Aftarestan

Aftarestan (: افترستن), also called Aftaristan, officially the Revolutionary Republic of Aftarestan (: جمهوری انقلابی افترستن) is a country located in northern Kesh. It has a population of 66,152,850 and its territory covers an area of 1,066,525 km2 (411,788 sq mi). Aftarestan is bordered by the Gulf of Qurac to the northeast, to the east by Nasiria and Atargistan, to the southeast by (unknown), to the southwest by Jagani ,to the west by (unknown), and to the northwest by Satamurta. The capital and largest metropolis, Neyriz is the political and economic center of Aftarestan, with a population of over 8 million inhabitants, and 13 million in the wider metropolitan area.

The government of Aftarestan is styled after the Rostamist view of communist governance in theory and in practice, with much of the country's state functions being gradually supplanted by communal ones since its founding, and very little permanent bureaucratic presence, while recognizing that the current revolutionary state is not itself "true communism", owing to the belief that communism cannot be fully realized in any major way whilst capitalism is the dominant global mode of production. This belief has directed many of the country's actions on the international stage, including aligning with the IMS, and offering support for local revolutionary efforts in countries such as Nasiria. Aftarestan's governing party is the Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan, taking after the original Workers Union Party first organized in 1918, it has been the sole legal party in Aftarestan since 1966, with several iterative changes within its ideological, political, and philosophical frameworks driven by the goal to best reflect the changing conditions of modern world.

The river valleys of the Tavahid River in Aftarestan have been populated since as early as 11,000BCE, and has been home to civilizations since the first Elamite cities and kingdoms in the 4th millennium BCE. It was first united under the rule of the Iranian Sarumite tribes in the ninth century BCE.

Awshadi Dynasty (1798CE – 1921CE)
The Awshadi Dynasty was founded by Mohammad Ebrahim Shah in 1798CE, after five years of conflict following the death of Rezi Ali Shah III, the last ruler of the Zawadi Dynasty. Mohammad Ebrahim Shah (born Ebrahim Suri) was the fourth son of the chief of the Awshad tribe, the appointed governor of the Luk in 1777CE, and a member of Rezi Ali III’s Minister Council from 1784CE until the death of the Shah in 1793CE. Rezi Ali Shah III died after only nine years of rule to Tuberculosis at age 33, and without an heir, the throne was to go to Rezi Ali III’s cousin Hussayn Rokh Zawad. However before Hussayn Rokh could arrive at the capital, a coup led by several court nobles took place to install Hussayn Rokh’s brother Abbas Zawad as Shah, and upon Hussayn Rokh’s arrival, Abbas had him imprisoned and blinded in secret.

Mohammad Ebrahim, who had supported Hussayn Rokh Zawad, gathered support from other members of the Minister Council, and court nobles who opposed Abbas Zawad, and lead an uprising against Abbas and his supporters. Abbas abdicated the throne after less than a year of fighting, and as a result he was imprisoned and executed. Hussayn Rokh Zawad was placed on the throne, but died without an heir later that year to an infection in his wounds. With no legal heir to throne left alive, rebellions and revolts sprung up across the country as warlords began vying for control. The Minister Council ordered the raising of any forces loyal to the Court to assemble in the capital, and Mohammad Ebrahim, recognized for his efforts in securing the throne for Hussayn Rokh Zawad, was selected as commander in chief for the Minister Council’s forces in combating the rebel armies.

The campaign led by Mohammad Ebrahim lasted nearly three years, and consisted of many minor battles and skirmishes with rebelling warlords, peasants, and bandits, and culminated in the Battle of Latakh Valley (1797CE) where Mohammad Ebrahim’s forces defeated an army nearly a third in size larger than his own, putting the rebellions to a final end shortly thereafter. With his victories and accomplishments, Mohammad Ebrahim experienced a great surge in popularity among his forces and much of the populace for bringing back the peace. With this popularity, the Minister Council and much of the court nobility feared Mohammad Ebrahim would soon take control of the Council and Court, and conspired to have him assassinated upon his return to the Capital. However a member of the Council had sent a message to Ebrahim Shah in secret, telling him of the plans the Council had to assassinate him. Mohammad Ebrahim, upon receiving word of his planned assassination, marched his army on the Capital and soon laid siege to it, demanding every Noble and member of the Council who had conspired against him be brought out and publicly executed.

The siege lasted four months, with many defenders defecting to Mohammad Ebrahim’s army, and riots breaking out throughout the city. Upon Mohammad Ebrahim taking the capital, he ordered the execution of all those who had conspired against him, putting Ministers in their place that were loyal to him. On February 21st, 1798CE, Ebrahim Mohammad was declared Shah by the Minister Council, beginning the Awshadi dynasty.

Economy
The economy of Aftarestan is primarily a mixture between a Command Economy and a Decentrally-Planned Economy, with most key sectors being operated at the state level, but many non-essential sectors operated either communally, provincially, or by means of worker-owned cooperatives. The primary sectors owned and operated by the state are Agriculture, Mining & Extraction, Refining, Infrastructure & Transportation, Energy Production, and much of Goods Manufacturing. Examples of decentrally planned economic sectors would include Tourism, News & Media, Healthcare & Medicine, and Goods Distribution, primarily being a cooperative effort between state and various localities.

Much of the economy is set to fixed domestic prices, with the state having a monopoly on foreign trade of industrial materials, and agricultural goods, with direct oversight of many other aspects of foreign trade.

Most major national economic decisions are made by the Peoples Planning Committee, with much of the decision making coming down to votes cast directly by economic actors within the committee, often representatives elected by worker councils, but in cases such as no certain agreement being found by the committee, a council of state appointed economic advisors can act to direct planning and decision making at the national economic level.

Despite the state oversight and management of many major sectors in Aftarestan, much of the production process is built upon a working relationship between state guidance and direction, and worker needs, with particular emphasis on building up worker self determination in and democratizing as many aspects of the workplace as possible.

As of 2000 the service sector was the largest sector of the economy, at 57.3% of the gdp, with it growing to 64.1% of the gdp by 2018, with the Industrial sector at 28.14% and the agricultural sector at 7.76%

Infrastructure & Transportation
Infrastructure and transportation have always been a key component of the modern Aftari economy beginning with the first major rail projects linking the coastal port city of Artagan to the capital of Neyriz in 1902, with several other projects undertaken by the Awshadi and Republican administrations. Under the revolutionary government's Infrastructure Expansion Project of 1968, a massive national effort was placed into rebuilding and expanding Aftarestan's roads and railways, as well as underground rail networks within several major cities. Several cities have airports that service passenger and cargo planes. Aftarestan Air is the official state airline, and operates the majority of domestic and international flights. Highways connect most of Aftarestan's major cities, with 1 major highway connecting the otherwise isolated south of Aftarestan to the rest of the country.

Public Transportation in most cities is operated at an almost entirely localized level, with most national transportation operated by the Ministerial Committee for Transportation.