Mercantilist States
The Dominion of Mercantilist States, or simply Mercantilist States, is a nation located on the Tallent archipelago in Southwestern hemisphere of Taijitu. The capital is Decartes and the largest state is Jazzo. The President is Anthony J. Washington.
It is a confederation of independent democratic states united on the principles of free trade, defense, and expansion. Its currency is the Tallent.
Contents
Articles of Confederation
The Mercantilist Articles of Confederation is the governing document of the Mercantilist States. It establishes the capital as Decartes, Decartes and a governing body known as Congress. Each state is given one seat in Congress and determines how its represenative is selected. In all cases it is the chief executive and/or head of state of the government.
The Congress convenes at the beginning of each year and is responsible for electing the President. The person who recieves the most votes becomes the President. It then reconvenes at the discretion of the members. The President serves as Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces and is vested with supreme executive authority. He can be removed from office by a 3/4 vote of Congress.
The Congress is also responsible for electing the Supreme Court. It serves as the court of last resort and is made up of 7 members, with at least one member from each state. The Court has the authority to review the actions and declare unconsitutional the actions of the President. How or what exactly would happen after this is unclear and has never happened in Mercantilist States history.
Congress is often referred to colloquially as BOGSAT (bunch of guys sitting around a table) because of its small size and boardroom-like meeting place. Its discussions are often also shrouded in an air of secrecy, and members often meet informally and without aides.
Congress
Congress is made up of 4 members from each of the Mercantilist States:
- Prime Minister of Jazzo, James T. Gardener
- Ambassador from Newsouth, William Xavier
- President of Wikitree, Devin Wikii
- Governor of Decartes, Robert G. Bush
Military
The military, commonly known as the Merchant Defense Force, is made up of the Mercantilist Navy (MSN), Mercantilist Army (MSA), Mercantilist Air Force (MSAF), and Mercantilist Subcorps (MSC). All military bases are shared by the four divisons.
The Mercantilist States is notable for its compulsory military service, with all male citizens over the age of 16 lifetime members of the Merchant Reserve and required to serve at least two years of military service.
The Navy is third largest division of the MDF, accounting for roughly 25% of the military budget. It is made up of Merc class Destroyers, Essex class aircraft carriers, Duke class frigates, and Maritime class auxiliary ships.
Recent purchases have expanded the navy even further to include Nimitz aircraft carriers larger than anything currently in production by the Mercantilist States.
Mercantilist Army
The Mercantilist Army is by far the smallest divison of the MDF, and is made up entirely of personnel. However, the Army is also responsible for training the conscripts. Thus the Army represents the greatest number of the military personnel in the MDF, but only accounts for roughly 10% of the military budget. The Mercantilist Corps of Engineers is also under the command of the Army.
Mercantilist Air Force
The Mercantilist Air Force is the second largest division of the military, accounting for roughly 30% of the defense budget. The MSAF is under the command of the Admiral of the Navy and all its actions are coordinated with the Navy. Thus, Air Wings are based out military bases and aircraft carriers. The primary aircraft of the MSAF is the M-16 Spider, a lightweight, medium range, multi-role fighter jet and the F-4 Phantom II. It is supplemented by the MH-44 Terrapin class attack and transport helicopter and the B-17 Flying Fortress.
Recent purchases have expanded the MSAF to begin production of the F-35 JSF.
Mercantilist Subcorps
The Mercantilist Subcorps is the underwater defender and first line of defense of the Mercantilist States. It accounts for the largest portion of the military budget, roughly 35%. It is comprised of Mercwolf and Los Angeles class submarines. Recent purchases have expanded the subcorps to include Ohio class balistic submarines.
States
Each state is essentially an independent actor complete with its own laws; however the Mercantilist States Supreme Court serves as the court of last resort. Each has its own National Gaurd fleet under the command of the chief executive of its state.
Decartes
Decartes is the capital state of the Mercantilist States. Its capital city is Decartes which also serves as the capital city of the Mercantilist States. It the location of the President's residence, the Cerulean House and the home of the flagship university of the nation, the University of Old Mercantilism. Its national animal is the monkey.
Newsouth
Founded by settlers from South Nashville, its capital city is Newsouth. Its national animal is the mockingbird.
Jazzo
Jazzo is the largest state. Its capital is Jazzville and its national animal is the brown recluse.
Wikitree
Wikitree is notable as the only state not to have a federal military base and to not enforce compulsory military service for its citizens. Its islands are known for rich diamond mines which supply all the diamonds in the Mercantilist States. Its capital city is Wikipedia and its national animal is the wikoctopus.
Major Corporations
The largest corporation in the Mercantilist States is the Mercantilist Brewing Co., an alcohol and tobacco producer with a worldwide distribution network. Their assets are spread throughout the Mercantilist States. Their beer is known to be found in the taverns across the unclaimed lands.
The Northrup-Mercantile Company is the major arms manufacturer in the Mercantilist States. It does 80% of its business with the Mercantilist States Government. It is responsible for the development and production of the bulk of the Merchant Defense Force military equipment.
The DeWi Diamond Trading Company is the exclusive supplier of diamonds in the Mercantilist States. All of their assets are located in Wikitree.
