2008 Americas and Caribbean ISOTed to 1492

[godsown1991]

The Americas, North, South, Central, and the Caribbean are ISOTed to 1492, the day before the arrival of Christopher Columbus. Just for the heck of it, the ISOTed population cannot catch any disease from back then that they would not have an immunity to, and they cannot spread any disease that the world of 1492 did not have.

And, for the heck of it also, the Native Americans simply disappear from the face of the Earth, with no negative results in the ISOTed territory.

What happens?

[Mike Stearns]

North America wank.

Colombus also wonder where the hell this uber-advance civilization came from.

[godsown1991]

North America wank.

Colombus also wonder where the hell this uber-advance civilization came from.

Aside from Columbus, though. What's the world like a decade from now? How does Europe respond? How do the Americas respond? Would Cuba clandestinely attempt to spread the Revolution elsewhere, perhaps in Asia, that they might have a very strong alliance with a far more ancient Red China? You can do so much with this, if you wanted to.

[Trebuchet]

Columbus claims one of the Bahamas in full view of bemused tourists who think this is the greatest entertainment ever, and offer the Spanish beer and pina coladas until it dawns on everyone that this is REALLY Columbus. The Spanish, for their part, are wondering how every other nationality in the whole world beat them to this remote island in the East Indies.

Meanwhile, Washington and Ottawa are coming to grips with the loss of large numbers of troops stationed abroad, along with the greatly changed overseas situation. The White House hires a bunch of history professors as undersecretaries of state.

Initially the United States is ready to issue a 'reverse' Monroe Doctrine, declaring the Old World off limits, but pirate attacks and ransom demands from the Barbary Coast against tourists from various WH countries makes them postpone that. The World's Most Unfair War sees galleys torpedoed and bombing attacks launched against Tripoli, and one of the most famous photos of the war makes the front page of the Drudge Report: corsairs ineffectively trying to fire arrows and matchlocks against sailors on the Theodore Roosevelt, who are hooting and mooning the pirates while pelting them with cans of beer and coolers full of ice.

Even though it wouldn't actually happen, it would be amusing if the various nations in the western hemisphere made some sort of corrupt bargain to split up the whole world.

[oscarzoalaster]

I think that the governments of the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica (etc), and Canada would declare South America to be off-limits to unregulated trade and off-limits to settlement or travel. Trade would be opened with the Inca and other groups, but with significant regulation in order to attempt to avoid the spread of disease. (Similarly with Australia, New Guinea, and New Zealand.)

Trade with Europe and Asia will be opened. Potatoes and corn, along with a wide variety of other foods, will become important in Europe and Asia. Lots and lots of 'technical assistance' missions. Lots of investment in local manufacture....

The Western fishing fleet will do very very very well.

[mattep74]

Does the hurricanes ISOT also? In that case Columbus is sunk på the hurricane Ike and not the carrier:D

[William Blake]

I think that the governments of the United States, Mexico, Cuba, Jamaica (etc), and Canada would declare South America to be off-limits to unregulated trade and off-limits to settlement or travel. Trade would be opened with the Inca and other groups, but with significant regulation in order to attempt to avoid the spread of disease.
:o
As per the original post, South America has been Isotted too, so the Inca are NOT there either... and the South americans there are those of
2008.
OTOH, both Americas will face a HUGE economic Crisis - Most of their
markets, bot for buying and for selling are gone. Just go to the supermarket and think how many products are either based on imported commodities or
imported outright? How much of that can be replaced in short order?
How long can the nations go without that flux?

[oscarzoalaster]

:o
As per the original post, South America has been Isotted too, so the Inca are NOT there either... and the South americans there are those of
2008.


Oops.



OTOH, both Americas will face a HUGE economic Crisis - Most of their
markets, bot for buying and for selling are gone. Just go to the supermarket and think how many products are either based on imported commodities or
imported outright? How much of that can be replaced in short order?
How long can the nations go without that flux?


Uh....I can't think of anything that the Americas would need from the rest of the world in the short run. North America can sell to South America and vice versa. There may be a few resources not available in the Americas, but none that are essential in the short run.

Venezuelan and Mexican oil. Brazilian rubber. Tropical crops. Out of season crops. And so on.

[admkenshin]

Uh....I can't think of anything that the Americas would need from the rest of the world in the short run. North America can sell to South America and vice versa. There may be a few resources not available in the Americas, but none that are essential in the short run.

Venezuelan and Mexican oil. Brazilian rubber. Tropical crops. Out of season crops. And so on.

I think he was considering manufactured goods. How many TV sets at wallmart are made in the USA?

There's still oil production in the Americas, and with venezuela it's probably enough, but prices will go up.

Both these factors will lead to unrest amongst the populace.

[Mark E.]

Consumer goods, especially electronics, would run out as Asian manufacturing is gone. Shortages will loom for five or ten years until factories are rebuilt.

The issue of disease was brought up, and people are supposed to be immune. Otherwise, the CDC in Atlanta will thaw out its sample of smallpox and aggressively begin to manufacture new vaccines.

[mattep74]

USA sends engineers to Arbian peninsula to harvest the oil.

[August Sonereal]

Many will die the minute trade happens.

Think about it, the America's immune system is RADICALLY different than the rest of the world. We will be wiped clean with small pox, the old world will have to deal with our uber diseases.

[godsown1991]

Many will die the minute trade happens.

Think about it, the America's immune system is RADICALLY different than the rest of the world. We will be wiped clean with small pox, the old world will have to deal with our uber diseases.

The original post also took care of that.

[August Sonereal]

LOL, I can't beleive I didn't see that.

Well, its all good then, Americas invade the Middle East, and possibly parts of Russia.

[oscarzoalaster]

I think he was considering manufactured goods. How many TV sets at wallmart are made in the USA?
There's still oil production in the Americas, and with venezuela it's probably enough, but prices will go up.
Both these factors will lead to unrest amongst the populace.


As will the shock of being dropped back in time.

The industrial base is present in the Americas to manufacture televisions, and everything else that a _twentieth_ century country needs. It is not optimized for producing some of the things people like to have - but it can produce them and it can retool to produce them more efficiently. A lot of '21st Century' technology would be hard to impossible to reproduce economically, but anything twentieth century is achievable.

[August Sonereal]

Possible ban on private modes of transportation in some cities in exchange for free rides on public transpo? Oil would be a huge problem.

[userid]

Possible ban on private modes of transportation in some cities in exchange for free rides on public transpo? Oil would be a huge problem.

We have enough oil in the country now to last for a few months at current use or it can be extended if they cut back on most private use. It would take between 1-5 years before we have oil rigs to the stage we need them in the mid east and a few more years after that before we have the tanker ships rebuilt to carry the large amounts we use. We might have enough oil production if Canada ramps up production at the oil sand pits.

Things that will need to be put in are more large ship shipyards. Most of the large ships where made outside the Americas. only the large military ships where still built here. The lines to build microchips will need to be constructed as fast as they can be. Also need to look at building a few fleets of armored 20-30ft boats for coastal patrol. alot of people will try to get here when its told how good the tech is.

[nemo1986]

did not someone do a thread like this already.