List of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 factions

This is a list of fictional states and factions in "Mobile Suit Gundam 00". Set in the early 24th century, the series presents a time period when the nations of the world have merged into supranational unions, geographically comparable to the superstates described in the novel "Nineteen Eighty-Four". The strongest of these powers -- the Union, the Human Reform League, and the AEU -- are functionally equivalent to First World nations under the Three Worlds Theory.

Celestial Being

nihongo|Celestial Being|ソレスタルビーイング|Soresutaru Bīingu is a private paramilitary force founded by the scientist Aeolia Schenberg. It pursues the complete eradication of armed conflict mainly through the deployment of the revolutionary Gundam units, as well as other mobile units, in aggressive, sometimes indiscriminate military intervention. It acts upon the advisory of the artificial intelligence Veda, and its preferred mode of operation resembles guerrilla or maneuver warfare. As of the initiation of its publicly visible activities in 2307, Schenberg appeared in a taped worldwide broadcast announcing the organization's existence and intentions. [See "Episode 1: Celestial Being".] Many people of Earth began a love/hate-like relation with Celestial Being, though everyone does not desire war. Some people, like Marina Ismail of Azadistan, believe that they create only more conflict by intervening.

In addition to the small core group of Gundam pilots known as "Gundam Meisters" and crew of the Gundams' carrier ship, Celestial Being is very influential in all parts of the world and possess an apparently large number of personnel loyal to it. These personnel have different roles, including: engineers, scientists, intelligence agents, "observers" who function as a sort of guiding committee, financial backers, and many others.

The group has received mixed levels of opposition. Civilian protest groups have held rallies against them, the world government has attempted to stop them through military force and terrorist groups have threatened random, indiscriminate attacks until the group ceases operations.

Although their public objective(s) is the eradication of warfare, many (including the organization's own operatives) speculate if the group has a different true objective since the appearance of "Team Trinity" and murder of Professor Leif Aifman.

Celestial Being has since been suffering internal conflicts since the appearance of the "Team Trinity" with Veda suspiciously hacked and solar furnaces handed to the world governments by an unknown benefactor from the inside of Celestial Being. Because of all such developments, the primary Gundam Meister's have rejected Throne Meisters and have begun taking appropriate measures without Veda's knowledge.

The emblem of Celestial Being bears a resemblance to that of the United Nations, incorporating an azimuthal equidistant projection of a world map enclosed in olive branches. It is overlaid with a figure resembling an angel.Further|Notablemembers, Mobileunits, GN science

Krung Thep

Krung Thep ( _th. กรุงเทพฯ; _ja. クルンテープ "Kurun Tēpu") is an isolated space colony at Lagrange Point L₃, operated by Celestial Being as a mobile suit development lab and factory. At a height and radius of 500 meters, it is one of the few operational colonies currently known to exist within "Mobile Suit Gundam 00". The colony designation is a common shorthand of the full name of Bangkok in Thai, meaning "city of gods." It is the setting of the sidestory Mobile Suit Gundam 00P, which occurs 15 years prior the series proper within the "Mobile Suit Gundam 00" continuity.

Fereshte

Fereshte ( _fa. lit. "angel"; _ja. フェレシュテ "Fereshute") is a branch organization of Celestial Being -- a shadow to the public face presented by the Gundam Meisters. It is the focus of the sidestory Mobile Suit Gundam 00F, which chronologically concurs with the series proper within "Mobile Suit Gundam 00".

One of the Veda terminals used by Fereshte is Hanayo which resembles a cat-shaped Haro.

Union

The nihongo|World Economic Union|世界経済連合|Sekai Keizai Rengō|abbrev. ユニオン "Union" -- also referred to as the nihongo|Union of Solar Energy and Free Nations|太陽エネルギーと自由国家連合軍|Taiyō Enerugī to Jiyū Kokka Rengōgun -- is a supranational politico-economic community consisting of the Organization of American States, Australasia, and Japan. It controls the first-completed of the three orbital elevators, located in South America. The President of the United States is the Union's effective leader, and continues to work and live in the White House.

pecial Economic Jurisdiction - Japan

The nihongo|Special Economic Jurisdiction of Japan|経済特区・日本|Keizai Tokku - Nippon is the only member state of the Union within proximity of the Human Reform League. The designation nihongo|Special Economic Jurisdiction|経済特区|Keizai Tokku differs in usage from the textually identical real-world term Special Economic Zone ( _zh. ), which is associated with regions in mainland China open to foreign investment, and has more in common with real world Special Administrative Regions such as Hong Kong.

Republic of Taribia

nihongo|The Republic of Taribia|タリビア共和国|Taribia Kyōwakoku is member state of the Union, occupying the combined geographic locale of the real-life South American nations of Guyana and Venezuela. In 2307, hoping to trigger Celestial Being's intervention in its favor as an instrument to an anti-American agenda, Taribia provoked the Union into an armed engagement by declaring secession in protest of the United States' monopolization of the energy supplied by its neighboring orbital elevator. Celestial Being determined this action to be instigative of warfare, and consequently attacked Taribian troops instead of the incoming Union forces. The prime minister was obliged to retract the declaration and call upon the Union for military aid, resulting in improved US-Taribian relations. [ See "Episode 4: Foreign Negotiations".] [ See "Episode 5: Breakaway Limit Zone".] The nation is known to be rife with drug trafficking and the growth of narcotics.

Union Military

MSWΛD

Mobile Suit Warehouse and Development or MSWΛD is a branch of the Union Military dedicated to the research and development of mobile suit technology.

Anti-Gundam Investigative Squad/Overflag

The nihongo|Anti-Gundam Investigative Squad|対ガンダム調査隊|Tai-Gandamu Chōsatai, aka the 8th Independent Tactical Fighter Squadron given the official name Overflag because of it consisting only of Flags, is a special forces unit under the command of MSWΛD, assembled to investigate, capture, and/or formulate a countermeasure against the Gundams deployed by Celestial Being. Led by Captain Graham Aker and the Union Professor Leif Aifman, who serves as technical chief, its consists of fifteen Union Flags, all customized by Professor Aifmen along the specifications of Graham's personal unit and ace pilots from all over the North American continent.

Human Reform League

The nihongo|Human Reform League|人類革新連盟|Jinrui Kakushin Renmei|abbrev. 人革連 "Jinkakuren", lit. Human Reform Alliance is a supranational politico-economic community consisting of China, Siberian Russia, India, Bangladesh, the nations of South Asia (with the exception of Afghanistan and Pakistan), Mongolia, the member states of the ASEAN, Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, the Korean Peninsula, and Taiwan. It controls the second-completed of the three orbital elevators. The chairperson who serves as the head of government resides in the capital, which is located somewhere in China.

Though the exact nature of the HRL's government is not made clear, it appears to be cast as a socialist (or even Communist) politico-economic entity. This is made evident in many ways throughout the series, is in line with the present policy of the powerful constituent state of the People's Republic of China (as well as the former USSR), and is perhaps most obvious in the name of their space colony, "The Internationale", a reference to an old socialist anthem of the same name by Eugène Edine Pottier.

The Internationale

The HRL currently operates the space colony The Internationale at Lagrange Point L₄, where one of the laboratories of the Super Soldier Special Duty Organization was situated prior to its destruction at the hands of Celestial Being.

AEU

The nihongo|Advanced European Union|新ヨーロッパ共同体|Shin Yōroppa Kyōdō-tai or AEU is a supernational politico-economic community consisting of Iceland, the islands of the Barents Sea, Greenland, Anatolia, European Russia and the entirety of the traditional continent of Europe. Its institutional makeup is comparable to that of the real-world European Union, and its symbol (the four-pointed star) resembles that of NATO. Despite the AEU's control of the presently incomplete orbital elevator tower in Africa, it possesses no member states on the continent. The community operates under the arbitration of a parliamentary body.

Republic of Moralia

Established in the year 2284, the nihongo|Republic of Moralia|モラリア共和国|Moraria Kyōwa-koku is a independent state and close ally of the Advanced European Union See "Episode 6: Seven Swords".] that occupies the geographic locale of the real-life Principality of Monaco. [ [http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/88/Mn-map.gifCIA-The World Factbook photo of Monaco.] Retrieved on November 16, 2007.] 94% of its estimated population of 3,180,000 are non-citizens, residing under visa as foreign labor; over 20% of its roughly 4000 civilian-operated corporations are owned by the private military contractor known as the PMC Trust, a primary contributor to the stability and growth of the region's economy. See "Episode 6: Seven Swords".] The nation attracts investment from PMCs by offering them a range of benefits and is a key supplier of materials and engineers for the construction of the AEU orbital tower..

United Nations

The United Nations fulfills a similar role to that of its real-life counterpart within the series. The UN apparently has some influence over the distribution of the energy generated by the Solar Power System. During the series, the UN is called upon to aid Azadistan during its period of civil unrest and constructs a solar antenna to allow the country to receive solar power, although this antenna is destroyed during the ultra-conservative uprising but this antenna is later rebuilt.

Alejandro Corner is a representative of the UN, in addition to secretly being an observer for Celestial Being.

The UN in the series has been able to amass its own United Nations military consisting of elements of the AEU, HRL, and Union militaries. ["See Episode 20, Blade of Revolution."]

At the end of season one, the UN disbands and the Earth Sphere Federation is formed around it.

Earth Sphere Federation

The nihongo|Earth Sphere Federation|地球連邦|Chikyū Renpō was formed four years after the introduction of the Gundams as the successor to the United Nations, unifying the three major factions together to form a united world order. With the approval of the 328 member nations, one of their first announcements is the dissolving of every member state's standing army and replacing them with one Earth Sphere Federation "peacekeeping army". The Earth Sphere Federation is shown to have the ability to mass-produce GN Tau drives.

A-Laws

The A-Laws are an independent secret police of Earth Sphere Federation, having splintered off the main army. Their mission is to further unify nations. But their ideals and tactics are a facade of oppression. Their actions trigger the return of Celestial Being to activity, four years after their last battle. This premise is parallel to the AEUG/Titans conflict in "Zeta Gundam".

Other States and Organizations

Kingdom of Azadistan

The Kingdom of Azadistan ( _fa. آزادستان "Āzādestān" "land of freedom"; _ja. アザディスタン "Azadisutan") is a developing constitutional monarchy in the Middle East, whose economy was stable until the use of fossil fuels was superseded by the advent of solar energy. The nation has since experienced economic collapse, and presently seeks foreign humanitarian aid. [ [http://www.gundam00.net/character/06.html Marina Ismail Profile.] Retrieved on November 16, 2007. ja icon] Following the national parliament's declaration of monarchic rule, the elected Princess Marina Ismail has been at the forefront of outward diplomatic negotiations. In the past, it is known that Azadistan warred with the Kurdish Republic, resulting in the latter's devastation. The country is located between Caspian Sea and Persian Gulf,See "Episode 12: Toward a Doctrine's Result."] i.e. on the territory of modern Iran.cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=8190&page=22|title="Mobile Suit Gundam 00" (TV) trivia|publisher=Anime News Network|accessdate=2007-12-24] The country's name may be a reference to a short-lived government in Tabriz, Persia, which was called "Azadistan" in 1920. [ [http://flagspot.net/flags/ir-shlvd.html Persia (Iran): Short-lived states] ]

Republic of Kurdish

The nihongo|Republic of Kurdish|クルジス共和国|Kurujisu Kyōwa-koku is a Middle Eastern nation thought to occupy (or have occupied) a region within the plateau of Kurdistan. As of 2301, it was devastated in an armed conflict with Azadistan. Its current status is unknown, though it is inferred repeatedly by Setsuna F Seiei that the nation no longer exists, most likely absorbed into Azadistan (and possibly other neighbouring states). It is also Setsuna's homeland [cite web|url=http://gundam00.bandai-ent.com/setsuna.php|title=Mobile Suit Gundam 00|accessdate=2008-07-12] .

La Eden

nihongo|La Eden|ラ・エデン|Ra Eden is a conservative European political organization with a terrorist wing active across the whole of the Eurasian continent. They tried to force Celestial Being into discontinuing their armed interventions by bombing multiple locations. However, the plan backfired and Celestial Being blasted all of their bases simultaneously. [See "Episode 8: Indiscriminate Retaliation"]

PMC Trust

The nihongo|PMC Trust|ピーエムシー・トラスト|Pīemushī Torasuto is a private military contractor based out of the Republic of Moralia, where its activities have been of singular benefit to the local economy. Its collective armed operatives form the functional mercenary equivalent of a standing army, amongst which Ali Al-Saachez serves as a key field officer.See "Episode 6: Seven Swords".] Besides mercenary deployment on demand, the company otherwise provides services relating to the training of military personnel and the transport and development of weapons.

Viewers have noted the PMC Trust to echo real-life PMCs such as Blackwater Worldwide, which has had a role in the United States' involvement in Iraq. cite web|url=http://www.mahq.net/animation/gundam/00/g00ep6.htm|title=Gundam 00: Seven Swords|author=Guanche, Chris|publisher="Mecha Anime Headquarters"|accessdate=2007-11-14|date=2007-11-13]

Kataron

After the countless increase of cases such as suppression, inhuman tactics and exterminations and others by the A-Laws, an anti-A-Law rebel organization known as "Kataron" was formed. Consisting of former members, scientists, workers, and soldiers of the three major powers such as the Union, Human Reform League, and AEU, they use older model mobile suits against the A-Laws and have secretly gained support from people outside the organization.

References