Characters / Red World Middle East

Character Index | Africa (North Africa) | Americas (USA) | Asia (Middle East | South Asia | Oceania) | Europe (British Isles | Italy | Balkans | Soviet Union)

Middle East

United Arab Republic

Official Name: United Arab Republic, Union of Arab Syndicates (Syndicalists depose Sharaf), Federation of Arab Reoublics (Presidential Election), Greater Arab State (Hegazy proclaims the Greater Arab State), United Arab Kingdom (Monarchist)

Ruling Party: Arab Socialist Union – Nasserites

Ideology: Nasserism^note Revolutionary Socialism

The UAR is a federal union between Egypt and Syria. The two nations united under the common principal of Arab socialism in the hopes of forming a larger federal republic with the other Arab nations. Recently, the union has come under threat of dissolution from both Egyptian and Syrian nationalists.

---

• Allohistorical Allusion: The UAR was a real federation which lasted from 1958 and 1971. After the death of Gamal Nasser, disagreements between the Egyptians and Syrians, as the leadership and political power became increasingly more centralized to Egypt.
• Bodyguard Betrayal: After Bashar al-Assad starts to rise in popularity in Syria, Hosni Mubarak will place al-Assad under house arrest. However, this turns out to be part of Assad's plans to dampen Egypts image in Syria. Assad will flee with the help of those guarding him, and Mubarak will be murdered by his own bodyguards.
• Civil War: If the decision to crush Bashar al-Assad's rebellion in Syria is taken, the UAR fall into a state of civil war between Egypt and Syria.
• Event Flag: Assad's declaration of Syria's independence kicks off the focus tree for the UAR. The government has a choice to crush the rebellion and save the union, or accept the country's fate, and dissolve the union.
• The Federation: The UAR is a federal republic consisting of Egypt and Syria. Both have significant devolved powers, with a central government located in Cairo.
• Spared by the Adaptation: The union was able to survive longer in Red World as a result of Hafez al-Assad's failure to united Syrians to his cause. However, at the beginning of the game, it would appear a rift in the union is inevitable.
• We Hardly Knew You: The UAR enters crisis when Syria breaks away from the union. While the UAR can launch a military assault to bring Syria back into the fold, the Egyptians can simply accept Syrian independence and simply continue as Egypt. This brings an end to the UAR within the first year of gameplay.

Essam Sharaf

Role: Head of State

Party: Arab Socialist Union – Nasserites, Arab Socialist Union – Islamic Socialists (National Convention achieves majority for Islamic Socialist faction), Arab Socialist Union – Syndicalists (National Convention achieves majority for Syndicalist faction)

Ideology: Nasserism^note Revolutionary Socialism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Dr. Essam Sharaf is part of a small group of western-educated academics who rose to power under President Anwar Sadat in the late eighties. Sadat’s dismissal of senior officers from political positions in the country gave room for the technocrats who soon came to dominate the government of the United Arab Republic. Sharaf was hired as an expert for the Jordanian government on behalf of Egypt, which sought closer ties to their Arab neighbors while distancing itself from the Soviet Union. He returned to Egypt after the collapse of the Federation of Arab Republics in 1992, as fellow technocrat Kamal Ganzouri became president of the UAR. He joined the Arab Socialist Union and was appointed minister of transportation, rising to become prime minister by 1999. As an engineer by trade, his foremost concern while in power was infrastructure expansion and modernization. The efficient planning implemented by his administration led to an economic boom in Egypt, securing his position as successor when President Ganzouri retired in 2004. As leader of the UAR, Sharaf’s efforts to expand his projects to Syria were met with resistance from the ruling Assad family who, seeing him as a threat to their power, stifled all development projects located in their country. Subsequent efforts at reconciliation between Cairo and Damascus have been unsuccessful and with the outbreak of an insurgency in 2009 many have begun to doubt the strength of the Arab socialist project.

---

Ahmed el-Tayeb

Role: Head of State (el-Tayeb ousts Sharaf)

Party: Arab Socialist Union – Islamic Socialists

Ideology: Islamic Socialism^note Revolutionary Socialism

---

Arab Trades Syndicates Assembly

Role: Head of State (Syndicalists remove Sharaf from power)

Party: Arab Socialist Union – Syndicalists

Ideology: Syndicalism^note Revolutionary Socialism

---

Bashar al-Assad

Role: Head of State (UAR wins war, Assad is let go, Ba'ath Party wins Election against ASU), (Rleased by a National Bolshevik country)

Party: Arab Socialist Union - Assadists, Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (Assad joins Ba'ath Party), Arab Socialist Union - National Progressive Unionists (Ba'athist Party wins election, Presidential Election - Assad elected)

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Arab Socialism^note Moderate Socialism (Assad left alive, Ba'ath Party wins election against ASU, Presidential Election - Assad elected)

---

See his entry in the Syria folder below.

Hamdeen Sabahi

Role: Head of State (Presidential Election - Sabahi elected), (Released by a Moderate Socialist country)

Party: Arab Socialist Union - National Progressive Unionists

Ideology: Arab Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

---

Hassan al-Nouri

Role: Head of State (Presidential Election - al-Nouri elected)

Party: Arab Socialist Union - National Progressive Unionists

Ideology: Arab Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

---

Hesham Qandil

Role: Head of State (Presidential Election - Qandil elected)

Party: Arab Socialist Union - National Progressive Unionists

Ideology: Arab Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

---

Mahmoud Hegazy

Role: Head of State (Hegazy selected as Chief of Staff, Hegazy coups due to Assad being denied Election access after Ba'ath Party won)

Party: Military Clique

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism

---

Syria

^{Flag of the Arab Kingdom of Syria} 

^{Flag of the Syrian Socialist Republic} 

^{Flag of the Syrian National State} 

Official Name: Arab Republic of Syria, Fertile Crescent (House of al-Assad), Republic of Syria (Democratic), Syrian Federation (Federalists proclaim a Syrian Federation), Islamic Republic of Syria (Conservatives proclaim an Islamic Republic), Arab Kingdom of Syria (Monarchist), Islamic Kingdom of Syria (Mired Islamic Monarchy), Syrian Socialist Republic (Revolutionary Socialist), Syrian Confederation (Confederation of Syria proclaimed), Syrian Democratic Republic (Communist), Syrian National State (Fascist)

Ruling Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

Following discontent with Egyptian centralization of power, al-Assad will lead a rebellion against the UAR. Syria can either emerge victorious in the resulting civil war, or Egypt can accept the union has dissolved, leaving Syria independent.

---

• Middle Eastern Coalition: Can form a military coalition with its neighbours through various means, depending on the path chosen.
  • A Communist or Revolutionary Socialist government can "liberate" its neighbours and install a puppet regime under the same ideology.
  • The Democratic leaders will use diplomacy with its neighbours to form a military alliance with Palestine, Lebanon, and Turkey ^note As long as they also have democratic governments .
• Multiple Endings: Syria has one of the largest focus trees in game for a secondary power country, with all sorts of route it can take.
  • There are even multiple routes for the vast number of ideologies Syria can adopt.

Bashar al-Assad

^{King Bashar I} 

Role: Head of State

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region, National Progressive Front - Communist Coalition (NPP Communist Coalition wins), National Progressive Front - Democratic Coalition (NPP Democratic Coalition wins), National Progressive Front - Right Coalition (Military consolidates power), House of al-Assad (Monarchist Path), National Alliance (SSNP cooperation) Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP Coalition), Syrian Social Revolutionary Party (SSNP turns leftist), Council of 20 (Corporate Fascists coup government)

Ideology: Neo-Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism (Monarchist Path), Social Nationalism^note Fascism (SSNP Coalition)

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Bashar al-Assad is the scion of the powerful al-Assad family, who have controlled the Syrian regional presidency of the United Arab Republic since 1971. His father was Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite military officer who helped found the Syrian Regional Branch of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party. Hafez played a crucial role in ensuring the unity of the UAR when he deposed the marxist Salah Jadid in 1970, and integrated the Ba'ath Party into the ruling Arab Socialist Union. Hafez would remain regional president for 29 years, a time which Bashar spent far from the halls of power. Quiet, reserved and lacking any interest in politics or the military, Bashar pursued a career in medicine after graduating from the University of Damascus, settling in London. He returned only after the death of his father in 2000, as his brother Bassel assumed the regional presidency. Bassel reversed many of his father’s moderate policies, deepening the Assad family’s ties with the Soviet Union and pushing Cairo to take a hard line against the Confederation of Palestine. Bashar would support his brother loyally, but only assumed a minor government position as head of the Syrian Computer Society. Many doubted whether Bashar was truly being groomed as a potential successor to his brother, lacking any military experience or support among the armed forces, but after the assassination of Bassel the Syrian Regional Assembly overwhelmingly supported him. After tensions with Cairo escalated to the breaking point, Bashar reorganized his father’s Ba’ath Party and led Syria to secede from the UAR. Now he must secure not only his country’s independence, but also his own power from the numerous factions, cliques and movements that oppose him.

The son of a prominent Syrian nationalist, Bashar al-Assad is working to succeed where his father failed by creating an independent Syria, then form a united Arab state under the ideology of Ba'athism. He uses Syrian discontent over Egyptian centralization of power in order to start a rebellion.Should his rebellion succeed in gaining Syrian independence, he finds himself needing to consolidate power within the newly free country. His clamor for power and strict secular policies gain him many enemies amongst the reactionary socialists, democrats and moderate islamists. He will need to either appeal to as many as possible in order to continue his reign.

---

• The Alliance: If the legislature manages to get enough support, al-Assad will have to form a coalition called the National Progressive Front with one of three ideology bases. Players have a choice to form a government with the Communists, Progressives (democrats), or the Right (nationalists).
• Authority in Name Only: If the SSNP begin to rise, they can choose to meet with Assad and assimilate him into their party. They agree to keep him as the de facto leader, while they continue to run things behind the scenes.
• Commie Nazis: Ba'athism mixes militaristic Arab nationalism with communist economics, making is a National Bolshevik ideology in Red World. al-Assad aims to create a strong and united Pan-Arab state. While mostly averted in Red World due to Israel not forming, the Ba'athists are also staunchly anti-Zionist with accusations of antisemitism.
• Conspicuously Public Assassination: If the far-right Syrian Social National Party (SSNP) gain support and influence in Syria, they have a choice to assassinate al-Assad in order to clear him as an obstacle for them to take power themselves.
• Rightful King Returns: al-Assad can turn away from Ba'athism, and can instead establish a Syrian monarchy with himself as king.

Asma al-Assad

Role: Head of State (Asma succeeds Bashar), (Bashar assassinated), (SSNP win election)

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region, Syrian Social Nationalist Party (Bashar assassinated), Social Nationalist Party (SSNP wins election)

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Social Nationalism^note Fascism

The wife of Bashar al-Assad.

---

• Event Flag: If the socialists gain too much support, discontent with Assad grows within the country, and Asma will be assassinated by an unknown suicide bomber. This will result in Assad falling into a deep depression, and even attempting suicide. Eventually, either the revolutionary socialists will take power, or Assad will emerge and proclaim the royal House of al-Assad.
• Spousal Privilege: There are two examples of this concerning Asma, depending on the route taken in the focus tree.
  • First, if Assad maintains unlimited power, he can name Asma as his successor, with the rest of the Ba'athists honouring the request.
  • Second, if the SSNP assassinates Assad, Asma will be chosen by the Syrian Cabinet to take his place. However, she usually doesn't maintain power for very long, and is either forced to step down, or simply a figurehead for the SSNP leadership.

Maher al-Assad

^{King Maher I} 

Role: Head of State (Maher coups Asma), (Queen Anisa passes away)

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region, House of al-Assad (Monarch)

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism (Monarch)

The brother of Bashar al-Assad.

---

Hafez al-Assad Jr.

Role: Head of State (Hafez succeeds Bashar)

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

The son of Bashar al-Assad.

---

Fateh Jamous

Role: Head of State (Jamous elected as President)

Party: National Progressive Front – Communist Coalition

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

---

Rami Makhlouf

Role: Head of State (Makhlouf elected as President)

Party: National Progressive Front – Democratic Coalition

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

---

Anisa al-Assad

^{Queen Anisa I} 

Role: Head of State (Right Coalition installs Anisa as a puppet), (Regency Council Election - Anisa al-Assad elected)

Party: National Progressive Front – Right Coalition, House of al-Assad (Monarch)

Ideology: Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism (Monarch)

Mother of Bashar al-Assad.

---

• Authority in Name Only: When the National Progressive Front forms with the Right, Bashar will be cast aside as leader, and a group of nationalist military leaders will form the de facto leadership in Syria. However, in order to keep the al-Assad's happy, they name Anisa as leader of the NPF-R. However, she holds no true power, and is simply a figure head.

Rifaat al-Assad

Role: Head of State (Rifaat coups Bashar)

Party: Rifaat Loyalists, Popular Will (Rifaat assassinated)

Ideology: Nationalism

The uncle of Bashar al-Assad and a veteran military officer. Rifaat has become discontent with his nephew's ideology and his taking near absolute power in Syria. Rifaat's popularity within the Syrian Army poses a potential threat to Bashar's leadership.

---

• The Coup: The Syrian focus tree gives the option to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and Rifaat will take power instead.
• Cincinnatus: Rifaat doesn't appear to strive for power himself, and if the democratic path is chosen in the focus tree, he will step aside to allow the Syrian Transitional Assembly to form a constitutional assembly and prepare free elections.
• Family Drama: Rifaat is the uncle of Bashar, but does not support the Ba'athist ideology, nor does he support Bashar's taking power.

Cabinet of Syria

Role: Head of State (Rifaat assassinated), (Regency Council ended), (Bashar assassinated)

Party: Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party - Syria Region

Ideology: Neo-Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism, Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism (Regency Council ended), (Bashar assassinated)

---

Mohammed Jihad al-Laham

Role: Head of State (Rifaat assassinated, Emergency Presidential Election - al-Laham elected)

Party: Popular Will Party - Leftist Faction

Ideology: Ultranationalism^note Nationalism

---

Mustafa Tlass

Role: Head of State (Rifaat assassinated, Emergency Presidential Election - Tlass elected)

Party: Popular Will Party - Military Faction, Ba'ath Remnants (SSNP wins election)

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism, Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

---

Wael Nader al-Halqi

Role: Head of State (Rifaat assassinated, Emergency Presidential Election - al-Halqi elected)

Party: Popular Will Party - Rifaat Loyalists Faction

Ideology: Neo-Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

---

Riyad Farib Hijab

Role: Head of State (Rifaat assassinated, Emergency Presidential Election - Hijab elected)

Party: Popular Will Party - Moderate Faction

Ideology: Nationalism

---

Suheil al-Hassan

Role: Head of State (Military coups Rifaat)

Party: Military Clique

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism

---

Transitional Assembly

Role: Head of State (Constitutional Convention)

Ideology: Neo-Ba'athism^note National Bolshevism

In the democratic path of the focus tree, the Syrian Transitional Assembly is tasked with drafting a new constitution and transforming Syria to a democracy.

---

• Cincinnatus: Once the transition to democracy is complete, the Transitional Assembly will step aside to make way for democratic elections.

Anas al-Abdah

Role: Head of State (Convention votes for a Republic, Presidential Election - al-Abdah Re-elected)

Party: Syrian Unionist Party

Ideology: Centrism

Anas al-Abdah is a populist, and wants to form a Syria based on cooperation regardless of ideology. He is genuinely devoted to the people of Syria, and wants to appease them as much as possible.

---

• The Alliance: al-Abdah's Syrian Unionist Party is a big-tent organization consisting of Liberals, Centrists, and National Conservatives. The party's goal is to appeal to as much of the population as possible in order to form policies which will benefit the country as a whole, and create general national content.
• Allohistorical Allusion: al-Abdah in reality is a political activist calling for the removal of Assad and replacing his regime with a democratic government. He is the current president of the Syrian Interim Government^note As of September 2020.
• Enemy Mine: al-Abdah has united democrats of varying ideologies against the threat of leftist extremists, hardcore nationalists, religious fundamentalists, and Ba'athists.

Hassan Abdul-Azim

Role: Head of State (Presidential Election - Abdul-Azim elected)

Party: Federalists

Ideology: Social Liberalism^note Liberalism

Hassan Abdul-Azim is a reform minded politician seeking to transform Syria into a Liberal democracy. He is devoted to ending sectarian divide in the country by granting federal powers to the regional councils, and granting equal rights to all Syrians.

---

• The Federation: One of the focuses provides the opportunity to form the Syrian Federation, with devolved powers to the regional governments.
• Historical Hero Upgrade: Abdul-Azim is a Syrian political activist in our timeline. He is the founder of the National Coordination Committee for Democratic Change, who wishes to transition Syria to democracy through peaceful and diplomatic means. Abdul-Azim is also staunchly anti-sectarian, and wishes for a Syria where all are equal. In Red World, he can become President and make these dreams a reality.
• The Republic: Instead of transforming Syria into a federation, the government of Abdul-Azim can form a liberal Republic of Syria, which still provides some federal powers to the regional governments, but less so than the Federation focus. Choosing to form a republic also changes the Liberal party name to the Republican Party of Syria.

Hadi al-Bahra

Role: Head of State (Federalists collapse)

Party: Republican Party of Syria

Ideology: Social Liberalism^note Liberalism

---

Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni

Role: Head of State (Presidential Election - Al-Bayanouni elected)

Party: Progressive Islamic Coalition

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

A native of Aleppo, Ali Sadreddine Al-Bayanouni is a long time member of the Muslim Brotherhood. He is devoted to creating an Islamic Republic in Syria, albeit one still accepting and protective of ethnic and religious minorities.

---

Mired I

Role: Head of State (Convention votes for a Kingdom)

Party: Hashemite Dynasty

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Khawla Dunia

Role: Head of State (Asma assassinated, Socialist Revolution overthrows Bashar), (Socialist Revolution wins against Bashar Kingdom), (Socialist Revolution overthrows Syrian Cabinet)

Party: Arab Socialist Union, Syrian Democratic People's Party (Riad al-Turk offered Presidency), New Syrian Socialist Party (Riad al-Turk not offered Presidency)

Ideology: Democratic Confederalism^note Revolutionary Socialism

Khawla Dunia is a former journalist, and was active in the Syrian branch of the Arab Socialist Union. Unhappy with the UAR's dissolution and al-Assad's rise to power, she has gathered fellow revolutionaries to her cause to form a socialist government in Syria.

---

• Civil War: Her and her followers will eventually revolt against al-Assad to oust him from power and restore the revolutionary socialist government to Syria.
• Historical Badass Upgrade: In our timeline, Dunia is a poet, journalist, and a humanitarian worker currently assisting Syrian refugees in Lebanon. In Red World, she will form a revolutionary socialist resistance against al-Assad.

Riad al-Turk

Role: Head of State (al-Turk offered Presidency)

Party: Democratic Front of Syria, Syrian Democratic People's Party (al-Turk offered Presidency)

Ideology: New Democracy, Luxemburgism^note Revolutionary Socialism (al-Turk offered Presidency)

---

Regency Council

Role: Head of State (King Bashar dies in car crash)

Party: House of al-Assad

Ideology: Regency^note Monarchism

---

Siwar I

Role: Head of State (Regency Council Election - Siwar al-Assad elected)

Party: House of al-Assad

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Ribal I

Role: Head of State (Regency Council Election - Ribal al-Assad elected)

Party: House of al-Assad

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Hanin Nimir

Role: Head of State (Communist Revolution)

Party: Syrian Communist Party

Ideology: Marxism^note Communism

---

Ayman Asfari

Role: Head of State (Assad removed from office by Council of 20)

Party: Council of 20

Ideology: Corporatocracy^note Fascism

---

Ali Haidar

Role: Head of State (Asma steps aside)

Party: Syrian Social Nationalist Party

Ideology: Social Nationalism^note Fascism

---

Palestine

Official Name: Confederation of Palestine, Palestinean Arab Republic (National Bolshevik), Kingdom of Palestine (Monarchist), Palestinian Islamic State (Fascist)

Ruling Party: Party for Peace and Unity in Palestine

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

The growing instability in the United States resulted in the cutting of foreign aid to Israel during the 1970s. Out of fear of growing tensions with its Arab neighbours, the government of Yitzhak Navon signed the Treaty of Jerusalem, forming an Israeli-Palestinian confederation. The situation within the Confederation are now relatively stable, with Arabs and Jews able to coexist. In recent years Palestinian leaders have gained significant support from both ethnic groups, with current head of state Bassam Al Salhi becoming the first elected Arab president in the 2003.

---

• The Alliance: Palestine's government consists of an alliance of Palestinian and Israeli parties. Bassam Al Salhi's government consists of center-left to left-wing parties.
• The Federation: The Confederation of Palestine is comprised of three districts: Israel, Palestine, and Jerusalem. All three have elected governors with veto power in the legislative process.

Bassam Al-Salhi

Role: Head of State

Party: Party for Peace and Unity in Palestine

Ideology: Democratic Socialism^note Moderate Socialism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Bassam Al-Salhi was once a prominent student protest leader during the most precarious period of the Arab-Israeli Peace Process. As the son of Palestinian refugees growing up in the Am’ari Camp in what was then the Kingdom of Jordan, he became active in radical nationalist movements that sought the expulsion of Israel from all of occupied Palestine. In 1980, only a year after the establishment of the Confederation of Palestine, he led a student revolt at Birzeit University against the union, and that year’s ‘rigged’ presidential election. Though ultimately unsuccessful, the protests galvanized the Palestinian left, who coalesced into the newly-reformed Palestine Communist Party. There, Salhi befriended future president Mustafa Barghouti, who soon became the leader of the party’s moderates. The two were elected to the Knesset in 1988 on the Hadash list, and soon became some of the most prominent politicians in the country, as the only Arab communists in the government of Yitzhak Rabin. When a power struggle within Hadash brought down the government, Salhi, Barghouti and other moderates left to form the Peace and Labor party. Their vote grew following an economic downturn in the late nineties and, in 2000, Barghouti was elected president of Palestine. Salhi followed soon after, becoming prime minister in 2003 at the head of a broad coalition. Facing hostility from other Arab nations following the rise of Bassel Al-Assad in Syria, Salhi’s government has deepened its ties to Europe and Iran while carrying out ambitious social reforms, but many still doubt whether it can survive the hostile arena of Palestinian and Middle Eastern politics.

---

Israel

Official Name: Kingdom of Israel, National State of Israel (Fascist), State of Israel (Democratic), Socialist Republic of Israel (Revolutionary Socialist), People's Republic of Israel (Communist), Israeli People's Union (National Bolshevik)

Ruling Party: Rishon LeZion

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

If Ethiopia's government turns Monarchist and decides to embrace Rastafarianism, Ethiopia will have the ability to declare war on Palestine and other Arabic states that previously composed the lands of the Babylonian Empire. If the Kingdom of Ethiopia defeats the Arabic states, they will have the ability to release the Kingdom of Israel (previously Palestine) as a puppeted state or play as it.

---

Yitzhak Yosef

Role: Head of State (Released by the Ethiopian Empire after conquering Palestine)

Party: Rishon LeZion

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Jordan

Official Name: Republic of Jordan, Democratic Republic of Jordan (Revolutionary Socialist), Jordanian Socialist Republic (Communist), Arab Republic of Jordan (National Bolshevik), Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan (Monarchist), Islamic Republic of Jordan (Fascist)

Ruling Party: National Current Party

Ideology: New Democracy

---

Saleh Ersheidatt

Role: Head of State

Party: National Current Party

Ideology: New Democracy

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} As Jordan and the Middle East experienced wars, upheaval and revolutions, Saleh Ersheidatt has moved from being a passive observer of change to an active participant in it. Born into a politically connected family in the city of Irbid in 1946, Ersheidatt passed on an immediate political career and instead opted to study civil engineering abroad, first in Egypt and then in West Germany. From the comfort of Europe, he sat out the revolution that toppled the Hashemite monarchy in 1969 and the founding of the Confederation of Palestine in 1979. Upon returning to Jordan the following decade, he held a wide variety of academic, corporate and even diplomatic positions before finally entering politics in response to the 1990 Jordanian Revolution that brought about Jordan’s abortive one-year membership in the Federation of Arab Republics. After a brief legislative stint, Erssheidatt then held successive ministerial posts tasked with managing water treatment and irrigation, public transportation, sports, youth culture and tourism before segueing into the position of Secretary General of the National Current Party and eventually securing the Jordanian presidency in 2007. Despite souring relations with their northern and eastern neighbors over Palestine, Erssheidatt’s presidency still finds Jordan in a very good position, boasting both political freedom and economic stability, a status quo he would like to maintain.

---

Lebanon

Official Name: Lebanese Republic, Kingdom of Lebanon (Monarchist), Lebanese People's Republic (Revolutionary Socialist/Communist)

Ruling Party: Government of National Salvation

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism

---

Émile Lahoud

Role: Head of State

Party: Government of National Salvation

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Émile Lahoud is a scion of the Lahoud family, who have held prominent places in Lebanese politics since independence. Like many in his family, Lahoud entered the military academy and was commissioned as a naval officer. He rose through the ranks rapidly, as his cousin had been appointed Commander of the Armed Forces. In 1980 he changed command and joined the army and the ministry of defense, working as a liaison between the government and the new commander, General Michel Aoun. By the end of the Cold War, the winds had turned and Lebanon’s western-aligned government was under increasing pressure from its neighbors. As President Bachir Gemayel stepped down in 1988, General Aoun was chosen to succeed him, and Lahoud took over as head of the Armed Forces. But a rift would soon develop in the military between Aoun, who supported closer ties to Lebanon’s traditional allies, and Lahoud, who favored the United Arab Republic and the Soviet Union. By the end of Aoun’s term in 1994, the balance had shifted in favor of Lahoud, who used his influence to modify the constitution to allow the Commander of the Armed Forces to run for president. Unlike his predecessor, who was a moderate compromise candidate, Lahoud used the presidency to increase his own power, appointing his own man as prime minister and extending his executive authority. By the end of his term in 2002, he modified the constitution again to be able to run for another term. His almost unanimous reelection was met with public protests, to which Lahoud responded by cracking down, using his security forces to arrest hundreds of dissidents. Now nearing the end of his second term, hopes are raised that the old general will finally step down to allow the fostering of a true Lebanese democracy.

---

Cyprus

Official Name: Republic of Cyprus, Cypriot State (Fascist), State of Cyprus (Monarchist/Communist), Democratic People's Republic of Cyprus (Revolutionary Socialist)

Ruling Party: Freedom Party

Ideology: Nationalism

---

• Occupiers Out of Our Country: Between 1955 to 1959, the National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters, or EOKA ^note  Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston fought against the United Kingdom to remove British influence from the island and to unify with Greece. While unification was never acheived, the London and Zürich Agreements nonetheless secured the independence of a non-partitioned Cyprus.

Eleni Theocharous

Role: Head of State

Party: Freedom Party

Ideology: Nationalism

---

Turkey

Official Name: Republic of Turkey, Turkish Socialist Republic (Revolutionary Socialist), Turkish People's State (Communist), Turkish Social Union (National Bolshevik), Ottoman Empire (Monarchist)

Ruling Party: National Order Party

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

---

Aykut Edibali

Role: Head of State

Party: National Order Party

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Aykut Edibali was one of the principal founders of the National Struggle Movement, an Islamic nationalist group that campaigned against capitalism, communism and Zionism while supporting the military dictatorship of Alparslan Türkeş. This movement split into many factions in the late seventies and Edibali led his followers into the National Order Party of Necmettin Erbakan. The party would soon become an important political force, as the remnants of the military government turned to the Islamic right for support. But it wasn’t enough to regain their rapidly declining power. Dissatisfaction with the war against Kurdish separatists forced the army to stand down under threats of a popular uprising, acquiescing to the left-wing government’s calls for peace. With the army removed from political power, the Islamists became the largest force on the Turkish right and they would ultimately end socialist rule in 1996. Edibali was appointed minister of internal affairs in Turkey’s first Islamist government, leading the operation to apprihend the terrorist Abdullah Öcalan in 1998, becoming a national hero overnight. He used this new political capital to consolidate power, eventually encouraging the aging Erbakan to resign with the support of the growing nationalist faction in the party. Taking his place as prime minister in 2001, Edibali has led the party to victory in every election since, but now he faces increasing opposition from the growing communist movement, outraged secularists and even radical Islamists disatisfied with his rule.

---

Kurdistan

Official Name: Union of Kurdistan, Democratic Republic of Kurdistan (Communist/National Bolshevik), Republic of Kurdistan (Democratic), Kingdom of Kurdistan (Monarchist), Islamic State of Kurdistan (Fascist)

Ruling Party: Kurdistan Workers' Party - Confederalists

Ideology: Democratic Confederalism^note Revolutionary Socialism

---

Asya Abdullah

Role: Head of State

Party: Kurdistan Workers' Party - Confederalists

Ideology: Democratic Confederalism^note Revolutionary Socialism

---

Iraq

Official Name: Republic of Iraq, Socialist Republic of Iraq (Revolutionary Socialist), People's Republic of Iraq (Communist), Hashemite Kingdom of Iraq (Monarchist), Islamic State of Iraq (Fascist)

Ruling Party: Ba'ath Party

Ideology: Saddamism^note Nationalism

A Nationalist State in the Middle East has gone largely unnoticed by the Eastern and Western World apart (apart from a successful invasion of Kuwait in 1991) and is led by Saddam Hussein. It has faced criticism for violating human rights but it is at least stable from terrorism.

---

• Spared by the Adaptation: With the collapse of the United States, Iraq is able to invade Kuwait unopposed. Saddam Hussein maintains in his position as leader, and as a result of his hard stance against fundamentalists and opposition, the country is spared the horrific civil war which continues to rage today.
  • However, Hussein remains a ruthless, albeit less ruthless than Daesh, leader.

Saddam Hussein

Role: Head of State

Party: Ba'ath Party

Ideology: Saddamism^note Nationalism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Saddam Hussein was one of the earliest members of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party. He became infamous for leading the failed attempt to assassinate Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim, the military strongman who had seized power from the monarchy in 1958. This forced Saddam into exile in Syria, where he developed close ties to the Syrian Ba’ath. Upon his return to Iraq, Syrian support helped him rise to the Regional Command of the party, but Saddam soon broke all ties with them after the marxist takeover of the Syrian party in 1965. This permanently split the Ba’ath Party into Syrian and Iraqi factions. Two years later the party led a bloodless coup against the Nasserist government, with Saddam heading the post-coup purge which established the Iraqi Ba’ath Party as the most powerful faction in the country. For a decade he served as second-in-command to his cousin, Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr, gaining a reputation as an effective politician. To maintain power in the deeply sectarian country, he ensured loyalty through a combination of economic modernization, welfare spending and the creation of a ruthless security apparatus. Gradually his power came to outshine even his cousin, with many successful policies such as the occupation of Kuwait in 1978 being attributed to him rather than the president. He eventually forced al-Bakr out of office in 1979 to take up the mantle himself. Saddam Hussein has succeeded in building one of the richest countries in the Arab world. But this wealth stands upon a corrupt structure of cronyism and an increasing reliance on oil, a capricious resource which might unravel the entire system.

---

Iran

Official Name: Democratic Islamic Republic of Iran, Popular Republic of Iran (Revolutionary Socialist), Democratic Republic of Iran (Communist), Republic of Iran (Nationalist), Imperial State of Iran (Monarchist), Islamic Republic of Iran (Fascist)

Ruling Party: National Front

Ideology: Religious-Nationalism^note Liberalism

Following years of suffering under the leadership of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, mass protests erupted across the country after the Shah went out of country for surgery. The government was quickly overthrown and replaced with a democratic government. Because of American support for the Shah, and their role in overthrowing the beloved Mohammad Mosaddegh, the new government adopted an anti-American stance. Iran was also in fear of the looming Soviet Union who was looking to expand its influence. Despite a seizable communist and Islamist presence in the country, Iran has successfully remained secular, and is regarded as a successful nation in the region.

---

Ebrahim Yazidi

Role: Head of State

Party: National Front

Ideology: Religious-Nationalism^note Liberalism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Ebrahim Yazdi is one of the most complicated leaders of modern Iran. As one of the founding members of the Freedom Movement of Iran, his early years were defined by his defiance against the brutal regime of the Shah. He was forced into exile in the sixties, but continued to lead the resistance against the Shah from outside the country. He settled in Houston and remained there until 1977, when he joined the exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Paris as an advisor. With the outbreak of the Iranian Revolution he returned to Iran alongside Khomeini to take up the position of foreign minister in the newly-established interim government. But conflict soon developed between the government, led by Mehdi Bazargan, and Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the revolution. Yazdi ultimately sided with the government and joined with the royalist military to force the Ayatollah from power, and when Khomeini’s supporters occupied the US embassy in protest he successfully negotiated the release of their hostages. His diplomatic skills were admired even in the West, yet in the upheaval of Iran’s revolution many of his projects would be left unfinished, as Yazdi was forced to resign his position multiple times. Following the collapse of a socialist government, a short stint as prime minister and a term of conservative rule, Yazdi would return to power in 2000. His time in office has seen the stabilization of Iranian democracy under the National Front, in a controversial alliance with the communist Tudeh Party, and an increase in prosperity after a long period of economic mismanagement. But his government has also been accused of corruption and authoritarianism by both the radical left and conservative Clerics, who see them as traitors of the ideals of the Iranian revolution.

---

Saudi Arabia

Official Name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Arabian Islamic State (Fascist), Arabian State (Nationalist), Arabian Islamic Republic (National Bolshevik), Arabian Republic (Democratic), Arabian Socialist Republic (Revolutionary Socialist), Arabian People's Republic (Communist)

Ruling Party: House of Saud

Ideology: Dynastic Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Al Saud

Role: Head of State

Party: House of Saud

Ideology: Dynastic Monarchy^note Monarchism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} King Sultan bin Abdulaziz, or Sultan ‘the Good’ as he is known in Saudi Arabia, is the 15th son of Ibn Saud. He is the second of the Sudairi Seven, an alliance of princes by Ibn Saud’s eighth wife, Hussa bint Ahmed Al Sudairi. Together with his six brothers, he rose to prominence under Prince Faisal, being appointed minister of defence in 1963. As the longest serving defence minister in Saudi history, Sultan would fundamentally shape the kingdom’s foreign policy for the next fifty years. His involvement in Yemen and a close call with an Egyptian assassin would deepen the rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Republic, even as King Faisal attempted to mend their relations. With the death of Crown Prince Khalid in 1982, his brother Fahd, the oldest of the Sudairi Seven, succeeded him as second-in-line to the throne. Despite opposition from older princes who sought the position, Sultan was made deputy prime minister and, in time, regent. As King Faisal died in 1991 and the new King Fahd suffered a debilitating stroke in 1995, Sultan became the de-facto ruler of Saudi Arabia. He soon sought the reversal of many of King Faisal’s liberal reforms, ending detente with the UAR, propping up the conservative government in Yemen and opening up new lines of conflict with the Soviet Union. Saudi oil became the lifesource of Sultan’s foreign fighters and generous charity, earning him his nickname ‘the Good’ with his ascension to the throne in 2005. But now the aging king finds himself in the same seat as many of his brothers, with declining health and the vultures of the Saudi family ready to jump on him at any moment.

---

Qatar

Official Name: State of Qatar, Republic of Qatar (Revolutionary Socialist/Communist)

Ruling Party: House of Thani

Ideology: Dynastic Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Role: Head of State

Party: House of Thani

Ideology: Dynastic Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

United Arab States

Official Name: United Arab States, United Arab Emirates (Monarchist)

Ruling Party: Popular Front for the Liberation of the Arabian Gulf

Ideology: Marxism^note Communism

---

Khaled Al Qasimi

Role: Head of State

Party: Popular Front for the Liberation of the Arabian Gulf

Ideology: Marxism^note Communism

---

Oman

Official Name: Sultanate of Oman, Islamic State of Oman (Fascist), Arab Republic of Oman (National Bolkshevik), Democratic Republic of Oman (Communist), Republic of Oman (Revolutionary Socialist)

Ruling Party: House of Al Said

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Qaboos bin Said

Role: Head of State

Party: House of Al Said

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Yemen

Republic of Yemen

^{Flag of the Islamic Emirate of Yemen} 

^{Flag of the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen} 

Official Name: Republic of Yemen, Federal Republic of Yemen (Nationalist), Islamic Emirate of Yemen (Fascist), Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (Monarchist), Kingdom of Yemen (Constitutional Monarchy), Great Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (Greater Yemen proclaimed)

Ruling Party: Yemeni Congregation for Reform

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

Marred by destruction and division, Yemen is a scarred country. First brought together by the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, the country split once again in the first years of the 21st century. With aid from Donald Rumsfeld's American Republic, the northern Yemen Arab Republic managed to defeat their southern rivals and reunite the country. Although ejected from Aden, the socialists remain in control of much of the eastern hinterlands, poised to strike back and regain power. With government authority becoming increasingly fragile, many wonder if Yemen will once more be torn apart.

---

• Civil War: Yemen falls into a four-way civil war shortly into the game, between the ruling Al-Islah government, Ahmed Saleh's General People's Congress, the democratic Jasmine movement, and the remnants of the Yemeni Socialist Party.

Mohammed Qahtan

Role: Head of State

Party: Yemeni Congregation for Reform

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} Mohammed Qahtan rose to prominence in 1990 after joining a young Al-Islah and becoming an important anti-YSP activist, and when the civil war broke out in Yemen, he served as a member of the opposition against the General People's Congress. It was in that position that Qahtan vocalized his desire for unity against the southern socialists. After Ali Abdullah Saleh and his successor Mohammed Abdullah Saleh died, Qahtan found himself the foreign minister of a new government. There he guaranteed Saudi and American support for the north, and further legitimized Al-Islah over the GPC internationally. When the civil war came to an end, Qahtan played a key role in drafting what would become the new Yemeni constitution. A year later in 2005, to guarantee Saudi Arabian and American support, he was nominated for president. Qahtan promised stability for Yemen and an end to the socialists that continued to resist northern rule. However, with a stagnating economy, blatant government corruption and unsatisfactory civil liberties, the people of Yemen have grown hostile to Mohammed Qahtan's government. With a recent resurgence in Southern rebel attacks, the continued rise of Ahmed Saleh and the GPC and increased demand for democratic reform, discontent with the Al-Islah government is now at an all-time high, and Qahtan will do anything to maintain his position as president and stability for Yemen.

The current president of the Republic of Yemen. With help from Donald Rumsfeld's government, he and his supporters managed to reunify Yemen and defeat the southern socialists during the first years of the 21st century. Qahtan now stands as the president of Yemen, but threats from the remaining socialists and the growing democratic Jasmine front threatens him and his government's current standing.

---

• Ain't Too Proud to Beg: His government will beg Rumsfeld for American support again in the second Yemeni Civl War. Whether or not they will receive said support is a different matter entirely.

Abdullah Mohsen al-Akwa

Role: Head of State (Reformists win Convention, Leadership Election - al-Akwa elected), (First Democratic Election - al-Akwa Re-elected), (Second Democratic Election - al-Akwa Re-elected), (Third Democratic Election - al-Akwa Re-elected)

Party: Conservative Faction of Al-Islah

Ideology: Islamic Democracy^note National Conservatism

---

Ahmed Obeid bin Daghr

Role: Head of State (First Democratic Election - Daghr elected), (Second Democratic Election - Daghr elected), (Third Democratic Election - al-Akwa Re-elected)

Party: National Coalition

Ideology: Centrism

---

Tribal Council

Role: Head of State (Tribalists win Convention)

Party: Tribal Confederacy of Al-Islah

Ideology: Nationalism

---

Sadiq al-Ahmar

Role: Head of State (Tribalists elect al-Ahmar to be leader)

Party: Tribal Confederacy of Al-Islah

Ideology: Nationalism

---

Abdul Majeed al-Zindani

Role: Head of State (al-Zindani wins Convention)

Party: Salafi Movement of Al-Islah

Ideology: Islamic Fundamentalism^note Fascism

---

Mammouhd al-Subahai

Role: Head of State (al-Zindani removed from office)

Party: Tribal Confederacy of Al-Islah

Ideology: Military Junta^note Nationalism

---

Muadh I

Role: Head of State (Coronation of Muadh I)

Party: House of Rassid

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Muhammed XIX

Role: Head of State (Muadh I dies)

Party: House of Rassid

Ideology: Absolute Monarchy^note Monarchism

---

Mohammed Basindawa

Role: Head of State (Constitutional Monarchy General Election - Peace and Progress elected)

Party: Peace and Progress

Ideology: Centrism

---

Nadia Al-Sakkaf

Role: Head of State (Constitutional Monarchy General Election - Social Alliance elected)

Party: Social Alliance

Ideology: Labour Revisionism^note New Democracy

---

Yemen Arab Republic

^{Flag of the Yemen Arab Republic (Revolutionary Socialist)} 

Official Name: Yemen Arab Republic, Islamic Republic of Yemen (al-Houthi in power), Yemen Arab Republic (Revolutionary Socialist)

Ruling Party: General People's Congress

Ideology: Ultranationalism^note Nationalism

---

Ahmed Saleh

Role: Head of State (Houthis declare loyalty to Saleh)

Party: General People's Congress

Ideology: Ultranationalism^note Nationalism

---

Abdul-Malik al-Houthi

Role: Head of State (General People's Congress leaders arrested)

Party: Supreme Council

Ideology: Islamic Nationalism^note Nationalism

---

Abdulmalik Al-Mekhlafi

Role: Head of State (Sana'a Revolution)

Party: Nasserist Organization

Ideology: Nasserism^note Revolutionary Socialism

---

Yemeni Federation

Official Name: Federation of Yemeni States

Ruling Party: Yemeni National Front

Ideology: Paleosocialism^note New Democracy

---

Jasmine Council

Role: Head of State

Party: Yemeni National Front

Ideology: Paleosocialism^note New Democracy

---

Najeeb Qahtan al-Shaabi

Role: Head of State (Post-war Election - Yemeni National Front elected)

Party: Yemeni National Front

Ideology: Paleosocialism^note New Democracy

In-Game Biography: ^{Click to Show} 

---

Tawakkol Karman

Role: Head of State (Post-war Election - Popular Revolution elected)

Party: Popular Revolution

Ideology: Social Liberalism^note Liberalism

---

Khaled Bahah

Role: Head of State (Post-war Election - National Coalition elected)

Party: National Coalition

Ideology: Islamic Liberalism^note Centrism

---

People's Democratic Republic of Yemen

^{YSP Flag} 

^{Brotherhood Flag} 

^{Presidential Standard} 

Official Name: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen, Yemen Arab Republic

Ruling Party: Yemeni Socialist Party - Loyalists

Ideology: Leninism^note Communism

---

Ali Salem al Beidh

Role: Head of State (Loyalist victory of party conference)

Party: Yemeni Socialist Party - Loyalists

Ideology: Leninism^note Communism

---

Haidar Abu Bakr al-Attas

Role: Head of State (Moderate victory of party conference)

Party: Yemeni Socialist Party - Moderates

Ideology: People's Socialist Democracy^note Moderate Socialism

---