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 47,152,850 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 Cagayan, to the southwest by Jagani, to the west by (unknown), and to the northwest by Mervaria. The capital and largest metropolis, Neyriz is the political and economic center of Aftarestan, with a population of over 6.5 million inhabitants, and 10 million in the wider metropolitan area.

Aftarestan is home to several ancient civlizations of Kesh, beginning with the kingdoms to the north, with the ethnically Tavahite tribal confederation lead by the Karunite tribe in the Upper Regions of south Aftarestan as far back as the 3rd millenium BCE, with many examples of major habitation along the Tavahid River as far back as 40,000 BCE. The Upper and Lower Tavahid were first united under a single ruler under the reign of Araxa I, who founded the first Sarumite kingdom in 1,004 BCE, which lasted until 899 BCE, when the Collapse of the 9th century BCE began, resulting in widespread societal instability and turmoil in Northern Kesh. By the 3rd century BCE, the Ershamid Empire had begun its conquest of the surrounding regions, growing to its territorial height in 71 BCE under the reign of Haxāmaniš II. The Ershamid Empire having collapsed by the mid 1st century CE during the Great Famine of the Tavahid (44-47CE), with many generals and warlords carving pieces from the empire for themselves in the following decades. Several dynasties rose and fell throughout the rest of Late Antiquity, until the rise of Haqiqatan influence, and the Conquest of Aftarestan 621-643CE by the (unnamed Aravan empire). For the next several centuries, Aftarestan was under Aravan rule, until the Oromazid Dynasty gained independence in 1019CE. (more about the middle ages to early modern era here) The Awshadi Dynasty succeeded the Zawadi Dynasty in 1798 CE under the founding ruler Mohammad Ebrahim Shah Awshadi, which lasted until its collapse in 1923 CE during the Aftari Civil War 1921-1928, which resulted in the founding of the First Republic of Aftarestan, which lasted until 1966 after the Aftari Revolution 1959-1966.

Aftarestan is a  , with Rostamism as the state ideology. the President of the Revolutionary Party acts as Head of State and leader of the People's Assembly of Aftarestan, with the Premier of Aftarestan acting as Head of Government, and leading the Central Committee of the Revolutionary Republic of Aftarestan. The legislature is, and maintains a proportionate number of seats to the population of each administrative division within the nation. The Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan is the sole legal political party within Aftarestan, acting as the primary body and channel which connects state level politics and the greater part of society in Aftarestan, with all other political parties restricted to local functions and departments, primarily in the autonomous regions.

Aftarestan is a regional middle power in Kesh, with a large industrial base, and an abundance of mineral resources such as, , , and , with several other valuable resources that are regularly exported or processed domestically. Aftarestan also cooperates with several neighboring countries, such as Cagayan, Mervaria, and Atargistan on large-scale industrial and infrastructural projects aimed at improving economic efficiency and travel capabilities between countries within Kesh.

Aftarestan is a founding member of both the International Movement for Socialism and the International Collective Organization for Security and Economic Cooperation, the latter of which it maintains as a primary channel of international diplomacy and its primary military, political, and economic alliance.

Etymology
The name Aftarestan is believed to have originally been derived from the ancient pre-Iranian word "Eftere", which meant "By the river". By the 2nd century BCE, the word had come to be used to refer to the Iranian peoples inhabiting the lower Tavahid river basin, with most scholars speculating its common meaning being an endonym used to refer to those who held the (historical religion name here) who lived by the river. Today the word "Aftar" is used to refer both to the nation of Aftarestan, and to the ethnic Aftari peoples native to Northern and Central Aftarestan, which is differentiated with the non-ethnically Aftari iranian peoples living in Aftarestan.

Prehistory
The oldest archeological artifacts found in Aftarestan were discovered in the Gunjafrid Basin and Khoshar Range in eastern Aftarestan, confirming a human presence dating back to the late Lower Paleolithic. Archeological discoveries throughout the Tavahid Basin have uncovered signs of permanent human settlements dating back as far as the 40th century BCE. Agriculture and civilization arose at roughly the same time in Aftaretan's history between 10,000 BCE and 5,000 BCE, with several small walled villages grouped together in the Sasar region of central Aftarestan. There are several archeological examples of closely grouped settlements throughout the Tavahid Basin around this time, suggesting the existence of cultures and early civilizations as far back as the 7,000 BCE.

Several archeological sites have uncovered the use of not only tools, but also Pottery, man-made Amulets, ritualistic burial practices, and even the cultivation of local flora to limited varying degrees dating as far back as 30,000 BCE.

Antiquity
The first major civilizations in Aftarestan are believed to have arisen in the Sasar and Gori regions of the Tavahid Basin in central Aftarestan. The most notable pre-Iranian civilizations were the and Asanians around 2,400 BCE, who dominated most of the central Tavahid Basin until the arrival of the Iranians in the 1st millenium BCE.

The first civilization to unite Aftarestan was the Sarumites in 983 BCE with their conquest of the final holdouts of the in the Urtu region of southern Aftarestan, fully uniting the Upper and Lower Tavahid. The Sarumite Kingdom was founded by Araxes I in 1,004 BCE, with its capital located in the ancient city of Agdana], later moving to [[Tafsun in 952 BCE. The Sarumites established many precedents in Aftarestan, including the standardization of language, writing, and measurement; as well as the enforcement of a national religion, the construction of major road networks connecting major cities, and the expansion of urbanization throughout Aftarestan. Artisans and Craftspeople are believed to have thrived at the height of the Sarumite Kingdom (983 BCE - 944 BCE), as many archeological discoveries from this time have uncovered advanced bronzeworks, ceramics, jewelry, and many other things, with many examples using materials imported from elsewhere in the Eurybian, likely suggesting the presence of a strong trade network at the time. Sarumite rule over Aftarestan began to weaken by 920 BCE with a succession crisis, and finally collapsed in 899 BCE marking the Collapse of the 9th Century BCE in Aftarestan, and having lasting consequences in neighboring regions.

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.

Rise of Revolutionary Thought
The earliest traces of widespread leftist thought existing in Aftarestan goes back as far as the late 19th century, during the first major period of industrialization within Neyriz in the late 1880s. The subsequent rapid urban expansion, combined with the rapid acquisition of wealth and power among the industrialist, capitalist classes, and the strengthening foreign presence in the country and its politics, growing social movements and unions began sprouting up in major industrial centers.

Many union and movement leaders from this time were influenced by Duvalist, unionist, syndicalist, and anarchist ideology and praxis, and most would work together to organize worker strikes, set up networks, fund and organize public campaigns to spread information, class consciousness, and socialist literature among working class populations. Much of the action by these unions and worker movements were met with fierce, often times violent resistance by the state, and several unionbusting campaigns were launched at the behest of the industrialists.

During this early period of revolutionary thinking, a number of thinkers arose in prominence in Aftarestan, most namely of which were the sisters Afsun and Soudeh Rostami, Navid Karimi, Eskandar Esmaeili, Ava Taheri, and Fereshteh Reza, among several others from this time. By the early 1900s much of the disparate practices and tendencies of various worker groups were being unified and codified by these early revolutionary thought leaders, particularly the Rostami Sisters and Navid Karimi, all three prominent Duvalists, who helped shape much of the early revolutionary thought in Aftarestan, and set the groundwork for later revolutionary thought and praxis in Aftarestan.

In February, 1919 a general strike began within the coastal city of Artagan, centered around the port workers union, demanding stricter safety regulations, work shifts and shorter overall hours, elevated wages, breaks, and several other demands. As the strike went on, resistance became fiercer and fiercer, brawls and skirmishes began to break out between the strikers and state forces, and eventually culminating in the February 25th incident, when state forces launched an assault on the city block the strike was centered in, firing multiple shots into a crowd of people killing more than 50 people, with several hundred wounded. This incident sparked other demonstrations and protests across Artagan to escalate into full scale riots, which only gained in intensity as state resistance became harsher and firmer, as more strikes, protests, and demonstrations arose in several other cities across the country.

By March 8th, 1919 the Aftari government, seeing their efforts of suppression to be ineffective, settled to negotiate with union and protest leaders, and by March 14th, general parliamentary elections were opened up to the general public, where they had previously been restricted only to the property-owning classes, and a snap election was held from March 15th to March 21st, with the newly created Workers Union Party, in coalition with the Social-Democratic Party took majority. Several reforms were implemented by the newly elected parliament, though most were largely only a compromise with the original demands by union leaders. While these comrpomises were viewed as an overall net positive by many, many revolutionary leaders were skeptical as to their effectiveness in improving the material conditions of the working classes in the long term, with several more going so far as to insist that these reforms were nothing but a pacification strategy by the state to halt revolutionary activity in the short term, only to be revoked later on down the line.

Politics
The Constitution of the Revolution establishes that Aftarestan is "a Revolutionary Socialist State, committed to Rostamist principals of and Communism, lead by the Revolutionary Party as a form of  within a system guided by councils lead by the proletarian masses." Aftarestan is one of the only Socialist States in Anterra governed by a Communist Party. The government of Aftarestan has three dominant apparatus which serve to act as the main bodies of the state, the People's Assembly of Aftarestan for the Legislature, the Central Committee for the Executive branch, and the Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan which is the sole legal governing political party in the nation.

The government of Aftarestan has been often described as adhering to ideals and principals, when compared to Volkovist states influenced by the UPRZ, and is sometimes considered similarly aligned with Najiluvism in certain key principals, with an adherence to local councils having influence on state policymaking, decentralized planning and worker markets within the economy, and a similar belief in a vanguard party leading the revolutionary effort within the nation. Much of the centralization of politics within the Revolutionary Party came after political reforms in the 1970s, with the adoption of a revised constitution in 1973 restricting other political parties to local departments, and making the Revolutionary Party the de facto sole legal party in national politics, with several branch parties in various local and autonomous regions.

As a founding member of the International Movement for Socialism, Aftarestan has often cooperated even with other socialist groups it doesn't conventionally align with, under the belief that in spite of disagreements on how a communist society will be achieved, the common goal is still the same, and that international cooperation is necessary for socialism to flourish in the world, especially in the fight against capitalist and imperialist hegemony. However, since 2018, the country has focused less of its international efforts into the IMS and sought out a more concrete, explicit military-economic alliance with other socialist and anti-colonialist states, with significant effort being put into strengthening ties with countries like Atargistan and Arbenz, this effort cultimating into the International Collective Organization for Security and Economic Cooperation, a socialist military, political, and economic alliance founded on mutual defense, economic cooperation, expansion of socialist thought, and the protection of small, burgeoning socialist states and nations without official international interaction, functionally replacing the International Movement for Socialism in Aftarestan's international diplomacy.

Revolutionary Party
The Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan is organized into the main party at the national level, which acts as the sole legal political party in national politics, and several minor branch parties at local levels throughout Aftarestan, through which it operates state functions at local levels, as well as representing the needs of local groups more efficiently. At the national level, the Revolutionary Party is co-lead by the President of the Revolutionary Party who is elected by national popular vote, which is held every 5 years, and the Premier of Aftarestan, who is elected together with members of the General Committee of the Revolutionary Party by party members at Party Congresses, which are held after national elections with the President acting as Head of State, and acts as leader of the People's Assembly, as well as the de-facto leader of the Country, and the Premier acting as Head of Government, directly presiding over the Central Committee, which acts as the main politburo of the Revolutionary Party.

The Revolutionary Party organizes itself by Rostamist principals, guiding itself by Rostamist leaders throughout Aftarestan's history, stating in the opening paragraph of the official Revolutionary Party Manifesto:

"'The Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan shall always organize itself on the principals, philosophy, and ideological thinking laid down by our forebears, those who fought and died for the liberation of the Aftari people and the proletarian classes of the world, those who dedicated their lives to the betterment of learning and understanding the world in which we live, and those who have worked tirelessly to lay down the foundations for our revolution, to make it a revolution of the people, for one and all, that none be left to go without food, shelter, work, fulfillment, or to suffer needlessly at the hands of a society that is cruel, backward, and caters only to those born luckiest of us all. Our Revolutionary Party of Aftarestan is meant to stand as a shining beacon among socialists worldwide, to act as an inspiration for how communism may be most effectively achieved in any nation, standing firm and steadfast in our way, but like liquid, willing and able to flow with the changes of time, always ready to understand how best to meet the needs and wants of our society, that the people from every circle of life be happy, productive, comfortable, and in every way possible, as thoroughly liberated in every aspect of their lives.'"

The official party manifesto also states the following as the primary guiding ideological and philosophical principals of Rostamism:


 * Anticolonialism, and by extension the liberation and self-determination for all peoples of Kesh and all exploited peoples worldwide.


 * Worker Self-Management and Self-Determination, for all who perform labor, no matter their position or percieved status in society


 * Trade Unions are a stepping stone towards a society capable of establishing a Proletarian State, but not a necessary part of the Proletarian State


 * Communal councils, worker councils, and other similar methods of organizing groups of people together are looked to for guidance on state-level policy making


 * Party Democracy, the Revolutionary Party operates through the centralization of national politics, with an emphasized disagree and commit system, in an attempt to act as a unitary body to enact policy and programs within Aftarestan


 * Revolution is an ever-growing, ever-changing process of change itself, and the goal of the revolutionary is to direct that change in such a way as to be of the most benefit for the wider whole of humanity


 * Aggressive Progressivism, there is no pretense for tolerating intolerance, and by extension cultural revolution is seen as a necessary part of the wider revolution, to undo centuries of social harm, prejudices, assumptions, and behaviors


 * Large-scale welfare, society and its governing bodies should do everything they can to provide as much as they can to those in society who cannot provide for themselves, those in need, and those who have fallen on hard times, if for no other reason than to ensure a happy, healthy, and fulfilled society


 * Creating a unified global revolutionary front, despite any differences that might be had, it is vitally important to create a unified effort with groups, organizations, and individuals committed to the liberation of all peoples of the world from tyranny and violence


 * The recognition that what we have now is not communism and is, at the most generous a form of low-order market socialism, at worst state capitalism, as the belief is that communism cannot be achieved while capitalism is the dominant mode of production globally

Government
The Central Committee of the Revolutionary Republic of Aftarestan serves as the executive body of Aftarestan's national government, initially acting as a simple organizing body of executives within the Revolutionary Party, as early as in 1971 the Central Committee's role was extended to act with more independence and authority, though still only through the channels of the Revolutionary Party, it was expanded to allow for the creation of Special State Commissions, Special Executive Committees, and partial oversight and management of state economic organizations, as well as oversight and approval of emergency powers to the Government of Aftarestan, including the ability to temporarily restructure sections of the economy for specific emergencies, such as natural disasters, war, or general internal unrest.

The main Legislative body within Aftarestan is the People's Assembly of Aftarestan, a unicameral legislature organized into having seats in each administrative division proportionate to the population, with a minimum of 2 legislators per division. Several smaller legislative committees organized by representatives from various Workers Councils and Unions, with some having a Special Representative in the People's Assembly with partial voting status on legislation relating to matters that affect them directly.

Foreign Relations
Since its founding in 1966, the Revolutionary Republic of Aftarestan has maintained relations with other communist and socialist states throughout Anterra, with notable exceptions such as Teutonia Aftarestan tried to maintain mutual defense treaties with several other communist nations, such as Atargistan and the UPRZ. In 1983 Aftarestan and its Revolutionary Party became a founding member of the IMS, an organization that acts to promote efforts of cooperation and integration of leftist movements within society worldwide, with several parties from socialist and non-socialist states alike, with the IMS being a de facto military alliance among member states in the organization, without ever officially declaring the IMS an international alliance. Much of IMS activity has declined in the past decades, with many former member states moving away from socialism or dissolving entirely, Aftarestan remained a central figure in IMS activity internationally, and still maintains a seat as a founding member of the organization, despite moving away from it as a primary method of interacting with other socialist states, preferring to use it to organize with non-state socialist entities.

As of 20xx, Aftarestan has sought to replace the IMS as its primary alliance with other socialist states, putting effort into creating the International Collective Organization for Security and Economic Cooperation or "Neyriz Pact", an international allianced of Socialist states and non-state nations, with a specific emphasis on strengthening diplomatic ties between each member, mutual military and diplomatic defense between member nations, promoting economic cooperation between member nations, promoting expanding and refining socialist ideological and philosophical thought globally, and the expansion of socialism as a legitimate alternative and successor to capitalism as the dominant mode of production globally. As of 2022, ICOSEC has become a primary method which Aftarestan engages in international diplomacy, with most non-IMS or non-ICOSEC diplomacy being a base level of diplomacy required for international recognition, maintaining neutral contact and status with much of the outside world, and trade, for which aftarestan benefits greatly diplomatically from its large natural mineral resource reserves.

(this is still very WIP, you can edit this section for your own country if you want)

Autonomous Regions
The Autonomous Regions in Aftarestan are like normal administrative divisions in Aftarestan, but an Autonomous Region maintains a local government council, as well as elected representatives to the People's Assembly of Aftarestan, however it maintains greater local legislative autonomy, as well as its own special commission in the country's Central Committee. As of the Revised Constitution of 2001, there are officially 6 Autonomous Regions in Aftarestan. Each autonomous region has a proportional amount of representatives within the People's Assembly, with one additional special representative, acting to represent matters pertaining specifically to their autonomous region.

The Autonomous Region of Surestan is a Special Administrative Zone as well as Autonomous Region, being populated primarily by the Siwa Berbers, who are a semi-nomadic people.

Workers & Communal Councils
The system of Workers and Communal Councils in Aftarestan is a broad legal system in Aftarestan with precedent going back as far as antiquity. Much of society is organized into Workers and Communal councils, often operating in specific territories or industries, or surrounding specific minority groups outside of the Autonomous Regions. Many larger councils also maintain a representative in the People's Assembly of Aftarestan, particularly communal councils correlating to specific administrative divisions. The special representatives of the Workers and Communal councils only regularly vote on legislation relating to the councils they represent, but are permitted to vote on other legislative matters in special circumstances, e.g. any votes on reorganizing the economy in any major way.

Many councils in Aftarestan form legislative blocs known as Special Legislative Committees, with the purpose of uniting related councils throughout the nation to collaborate, discuss, and vote on legislation that concerns them collectively. Many of these Special Legislative Committees are temporary in nature, especially those formed around specific population blocs, but many are more permanent in nature, with the earliest going back as far as shortly after the adoption of the Constitution of Aftarestan (1961), which implemented the practice.

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.