Here's something I've been working on lately - the world of Year Zero by the Nine Inch Nails. The alternate world is described in an alternate reality game that was used to market NIN's album of the same name. In the ARG, a group of scientists manage to send fragments of websites back in time that describe the world they live in as a warning. There isn't a lot of depth relating to world events so I did the best with what I could.
The basic premise is that America turns into an authoritarian, semi-theocracy. In 2009, LA was the site of a terrorist attack which forced the entire city to be abandoned. In retaliation, the U.S. nukes both North Korea an Iran and in the process gains the enmity of the entire Muslim world who form a united front and declare jihad. Meanwhile the Indo-Pakistani War erupts, with both sides ending up completely destroyed.
The American swing to the far-right becomes more and more apparent, as Congress suspends presidential elections and further restrictions are put on civil rights to the point where rock bands are raided by police. Separation of Church and State is completely eliminated. The government has even introduced a drug into drinking water which dulls emotions and allows the populace to be easily manipulated.
Politically, much of the western world has followed in the America's footsteps and are members of the U.S.-led Coalition for Peace - a global peacekeeping community made up of both corporations and countries. With the help of the Coalition for Peace, the U.S. has launched a new international calendar, designating 2022 as 0000 BA for when America is
Born
Again. Due to this, it's unknown if there is any opposition to America at all on the world stage.
The environment is also in shambles. Global sea levels have risen and natural disasters are more and more frequent. Temperature levels have risen to the point where baseball is played in February and Spring Break is held in Wisconsin. In response to the rapidly decreasing environmental conditions, most of Africa has collapsed into anarchy and the world is an overall bleak place. Perhaps the most chilling happening is a new phenomenon dubbed '
The Presence' (turn your speakers down). Originally thought to be a drug-induced hallucination, more and more people are reporting the sight of a ghostly arm reaching down from the sky and the anomaly is starting to appear over major cities...
I don't think I did the story justice. There's more info on Year Zero here:
http://www.ninwiki.com/Year_Zero_Timeline
As well as an in-universe timeline:
http://www.anotherversionofthetruth.com/revisionism.htm
Now for the map. I had to improvise quite a bit but I don't think this is too far off:
The darker blue is the United States, the lighter blue is the Coalition for Peace. The rest of the world isn't talked about so I didn't bother including it.
