Osorra

Osorra, officially the Empire of Osorra, is a located in Avalonia. It borders Tilenno to the north, Cipertine to the east, and is surrounded by the Tethys Ocean to the west and south. Politically, Ossora is a monarchy with substantial democratic elements. In theory, all power is held by the so-called Solnechnyy Tsar' - the earthly representative of the Bactil. However, his advisors are selected by the Inner Imperial House and the emperor has to have his budget approved by the Outer Imperial House. Currently, the houses are dominated by the Arnica Clique, Osorri Commerce Party, and Osorra First - the latter two organized into the Greater Osorra Coalition. Osorra limits political participation to a vast aristocracy known as the Pomeshchiks, who are the only ones legally allowed to create and participate in political societies. Many believe Osorra to be a stratocracy with an obfuscatory military leadership.

Osorra has had a long history. Modern Osorrai history begins with a power struggle between two rival houses, leading to the disillusion of the Ossoi Empire into fractured states. War and turmoil ensued until the Bacti League formed and united the country - purportedly to protect it from outsiders. Osorra would close its borders and ports from the outside world for the next few centuries. Said period of isolation ended when Yarovan traders began expanding their presence beginning in the 1830s. The Arnica House would enlist the help of these traders to reunite the country and began the The Wars of Osorrai Unification. After the conclusion of the war, the modern Osorrai state was created as a Yarovan vassal. The Yarovphillic Emperor would begin a program of Yarovification in an attempt to create unity among culturally distinct groups. Settlers came en masse from Yarova, Kesh, and Southern Avalonia.

In the 1890s Osorra began a massive modernization, creating modern institutions. Many called for similar radical political overhauls, threatening the emperor's hold on power. An Osorrai independence movement and the republican movement grew and when Yarova fell to war in the 1920s the Emperor was removed and the Westernized army took power in the October 13th Event. Afterward, the state was dominated by the Armed Forces of Osorra and the Volkov Union. The dictatorship's main support base was in middle-class nobles or mixed-race farmers, and it would begin projects to improve their living standards. It implemented a vaguely left-leaning program of "Sotsial'nyy Pod'yem - building railways, cleaning cities, and improving infrastructure. The dictatorship built a repressive state apparatus while trying to feign the image of democracy. The dictatorship would begin to rot internally in the 60s, which was accelerated by international sanctions from the Osorrai Nuclear Program, and the loss in the Osorra Tilenno War. It ended when right-wing officers couped the dictatorship in 1986, reinstalling the Tsar.

In the 80s the Empire underwent massive liberalization as the new government sought to dismantle the dictatorship: assets were sold off, purges occurred in the civil service, limited democratization occurred, and the emperor was given back his power. The liberalization saw an explosion of inequality, mass layoffs, and reductions in state services. A new class of corrupt billionaires emerged from the privatizations, wealthy from former state assets. Widespread civil discontent forced the emperor to grow closer to the army, and rely on them to hold power. Osorra would deal with an internal insurgency from the late 90s to early 00s which has morphed into a neverending drug war.

Today Osorra is a higher middle-income country, with a developing economy. The Osorrai economy is based on heavy industries, mining, services, and agriculture. The country's export sector is dominated by the mining industry, with Osorra being one of the largest producers of copper, gold, and lithium in Anterra. Its largest trade partners are Tilenno Brigantica and Yarova. Osorra is an observer in the AES and pursues a multivector policy of balancing multiple powers.

Etymology
Osorra is thought to have originated from the native word for mother, "Oso", and the term "Ori" which loosely translates to country. Words such as "Ossoi" would be used for other Osorrai polities. When the Arnica House took the country it would officially name it "Osorra", translating to the mother country.

Politics and Government
The Empire of Osorra is a monarchy, ruled by the Solnechnyy Tsar'. While his power is absolute, he delegates powers to the Imperial Houses, various advisory bodies that advise the Tsar. Two houses exist, the Outer and Inner House. The Inner House is made up of the military, nobility, and various corporate figures. The Outer House is popularly elected by the people. The Outer Imperial House controls the power of the purse, while the Inner is the only one allowed to propose laws. Most laws are created by the Imperial Houses and approved by the Tsar. The structure of the Imperial Houses is unlike legislatures since Osorra limits participation in legal political societies to the upper aristocracy known as the Pomeshchiks. Consequently, Osorri politics is made up of many small social societies instead of large political parties - who join into loose cliques.

The non-landed classes exercise their power primarily through religious and charitable organizations - often controlled by wealthy oligarchs. These organizations are united into the All-Osorra Trade Union, a powerful trade union with a large degree of influence. Osorra's working classes have limited avenues of political organization, often reliant on the support of extremely powerful oligarchs to achieve concessions. Many scholars have theorized Osorra has a "high low vs middle" class setup.

Osorra's judicial system has seen the least change from the military dictatorship, primarily administered by military tribunals. The tribunals have 3 soldiers from the community deciding on criminal matters, or a district magistrate to decide on civil ones. They utilize common law, effectively giving the military full jurisdiction to decide matters of Osorrai law. The military also runs many of Osorra's prisons, where it is alleged they utilize forced labor. The military has been accused of unequally enforcing laws and allowing many military leaders to operate with impunity. The military's role has come under particular scrutiny due to the recent War on Drugs.

Osorra's state ministries are under the direct control of the Tsar, however many functions are administered by the military. The Tsar can select various state ministers in the Imperial Council, where officials such as the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, etc are located in. His picks must be approved by the Imperial Houses before approval. Most functions related to communication and transportation are managed by the military, who owns state companies and selects the board members of these state companies. The military operates these functions relatively autonomously and has been unwilling to cede them to the civilian government.

Military
The Armed Forces of Osorra is the military of Osorra and is under the command of the Osorrai High Command. The Osorrai Command is made up of 5 generals, who are among the most powerful men in the country. The military makes decisions through consensus amount the 5 generals, although the Lieutenant General is allowed to make decisions if consensus cannot be reached. The military has 600k active troops and about 800k paramilitary in total, with 4 branches: The Osorrai Army, the Osorrai Air Forces, the Osorrai Navy, and the Paramilitary of National Self Defense. The largest division in the armed forces by far is the Paramilitary, with around 800k members in total. The paramilitary operates around various irregular regional forces, who are semi-regularly trained and can support professional forces if needed. They also exist to put down rebellions and control peripheral regions within the country. Paramilitary forces are enlisted in the military's various megaprojects, and its existence is seen as somewhat of a "job program" to support poor Osorrai.

The second-largest force is the Osorrai Army with 350,000 troops. The army since the loss to Tilenno has significantly shifted its doctrine, moving away from structured formations, and towards flexible and mobile formations that utilize the unique geography of Avalonia. As such the army has focused on developing light mechanized infantry systems, using small APCs and even trucks that can transverse rough terrain. The army has also invested in various missile defense systems to attempt to "trap" an enemy force and reduce their morale. Since reforms from the 1980s Osorra's army has been transformed into an extremely flexible force, which in unison with airpower, attempts to cut off an enemy's supply lines, confuse enemy units, and reduce their morale. The army operates in a node system, where each company is expected to operate as a self-contained unit which can sustain itself if needed. The army in recent years has involved itself in conflict with many of the country's drug cartels with the assistance of countries such as Brigantica.

Osorra has a large airforce, made up of hundreds of planes, primarily older models. The airforce has 100,000 personnel in total. The primary focus of the airforce is to harass enemy supply lines, shock and awe, and scouting of enemy forces. The navy has 150,000 personnel with around 15 submarines, 10 destroyers, and 18 frigates. The navy is a green water fleet.

Economy
Osorra has a higher middle-income economy with a GDP of around 640 billion nominal. The economy saw rapid growth in the 80s and 90s but is now facing economic stagnation - a consequence of economic mismanagement and rent-seeking. The economy is based around the export of raw commodities, agriculture, and heavy industry - although smaller light industries exist within the cities. Most of the nation's industries, mines, and farms are owned by a small class of oligarchs who launder much of the money outside the nation. As a result, Osorra is one of the most unequal nations in Anterra, with a GINI of .56.

Osorra's economy is dominated by family enterprises, the military, and foreign businesses. The military and various family enterprises are thought to exist in a "crosslinked structure" where they cooperate and hold a stake in each other. The military obfuscates its holdings through the existence of numerous shell companies. Foreign scholars have noted this allows the military to control a large chunk of the economy, giving it a wide degree of influence. Osorrai small businesses have been crowded out in recent decades, due to the massive growth of large companies and influx of FDI across the country.

Energy
Osorra's energy sector is primarily controlled by the army, in particular, the army owned company National Organization of Power Delivery. Osorra has some of the cheapest energy in the world, due to both the large presence of nuclear power, and subsidization by the military apparatus. Osorra's power grid is underdeveloped with many rural areas cut off from power. The largest consumer of power is the industrial sector.

Osorra's energy grid is primarily dominated by hydropower (33%) and nuclear power (45%), with coal and natural gas making up the rest. The country consumes X GW annually, with a per capita consumption of X. Osorra has been praised throughout the rest of Anterra for its embrace of clean and renewable energy, however concerns exist over the military's handling of nuclear technology. From the 60s-70s Osorra had a nuclear weapons program which was only ended due to a Tilenno invasion. Since then all of Osorra's nuclear facilities are subject to inspections, must allow permanent inspector presence, and partial privatization.

In Osorra access to power is limited. 88% of the population has access to energy, many of them living in affluent cities. However, in many of the native reservations, access to electricity is limited. Also for many people outside the cities power is often spotty and unreliable. Osorra in recent has attempted to expand capacity as a result and aims for 100% energy coverage by 2030.