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Artaecus wrote:

RP || East kowen: Reform

After seeing a period of stability, and with the construction of new and highly efficient nuclear power plants across East Kowen, the Artaecusian Government has decided it is now the time to continue reforms within the nation to improve both the quality of life and give East Kowenians the same kind of opportunities Incheonians have.

One of the largest changes was the dismantlement of the East Kowenian Army, and the establishment of the East Kowenian Defense Force (EKDF). This newly formed defense force will be tasked with the main objective of defending East Kowen from external and internal threats, including terrorism and will be exclusively volunteers only. Citizens ranging from 18 to 25 are able to volunteer for the force, and if they pass background checks, are immediately cleared to start their training. The force itself will be trained, and equipped, by members of the Artaecusian Legions. Excercises shall be conducted alongside the Artaecusians, and occasionally, members of the Incheon Defense Force to better prepare for a hypothetical invasion by neighbouring countries.

Education is also being reformed, to better fit the Artaecusian comparatively high standards. With the addition of certain subjects like Artaecusian being a mandatory language now, the education system also focuses on building tolerance of other Kowenian nations such as Incheon to attempt to cut down on the unnecessary hatred and discrimination. Electives are also being implemented in the education system, allowing students of East Kowen to pick and choose two or more subjects of their liking.

Several changes regarding import laws have been altered to be more lenient with the situation within East Kowen becoming more stable. This has allowed countless of Artaecusian products to flood the market, ranging from commodities to tech-related products such as Hyperion smartphones and VR headsets. With import taxes still somewhat high however, some East Kowenians may not be able to afford some of the more expensive and high-tech commodities from Artaecus.

RP
With the dismantlement of the old regime’s East Kowenian Army, there are a lot of questions still regarding how to help people transition from a life in the military to a civilian life. With the old communist East Kowenian government using a conscription system, it has now seen a large reduction in personnel and a lot of those personnel who have their new found freedom and struggling to adjust to the new government and life they find themselves in. This has led to a reasonable concern of large groups of ex-military joining or finding themselves in extremist or paramilitary groups, which would result in a rise of terrorism and cause more instability within the nation.

There have been mainly two proposed solutions to solve the issue, one coming from each side of the political spectrum in East Kowen. The political left has suggested turning any experience or training that conscripts gained be transferred over into qualification and credits for education to help them gain access to more, and better paying civilian jobs.

The right of the political spectrum has instead suggested that the East Kowenian Defense Force offer bonuses to conscripts, advancements, and other incentives to stay within the East Kowenian military or offer similar incentives to work with the federal East Kowenian government (although the main focus they admit is the military.) East Kowenian conservatives argue that their plan would retain a large amount of conscripts, and would allow the East Kowenian Defense Force to survive long enough until newer generations of volunteers can pick up the mantle where the ex-conscripts left off.

“The last thing we want is for our military to completely disappear over night, we could be starting from square one all over again with the amount of personnel who ditch the military simply because there’s no benefit to stay in.” Said a conservative host of a local talk radio station in the capital with an interview with The Kowenian Star.

The new military high command, while being created under the guidance of the Artaecusian government, has also showed to be resistant to the idea of training and cooperating with the Incheon Defense Force.

The changes to the East Kowenian education system have been more welcomed though, as the old system was seen as nothing more then another mode of propaganda for the communist government to exploit for their gain. The idea of having electives in education seems pretty revolutionary to the Kowenians, as most had been used to a system where they had to take mandatory classes for their degrees and studies rather then being able to change them for other subjects.

The conservatives, however, seem appalled by the idea though of the Artaecusian government attempting to reform the education system to be more tolerant of other governments within Kowen. While the communist East Kowenian regime encouraged it’s citizens to ridicule and foster hatred for Incheon city, and even Nakatoro; it has been a taboo subject to talk about with most of the public.

The Artaecusian companies attempting to flood the East Kowenian market has seen some limited success, as most Kowenians have begun to indulge in some basic consumer goods (such as owning a car) although only the economic elite of the East Kowenians are able to enjoy some of the more high tech products Artaecus has to offer. The lack of infrastructure, such as cellular towers and widespread internet connection, is also a major reason why most higher end Artaecusian products seem to not be taking off with the public as a whole.