Spotlight on:

“Forced democracy is no democracy”

The Rogue Nation of The Cruel Pirates is a gargantuan, economically powerful nation, ruled by Caesar2 with an even hand, and notable for its complete absence of social welfare. Its hard-nosed, hard-working population of 15.537 billion have some civil rights, but not too many, enjoy the freedom to spend their money however they like, to a point, and take part in free and open elections, although not too often.

It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent government stops and the rest of society begins, but it juggles the competing demands of Law & Order, Defence, and Commerce. It meets every day to discuss matters of state in the capital city of New Rotterdam. The average income tax rate is 100%. A powerhouse of a private sector is led by the Automobile Manufacturing industry, followed by Gambling and Information Technology.

The government is reining in public spending, traffic jams are a common sight due to construction work from a massive overhaul of the nation's freeways, the government pours millions of guilders into rehabilitation programs annually, and every product goes through extensive safety-testing by the government. Crime is totally unknown, thanks to the all-pervasive police force and progressive social policies in education and welfare. The Cruel Pirates's national animal is the parrot, which is also the nation's favorite main course, and its currency is the guilder.

The Cruel Pirates is ranked 2nd in the region and 63rd in the world for Most Godforsaken.