis Metro)
7. Dessie - 837,030 (Metro: 1,550,039 - Dessie-Kombolcha)
8. Gonder - 745,902 (Metro: 920,481)
9. Jimma - 699,503 (Metro: 733,395)
10. Awassa - 534,392 (Metro: 601,200)

In 2013, Ethiopian Airlines carried 20.34 million passengers, mostly through its main hub in Addis Ababa and secondary hub in Massawa. Ethiopian Airlines is by far the largest airline in Africa, and competes with Ethiopia, Qatar, and Turkish for lucrative Europe-Asia routes, but also has gotten in recent years major shares of the South America-Asia routes with a partnership with Colombia's TACA, as well as the Europe-India routes with a 62% stake in India's Jet Airways. Without mention, the African routes are by far the most strongly held and the keystone of the airline's business.

Ethiopian Airlines has an all-Boeing fleet of 181 planes:

45 737-800
23 737-700
21 737-900
29 757–200
15 767-300
11 767-500
22 777-200
10 777-300
02 747-500
05 747-800
20 787-800

Capacity constraints at Haile Selassie I International Airport in Addis Ababa, with a passenger flow of 28 million passengers per year with an ad-hoc capacity of 25 million and a permanent, long-term capacity of 18 million, have raised difficulties for the fast-expanding airline, as well the "hot and high" operations from the airport because of its altitude.

A new airport, with a capacity of 40 million passengers per year, is under construction in Dukem, 30 km south of Addis Ababa. The new site is to benefit from greater space and lower altitude. The master plan calls for a total capacity of 80 million. The design takes inspiration from shapes such as the coffee pot, jebena, the mesob, and the latticework recall designs on the traditional dress, the kemis.

Now, I must report on the latest news from Iraq.

tl;dr- Ethiopia is still a monarchy and is a middle-income country, Eritrea doesn't exist and never has.

[Simfan34]

OFFICE OF THE GAME MODERATOR Declaration of an Atlasian Calendar

IN order to better keep track of time in the context of an Atlasian framework, in recognition of the fact that this remains a game and issues evolve in a manner that far outlast terms of office, the Office of the Game Moderator is announcing the creation of an Atlasian Calendar.

The Atlasian Calendar

The Atlasian Calendar shall be dated from the formation of the Republic of Atlasia, in the month of February 2004. A year is defined as the standard Gregorian month. Thus Feburary 2004 is Year 1, and we are presently in Year 124. Today is therefore Saturday 24, 124, or simply 24, 124. For terms for reference, the Atlasian year can be denoted by the suffix Annum Atlasiae, or A.A. Dates before 1, 1 (February 1, 2004), are to be referred to in Gregorian dates.

Usage

The Atlasian Calendar shall be held subordinate to the Gregorian calendar for the time being. Bills can use either the Atlasian calendar to accelerate simulation, and this will be looked upon advantageously and with favor. This does not affect the dating of prior legislation.

Mandates

All legislation and acts must henceforth include the Atlasian Calendar in their dating and clarify which calendar to which they refer.

THE GAME MODERATOR
24, 124 (May 24, 2014)

[TNF]

I like this.

[H.E. VOLODYMYR ZELENKSYY]

Seems good, though I'd just like to point out that this 24/104 system makes more sense if we go by the European styling of Gregorian dates (24 May 2014 keeps the "May 2014" together).

[Oakvale]

Glad to see the seal in use.

[Fritz]

Can the GM really just...declare this?  On what authority?  I would think this needs to be passed legislatively.

Also, your numbering is incorrect.  Under the system you have described, May 2014 is year 124, not 104.

[Simfan34]

Of course. It is a necessary clarification. It is well within my remit.

[Flake]

Can't we just use the normal calendar system we already had in place? It's not necessary at all.

[Simfan34]

We are hiring! If interested and not holding elective office, please enquire via private message.

[Maxwell]

So are you resigning?

[Simfan34]

So are you resigning?

Not at all! We're expanding!

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

Simfan is doing just as I expected when I appointed him! Reform is on its way!

[Simfan34]

The Dow Jones Industrial Index fell 288 points today, or 1.78%. More to come.

[Fmr. Pres. Duke]

The Dow Jones Industrial Index fell 288 points today, or 1.78%. More to come.

What? Didn't we have an agreement that you'd artificially inflate the DOW numbers until I left office?

[Simfan34]

Comprehensive unemployment figures to be released in the next month.

[Simfan34]

A STATE OF THE WORLD speech on, well, the state of the world coming tommorow. Expect surprises, but nothing I might have made up (well, at least, not much). The machinations of GMs and SOEAs past shall be revealed in full.

[Simfan34]

This will be big.

[Cranberry]

Mr Game Moderator, could you give us estimations on the revenues of this budget?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

[/quote]

[Simfan34]

The Game Moderator will post his report once he returns from a reception at the Embassy of the Republic of Somaliland here in Nyman.

[Sec. of State Superique]

Dear Simfan, would you mind making a list of all the previous GM threads of Atlasia?

[Simfan34]

OFFICE OF THE GAME MODERATOR State of the World Address

In Asia, we have seen a reduction of military aid across the board. The result of this has been a dramatic reduction of our presence in the region. The Atlasian Forces Korea (AFK) have been completely withdrawn, leaving that country to the predations of the North. Likewise, our total departure from Okinawa has spurred even more militarism in that country than previously thought. A comprehensive re-evaluation of our policy to those nations is needed lest they feel abandoned by their erstwhile ally.

Unfortunately, our relations with China are far poorer than we anticipated. This is likely related to the fact that in 2008 we called for an "independent Tebet" [sic] and "fully recognized Taiwan as an independent country". Furthermore, the fact we have openly passed legislation authorising funding of dissident "operatives" in that country does not help. The results have been predictable, and the Chinese have been highly uncooperative ever since. They have refused to accept any of our Ambassadors' credentials since that time, nor have they bothered sending any Ambassadors to Nyman, meaning bilateral relations are being conducted by both nations' charges d'affaires. The SoEA's visit in 2010 helped reverse this somewhat, but the crux of the issue remains oustanding. This is a rather sorry state of affairs, especially considering the Taiwanese have not declared independence and that even the Dalai Lama does not advocate for Tibetan independence. It is of utmost importance that a high-ranking Atlasian delegation- the President himself if possible, and if not then certainly the SoEA- be sent to make amends. 

Unfortunately, the Global Treaty Organisation has languished in recent years. Only three nations- Colombia, India, and Atlasia, ever ratified the Global Treaty. Nor have we appointed an Ambassador to the GTO, I believe, since 2011- more than 3 years ago. I, however, believe we can revitalise this organisation. The GTO can and should be transformed into an Asia-Pacific Treaty Organisation, uniting nations in the Asia-Pacific Rim in the interests of collective security. I urge the Senate to amend the Global Treaty to this effect. Our recent defence agreement with Australia and New Zealand can be integrated into this organisation to great effect.

On the matter of Iran, that nation's intentions have been made clear for some time- nuclear weapons capabilities- and it has been allowed to gain them. This is a major failing on our part. We must engage President Rouhani's administration to attempt disarmament, at all costs. In Iraq, we left in 2011, and the situation there has been tenuous. As we can now see, the rapid expansion of ISIS presents a challenge to that nation's stability... and there is new news on that front. But it is our withdrawal from Afghanistan, two years ago, that presents a greater challenge. The situation in that country, as it conducts its elections, is extremely precarious. However, some legislation has improved the condition of women in that country. Furthermore, recent legislation that completely bans Atlasian companies from selling arms to foreign countries, including our allies, as well as prohibiting training of foreign forces has severely impacted our relations, as well as our economy- the effects of which shall be discussed as at a later date. But the fact is not a single arm can be sold outside the country, which means catastrophe for any nation we call an ally. This absolutely atrocious piece of legislation, which passed unanimously, must be repealed posthaste.

In Africa, we have made great strides forward. The Atlasian-African Free Trade Bill has done much to boost the economy of the nations of that continent. Furthermore, it means that we, politically, have lost far less ground relative to China- or more accurately, gained ground relative to the nations of Europe- on that continent. It means that the exports of those states to what we assumed they were in those states are appreciably higher than previously thought. However, this agreement has also meant there has been a considerable influx of subsidised agricultural products into the continent, which has hurt local farmers. This practice, which has have known of for decades, has been magnified by the inability of African states to impose tarriffs on subsidised Atlasian imports. Therefore, in order to balance the playing field, I urge the Senate to either repeal these agricultural subsidies or to impose export tariffs on agricultural exports to developing countries (as designated by the IMF).

In Latin America, recall that President Chavez of Venezuela was overthrown a few years back. Furthermore, we lifted sanctions on Cuba. As a result, the Castro regime has been greatly weakened, and, as a result of popular protests, has consented to multi-party elections scheduled for September 15, 2014.

Across the board, a wide variety of Free Trade Agreements have bolstered the economy considerably, and those of the signatories. But it is not enough to mitigate the considerable losses of an understandably confused foreign policy. The SoEA will have a considerable task ahead, and there may be more yet still to be discovered.

[Simfan34]

This important post has been moved elsewhere.

[Simfan34]

And, what do you know, we have some news.

BREAKING NEWS

It is reported that President Jalal Talalbani has dismissed Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki. This comes at a time of heightened crisis as the forces of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) are threatening to march on Baghdad, having captured several major cities in the country in recent days. His replacement at this time is unknown.