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[Rolan7]

"The law? We are the law," the helmeted demon shrieked...

Judge Dredd does not approve of land reform.

[EuchreJack]

No offense, but you failed at your Christian Reform run.  You are leaning too far right.  However, I doubt anyone can effectively play this game dead center without becoming...dead.

[Servant Corps]

Karios' Run, Year 3, Dry Season

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Dry Season, the Original


Lacking anything better to do, I decided to call a consitutional convention, and endorsed all the Chrisitan Reform policies...

We also gave Correa some more power, reaffirm our export crop policies, and support not implementing price controls.




Why am I cheering? Because:
A) If we refuse food subsidies, we have to pay to 'supress' the food riots caused by Hector. Hector's death prevent him from organizing these protests. There won't be any food riots, and thus we won't need to pay for their suppression.
B) This is the last Influential that Padilla is going to kill. That's it. He will likely continue to kill some nameless redshirts, but in game terms, Padilla's reign of terror is over.

The Realization
I realize that I have to call for elections in order to complete the Karios' Run. If I didn't call for elections, then I would be stuck reaffirming the status quo and doing nothing for the rest of thegame. The game would end with the army staying together, but not merging. You already saw what Pax Americana said if that happens, but if not, I'll reprint it:

"To everyone's surprise, this situation continued for a considerable length of time despite growing tensions between the two camps that occasionally erupted into violence."

In fact, Jim has implied that the Army can never merge in an email he sent to Coccunt Kid.

The two sided army does not seem to work. It seems necessary to purge one side or the other as soon as possible in order to have the slightest chance. Or am I missing a huge clue?

That is exactly the 'huge clue.' You must decide which kind of army to support. Based on the real-world choices in that region in the 80's.

Because of this, I hypothesis that there is no 'merger' event for the Army, because such a 'merger' may have been deemed 'unrealistic'. You can keep the Army together by not holding elections, but I highly suspect that to be a bug, and not an intentional game design.

The Reconciliation Army is going to crash and burn sooner or later. We might as well do it now.

Dry Season, Redux

Yes, let's hold the "first truly free and fair elections in our country's history". Wait a second...


Were you basically saying that Leonard Flores, your founder, did not gain political power through "truly free and fair elections"? Then how did he gain power in the first place? Through working with Farsante?


We're holding elections whether you like it or not, Alejos.



Well, at least we tried.




If you were wondering, ending US military aid to Ehrlich doesn't appear to change the result, though this may be due to the slowness by which American military aid actually get cut off. I'll explain that more in the graphs section. I can, however, kick out Ehrlich if I decide to crack down on LIMIPA...this gives me an idea...




I think I have enough evidence to conclude that what impacts the Consitution is the Sole Chief of Staff, and NOT the Presidente. The reason? Look at clause #1. Popular Stability have always advocated for the Presidente to have a maximum of two terms, while Chrisitan Reform have desired for the Presidente to have a maximum of one term. I advocated for 'one term', and the Electoral Council sided with Christian Reform. However, the other two parts of the consitution are proposals made by Popular Stability, and the Electoral Council did not listen to me when I suppored the Chrisitan Reform proposals. It doesn't make any sense why the Electoral Council would listen to me for clause #1, and not the other clauses...so it goes to reason that the Electoral Council never listened to me at all, and instead listened to the Army.

My hypothesis is that the Sole Chief of Staff gets to decide what the Consitution says. If the Sole Chief of Staff is Ehrlich, you get this right-wing consitution designed to serve the interests of the Army (the Army loves weak executives). If the Sole Chief of Staff is Correa, then you get a left-wing consitution. As evidence, when I empowered Correa (by outlawing LIMIPA), I get the standard National Liberation consitution with a super-powerful Presidente, no term limits, and armed vigiliantes electing mayors.

tl;dr: The Consitution is a total waste of time, don't waste Encounters on it unless you really want to hold elections early.




The Army always traditionally dominated Chimerica, no matter if it is Left or Right.



You got a new job, huh?




Ehrlich's victory meant that now the Army has free reign to crack down on the land reform program and...wait. I never authorized giving arms to peasents. All I did was grant Correa control over security in the countryside and...

Oh HELL.


This is the Left-Wing Insurgency. Rejecting land reform will just lead to isolated rebellions, but nothing as serious as this. Now that Ehrlich runs the military entirely, he'll end up doing stupid stuff like locking up Claudio and beating up peasents. What do you think the peasents are going to do in response? Stand there? They'll strike back, with all the guns that Correa gave to them.

Still, we can salavage what's left of land reform. I decide to bring in US military advisors to train our troops in rural pacification. I don't trust Ehrlich at all, even the Americans are better than him.





...and the death squads are still rampaging. I actually don't remember if I got this letter in the first time I did this run, but I likely did. Eh.

This letter by Buffard actually makes it clear that there is a difference between the death squads and LIMIPA. Keep that in mind when calcuating death tolls. Padilla's goons are cowards, it's the death squads you have to watch out for.


But I did everything you told me to! Everything! How in the world could your CR policies end up actually being too far right?

Though, you're right, Oberon. The economic policies that you have preferred are also the same policies Popular Stability desires. Unlike the Americans, we can eventually repair relations enough to get the socialists to extend aid again. So, we should do what we can to get the support of the socialists...in fact...

Larry, you're fired. Instead, I'll hire the sole National Liberation Politican who haven't tried to kill me yet...Julio!


And no, we're not begging for Colonel Ehrlich to stop the attacks. Let the American military advisors work their magic.



The only reason I am considering this left-wing reform is because we're an economy based on export crops and farming, not based on industry. Therefore, this program won't really cause that much damage in the first place and is really a token gesture at best, one that we'll build upon.



I feel like a true socialist. Though it always bothered me why Padilla murdered Hector, who advocated a far more moderate labor policy, while letting Sergio run free with his National Salary Scale.


Except that when we actually tried talking to terrorists, the terrorists just kept on killing. We already unleashed the hornet's nest, there's no turning back.


We are not going to give Ehrlich a blank check either, Alejos.


Since Oberon is the Defense Minister though, I see no reason not to accept his advice here. It's not like Ehrlich is actually going to listen to us.




There goes our attempts at getting socialist economic aid. This attack seems to have been done by a mob of Popular Stabilitarians, as opposed to the death squads or Padilla. I believe this because you get to see this mob attack the US embassy if you extradite Colonel Mendita.



We decide to crack down on corruption again...



...while reassuring the Cotton and Coffee Producers that we'll keep on loaning money to export crops.


We do engage in a bit of a "aid diversion", diverting some US economic aid to support the poor majority. We might not get back in the good graces of the socialists, but we might as well try.


Now, Hector's dead. And since that US letter already fired, it means that this will truly be the last time that we'll hear of Padilla.




Our great policy to protect what's left of land reform was a utter failure.



I have it on good authority that only 50% of the population is illiterate. Come on now, you're El Monde. You should be good at fact-checking. I also don't remember seeing you condemning that stupid military draft that bankrupted my nation when we had that left-wing insurgency.


...I think we can safely say we failed at our Chrisitan Reform run.

[Servant Corps]

Karios' Run, Year 3, Rainy Season

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Alright, calm down now. I've been nominated by Popular Stability, the extreme right-wing freaks, while Chrisitan Reform walks around all with CIA funding, but prehaps I can save what's left of this run. We can hold free and fair elections. Karios did it. So can I. Let just look at my opponents:


Calderon? But the fool tried to kill me! How could he be allowed to run against me?


And why you're using that "Revolution" stupidity, Larry? This is the Insurrection, not some left-wing rebellion.


Uh, no. We aren't going to let Ehrlich rig the polls. We can win this legally. Even when the Americans back CR.



...uh...er...these senseless murders aren't going to bode well on our international image...but, at the same time, I can't really tell Ehrlich to do anything, and you guys really don't like me in the first place...


Oberon's idea seems to make sense. We aren't directly accusing the Army of killing people, but we still send a message.


"Be seen as". Ugh.





We decide to strengthen the National Salary Scale, as that is our token left-wing policy.


That's it. I'm supporting the Bishop. We're going to send Ehrlich a firm and strong message: STOP ACTING LIKE MORONS! We can't afford to kill off the few people who still want to talk with us.


Let's just take out another IMF loan though.


Oh dear.



Oberon, I want you to look at what Cuba did when they offered economic aid to us all the way back at the begining of this Junta. They offered our kids scholarships to go to their schools, not to help rebuild our universities. Furthermore, when this univeristy accepts people like Gloria as their professors, you have to start wondering if this school really is valid, or if its only reason for existing is to fund subversion.

On the other hand, get out of my sight, Ehrlich, and don't shut down all outlets of dissent. We won't turn Chimerica into a right-wing dictatorship.


You're not going to listen to me at all, are you?


Yes. Yes they are.



Ironically, the US Presidente is right. Popular Stability happens to right now be the most popular party in Chimerica, with 46.15% of the vote. Of course, this is due to LIMIPA killing off two Chimerican Influentials, and Ehrlich kicking out Correa and Claudio. National Liberation still retain some popularity after the purges, but it's not enough to defeat us fascists.





Well, there goes any chance of there being free and fair elections in Chimerica.

I decided to raise taxes on the rich and support loaning money to export producers. I got nothing better to do.


This is interesting. I remember getting this memo during my very first Run in this game, where I was nominated by CR and backed by Ehrlich. I didn't remember the Bishop geting killed though, and I also thought that the memo specified actual percentage points. This suggest that Ehrlich rigs the elections in favor of the incumbent, as long as he's not NL.

[Servant Corps]

Karios' Run, Year 3, Harvest Season
We're going to do things a little different at this run...

Spoiler: Graphs and Charts (click to show/hide)

The Left-Wing Insurgency is taking a toll on our economy. We are receiving US military aid, but we're still have to pay to build up our own army. Unlike Correa, we CANNOT reject building up our army; Ehrlich just has too much control over our government. The war against the left-wing radicals will be a long slog.


Due to austerity measures, we are ending up spending less on education and health care than the country did under Farsante. We luckily did not need to bring in the army to suppress food riots after we got rid of those subsidies.


Despite our austerity measures, infant rate mortality is going down. Likely a bug, since the Doctor was whining about mortality rates increasing after we cut off funds.


...and despite the fact that the Army tried their hardest to suppress land reform, land reform is still continuing. In fact, land reform is doing so well that now we're turning some of that land into cooperatives! The US army advisors actually helped out! Thanks Buffard!

Of course, while the game thinks that the poor are receiving more and more land, the game is also thinking that the rich aren't having their land stolen. So, while 50% of the land is owned by the poor...55% of the land is owned by...the rich? :confused:


...er...

When we implemented food subsidies, we reduced the amount of food crops in Chimerica. When we repealed those subsidies, food crop production never actually picked up.

Now, over 95% of the population is starving, including the poor and the urban middle class. The rich 5% is surviving...for now. Later on, even they may end up calling for food subsidies.


Cotton production took a hit due to land reform, however, after the Army crackdown, cotton production stayed stable. This is a terrible bug: the Army crackdown failed and land reform is still occuring, so of course, cotton production has to decrease further. I'm not going to complain about it though.

Coffee production is increasing. Horray?


Cotton producers are sliding into complete irrevelance in our economy. We may have to bail them out...


We finally began paying that national debt off. This is a historic acheivement, altough now that we got ourselves an insurgency, I don't think this situation will last.


We're now firmly in the American camp, and they are providing us with the economic aid we need to survive.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The newspapers are discussing about the validity of my election. They aren't discussing however the more important question...how the world did I ever get nominated to lead Popular Stability?!


I imposed the National Salary Scale, for crying out loud! And yet Popular Stability is still marching behind me in lock-step, for no good reason.

To be fair, PaxAmericana mentions that Ehrlich is going to declare a State of Seige and crack down on unions. And considering how I'm unable to stop Ehrlich's advances, it's unlikey I can repeal the State of Seige. For all intents and purposes, the National Salary Scale is a useless piece of paper.


Translation: We're unable to contain this left-wing insurgency, and we're going to go ahead and request more money from your National Bank to pay for our failures. Peace out, Colonel Ehrlich.




My main fear is that this insurgency will bankrupt me. That's really all there is to it. These left-wing peasents can't overthrow me, much like the right-wing reactos can't kill me. But if they manage to bankrupt me, then Chimerica is, for all intents and purposes, DEAD.


...Economic Support Funds? That's the program where you decide to just give hard currency directly to us?

YES! We really need that hard currency if we want to avoid a default.


And there goes all that hard currency. Thanks Alejos.



Songs are stupid. You both are stupid. We're in a middle of a freaking civil war, of course there won't be national unity!




You know what? I realize that I won't stop Claudio from blowing stuff up. But if I go out and implement left-wing policies, I might actually get some leftists to realize that maybe the government isn't that bad. Maybe if I show them the fruits of right-wing economic policies, they might, you know, support right-wing economic policies.


And let's just do another photo shoot with our good friend, Sergio, the promoter of the National Salary Scale that will help our country's future!



...oh...uh...alright, maybe throwing my money off to food producers isn't such a good idea. I hate default, so let just turn a little less leftist than normal.


At the begining of the game, Chrisitan Reform supported loaning money to export producers. Now they changed their policies to be more like National Liberation: loan money equally between export producers and food producers. If I go even more right-wing though, Chrisitan Reform will also end up supporting loaning money to export producers.

Chrisitan Reform engage in flip-flopping, much like how Popular Stability flip-flop on land reform and the Bank flip-flop on patriotic producers.


I engage in Cabinet shuffling during this season, and realized that, for the first time since I started this thread, I actually had Cabinet officers who liked me. Both Chrisitan Reform and Popular Stability supported my regime. I have done some good, at least.

We end this season with another crackdown on corruption and addressing foregin policy. I abstained on Diwayana and declined joining the Non-Aligned Movement. I then got this new issue.



I sided with keeping a non-aligned foregin policy, because I believed I was going too far right.



Even though this run was a trainwreck, it still wasn't THAT bad. I still need to likely do an actual Popular Stability run, and see the State of Seige in action.

Spoiler: PaxAmericana and Epilogue (click to show/hide)

The Presidente soon resented his puppet status and sought to gather support for a move to replace Colonel Ehrlich with a more moderate Chief of Staff. Presidente Karios Ferrante Oberon's main goal was to stop the left-wing insurgency by overturning the State of Seige and implementing extreme left-wing policies. Karios' plans never got off the ground, and Colonel Ehrlich was able to eventually managed to assassinate Presidente Karios and rule directly.

The end of the Cold War also meant an end to American military and economic aid. What was once a reliable outpost against the threat of communism turned overnight into an embarssment. Colonel Ehrlich did what he could do to keep order, earning much admiration in the right-wing, yet, even he was unable to stop Chimerica from going into default.

The Junta soon splintered into various factions. Popular support for the military dictatorship ebbed away.

By the time tanks surrounded the National Palace demanding the Chief of Staff's ouster, there was little that could be done. Colonel Ehrlich courageously chose to resist the coup anyway, resulting in a bloody battle that took the life of the second post-Farsante Chimerican leader.

In the forefront of the rebels was a sometimes member of the Junta named Francisco Ferrante Oberon. The new Presidente moved swiftly to consolidate power, reversing many key decisions...

... In 1995, the first major talks between the government and the left-wing insurgency commenced. While sporadic fighting continued, these talks eventually culiminated in a peace accord that ended the civil war and paved the way for true reconciliation.

[Servant Corps]

Interlude: The Farsante Hold-Overs

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Farsante Hold-Overs are people who worked for Farsante during the dictatorship. Many Farsante hold-overs also turned out to be some of his fiercest opponents of the dictatorship (partially because they actually saw how the dictatorship worked), but their loyalites are still suspect. Julio here relies on these hold-overs, but also view them as incredibly corrupt.

The Farsante Hold-Overs are:
The Doctor: Dr. Judith Escobar de Rocye was appointed Commissioner of Health under the Farsante dictatorship. Had conflicts with Farsante over allocation of funds to health care. Eventually supported the Insurrection, in hopes that the new government would provide more money.

Army Colonel: Colonel Horacio Ehrlich Mercado was part of a "younger generation of Army officers", and disliked the Farsantes' attempts to gain power over the Army. Only joined the Alejos breakaway faction as the Insurrection threatened to "get out of hand"; before that, was a firm loyalist to the Farsante dictatorship.

Guard Leader: Major-General Roberto Padilla Pasquale was leader of the "Farsante Guard", an paramilitary organization set up by Farsante as a counter to the Army. Stayed loyal to Farsante until the last, and blamed "weak-willed sell-outs" like Ehrlich for the dictator's fall. However, he does seem to curiously reconcile himself to the regime and Ehrlich rather quickly.

The Banker: Jorge Quezada Sonnichsen is President of the National Bank of Chimerica. Farsante used the Bank as his own personal account, but Jorge sought to moderate "the legendary Farsante greed". He was never personally close to the dictator.

Coffee Worker: Sergio Espinosa Castaneda served as an employee for one of Farsante Farms (known after the Insurrection as "Unidad Estatal Luis Campins"). Acted as an "overseer" of migrant pickers, and is also an able manager. Spokesperson for the Association of Coffee Workers, a National Liberation-associated union. Despite engaging in subversion, Sergio was never fired from his job.

5/16 Chimerican Citizens, or 31.25% of the population, are Farsante hold-overs. 2 of these Farsante Hold-Overs (The Teacher and the Coffee Workers) lean National Liberation, while the rest of the Farsante Hold-Overs (The Banker, The Army Colonel, and the Guard Leader) lean Popular Stability.

If you exclude "military" Influentials (Army Colonel, Guard Leader, Sub-Commandate), then you find that 3/13 Chimerican Citizens, or 23.07% of the population are Farsante Hold-Overs.

[Servant Corps]

Interlude: Tentiative List of Hidden Agendas

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Since my main fear was always getting killed by Politicans, I have always sought to find out the Hidden Agendas of politicans. Today, however, I stumbled onto a secret.

I always assumed that Gloria's Hidden Agenda is Land Reform...and when I read her biography, I found that she wrote a book on the Chimerican peasentry, an indication of her support for land refom. This got me thinking. If the biography of Gloria made passing mention to her Hidden Agenda, then so would the biographies of the other Politicans. This allowed me to compile this list of Hidden Agendas.

Obivously, it's easier to appease someone by just giving into their Hidden Agenda. But, if you don't want to implement that Hidden Agenda (or if you already have and the person still wants to kill you), you could try to implement a lot of policies that the Politican does like instead. When Alejos first couped me in this LP, not knowing what he wanted, I chosen to abolish the Marketing Board, and that kept Alejos happy...for one season.

I also do not make any guarrantes as to the validity of this list. I do not seek to find out the Hidden Agendas of people who do not launch military coups...those people can usually be dealt with by forcing their resiginations.

NATIONAL LIBERATION
Gloria Jimenez Fleming
Hidden Agenda: "Forceful land reform aimed at helping the landless"
Evidence: "published a book-length analysis of the Chimerican peasantry". Despite being a professor, Gloria does not care about education funding.
Potential Problems: "sub-commander of an important raid on Guardia headquaters" does imply that she hates the Farsante Guard and that their Hidden Agenda is "bringing officers guilty of human right abuses to justice", but Gloria seems to be appeased more with land reform than she is by LIMIPA. I am only writing this down just to make it clear that there can be an alternative. I have played games where Gloria tried to kill me even after I cracked down on LIMIPA, due to the land reform issue.

Manuel Calderon Iglesias:
Hidden Agenda: "integration of the Revolutionary Army with progressive elements of the old Army" (Read: Crack down on the right-wing death squads, and purge the Right-Wing Army)
Evidence: "jailed and tortured repeatedly by the Farsante dictatorship, including a four-year stint in Teluco prison"

Julio Olivares Las Casas has not tried to kill me, and considering how there is an event in the game that causes him to be murdered, I strongly suspect that he cannot launch coups.

CHRISITAN REFORM
Franciso Ferrante Oberon:
Hidden Agenda: "careful balance of the two newly-merged military forces"
Evidence: "widely respected for his abilities as a negotiator", the Reconcilation Army is the only place where negotiations are key

The rest of Chrisitan Reform cannot launch military coups.

POPULAR STABILITY
Francisco Rosario Rosanes
Hidden Agenda: "encouraging direct foregin investment in agriculture" (Actually, I don't know what that means, but I strongly think it would imply allocating credits to export crops and having no land reform whatsoever [land reform causes educated people to leave the country])
Evidence: "has extensive holdings in cotton and cattle"

Antonio Alejos Espinales
Hidden Agenda: "Maintenance of close ties with the United States" (Read: be a pro-American lackey and go against communsim)
Evidence: "trained long ago at West Point". Francisco Rosario Rosanes' Hidden Agenda deals with agriculture, and I doubt the game developer sees the need to duplicate Hidden Agendas. Also, I was able to appease Alejos by just being a pro-American lackey, while not at all getting rid of land reform.
Potential Problems: Alejos' Hidden Agenda could also be "increased military preparedness through US aid and training"...but I cannot test that out because I was using a save file where Correa became Sole Chief of Staff in order to try and test Alejos' Hidden Agenda. This Hidden Agenda though could help explain why Alejos usually attempts to overthrow me as soon as Ehrlich is exiled.

Bernie hasn't tried to kill me either, so I don't look for a Hidden Agenda for him.

[Servant Corps]

No Cabinet Run, 2.0, Year 1, Rainy Season and Harvest Season
The No Cabinet Run, 2.0 uses this strategy, reported on Abandonia:

Here is a guaranteed way to win Hidden Agenda (I've tried it many times, it always works).

So warning: this post is kind of a spoiler! (You may not want to read the rest!)

1. When it comes to answering the initial reporters questions, always pick the FIRST choice.

2. Don't appoint any cabinet ministers!!!

3. Go directly to encounters (the telephone). Start in the upper left, and go straight across, left to right (like you're reading). For each encounter, always agree to whatever the person proposes.

And that's it! Keep on going through the encounters (always starting in the upper left each season) until the game ends. You'll always win.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Independent. Vencedor loves winning, and throughout his entire life, sought to "win" at any costs. He is willing to implement whatever policy is proposed in order to gain popularity and fame, and only defected to National Liberation Front at the last minute to secure the Presidency. Before the Insurrection, was a firm loyalist of Farsante.

We already did the Year 1, Dry Season correctly, so we're skipping straight to Year 1, Rainy Season.


We hereby authorize the extreme land reform that Claudio desires.



We're forced to borrow money...



...and forced to arrest the Farsante Guard...



...and forced to 'assert' my authority of the Chimeican Presidente to decide who gets military aid, even though all that means is that the US Presidente just decide to decrease my aid in response...



...and then forced to revoke my previous declaration...:sigh:



...and forced to end land reform...



...and forced to give into unions.

Any more Interrupts? Anyone?

Phew.


Let's accept some more IMF assistance. That should be nice...


...especially since we're going to waste those IMF funds on Health Care.



...and how are we going to pay for it?



Alright, it's a new season, and so we better go back to implementing land reform. Now that Claudio isn't calling for the seizure of land, the Cotton Producer shouldn't hold an automatic Interrupt, so land reform can continue to occur.


More support for IMF.



And we put the Farsante Guard back in prison, even though it's rather useless.


Judith is lying. What she's really saying is that she want us to keep increasing the amount of funds we're dedicating to health care.


...and, again, how are we going to pay for it?




Popular Democratic Organizations and daycares aren't empowering democracy. But eh, let's do it, Leticia. It doesn't cost any money to empower these people, at least.


Yes, let's get rid of those subsidies, there is no way that could backfire--


...Welp. Subsidies back in place. Sorry Alarcon, we're just so afraid of protests.




We get rid of Colonel Mendieta, and watch as an annex gets burnt.


We better do something about the land reform violence.


...wait, uh, you don't seem to care about the land reform violence. In fact, you aren't trying to tell me to end land reform. You just want money to be loaned to you. Uh...okay. More money to you.

[Servant Corps]

I would upload the rest of the No Cabinet Run 2.0, except my computer is a bit funky, and I am preparing for some summer school tests. In order to show I'm still active on this run, here's another list of possible runs for you to vote on:

A) Popular Stability - The people demand a strong leader that will protect the rights of the conservative ruling class. We need to restore capitalism and fight against the Marxist foe. (If you choose this path, I will attempt to get nominated as the Popular Stability candidate for elections, as well as survive to the end of the game.) [There's an entire event chain about the Left-Wing Insurgency we haven't witnessed yet.]
B) We're Sorry For Kicking You Out, Ehrlich - We hate the death squads, but we don't hate the traditional military that much. (If you choose this path, I will empower Correa and then try again to win elections by using Colonel Ehrlich.) [I've actually recorded two trainwreck Runs that I plan on posting in this thread, and I lean towards doing this Run, if only due to it being an actual "breaking" of the game.]
C) Ending Hunger - I will keep food subsidies for three years without going bankrupt. This might be harder said than done, WilliamC have alleged that it is impossible to keep the food subsidies without suffering a default. I think it is possible if you switch over to rationing as quickly as possible and do some austerity measures, but I haven't actually tested it yet.

If you got some other ideas for Runs, then tell me so that I put it up for a vote. I think it's safe to say, other than exploring the whole Left-Wing Insurgency, that we're almost done with this Hidden Agenda LP.

[EuchreJack]

I actually succeeded at the Ending Hunger run.  Moving to rationing is the key, but I also sold the estate to the coffee farmers and cotton farmers.

[Servant Corps]

Well, that a strike against doing the Ending Hunger run here. Although I do remember that National Liberation eventually goes against the rationing scheme entirely, I don't think that really deserves an actual Run.

[Servant Corps]

No Cabinet Run 2.0, Year 2

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Dry Season


We start this update on a very happy note.


...is he telling the truth? Cotton Guy's reluctance to even talk about land reform does indicate Claudio may be onto something. Yet, other people, notably Chrisitan Reform politicans, claim that BOTH sides are causing chaos and mayhem, only that the Army is winning because they're actually good at it.

My theory, which I have reported before, is that the right-wing Army is composed of people like Alejos, who are born into rich families. As the Army is itself effected by land reform, they have an incentive to intervene.

Giving weapons to Claudio is a very risky move. Yet, if we are to keep land reform, we need to provide some measure of protection to the peasents.


...uh...sure...



We tell Correa to stop funding rebels.





I guess not, Lady Mendoza.


...they ask someone who do know? The literacy rate in Chimerica is 50%, it's abnormally high. On the other hand, you're the expert here. Let hope that you don't waste that money on something stupid...


...like teaching old people who can't work on the fields in the first place. Good job, Leticia. Why can't you be honest and just say you want money?


...

You care about loans while the countryside currently being burnt into a cinder...maybe Claudio is right about you.

Meanwhile, I've been wasting some Encounters: I accept more advice from the IMF, talk to the Doctor, repeal price controls because Alarcon, the Food Producer, says so, then re-implement price controls when the Syndicate start striking and demanding for price controls. Wee...



Not Gloria! Oh dear, what did I do wrong---



I won? I actually WON? Two reason why I won:
*US military aid has helped protected me from military coups.
*I have some popularity through meeting up with Influentials, such as the Teacher, Doctor, Coffee Producer, Food Producer, Cotton Producer, etc.
Both reasons were instrumental for my survival.

But why did Gloria try to coup me?

Rainy Season

...oh that.

Contray to popular belief, giving peasents a ton of weapons does not give them a chance at resisting the Army. Land reform is basically dead, which would explain Gloria reacted so violently. I could resurrect it by handing Correa control over the countryside, but that would require me establishing a Cabinet.

We actually begin the process of wasting several Encounters, which annoys me greatly. Meeting up with people allow me to get their Support, which is incredibly essential to defending against coups, but at the same time, is rather boring and limiting. I'll only post any new Encounters that I see.

The good news though is that because Claudio has fled underground, he's no longer able to be talked. This allows me to meet up with new people, and thus get some new encounters, rather than hear some guy whine about land reform.


Leticia, you own an ex-dictator's palace. No amount of smiling is going to cover that up.

Also, Leticia is lying through her teeth. We're just increasing and increasing the amount of funds we're throwing in this program. It's a black hole!




We give into unions. At least they aren't demanding for OUR money to be given away.


Lady Mendoza dies. Nothing we can do about that without starting a pointless civil war.




...Ehrlich, I really, really hate you.




Fine, we implement a Marketing Board. It'll increase my popularity, I suppose. Meh.

Harvest Season

Oh, LIMIPA, you're so predictable.


...uh, alright. We'll...keep on doing what we're already doing. How brave a leader I am.


...to be perfectly honest, having seen Correa fight off the reactos in an alternate timeline, I'd be inclined to agree that idealistic visions aren't that useful. Why not?




...oh that. I have a hard time thinking Ehrlich is good at counter-insurgency too, so you get your job back.

[Servant Corps]

No Cabinet Run, 2.0, Year 3

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The end of the game was having the following:
1) Teacher and Doctor saying "Good Job!" wasting me 2 encounters every season
2) IMF saying "Good Job!" wasting me 1 encounter every season
3) Coffee Guy and Cotton Guy saying "Good Job!" wasting me 2 encounters every season
4) Colonel overthrowing Correa, wasting me one encounter some times. Sometimes, the Colonel told me outright in an encounter, "Hey, can you overthrow Correa?", forcing me to waste TWO encounters.

But if it will protect me from military coups? It's a price to pay.

Dry Season

We can't do anything, Buffard. Sorry about that.


...wait, Hector's dead?

Hector's dead, Hector's dead!


We can now repeal those stupid subsidies now! Maybe that could allow me to save some more money to pay for education and health care.

Rainy Season

...So, you're finally, finally stopping your annoying and rather pointless crusade to remove Correa from the Joint Chief of Staff, distracting me from the far more important tasks of appeasing IMF loan officers? That's good. I guess.



I might as well appease Correa while I'm at it. We're strong enough to handle coups.

Harvest Season


Calderon, you really want to go into exile?



I suppose you do! So long, Calderon!



Now that we get rid of food subsidies, Alacron wants to recieve more loans, but Cotton Guy would end up rejecting it. Alacron can't catch a break.


So that would explain why I get those pictures of "professional" soldiers. They aren't professional, they're actually a part of the Left-Wing Military, and Ehrlich hates them, so he thinks, "Let just show El Presidente a picture of the left-wing military running rampant! That should show him."

I don't think peasents dress this way, Correa.



We're returning to the traditional arrangement...


...only for me to cut it back! Haha, I have such humor.

Oh wait. After the Sub-comandate, the last Encounter I have for this game is...the USA Ambassador.


Buffard, you're not serious, right? You're joking. Right?



You're not joking! By calling for elections, you destroyed the truce between the left-wing and right-wing! Argh!



Correa won. I suppose cutting off American military aid really did help his chances...



Go away, Claudio.


Correa is already running the country straight into the ground. But here's the moment of truth. Do I have a chance at winning the next elections?


I do! Yes!

You are so forgiving right after I kickied out 2/3rds of your leadership.


...uh, I wasn't really leading...

Follow Up: When reading Pax Americana, I realized one thing. Since Colonel Ehrlich lost his post as Chief of Staff JUST when the game ended, the Right-Wing Insurgency did not start yet. So I actually was able to avoid civil war even after purging the army, though it was only by a technicality.

Spoiler: Graphs (click to show/hide)

Becuase we cut off military ties with the US, the US is begining to cut our military aid, but not all at once. We'll still receive a ton of it, which was why we were able to fight off Calderon. The US will reduce aid to nil, but we don't have to worry about it for this playthrough (especially since the US automatically cut off military aid entirely after Corra becomes Sole Chief of Staff).


7.8 billion chimericas? ARGH! What are you guys are spending all that money on?

Presidente! We just bought 10 "People's Revolutionary Jaccuzis", freshly imported from Moscow. Can you please transport them over to my HQ? Love, Letica.


I don't know if our extra spending is leading to reduced infant morality.


Look like I found a glitch. Despite the fact that I receive news articles telling me that land reform is dead, it still continues like a leftist zombie...except that while the poor is receiving land, the rich is not losing and land whatsover. So the poor receives 50% of the land, while the rich owns 75%!

So the US military advisors wasn't responsible for keeping land reform alive during the Karios' Run...it was the right-wing military's own blazing incompetence! It also proves that the left-wing insurgency is completley without any real basis: land reform still ocurs, yet the peasents rebel NOT because of land reform at all, but just becuase they hate Ehrlich being Sole Chief of Staff. Boo. National Liberation isn't a party desiring social equality; they are a party greedy for power.


Abolishing the subsidies slowly increase hunger, but it's still very minimal. Meanwhile, food production has begun a process of slow recovery from the subsidies.


Cotton production is falling incredibly high, while coffee production is increasing. We can pretty much tell that land reform is doing its job here.


...oh wow. We just bankrupted cotton farmers all across Chimerica, leaving us dependent on coffee producers. Thanks land reform!


...yet. Despite all this, despite the heath care and education, we manage to economically recover. In fact, we actually didn't take up that much more debt, before begining to pay it off. We also manage to build up some currency reserves. Some possible ideas:
1) We were unable to talk to the Americans or the Soviets, so we were unable to get economic aid. By refusing both Soviet and American aid, we did not worry about the interest increasing our national debt, meaning we only have to deal with a a pre-Farsante debt that is easier to pay off.
2) We got rid of the subsidies, which helped out a little bit.
3) We prevented a civil war, which helped out a lot! The military is a very expensive industry to have.
4) We allocated loans to export crops producers and sold the Farsante Farms to less-well-off coffee producers.

No matter what caused this to happen, I have to say: Auto-pilot Chimerica is doing far better than human-controlled Chimerica.

That's not a good thing.


We rely on only the IMF and the Other countries to help our economy. I don't know what caused that huge climb in "Other" economic aid. I think we receive...$75 million? That's certainly much more aid that the Communists give us. (Update: I reviewed my previous posts, and found out I was wrong. The communists were giving us a little over $100 million. Sorry "Other". The commies just have big pockets.)

Spoiler: Pax Americana and Epilogue (click to show/hide)

... The 1992 elections were considered to be a dark time in Chimerican history. Sub-Commandate Correa's inelegant attempts to rig the elections, with Decisivo's backing, proved to be a rather unwise move. Far from disrupting the opposition, it united the opposition against the government's obivous pandering. In order to protect their rallies from the left-wing military, both Popular Stability and Chrisitan Reform formed their own militaries. Confrontations with the anti-Correa militaries proved to be a rather bloody affair.

When the situation finally culiminated in Correa executing Fransico Ferrante Oberon, leader of the Chrisitan Reform militias, the regime received massive international condemnation and a loss of American economic aid. Realizing that the regime's days were over, both Correa and Decisivio secretly fled the country to Havana.

A second Junta of the Insurrection was formed, led by General Alejos, a sometimes member of the last Junta. The new Presidente moved swiftly to consolidate power, reversing many key desicions...

[mainiac]

You were able to avoid a civil war and avoid death squads while still having (corrupt) elections!  You really have broken HA!

[Servant Corps]

Interlude: Actual Reference Manual

Abandonia has finally uploaded the Reference Manual, and indeed, many of my guesses about Chimerican history turned out to be wrong. I'll update the OP's timeline.

Spoiler: Hidden Agenda Reference Manual (click to show/hide)

History of Chimerica
A small country on the Pacific coast of Central America,
Chimerica officially won its independence from Spain in
1821. Its population is largely mestizo, a mixture
resulting from the intermarriage between natives and
the Spanish conquistadors who colonized Latin America
beginning in the 1500s. Over the centuries a hybrid
culture developed, evidenced today in the food, music
and customs of the country.

However, tortillas and mariachis are not the only legacy
of Spanish colonialism. Primarily seeking riches to
funnel back to the motherland, the conquistadors did
little to assist the people they found already living in
what is today Chimerica. On the contrary, they enslaved
the native population and built a feudal colonial
structure where a small, landed elite class dominated the
majority of the population. This social structure has
essentially persisted to this day.

Economic history
The gap between the rich and poor widened during the
19th century due to the growth of agricultural exports
such as sugar, bananas, coffee, and cotton. Nineteen
powerful families controlled most of the fertile land on
the Pacific plain. Through collaboration with foreign
businesses, first in Spain, then Britain and finally the
United States, these families eventually gained control of
processing facilities as well. Each new cash crop
introduced into the country resulted in greater
centralized control. The powerful families became an
oligarchy. With the help of the Army, they pushed
"campesinos" off their lands and forced them into the
barren hills where the campesinos continued to grow
corn and beans, the steady diet of the majority.

Currently, the wealthy elite also control a large share of
coffee production. However, because coffee grows best
in hilly terrain not always suitable to large-scale farming
methods, much of the coffee crop is also grown on small
and medium-sized farms. In recent years, as much as 75
percent of Chimerican exports have gone to one country,
the United States. Chimerican economists criticize this
excessive dependence on one market, saying it leads to
political as well as economic dependence.

In recent years light manufacturing has also begun to
appear, especially near the capital city of Poyais. Much
of this industry is owned or controlled by foreign
interests such as large transnational corporations. A
large percentage are what is known as "screwdriver
industries." Items manufactured in the United States are
shipped in pieces to Chimerica where labor-intensive
assembly processes may be handled. The added
shipping costs are more than outweighed, from the
companies' point of view, by the fact that workers in
countries like Chimerica will accept wages of less than
$2 a day. Because of this economic activity, the
companies' agents, independent businessmen, trade
unions and the urban workers they represent are
important politically. However, agribusiness still
dominates the economy.

Political history
The early 20th century saw increased political instability
due to rivalry between the wealthy cotton growers and
other business interests, including coffee. Periodically
one side or the other summoned outside forces to help
them gain or maintain power. This resulted in periodic
landings of US Marines to "restore order." The marines
occupied the country three times in a period of twenty
years during which Chimericans adopted such North
American cultural offerings as Coca-Cola and baseball.
They also began to resent the dominant role the United
States played in Chimerican affairs. A nationalist hero of
the time, General Francisco Dinando, became famous for
refusing to accept the presence of American troops. For
the better part of the decade he fought a guerrilla war
against what he regarded as an army of occupation.

In 1932, Emilio Rosario, a member of Chimerica's largest
cotton growing family, came to power after negotiating a
pact between the two major political parties (the
Conservatives and the Liberals). As soon as the marines
left for what turned out to be the last time, Rosario
quickly strengthened his grip of power and ruled
Chimerica as dictator for the better part of a decade. He
assassinated rivals such as Dinando and in 1934 brutally
suppressed a rebellion of impoverished peasants in what
became known as The Great Death.

In 1948, Rosario was overthrown in a coup led by a
group of young Army officers who charged Rosario with
blocking development and rejecting demands for
elections. He was sent into exile. Two leaders soon
emerged: Colonel Leonard Flores and Edgardo Farsante.
The freest election in Chimerican history was held in
1950. Due to the backing of various groups, including
the newly-formed Christian Reform party, Flores won
the election, gaining 65 percent of the popular vote.
Farsante became Minister of War.

During the next four years, Flores passed an ambitious
Agrarian Reform Law, promoted the development of
unions, strengthened the hand of political parties in
general, and took steps to reduce foreign control of the
Chimerican economy. Vast estates owned by foreign
corporations, much of which deliberately had been left
fallow for years in order to prevent competitors from
using the land, were expropriated by the Chimerican
government and given to thousands of landless
Chimericans.

These moves provoked angry reactions in the United
States. Representatives of the companies affected began
a concerted public relations campaign to convince US
leaders that the new Chimerican government was led by
communists in disguise. Though the Chimerican reforms
were quite mild by later standards, the fact that they
came at the height of the McCarthy era meant these
charges were taken very seriously. In 1954 the CIA
engineered a coup. Flores was killed, and Edgardo
Farsante assumed the presidency.

Saying it was "time to steady the course of this great
country," Farsante quickly dismantled the Flores
reforms and moved to consolidate power. Critical to his
efforts was the formation of the Farsante Guardia. It
began as the dictator's personal bodyguard but
gradually grew into a full-fledged military organization
that initially paralleled and then eclipsed the regular
Army. The Guardia was responsible for maintaining
"internal order," while the Army handled national
defense. As time passed, the Guardia's well-trained
troops gained international notoriety for their complete
lack of restraint in enforcing "order."

Over time, through skillful distribution of favors and the
liberal use of Guardia repression, Farsante and his
family gained control over a quarter of the national
economy. Elections were held every six years, but they
were widely regarded as fraudulent. Farsante deflected
criticism that he and his family were running Chimerica
as one vast family empire by saying stability had finally
come and that the people were better off than ever.
While this was perhaps true for a small urban merchant
class, the living conditions for the majority were abysmal
and continued to worsen. Malnutrition among children
was endemic, health care almost nonexistent (especially
in rural areas), while unemployment and
underemployment grew. Landholding became more
concentrated, and corruption was the rule. New
businesses needed the dictator's personal approval to
operate.

Opposition to the regime came from many quarters. In
the mid-60s, radical Catholics such as the Jesuit Father
Julio Picado Olivares began to preach what became
known as "Liberation Theology," calling for the Church
to take a "preferential option for the poor." They
organized groups of campesinos into Bible study groups
known as "base communities," which led many people
to see a Christian basis for questioning the extreme
disparity between rich and poor in Chimerica. The
Farsante Guard repressed these groups by jailing and in
some cases killing priests. On the other hand, most of the
Church hierarchy remained quite conservative and allied
with the elite.

In 1970 after the death of his father, Julio Farsante won
an election. Although he promised reforms, it soon
became apparent that he was more interested in the
good life. He became a notorious womanizer and spent
long holidays abroad.

Through the years the US government periodically
called for a "democratic opening," quietly encouraging
Edgar and then Julio Farsante to allow opposition parties
to function effectively and call elections. Both had
extremely close relations with Washington, and pointed
to their own " electoral successes" as proof that
Chimerica was already democratic. The US supplied
Chimerica's military needs, as well as substantial
economic aid. In the words of one US president,
"Chimerica may not be perfect, but at least it's stable."

Washington's continued refusal to put any real pressure
on the Farsantes, together with the country's near-total
economic dependence on the US, gradually built a spirit
of resentment and anti-Americanism in Chimerica.
These feelings occasionally flared in demonstrations,
which were invariably broken up by the Guardia with
tear gas and clubs. At the same time, Chimericans
admired and adopted certain aspects of American
culture, especially its music.

Political parties
During the rule of the Farsantes, politics was dominated
by the Liberals, a party with 19th century roots. While
Julio's popularity decreased even among the wealthy,
the Popular Stability party gained strength. This party
had its roots in the old Conservative party of Emilio
Rosario. The Christian Reform party, formed in the 1940s
as a "popular alternative," went into near-dormancy
after the death of Flores, but became active again in the
last few years of Farsante rule. Forced underground by
Guardia repression, the more radical opposition formed
a guerrilla group known as the National Liberation
Front, whose banned political arm became known as the
National Liberation party.

The Insurrection
As opposition to his rule grew, Farsante struck back,
imprisoning thousands of suspected opponents.
Hundreds more "disappeared" and were never
accounted for. The regime banned opposition rallies and
placed severe restrictions on the press. The economy
suffered, as the increasingly unstable situation scared
away foreign investors. This fueled the chorus of cries
for change from moderate sectors. For years, members of
the leading families either supported the dictator or at
least did not oppose him. But when Farsante undercut
their power and enriched himself through shady
business deals, often through economic aid funds from
abroad, they also became disillusioned.

Even before Julio's rise to power, the National Liberation
Front began building a guerrilla army in the hills and
engaged the Guardia in occasional clashes. Written off
for years as hopeless romantics, even by sympathetic
observers, the guerrillas surprised everyone with several
spectacular raids on Guardia installations, including one
led by Manuel Calderon on a key barracks and arsenal in
Trinidad province. The romantic image of fighters in the
hills giving their lives to the struggle inspired the
regime's city-dwelling opponents. Strikes,
demonstrations and rallies occurred with increasing
frequency. The government responded with tear gas,
bullets and torture.

The Catholic Church increasingly criticized the
government. Bishop Placido Dimas Hernandez founded
the Human Rights Commission of Chimerica to
investigate and protest Guardia activities and bring the
situation to the attention of the international press.
When it became clear the Guardia was losing control of
the situation, all eyes turned to the Army. This
institution found itself divided into factions: those who
supported the dictator, and those who called for a
plebiscite or some other means to gauge popular support
for the system, now labelled "Farsantismo." Two events,
however, hastened the end of the Farsante era.

The first was the Guardia's occupation of the Supreme
Court. Declaring the need to restore "true law and
order," Farsante ordered the takeover of the court and
arrested justices he considered "subversive."
The second and more significant event was the
assassination of Armando Ortiz, a university professor
and Christian Reform leader who had long criticized the
regime and its claims of implementing a " stable
democracy" in Chimerica. Ortiz and Julio Farsante had
attended school together, where they developed a
mutual animosity which continued in their adult lives.
The professor published numerous books and articles on
Chimerican history and politics. He never hesitated to
criticize a regime he saw as despotic and corrupt. As he
worked late one night, "desconocidos" (unknowns)
riddled his office with machine-gun bullets. While
Farsante disclaimed all responsibility for the death of his
old antagonist, calling the act "barbarous and inhuman,"
critics used the same adjectives to describe Julio.

Two days after the assassination, the campus of the
National University erupted in protest. Farsante
responded by sending the Guardia to occupy the
university in a hail of gunfire. One hundred and four
students, professors and bystanders lost their lives.
When businessmen led by Bernardo Whitmyre Vacarros
organized protests in the form of refusal to pay taxes,
everyone knew Farsante's days were numbered.

The guerrillas stepped up their attacks, and protests
began in other cities. The turning point came when
General Antonio Alejos and other top Army officers
broke in rebellion, demanding the dictator's immediate
removal. For two days Chimerica lived in tense limbo.
Finally, the last of the Farsantes boarded a plane for
Miami.

Both the guerrillas and the Army progressives claimed
credit for Farsante's removal. After tense negotiations,
the two very different forces agreed to merge into a new
institution known as the "Reconciliation Army." The
Guardia, meanwhile, had disintegrated.

The situation now
In the confusing days following the dictator's fall, a
Junta of the Insurrection has been formed by
representatives of the three major political parties.
Someone must lead the country in its hour of need. By
popular mandate, that someone is you.

You inherit a true crisis. While the people are exhausted
from the tumultuous insurrectionary period, the country
is not devastated physically. Yet it will take at least three
years, the Junta has declared, to bring the country back
to some degree of normalcy. They have granted you the
power to rule largely by decree, though it is understood
that the other members of the Junta are your peers and
will serve as spokesmen for the National Assembly. You
will select from among them to form your cabinet and
largely follow their advice.
For the time being, you have the support of the Junta of
the Insurrection, the Reconciliation Army, and the
people. But as an old Spanish proverb says, "throw a
bone to two friendly dogs and you have two enemies."
The country waits to see what you will do with their
support—while it lasts.

Buena fortuna!

Spoiler: Comments (click to show/hide)

There happen to be some curious continuity errors here though:
A) The book here implies that Julio Farsante was the President of Chimerica before the Insurrection, when the game implied that the dictator running the country was Antonio Farsante. Somewhat justified in the sense that the Farsantes avoided term limits by circulating family members through the Presidency, so while one Farsante ran the Presidency, another Farsante actually controlled the government. Except, of course, that there was no mention of this Antonio Farsante, only Edgar Farsante and Julio Farsante.
B) What may be more disturbing is what PaxAmericana said, which stated "40 years of notrious corruption and repression eventually isolated him". This implied Farsante lived for 40 years, when this essay said that there were two Farsantes.
C) It seems that this story here actually gets the names of three Politicians wrong. Julio Picado Olivares appears to actually be Julio Olivares Las Casas, Bernardo Whitmyre Vacarros is actually Bernado Whitmyre Alvarado, and Armando Ortiz is actually Armando Lanza. However, this does help to confirm a suspicion of mine: person named Bernardo Whitmyre Vacarros gets to speak on behalf of Popular Stability and get beaten up reguarly by National Liberation thugs; this indicates to me that Bernardo Whitmyre Vacarros was supposed to be an earlier name of Bernado Whitmyre Alvarado, but that it was not fixed in time for release of the game.
D) The story has claimed Leonard Flores won due to receiving the backing of the newly-created Christian Reform. Well, uh, duh, since Leonard Flores created Christian Reform in the 1940's.
E) Is Colonel Flores leftist? He certainly can't be a moderate, because the developer of the game has stated that no moderate has ever led a military coup. But he certainly can't be a leftist, because he is also the founder of the centrist Christian Reform Party. Or did its centrism happened later?
F) The manual claimed that the "freest" election in Chimerica occured in 1950, while Christian Reform claimed that there were never "truly" free and fair elections.

Interesting Notes:
According to the biography, the game would have to start in 1995, rather than my assumption of 1989, due to me assuming that the game will date the formation of the Farsante dictatorship from the military coup of 1954. I will still assume 1989, though, to maintain the Cold War atmosphere, and a sense of plausibility when writing up the epilogues and prologues. I will also assume the existence of one Farsante dictator rather than two.

Despite the fact that General Francisco Dinando fought a "war of resistance" against the Americans in the 1920's, he was killed in the 1930's by President Rosario. I would assume Dinando would lose the "war of resistance" and be killed by the Americans, but nothing ever implied that, and it is possible Dinando could have survived.

Union leader Hector claimed that people work 13 hours a week, and that a Chimerican makes less per day than an American makes in an hour. According to the manual, an Chimerican works for less than $2/day, so their minimum wage is <$0.15.

The fact that even Leonard Flores and Dinando had a career in the Army before doing anything useful points to a real problem with Chimerica. The Army is, in fact, the fourth branch of government, which is fine, except the Army only messes things up and cost over 100 million dollars per season. At least the confiscation of land in the 1800's could be justified in the name of the "greater good", but there is no reason to build up an Army other than to defend yourself from said Army. Gee, thanks, Army.

The backstory does show an anti-Right tint, but I believe it's somewhat obvious.

The story behind the fall of Leonard Flores seem to bear a remarkable similarity to the 1954 CIA-backed military coup in Guatemala. Here's an interesting article that deals not with the coup per se, but how historians sought to study and examine it.