<div dir="ltr">hey, <br><br>welcome aboard. in Dylan and I play Canada. good to have ya with us.<br><br><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Aug 5, 2008 at 2:31 PM, Ian Martell <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:martellian@hotmail.com">martellian@hotmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">Hey Iain,<br>
<br>
Welcome to WAR, I'm Ian Martell, the player for Japan.<br>
<br>
<br>
--------------------------------------------------<br>
From: "Iain" <<a href="mailto:iain@iain-waddell.co.uk">iain@iain-waddell.co.uk</a>><br>
Sent: Tuesday, August 05, 2008 11:50 AM<br>
To: <<a href="mailto:war_ooc@esteroic.com">war_ooc@esteroic.com</a>><br>
Subject: [War_ooc] Spain 2014<br>
<div><div></div><div class="Wj3C7c"><br>
> ====================<br>
> Country: Kingdom of Spain<br>
> Leader: President of the Government Elena Garcia Rodriguez Ruling Party:<br>
> Spanish Socialist Workers' Party<br>
><br>
><br>
> Political Landscape<br>
> ===================<br>
><br>
> In 2008, the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party was re-elected to Government<br>
> under President Zapatero with slightly less than an overall majority. At<br>
> this time the party was unable to secure support of any of the other<br>
> parties<br>
> in the parliament and therefore began to run a minority government. This<br>
> government was plagued by problems both in terms of its inability to gain<br>
> support for many of its key tabled reforms and in the public opinion of<br>
> the<br>
> party. Following the shooting of one of the party's Basque politicians on<br>
> the run up to the 2008 election, which was attributed to ETA, the party<br>
> and<br>
> the government were seen to do little. This ran contrary to Zapatero's<br>
> promise of being a hardliner on terrorism and he began to lose popularity<br>
> and the faith of his people. When an attempt was made on the President's<br>
> life in 2009, leaving him without the function of his left arm, he stepped<br>
> down. Vice President Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega stepped into the<br>
> breach as interim and two days later was elected to the Presidential post<br>
> on<br>
> the second vote with only a plurality of votes having failed to gain a<br>
> majority in the first vote.<br>
><br>
> It was under Fernandez's leadership that the Spanish Socialist Worker's<br>
> Party found a renewed support among the Spaniards. Her increasingly<br>
> liberal<br>
> views on equality and a unified Spain rang resoundingly with the people of<br>
> Spain. During the ensuing recession, her firm leadership and increasingly<br>
> public figure seized the opportunity to further her policies. In 2010, in<br>
> league with the monarch, Juan Carlos I, she called out to Spain to seek a<br>
> new era of unity, to use the wealth they had gathered prior to this<br>
> financial crisis to spread throughout the country rather than the local<br>
> disparities that currently reigned. Nationalist movements for regions<br>
> throughout Spain began to lose their popularity and by 2012 a return to<br>
> Central Government Administration had been achieved.<br>
><br>
> Following the 2012 elections, the Spanish Socialist Workers Party found<br>
> themselves win a landslide victory with a clear majority in the Senate.<br>
> Fernandez congratulated her party and their supporters before announcing<br>
> her<br>
> time had come to retire. It was a third round of voting this time that<br>
> eventually elected a President to be confirmed by the King. Elena Garcia<br>
> Rodriguez was confirmed as President on November 17th, 2012. Rodriguez was<br>
> much younger than her predecessor and a new-hand to politics having only<br>
> joined the government of Fernandez 2 years earlier from a career in<br>
> diplomacy.<br>
><br>
> After a shaky start, Fernandez gained increasing popularity with key<br>
> members<br>
> of her party and many public figures spoke out in support of a fresh face<br>
> leading the country. Many social reforms remained on the table, and it was<br>
> Fernandez that began to bring the Spanish back into the international<br>
> political arena in 2013 following a prolonged period of political<br>
> isolation.<br>
><br>
><br>
> Defence<br>
> =======<br>
><br>
> The Spanish military remains active only in International Peacekeeping<br>
> Forces and has down-scaled considerably in recent years. The running joke<br>
> is<br>
> that the coast guard and border patrol will soon be the frontline Spanish<br>
> troops. The Spanish government have been reluctant to pledge any troops to<br>
> the UN and have only done so when it has been suggested that they're<br>
> co-operation is required rather than requested. This reluctance echoes the<br>
> lack of participation in diplomacy in recent years. The participation in<br>
> peacekeeping operations in Azerbaijan under US direction was seen as<br>
> controversial (albeit justified) given the condemnation of violence in<br>
> Russian provinces and Korea.<br>
><br>
> Foreign Relations<br>
> =================<br>
><br>
> Over the past year, President Fernandez has reshuffled her ambassadorial<br>
> staff to better represent Spain abroad. There are rumours of an intended<br>
> tour of Europe to discuss common political issues with nearby leaders but<br>
> nothing has yet been confirmed.<br>
><br>
> In 2013 Fernandez directly criticised the Chinese leader for his<br>
> government's involvement in using prisoners to produce goods for export.<br>
> This, whilst the opinion of the majority, was seen as a bold move given<br>
> the<br>
> influence of the superpower over the currently political climate. Further<br>
> condemnations came from members of her government and diplomatic staff<br>
> following evidence of human rights violations by Chinese soldiers.<br>
><br>
> Relations with the United States have been cordial, with open discussion<br>
> and<br>
> review of the Azerbaijan situation and joint criticism of the Chinese<br>
> leading to a defrosting of the usually icy Iberian-US dialogue. There have<br>
> been warnings from several sources against Spain becoming a new US<br>
> 'lapdog'<br>
> which the President has not taken seriously. Comparisons of former UK-US<br>
> relations have also been made.<br>
><br>
> Despite widely evading damage in recent international terrorist strikes,<br>
> Fernandez has reinforced her position to not negotiate with terrorist<br>
> organisations and ensured that the leaders of countries affected all<br>
> received personal messages of condolences and support from her government.<br>
> A<br>
> visit to the United States is now thought to be imminent following<br>
> messages<br>
> of support for the Williams administrations handling of almost ever recent<br>
> affair.<br>
><br>
><br>
> Economy<br>
> =======<br>
><br>
> The economy is slowly restabilising following the recessions of recent<br>
> times. This has been helped with the central regulation of government<br>
> spending and taxation taken back from local governments a couple of years<br>
> ago. There is hope with a raised international profile both tourism and<br>
> sales of Spanish exports will bring the country higher revenues once more.<br>
><br>
><br>
> Social Issues<br>
> =============<br>
><br>
> Unemployment remains an issue in Spain which has had an effect on slightly<br>
> higher rates of crime. The government is tackling these problems together<br>
> with criminals having compulsory public service and training courses to<br>
> increase their skills and 'sense of duty'.<br>
><br>
> Particularly following World Youth Day in 2011 in Madrid, a return to<br>
> Catholicism has led to immense controversies in Spain. Whilst the people<br>
> are<br>
> taking up regular attendance at mass and religious views, this has led to<br>
> a<br>
> decreased interest in social reform. This has been echoed by the slowing<br>
> of<br>
> social reforms passing through legislative paths. Hate crimes have been on<br>
> the increase following recent international terrorism and Iranian actions,<br>
> particularly against the Muslim communities in Spain. There has been a<br>
> no-tolerance approach from the government on these crimes with mandatory<br>
> custodial sentences for anyone convicted but this has done little to curb<br>
> the trend. Non-Spanish nationals are still finding themselves feeling<br>
> bullied as the nation frowns on both legal and illegal immigration. The<br>
> tightening of immigration laws does not seem to have helped the matter.<br>
><br>
> Tolerance for homosexual marriage remains but is continuously being<br>
> protested by religious groups and being brought for debate in government.<br>
> The appointment of an openly-gay man as Vice President, who is married to<br>
> his husband has been viewed as a token gesture to the 'liberal' views that<br>
> the President supposedly holds and has led to a decrease in both the<br>
> government, and their leader's popularity among the more religious.<br>
><br>
> The Muslim population of Spain is also gaining increased attendance at<br>
> religious gatherings and whilst this initially was accepted and a<br>
> live-and-let-live attitude was adopted, increasing suspicion over the war<br>
> in<br>
> Azerbaijan and terrorism has led to the occasional brawl between Muslims<br>
> and<br>
> Christians. Conversely, the Muslims are protesting the Spanish<br>
> government's<br>
> involvement in Azerbaijan as an act against Islamic faithfuls.<br>
><br>
> Human Rights organisations and Sexual-equality groups remain a powerful<br>
> lobbying force but are being increasingly side-lined over the growing<br>
> power<br>
> of the Catholic Church and the government's desperation to quench bad<br>
> feeling both from and toward its Muslim citizens.<br>
><br>
> ====<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br></div>