Steve wrote:But, that would require... Communist Switzerland?
OW MY BRAIN!
Communist? Nah. The People's Republic is actually just very poorly named thanks to a short-lived spell of communist rule (1901-1903). They were beaten back down, but the victors never changed the name back to the Republic of Afghanistan. Don't let the socialist overtones of the Great Program fool you, either - al-Meleke did it all for profit. He needed those railroads to foster the growth of the mining and gas industry, needed the irrigation for grain export, and so on.
Edit: Revised edition.
The People's Republic of Afghanistan (Revised Version 1):
Alright, here we go then. Completely subject to change depending on input and only raw numbers at the present time, though I have fluff kicking about in my head already to explain it.
Home Territory: 3
The PRA claims dominion over 647,500 kilometres of land, much of it extremely arid and mountainous.
Colonial Territory: 0
As a land-locked, previously impoverished nation, the PRA has no colonies.
Population: 2
Irrigation and modernization projects early on in the 20th century have caused a population boom of maturing adults over the last few years, along with refugees and exiles from neighbouring countries flooding in. The PRA currently numbers nearly 50 million people, many of them living in and around Helmand, Kandahar, and Nimruz provinces.
Industry: 2
Despite abundant natural deposits of oil, gas, iron, coal, and even gold, little effort was put into developing industry and infrastructure in the xenophobic PRA's past - it was only at the turn of the century that Abdurashid bin Omar bin Khalid Al-Meleke began his Great Program and established a steadily growing industrial sector.
Economy: 3
Despite a newly growing industry, the PRA's economy is far from struggling thanks to its abundant gemstone and gold deposits, as well as the growth of the poppy industry. The Great Program sought to, in addition, attract foreign economic interests and create desire for traditional Afghani products, such as wool, cotton, and fine rugs.
Infrastructure: 3
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Abdurashid bin Omar bin Khalid Al-Meleke was the construction of a strong rail network linking the major cities of the PRA, the irrigation program that has turned several otherwise barren areas into farmable land, and the new Kabul al-Meleke Memorial Airport.
SMT: 2
Despite the great advances in economic, industrial, and infrastructure related areas, the capacity of the PRA to field a standing army is limited thanks to the traditional militia-centric approach to warfare in the region.
NF:0
With no major coastline, the PRA sees no need to maintain a navy.
AmF:2
The PRA is capable of mobilizing, in wartime, approximately 22% of its population.
AF: 1
With the Great Program came several small airfields in remote areas of the PRA, to service the rural populations. These airfields are also home to a modest air force, albeit one that is poorly maintained.
AT: 2
Similarly, the Great Program resulted in the purchase of modern weaponry and the adoption of professional military trainers. Much of the purchased equipment was sourced from other nations in the aftermath of the various wars and when such equipment became obsolete.
AFT: 2
Much like the equipment and trainers for the army, the Air Force saw much of its supplies purchased from foreign interests and is currently trained by freelancing foreigners who are handsomely paid in raw gold and diamonds.
The PRA is proud to boast several airships in its fleet.
Some of you may notice I added more than one point. This is because I had a few left, and I decided to use them on the army's initial troop numbers and mobilization possibilities instead of the initial intent to purchase soldiers. Either that, or I'm confusing things with my predraft again. I don't think its too terribly unfair if it has hit 31 or 32 as I plan to have them lack in talented officers (all those men doing the training, afterall, are foreign mercenaries...) and suffer serious morale issues in conflicts.