Sicily (World War Z)

Sicily, officially the Sicilian Republic, is a nation located in Southern Italy. It encompasses Sicily, and the Italian mainland up until Abruzzo and half of Lazio. It also has territory in Tunisia and Libya. Though it is officially a democratic republic, it is actually a Mafia-run state with a fascist-like government that has neo-imperial territorial ambitions. Sicily is one of the most stable nations in the post-war world, though it is one of the farthest things from democracy in Europe since before the Zombie War.

Italy was devastated by the war, as was most of the world. A safe-zone set up in the North made the South lawless, but Sicily retained some sort of stability. The most powerful syndicates came together and declared a New Italian Republic. The Mafia was ironically very popular among the people, as news headlines often detailed the "heroic" actions of mobsters who always craved to be in the spotlight. The island was liberated in 2018, and various syndicates came together and created a police force, known as the Sicilian "Carabinieri", who have always been hailed as true policemen. They then declared the "Repubblica di Famiglia".

There have been attempts at reunifying the peninsula by Sicily, known as the "Sicily Wars". The First Sicily War was started seemingly out of nowhere on March 12, 2027, where Sicily conquered Sardinia, more of the Mainland and Tunisia within 2 weeks. The war ended with Italy achieving their goals before anyone could take initiative against the nation. The Second Sicily War was started on July 1, 2031. This time however, victory would not be so easy. Switzerland had entered the war of the Northern Italian side, and the Sicilians had trouble dealing with 5 enemies at once. Once it was made known that Greece would enter the war soon, Sicily proposed an armistice. The war ended in a technical draw, but Sicilians felt it was a loss, since not all their demands were met. Rome was declared a free city by the United Nations, something that angered the Sicilians. Sicily has been preparing for another shot, and many believe a Third Sicily War is on the horizon.

International Relations
Sicily is part of the United Nations, however its control of southern Italy went unrecognized for a long time until the end of the Second Sicily War.

It's Imperialistic ambitions anti-Greek stance has led to extensive communication with the Turkish rump state, as well as the Holy Russian Empire, leading to allegations that the Sicilians are planning for a third world war.

Military
The Sicilian Armed Forces consists of the Sicilian Army, Navy, Air Force, and Caribinieri. Since the Sicilian Republic's founding in 2018, military service is mandatory for all males. The total number of active personnel numbers over 450,000; one of the highest in Europe.