Triumvirate

Triumvirate
The flag of the Triumvirate
Triumvirate map
Faction leader(s)	Italian Empire Iberian Union Republic of Turkey
Prominent ideology(s)	Fascism, Despotism, Paternalism and few democratic ideologies
Main location(s)	Southern Europe (Mediterranean), North Africa, East Africa and Middle East
Rivals	Einheitspakt
Established	1950s

The Triumvirate is a faction in Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa. It consists mainly of the independent nations, the Republic of Turkey, the Italian Empire, and the Iberian Union, as well as their client states, puppet states, and territories.

The principal objective of the alliance is to dissuade German acts of aggression, and to maximize the member's chances of survival if the aforementioned aggression is to occur.

They trade with neutral nations, the Organization of Free Nations and the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.

Members

Membership Status	Member(s)	Description	Effect(s)
Triumvirate Founder	Italian Empire Iberian Union Republic of Turkey	(Italy side) Of all of the conquests and victories Italy enjoyed during the twentieth century, many consider the formation of the Triumvirate to be the greatest among them. The diplomatic pride and joy of the Empire, the Triumvirate is- on paper- merely a defensive pact around the Mediterranean for mutual protection against the German Reich to their north. In practice, however, it was a masterstroke for Italian foreign policy. Italy's central place in the Mediterranean, and the bounty from her overseas Empire has granted her the unofficial position of first among equals amidst the Triumvirate's Founders. The alliance has been on the decline, and as Italy seems to be its primary beneficiary, she is also the nation that has been fighting the hardest to keep it intact. Their Iberian and Turkish allies have not seem the diplomatic fruits of the partnership though, and without drastic action, this Italian bloc in all but name may indeed be reduced to merely Italy and her puppets. (Iberia side) Of the three Founders of the Triumvirate, the Iberian Union faced the most direct peril at the hands of the rampaging Germans. They seized the former Portuguese colonies in Africa by force, after all, and then they tried to foist the Gibraltar dam upon them, a project that would have only brought misery upon Iberia and all the nations of the Mediterranean. What was a project in power projection for Italy and a way to shore up border concerns for Turkey was a matter of survival for Iberia, and as such Iberia fought for the formation and maintenance of the Triumvirate since its inception. But times are different now. The Germans seem to be retracting inwards these days, or at least stagnating somewhat, and Iberia no longer feels the existential threat of the Reich loom over them so heavily anymore. Now it is the time to ask what Iberia's ambitions are, and whether or not the Triumvirate is conducive to those aims. And if it's not, then perhaps it might be time to graduate beyond being a supporting actor behind the Italians on the world stage. (Turkey side) The Republic of Turkey, unlike her western counterparts in Italy and Iberia, found herself aligning with the Italians and their Triumvirate not necessarily out of fear of the Germans to the north, but out of a need to secure their borders and foreign policy so they could focus on the nation's internal struggles. The Twentieth Century has seen great gains for the Young Republic, but with their massive successes, they have also gained much in the way of burdens, namely in the area of regional minorities that struggle ceaselessly against the nation. Turkey has needed breathing room to deals with these threats, and if nothing else the Triumvirate has provided exactly that. But times change, and to survive, nations need to adapt to those changes. The Triumvirate is, to put it bluntly, a dying alliance. It no longer offers the security or support to Turkey that it once did, having evolved into a vanity project of Italian duces over the years. Turkey once again strains within her borders, and looks to break out of the constraints that the nature of their alliance places upon them.	GDP Growth Boost: 10%
Triumvirate Member	Republic of San Marino Hellenic State Iraqi Republic Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen	There are three founders of the Triumvirate, that is where the name comes from after all. However, in spite of that, the alliance encompasses more than merely Italy, Iberia, Turkey, and their respective puppets. A number of smaller nations find themselves in the orbit of one or more of these secondary powers and have, for one reason or another, petitioned the Founders for induction into the Triumvirate as a junior partner. These nations maintain their legal autonomy and independence, but find their interests largely subordinated to that of the "Big Three" members of the Triumvirate both economically and in terms of foreign policy. This is all, of course, in exchange for the protection and security that the Triumvirate provides. Even still, many consider the inclusion within the Triumvirate to be more of a burden than an aid, because while they maintain their technical sovereignty over their own borders, everyone knows that Rome, Istanbul and Madrid hold significant sway over the politicians in every one of the minor nations that seek out the Triumvirate.	GDP Growth Boost: 5%
Triumvirate Client Member	Kingdom of Egypt Governorate of the Gulf Governorate of the Levant Syrian National State Mosul and Kerkuk Italian East Africa Principality of Monaco Independent State of Croatia Kingdom of Montenegro Italian Antarctic Research Zone	Legally speaking, the various client states, puppet regimes, and regional authorities of the Triumvirate represent less of a junior or underclass of nations within the Triumvirate, and something more akin to tumors or growths off of their parent nations. The legal status of client states within the Triumvirate is murky, with the Founders desiring recognition for the full membership of their vassals, while also seeking to prevent the other two from doing the same. For this reason, the status of clients and subordinate nations and regions will remain something of a grey area from now until the end of the alliance, which may be fast approaching. In spite of how little they truly gain from the alliance, the Triumvirate has thus far kept their master nations restrained and at peace with one another, but with the disintegration of the Triumvirate looking as likely as it is now, the smallest of nations have much to fear as the local juggernauts begin sharpening their knives...	GDP Growth Boost: -2.5%
Triumvirate Observer	Swiss Confederation Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Sultanate of Muscat and Oman Principality of Andorra Argentine Republic Governorate of Tierra del Fuego Argentine Antarctica Dominican Republic	Where the Triumvirate's reach extends beyond the Mediterranean, there can be found the associated nations known as Triumvirate Observers. Though not formal members of the alliance, they still take part in its activities and benefit from mutual cooperation. Someday, these nations may seek to join the Triumvirate as full members... If the bloc can last that long, that is.	GDP Growth Boost: 2.5%

History

The Triumvirate was created as a response to potential German Aggression. Benito Mussolini, Duce of the Italian Empire, who left the Axis he had formed more than fifteen years prior, and formed the Triumvirate with the other two countries which feared a potential German invasion, Spain (later the Iberian Federation) and Turkey. Ever since then, the Triumvirate has adopted a markedly anti-German political and diplomatic approach, ranging from welcoming Jewish refugees in the Italian Governorate of the Levant, to establishing trade and diplomatic relations with Japan and the OFN.

The Triumvirate is both a military and economic alliance: the countries vow to protect each other from German aggression. While all "main" members (Italian Empire, Iberian Federation, and Turkey) are formally equal, the Italian Empire is by far the strongest country, both economically and militarily, and therefore acts as a "primus inter pares" within the alliance. Among the other, formally independent countries, some, such as the Greek State, are de facto puppets of the Italian Empire, while others, such as the Iraqi State, are clients of the other members, and therefore count very little in the alliance.

As the years passed, the alliance is slowly losing its purpose: the German threat is slowly fading as the Goliath falls into civil strife and economic stagnation, and within the alliance, Iberia and Turkey are growing more and more vocal in their opposition to the current status quo. When the war ended, Italy, the oldest ally of Germany, gained the lion's part of the African spoils, while Spain and Turkey, who had opportunistically joined when the Axis had appeared triumphant, were left with small crumbs: now, they claim each their due, with Iberia protesting against Italian almost total occupation of Algeria, which has left Franco and Salazar only sand and Tuaregs, and Turkey asking the Italian Empire to return "rightful Turkish lands" in the Middle East. Since the Italian government appears adamant in its refusal, citing the sacrifice of many Italian soldiers, many observers think this will spell the eventual end of the alliance.

In-game

After the Malta Conference is bombed by unknown bomber planes, the Triumvirate will dissolve as both Turkey and Iberia leave the faction. Shortly after, Turkey will invade the Levant, causing the 2nd Italo-Turkish War.

While the alliance will dissolve relatively early on, there are other ways that its members can find themselves in the same faction again.