War of Words

The War of Words is an ongoing, indirect conflict of interests -a cold war of sorts- between the two largest superpowers of Azimuth; the north-western United Sky Kingdoms and the south-eastern Federation of Ganzabar. Although the two do not clash particularly in values or culture, their respective size and influence have led to a growing distrust since the 9250s. The 'war' has never been an open and direct one; it is only referred to one as part of a media convention when referring to the countries' troubled relations. It is sometimes a conflict used to poetically sum the schism between the northern and southern hemispheres.

The 93rd Century

Both the USK and Ganzabar ratified the Daikanu Accord of 9261. The key points were to limit airship navies to a maximum size, following destructive wars of the early 93rd century. However, by the 9280s both sides had gone back on the agreement. The USK circumvented the regulation by fragmenting its navies amongst its member monarchies, which prompted Ganzabar to disregard them altogether. This escalation came to head with the outbreak of the Great Nezzu War, between Ganzabar and Great Brazak. During this conflict, the USK moved to greatly strengthen their ties with the Brazakkers; seeing them as a useful barrier to keep Ganzabar in check.

The 'Brazak Objective'

The defeat of Great Brazak shocked the USK deeply. The rate at which Ganzabar's power was growing alarmed New Frander. The Frannish President called an emergency cabinet meeting and made a commitment to what he called the 'Brazak Objective': to support the resistance partisans fighting Ganzabi occupation. At first, assistance was purely espionage and propaganda. But with the outbreak of armed fighting -the Liberation War- the USK went as far as supplying the ships, weaponry and munitions to the Brazakker cause.

This blatant show of support greatly angered the Ganzabi government, but Greychapel used the incident to bolster international approval of Ganzabar; by effectively ignoring USK intervention, they claimed to be the reasonable, stabilising force to counter the USK's irresponsible recklessness. This PR campaign was a great success abroad, though it only served to further inflame the War of Words.