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Irad
Irad
	[[File:\|125px\|border\|alt=Flag of Irad\|Flag of ]]
	[[File:\|125px\|border\|alt=Flag of Irad\|Flag of ]]
	Anthem: The Spirit of Irad;
Capital; (and )	Talas
Official languages	Iradi, English
Demonym	Iradi
Government	Devolved one-party governorate with autonomous tribal regions
Establishment
Area
Population
Currency	US Dollar (USD)
Time zone	IRT Template:Nowrap
Date formats	dd-mm-yyyy
Drives on the	right

Irad, formerly Iradistan, is a disputed territory in Central Asia. Approximately 30% of the territory is within the Irad Special Economic Zone (ISEZ) which is governed by the Democratic Party of Irad (DPI) a remnant of the defunct American territorial government. The remaining 70% is controlled by native self-governing tribes, nominally aligned with with the Iradi Freedom Society (IAC or Iradin Azatlık Cemiyeti); The territory outside of the ISEZ is claimed de jure, but not administered by, the neighboring nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan. The population is estimated at about 4.6 million, slightly less than half of which live within the three major cities of the ISEZ: Talas, Nurzhan, and Janyl.

From 1925 to 1991 the territory was the Iradi Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Iradistan, the Iradi SSR, ISSR, or simply Iradistan, an union republic of the Soviet Union. It was governed by the Communist Party of Irad, the local branch of the Soviet Communist Party, the sole legal political party at the time.

Following the Soviet Union's dissolution on 26 December 1991, the Communist Party of Irad was met with popular uprisings. After three months of violence the Communist Party had lost control of all major cities. On March 11th 1992 the Provisional Government of Irad declared independence and formed the Republic of Irad. By June 2nd 1992 the government of Irad unanimously voted ratify the Alimbekov-Baker Treaty. As a result the Republic of Irad was annexed by the United States, becoming Irad, an organized but unincorporated territory of the US, administered by a territorial legislature and Governor. Irad has been on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories since 1992.

On December 3rd 2006, George W. Bush used executive powers to withdraw the US from the Alimbekov-Baker Treaty, effectively ceding Irad to its own governance. The territorial legislature proclaimed the creation of the Democratic Republic of Irad on December 9th. Within three weeks of independance Irad was plunged into civil war. On January 4th Talas was stormed by the Popular Front of Irad and the DRI government was disolved. The DRI had remained on the UN list of non-self-governing territories, by US demand, and was only recognized by 26 UN member states before its dissolution. Following the failure of the DRI, Democratic Party member, Erlan Toktarov, seized control of the Democratic Party of Irad. Toktarov's DPI, commonly called the New Democratic Party of Irad, regained control of urban centers within the ISEZ with the support of the US, which maintains three military bases within the zone, and western oil companies operating in the region.

Etymology

The etymological origin of Irad is disputed. In Iradi there is a distinction between Irad, the name for the star Polaris, and Irad jeri, the land of Irad. In Iradi culture, Irad is not only the physical star, but also the spiritual waypoint that guides man towards Irad, a transcendent place of sublime freedom. Irad jeri refers to the physical land of the Iradi people. In this context Polaris is often referred to as Irad's star instead of Irad to avoid confusion. Iradis are sometimes poetically called the people of the star.

The rich tradition of music and epic poetry in Iradi culture has led some scholars to theorise the etymological origin of the word Irad is related to the Iradi verb "to sing", ırda.

The Syro-Iradi Catholic Church believes they are the descendants of the biblical figure Irad, who followed his eponymous star to the land of Irad. The Church posits that Irad derives from the Hebrew verb ערד ('rd), to flee, reflecting their belief that the Iradi people are cursed by a form of ancestral sin causing them to search for, but never find a home.

Some modern scholars theorize that the myth of Irad was introduced to Turkic tribes during 11th century by way of the Eastern Syriac Church. The earliest recorded instance of the word Irad in the region was found in the Chronicon an ecclesiastical history written by 13th century West Syrian historian, Gregory Bar Hebraeus.

The Soviet designation of Iradistan is still commonly used in western countries. Iradistan roughly translates to "The place of the people of the star", as -stan is a Persian suffix meaning "place of".

History

Main article: History of Irad

Early History

The Iradi people trace their origin to the pseudo-historical figure Janyl sometime between the 9th to 11th centuries.

Mongols

Uzbek Khanate of Kokand

Russian Occupation

Fergana Oblast

Semirechye Revolt

Soviet Iradistan

Formation of ISSR

Korenizatsiia

Kolkhoz

Winter Uprising

American Annexation

Republic of Irad

Alimbekov-Baker Treaty

Tensions

US Withdrawal

Disputed Status

Democratic Republic of Irad

Erlan Toktarov

Irad today

Geography

Irad is a landlocked territory in Central Asia, bordering Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. As a country the Republic of Irad was one of three doubly landlocked countries in the world - that is, a landlocked country completely surrounded by other landlocked countries. The other two doubly landlocked countries are Uzbekistan and Liechtenstein. All of its rivers flow into closed drainage systems which do not reach the ocean.

The historic territory of the Iradi people roughly corresponds to the ancient region called Transoxiana (lit. 'Land beyond the Oxus') bound by the Oxus river to the south, the Talas river to the north, the Kyzylkum desert to the west, and the Tien Shan mountain range to the east.

Politics

Sovereignty over Irad is contested between the Democratic Party of Irad and the Iradi Freedom Society. Neighboring nations of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Kyrgyzstan have claimed the territory and its legal status remains unresolved. The United Nations considers it to be a "non-self-governing territory".

Erlan Toktarov and the DPI claim to be the only legal and democratically elected government of Irad, but only control one third of Irad's territory, mainly within the ISEZ. In November 2011, Toktarov was re-elected as governor for a second term with a margin of 88.74%. During his second term he passed an amendment to reform the 1992 Elective Governor Acts allowing for unlimited successive terms. He has since won three more terms: 2015 with 78.25%, 2019 with 90.31%, and 2023 with 92.75%. Toktarov's son-in-law Aidar Maksat has served as Lieutenant Governor since 2019. The Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe have stated that the electoral reform and elections that followed lacked "any meaningful transparency or choice for the Iradi people".

Leaked US intelligence reports from Toktarov's first term paint him as an autocratic figure, prone to corruption and nepotism. They claimed the DPI was trending toward a cult of personality based around Toktarov who had transformed the ISEZ government into a neopatrimonial regime. They cited Toktarov's elevation of his five sons to positions of political or economic power, and the family's control of local businesses within the ISEZ. The reports concluded that Toktarov has maintained the status quo of Irad's quasi-territorial status in order to avoid conflict with local super powers, specifically Russia and China.

Iradi Freedom Society or Iradin Azatlık Cemiyeti is a loose confederation of semi-nomadic Iradis who self govern within tribal groups. These tribes control two thirds of Irad's territory, known collectively as the Autonomous Tribal Regions. The Tribal Regions are entirely rural. The Society's unofficial leader is Bektur Zhumabeg, who is also the leader of the Tanıp tribe. Zhumabeg has been reluctant to use any titles or language which portray him as a leader of the Society, he has stated his preference to be viewed as an ambassador or negotiator. During the civil war, Zhumabeg was an important figure in the Popular Front of Irad, and is widely viewed as a hero for his actions during the storming of Talas.

An UN-sponsored ceasefire agreement between the DPI and IAC has been in place since 2007. A referendum for unification has been proposed since 2008, but no framework for such a unification has been successfully negotiated. According to 2017 polling, the overwhelming majority of Iradis within the ISEZ want a unified sovereign nation of Irad. Polling in Tribal Regions has been limited, but available data also shows support for a unified Irad; there have been numerous claims of DPI interference and bias in referendum polling. In 2011 the only true attempt at bilateral negotiations between the two parties ended with IAC's withdrawal, due to being offered only one third of seats in the legislature. Public statements by tribal leaders have shown broad ambivalence towards Iradi nationhood.

Toktarov's reluctance towards good faith unification negotiations and his continuation of Irad's quasi-territorial status are seen by some as a foreign relations strategy. Irad's Christianity has long put it at odds with bordering muslim nations, and its recent affiliation with the United States has made it a threat to neighboring foreign powers. The Autonomous Tribal Regions have acted as a buffer for neighboring unrest and border disputes, shielding the ISEZ. Irad's subnational status has allowed Toktarov to deflect conflict with Russia and China towards America. Toktarov has publicly voiced a desire to strength relations with China, stating that "Irad's alignment with China is inevitable and welcome".

Economy

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Energy

Oil

Natural gas

Agriculture

Horses

Cattle and other livestock

Cotton and grain

Mining

Deposits

US Military

Talas AB

Other bases

Demographics

Irad's population was estimated at 4,626,000 in 2018. Slightly less than half of Irad's population live in urban centers and the other half in rural areas.

Ethnic groups

Irad's largest ethnic group are the Iradis, a Turkic people, who comprise of 72% of the population. The second largest ethnic grouping is consists of neighboring Turkic peoples: 7% Turkic Kyrgyz, 5% Turkic Uzbeks, and 3% Turkic Kazakhs. Iranic Tajiks, Turkic Uyghurs, and Chinese Muslim Dungans make up just over 1% of the population combined. The remaining 12% are made up of migrant and foreign worker populations within the ISEZ: 4% Slavic Russian, 4% White American, 1% Slavic Ukrainian, 1% Ethnic Chinese, and 2% other, including Hispanic Mexican and African American.

Irad is unique in the region for having a relatively high Mexican population, with over 10,000 in the city of Talas alone.

Language

Iradi and English are the official languages of the ISEZ. Russian was dropped as an official language after the Winter Uprising of 1992, but remains a de facto lingua franca in the region.

Iradi is a Turkic language of the Kipchak branch, closely related to Kyrgyz, Kazakh, Karakalpak, and Nogay Tatar. It was written in the Arabic alphabet until the twentieth century. Adoption of the Cyrillic script was forced by the USSR in 1941. In 1992 Irad transitioned to use of the Latin script.

Religion

Irad is unique in its region for being a majority Christian territory. Christianity is the historically dominant religion of the Iradi people. By 2018 estimates 78% of the population is Christian, 18% Muslim, and 4% other groups including Jews, Buddhists, and Baha’is. The Christian population is majority Catholic by way of the Syro-Iradi Church, with a minority practicing Russian Orthodoxy and other forms of Christianity. Muslims are majority Sunni with a small Shia minority.

The Syro-Iradi Catholic Church, or simply the Iradi Church, is believed to be the last remaining branch of the Nestorian expansion into the Kara-Khitan Khanate. The foundation of the Church and the early organisation of the Iradi people is ascribed to the pseudo-historical figure Janyl during the 11th century. The mythological legends regarding the origin of Irad and it's people are largely Abrahamic in origin.

Although the Iradi Church is unified under the Archbishopric of Janyl the day to day practices of urban and tribal church members differ greatly. The Church is in communion with the Catholic church as a particular church sui iuris. The Church's distinct liturgical rites are based on local Nestorian traditions, but have experienced rapid liturgical Latinisation since the end of the 20th century.

Within tribal regions Iradi Christians have practices and beliefs which are distinct, and sometimes heterodox, to their urban counterparts. Scholars have categorized their system of beliefs as an unique folk religion, but most Iradi do not make the distinction. Tribal Christianity is a syncretic blend of Nestorianism and Catholicism with elements of folk belief, Animism, Buddhism, and Islam.

Irad has remained secular in all of its incarnations since the adoption of state atheism by the ISSR.

Culture

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Horse Riding

Music

Irad in Popular Culture

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