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OPERACE VIKTORIE: KOZÁR APPROVES LIMITED INTERVENTION

_{| February–March 1972 | Prague, Czechoslovak Socialist Republic |}

Entering his third year occupying both the position of General Secretary of the KSČ and the Presidency of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic, Matěj Kozár had, like many others in and around Yugoslavia (Ranponian), held high hope for a "conclusion by Christmas" scenario. Two months later, however, the state of the conflict seemingly rears no discernable end. Decidedly, after numerous sessions with Prime Minister Tadeáš Martínek and their ministers of cabinet, a limited intervention in support of Belgrade coined internally as Operation Viktorie was ratified on 26 February 1972.

Slated to spearhead this operation, the 65th Batallion, 22nd Parachute Brigade, barracked out of Prostějov, would be formally activated on 1 March. Preparatory measures associated with unit mobilization and conditioning would comprise the better half of a week whilst the Defense Ministry arranged the cooperation of Budapest (Allbania) to guarantee Czechoslovak martial access to Hungarian airspace, paramount in facilitating the transport of equipment and personnel to Yugoslavia. On 10 March, in anticipation of poor public reception if delivered personally by the President, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Lubor Švec, addressed Czechoslovak households across the nation via ČST2 state network which signaled the onset of a campaign aimed not only at informing the public, but equitably at garnering it's backing for this post-Dubček state seemingly poised against Fascism.

In this way, the media helped to mend civil relations with the government, albeit sparingly. To that end, Prague's intervening into the Yugoslav secessionist crisis would be cast within a moralistic light, nationalist even, as field reportings on the situation within separatist-held territories bring to scale some of the motivators behind the summary internment of ethnically undesirable persons, including more than 30,000 Czechs and Slovaks illegally imprisoned with tens upon thousands of other non-Croats. Thus, it becomes the duty of the Czechoslovak state and peoples to not only render aid to the affairs of Yugoslavia, but further to ensure the liberation of all countrymen facing unjust persecution in areas where the peace has been perturbed by the radical ideals once believed to have been justly defeated.

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_{PRAVDA VÍTĚZÍ} —

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The Japanese Visit

"𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘪 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴,
𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘊𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘧𝘪𝘤, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘕𝘢𝘷𝘺."
~ 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 𝘈. 𝘉𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘪

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AUGUST 31ST

The Visit from Japan
^{_{Honolulu, 1972
Written by Alono Mālie}}

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^{Hawaii gains two traction filled centers of news stories across our state: a visit from the Japanese Prime Minister, Kakuei Tanaka, and hosting president Nixon as the people of Honolulu prepare for the momentous occasion, and the hotel which they will be staying had cleaned well and prepared the entire hotel for the President and Prime Minister. The ministers were to meet to discuss American-Japanese relations, with Hawaii as the host state. Honolulu became filled with the joyful cries of men, woman, and children as they all cheered for the presidents arrival, same thing with the Prime Minister of Japan, who was greeted with elaborate festivities and local Hawaiian song and dance. Honolulu looked much nicer than usual and beaches pristine as ever ready for the Prime Minister and President Nixon. The hotel hosting was Kuilima Hotel in Northern Honolulu, and the hotel was preparing for the visit from the moment they were informed. No visitors nor residents were allowed to stay during the visit, (they were relocated to another Kuilima location for the time being) and the President and Prime Minister were allowed to take pride themselves within the hotels pleasures and festivities. The hotel had a schedule planned for the visit, the visit involved laughs and joy within the two nations a warm embrace filled the hotel. This embrace is exactly what Hawaii had hoped for from the visit. Soon, Hawaii hopes to have more visits like this one far into the future of the state.}

August 17, 1972 |
_{Start of Construction of Brani Naval Base}

Start of Construction of Brani Naval Base
_{Brani Island, Singapore NewAuroria — EVENING}

| The ground-breaking ceremony for Brani Naval Base signals the beginning of a project that will bolster Singapore's naval operations and defense infrastructure. This base is crucial for safeguarding Singapore's maritime interests and ensuring regional stability. The construction plans include the establishment of docking facilities, maintenance workshops, and administrative buildings. These facilities are designed to support a variety of naval vessels, including frigates, patrol vessels, and support ships. The base will also feature state-of-the-art communication systems and surveillance equipment to monitor maritime activities in the region. |

| Brani Naval Base is strategically positioned to enhance Singapore's ability to respond to maritime threats and emergencies swiftly. It will serve as a key hub for naval operations, training exercises, and humanitarian missions, further solidifying Singapore's role as a responsible maritime nation. The construction of Brani Naval Base is expected to generate employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth in the surrounding areas. Local businesses are anticipated to benefit from increased demand for goods and services during the construction phase and ongoing operations. |

| Environmental impact assessments have been conducted to ensure that construction activities are carried out responsibly and sustainably. Measures have been implemented to mitigate any potential ecological disruptions and safeguard the natural environment of Brani Island. Construction is scheduled to be completed in phases over the next few years, with full operational readiness expected by [insert future date]. The project timeline is subject to adjustments based on construction progress and external factors. |

West Indies Federation - August 1972

The New Council of State

The cabinet of the West Indies Federation, the Council of State, is now formed and operational following the 3rd victory of the West Indies Federal Labor Party in the recent elections. Headed by the Governor-General - The Honorable Sir Patrick Buchan-Hepburn, 1st Baron Hailes - and represented with the Prime Minister and the cabinet officials. While the Governor-General is head of state of the Federation, due to practice and laws in place, he retains very ceremonial power over the country with the day-to-day tasks of administration given to the Cabinet.

While many members of the previous government will be staying in positions for the forseeable future, the arrival of several more reformist and center-left figures has been seen as a sign of a shift in the WIFLP which Prime Minister Williams is having to contend with. Taking the role of Deputy Prime Minister is none other than Michael Manley, a natural choice given the duo's success in opening the Federation to the socialist bloc and the pressing reforms that placated the Black Power Riots. Manley has been one of the loudest proponents for "democratic socialism" and his bedrock support in Jamaica has given his supporters far more say in the affairs of the labor party. Placing him into the position of Deputy is a statement that the Prime Minister is intending to go through with at least some of the reform policies.

Similar to Manley, several new members of the cabinet spawn from the left side of the Labor party's caucus and signal a true shift towards the center-left for the government of the West Indies. Despite this, the government remains fiercely against Marxist-Leninist style socialism the likes promoted by Bishop or Weekes. The trade union movement and the very existence of the Left Alliance in parliament has shaken confidence among the party's internals on whether or not Eric Williams is capable of continuing to steer the ship of state through the next 5 years. They look to the younger Michael Manley as the stronger alternative, and with his position at the side of Williams, they hope that he will assume the role naturally come the next election.

The newly reopened parliament has its share of issues also. While the WIFLP continue to hold the majority with 22 of the 40 seats, they have significantly been reduced from the supermajorities of previous years. The traditional opposition, the Democrats, control 11 seats making them the official opposition. The Nationals control 3 and the DAC and LANDS both control 2. This structure has the possibility to make wide-reaching reform harder to achieve, but also opens up the opportunity for bipartisan cooperation between the Democrats and Labor.

The Great Anchovy Crisis

1972-1973

| Compounding the continuing economic decline of the Peruvian economy, in 1972 the fishing industry would functionally collapse in a single year.

Fishmeal Production in Peru

| Anchovies, known for their importance as an ingredient in fishmeal, a cheap caloric dense product used to feed large amounts of livestock, was a linchpin of the Peruvian economy.

Peruvian Anchovies were the most popular animal used in fishmeal, with Peru itself producing more fishmeal than Europe and North America combined by almost double. In 1970, Peru broke a world record catching 12.4 million tons of anchovy.

American corporations dominated the market, with American ships, and American manufacturers owning about 47% of the capital in the industry of fishmeal production in Peru.

In 1971, a clear warning sign was given, only 10.4 million tons of anchovy was caught, and while some raised alarm, the amount was still large enough as to prevent further market ripples.

The Music Stops

| Initially expectations were riding high for the 1972 fishing season. These expectations quickly were shattered as an El Niño event struck from February to April. This weather phenomena combined with overfishing of the previous years caused Peruvian Anchovetas to die out. 75% of Peruvian fishing boats that went out in 1972 returned with little or no catch at all. National estimates would put the overall catch at 10% of what the previous year had been.

The market went from shock to panic, as catches crashed from 10.4 million tons to 4 million tons. While initially much of the previous year's stock was still being used for production so exports were relatively unaffected in 1972, in 1973 fishmeal production shrank to 900,000 tons.

By the end of 1972, the entire fishing industry in Peru would collapse, and everyone looked to Velasco to save the economy.

Collapse of the Peruvian Fishing Industry

| Juan Velasco is often unfairly accused in the collapse of the fishing industry, as he used the situation to nationalize the whole industry, but this was simply not the case.

In fact, early into the crisis the Velasco administration would attempt to stabilize the industry by providing low interest loans to collapsing companies in an effort to stave off total collapse. Unfortunately, by the end of the year, the 85 companies of the fishmeal, and fishing industry proved unable to pay back on those loans with many companies defaulting on payments.

Seeing no other option besides total failure and end of the fishing industry, Velasco would take a bold step. All 85 companies of the fishing/fishmeal industry would be expropriated, and nationalized under the new state-owned enterprise Pesca Peru. With the mass nationalization of the entire industry, the government was saddled with an additional $200 million in debt, something the cash strapped Peruvian government could scarcely handle. U.S. manufacturers and many who had lost their Peruvian subsidiaries railed against the decision, but Velasco refused to budge.

In the years after the crisis the price of fish oil skyrocketed from 100 USD/ton to 706 USD/ton, and fish oil, another important Peruvian export, would rise from 70 USD to 278 USD. This increased demand for alternatives globally, most notably soybean meal, which rapidly was adopted as a new replacement for the collapsed industry. Pesca Peru would struggle cutting staff from 20,000 down to 13,000 Peruvians employed in the industry. The Peruvian Guano industry also suffered as fish that relied upon anchoveta to eat, also starved, unable to find food. It would not be until the late 80’s that the Peruvian fishing industry would reach its previous level.