AHC: Gran Columbia Survives and Prospers

Folks,

I'm working on a novella outline that I'd like to set in a modern (~1990) and prosperous Gran Colombia; however, I need to do some world-building and history-generating, and so I turn to you for feedback.

My desired end-result is a Gran Colombia that:

-Has the economic strength of a second-tier power such as modern Germany, France, or Britain;

-Has a high-tech manufacturing base in additional to its natural resource base;

-Is capitalist;

-Can afford vanity projects, such as a modest manned space program; and,

-Is on reasonable terms with at least some other world powers.

My questions to you are:

-What's an appropriate POD for ensuring Gran Colombia doesn't splinter?

-What butterflies does Gran Colombia's continuing existence create for the rest of South/Central America?

-At what point, and how, might significant butterflies extend to North America and the rest of the world?

All thoughts welcome!
 
Well, you've had my thoughts on the space stuff, and unfortunately that's about my limit. Don't really know enough about South American history to say how butterflies might effect other aspects of history.
 
It's an interesting notion, and I hope others can give that help to get this well...off the ground. ;)
 
They wind up going the Constitutional Monarchy route, shanghai Bolivar to do it, and he has an (acknowledged) son? The symbol of the Liberator might be enough to overcome regional pulls and issues.
 
Ensuring long-term stability and making the nation more plutocratic will be key for it's survival. Get that, and the rest should be fairly simple - a nation making up OTL Gran Columbia, ie Columbia, Panama, Venezuela, and Ecuador, as well as portions of Brazil and Peru, has massive socio-economic potential. Good crop land, for both cash and food crop., massive amounts of oil and other industrial resources, both Panama (and a potential canal) and access to both the Pacific and Carribean for trade. Stabilize the nation, keep it united and democratic and the potential is vast indeed.

Bolivar may well get his dream of a South American United States. Given time, it may be able to even take land from Peru and Brazil, maybe the European Guinias too.
 
They wind up going the Constitutional Monarchy route, shanghai Bolivar to do it, and he has an (acknowledged) son? The symbol of the Liberator might be enough to overcome regional pulls and issues.

Okay who on earth started these myths that a spanish colony leaving as a monarchy will help it do things it didn't do OTL? If anything monarchies established in these states will only make them worse off by adding yet another de-stablizing factor (republican plutocrats vs aristocracy and monarchy).
 
If it plays its cards right, Peru could easily be brought into the sphere of influence, as might the European Guyanas along with Trinidad and Tobago, parts/all of Central America, and maybe a Caribbean island or two. Transportation infrastructure will be critical along with a government that actually hands over power every few years as the US does. People must be brought out of the city-state mentality and into the nationism mentality. A unifying war against Peru, Bolivia, and maybe later Brazil could be plausible, with Amazonas and Rodonia becoming Gran Columbian at some point. If they become too powerful I could see a post-Civil War rivalry going with the USA.
 
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