FH Challenge: Explain this map

[Stalin]

Have this become the world of 15 years from now. No ASB type scenarios though, the only reason I'm posting this here is because it's an FTL:

[Straha]

the war on terror gets worse with martial law and economic crisis in the USA?

[Justin Pickard]

The only way this could work is if, in the light of more terrorist attacks, the UK and US end up with National Governments (non-party coalitions)...

Totalitarian Syria and China? Hmmm...

[Imajin]

Do the lack of monarchy symbols on the UK and Japan mean the monarchy has been overthrown?

[Straha]

the lack of monarchy symbols only means the monarchs have no power

[Stalin]

Do the lack of monarchy symbols on the UK and Japan mean the monarchy has been overthrown?

What Straha said, basically. Both are still monarchies technically, but the monarchs in question have even less power than currently. I could revise the map slightly to include them though:

[Tetsu]

Interesting to see Eastern Europe as a haven of democracy in contrast to the autocracies of the West.

I would say terrorism has steadily gotten worse, with large-scale attacks in France and Germany and the UK in addition to more bombings inside the United States. One-party police states slowly evolve from this. The European Union is dissolved as the rulers of Europe squabble.

The Middle East is in a precarious position. The monarchy of Saudi Arabia has been overthrown and replaced with an Islamic theocracy. (Finally du jure instead of de facto. :D ) In Iraq, one of the different feuding groups has obviously come to power, defeating all opposition.

Much of Africa has obviously fallen into anarchy, and civil wars and genocides are common. China has dropped the facade of Communism and is now a straight-up police state, and Russia has become the right-wing autocracy that Putin has been slowly creating.

Australia, India, Mexico, Canada and Eastern Europe have become the last bastions of democracy. Not at all an inviting world.

[Romulus Augustulus]

In the United States, that one party is the Democratic Party, or, to be more accurate, a liberal coalition. It is still quite democratic, as people can vote for different candidates from the same party. It got to be that way after a group of corporations attempted to overthrow John Edwards once he got elected in 2008. He planned to scale back on the rights and deregulation that had been granted to them by the Bush Administration. The revolt failed, and conservatism withered and died. The United States is not one-party by law, it's just that there is only one party that has the majority of the votes. There was a backlash against social and economic conservatism. The United States of 2015 is rather like the European Union of 2004. The economy, at least, is doing quite well...

So...

2008: John Edwards is elected President, plans to scale back on deregulation and corporate priviliges. Failed assasination attempt tied in with Haliburton.
2009: John Edwards inaugurated. More failed attempts. Corporate mercenaries attempt overthrow of government. US Army, Air Force, Navy, Coast Guard, Marine Corps remain loyal, crush revolt. Backlash against Republicans, who wither away and die. Democrats simply dominate US political scene, since everyone agrees with them.

[WngMasterD]

Well...

SOmeone decide to color a map and post it on a message board when someone decides it would be a good idea...

[Stalin]

Romulus: If you look at the map, there's a "Conservative-Democracy" symbol in the middle of the US (which itself is labeled a one-party state). It's worth noting that it isn't a completely totalitarian state like China though. Not yet anyway...

[Paul Spring]

It looks like a pretty ugly future for much of the world. Anarchy in much of Africa plus Laos and Cambodia, Saudi Arabia becoming a theocracy and Iran reverting to that status. The US, UK, France, Germany, and Italy all becoming one-party states (!!), South Africa, Peru, Argentina all becoming dictatorships. Some of the developments, while bad, are less surprising - China is already a straightforward autocracy rather than communist, and Russia under Putin seems to be heading back towards dictatorship.

A possible scenario might start with fundamentalists taking full power in Saudi Arabia (as opposed to now, when they have a lot of influence in some circles but also have to deal with a more pro-western faction). At around the same time, disputes between the US and Iran escalate to the point of US airstrikes against Iran. This strengthens the fading power of the religious leaders, who use this to rally support for a return to theocracy. The US and western Europe are hit with a series of terrorist attacks. Public fear and outrage in the US allow a coalition of conservative Republicans and a few Democrats to become essentially the unchallenged leaders in the US, with everyone who disagrees being perceived as "pro-terrorist". Paranoia after a series of attacks in western Europe does something similar for the governments of the UK, France, and Germany. Putin and his successors complete the transition of Russia back to a dictatorship. The US government no longer sees Iraq as a priority, so US troops are withdrawn. Eventually, after internal warfare a Shiite coalition gains effective control of most of the country. Meanwhile, in West Africa fighting between Muslims and non-Muslims combined with more traditional tribal hostilities causes several countries to dissolve into anarchy. Authority also breaks down in several African countries further south, though in this case the total breakdown of authority is more due to continued poverty and desperation combined with the ravages of AIDS.

[Stalin]

Paul: Peru and Argentina are one party states in this scenario, not full-fledged dictatorships (though they could easily become autocratic). France and Germany on the other hand are actual autocracies...