Republic of Greater Patnos (1983: Doomsday)

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Timeline: 1983: Doomsday
OTL equivalent: Eastern Turkey

Flag Coat of Arms Location of Republic of Greater Patnos
Capital (and largest city)	Patnos
Language	Turkish
Religion	Islam
Demonym	Patnosi
Government	Democratic Republic
Legislature	Patnosi Congress
Population	2.1 million people
Established	1985
Independence	from Republic of Turkey
Organizations	Mediterranean Defense League

The Republic of Greater Patnos, also known as the Patnosi Republic, is a post-Doomsday Turkish survivor state in the southern area of the Eastern Turkish Wasteland.

History

Pre-Doomsday

In ancient times, the area around Patnos was the center of the Kingdom of Urartu, an iron age kingdom centered around Lake Van. Eventually, the area was conquered by an early Armenian dynasty. During the following centuries, the area passed under Assyrian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine, Persian, Arab, Mongol, and finally Turkish control. The area was incorporated into the Ottoman Empire by Selim I after his defeat of Persia. Ever since then, the area has been a part of modern Turkey.

Doomsday

On September 25, 1983, nuclear explosions suddenly ripped across the world, an event now known as Doomsday. As with the rest of the world, the event came swiftly and shocked the inhabitants of eastern Turkey. Western Turkey, the heartland of the Turkish Republic, was devestated and contact was slowly lost with many of the western provinces. In eastern Turkey, only Erzurum and Diyarbakir were destroyed. However, the Soviets invaded and the Turkish military was forced to confront their invasion. Chaos erupted across the region as order began to break down and mass panic ensued. Millions were dead and as supplies became scare and the fighting intensified many feared for their future.

Kurdish Revolution

In the chaos after Doomsday, the Turkish military was attempting to combat the dual threat of societal collapse and Soviet invasion. Much of the Turkish military was deployed to the Soviet border while only police units remained to deal with maintaining order in the cities. Several months after Doomsday, much of the fighting with the Soviets had begun to die down. This is when the Kurdish separatists, led by the Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), saw their opportunity. With the Soviets no longer a threat and the Turkish military scattered and weakened, they launched an all-out popular uprising against Turkish rule across southeast Turkey. Ironically, the revolt began in Kurdish-majority city of Van, headquarters of the 10th Infantry Division, on March 23, 1984. Before the Turkish military knew what was happening, the Kurdish population of the region, which composed a majority of the population, had risen up and seized control of small villages and towns, along with important buildings in major cities, across southeast Turkey. While the Kurds made major initial gains, the Turkish Army units still attempted to crush the rebellion. After nearly six months of exhausting warfare, the Kurds were able to drive the Turkish Armed Forces north and established the Republic of Kurdistan, the first independent Kurdish state, in what was southeast Turkey.

Foundation

After their defeat by the Kurds, the remains of the Turkish Armed Forces moved northward and occupied towns along what was now the Kurdish border. Many of the officers and several military units relocated to Patnos, which was just a few kilometers north of Lake Van and the new Kurdish capital of Van. Unwilling to flee further from the Kurds, Patnos was quickly transformed into a fortress and a new command center for the local military forces. Meanwhile, Turkish Army units rapidly secured control of the territory just north of the new Kurdish state. After several months of securing the territory, the officer core gathered in Patnos and established the Republic, a military state devoted to the reincorporation of Kurdistan into Turkey.

Government

The Republic of Greater Patnos is a meritocratic military republic based on the model of the pre-Doomsday Republic of Turkey. However, unlike the Republic of Turkey, Patnos is a presidential democracy with a strong executive branch. Within the executive branch, there is the president, who is the head and chief of state, who leads the cabinet, composed of the various ministers of state, and controls the executive bureaucracy and military. Typically, the President is also a former general in the Army in order to maintain control of the state against the Kurdish threat.

Within the legislative branch, there is a unicameral legislature known as the Grand Assembly. The Assembly is composed of (x) total members, each elected to a 6 year term. Elections and the number of Assemblymen are equal for all provinces in the Republic. The Assembly is relatively weak compared to the Executive branch, but it is vital for the internal governance of the Republic. The Assembly is composed of junior logistics officers who have been recognized for their skills and achievements in organization and management.

The judicial branch is a multi-tiered judiciary directly descended from that of the Republic of Turkey with few changes.

Military

The Armed Forces of Greater Patnos (AFGP) are based around the remaining forces of the pre-Doomsday Republic of Turkey that were located in southeast Turkey. Once these forces fled following the Kurdish uprising, they formed the AFGP once the Republic was founded. These survivng units formed the initial core of the AFGP, but it was rapidly expanded following the retreat from Kurdish territory with conscripts and volunteers across the borderline provinces. Throughout the history of Greater Patnos, the AFGP has been the center of societal stability and political power. They dominate most areas of society in order to fullfill their quest to extinguish the Kurdish nation.

Today, the AFGP is composed of the Army, Air Force, and Military Police. Each branch is represented politically in the Assembly with their own seats and is a vital part of the Patnosi state. The Army is the largest and, arguably, most important of the branches of the AFGP. It is composed of 100,000 total soldiers with 20,000 reserve troops. It is heavily equipped with mechanized weaponry, such as APCs, tanks, and a variety of heavy weaponry. The Air Force is largely composed of remaining pre-Doomsday aircraft, but has been greatly expanded with purchases from the Sultanate of Turkey in recent years. It has a roughly 15,000 total personnel. As one of the most powerful air forces in the Wasteland region, it was key to Patnosi successes during the wars following the fall of Elazig. The Military Police (MP) are the internal security of the AFGP. They act as a police force, government security force, and internal espionage agency. They are key to maintaining the stability of the Patnosi Republic. They have 50,000 total personnel

International Relations

Greater Patnos has reached out to many states in the region and established diplomatic relations. They maintain relations across the Middle East and the Caucusus. They are allies with the Sultanate of Turkey and New Erzurum. They have on going disputes with Trabzon and the still unrecognized Republic of Kurdistan.

Transnational Issues

The Republic of Greater Patnos continues to have border conflicts with the Republic of Kurdistan, which is viewed as a rogue breakaway state. Patnos claims the entirety of the Turkish portion of Kurdistan and, as a result, continues to refuse to recognize the country.

Many northern areas of the Republic are also claimed by the Second Empire of Trabzon, with whom Patnos has a long standing rivalry and previously fought a war with in 1990s.