AHC: United/Greater Guiana/Guyana

Ismail

Banned
After World War II the challenge is to find a way in which French Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and British Guiana could have conceivably united as an independent state of some sort.

For extra hard difficulty start after 1975, when British Guiana and Dutch Guiana were already independent as Guyana and Suriname, respectively.

Alternatively, the unification of just British and Dutch Guiana (or Guyana and Suriname) would also be acceptable.
 
After World War II the challenge is to find a way in which French Guiana, Dutch Guiana, and British Guiana could have conceivably united as an independent state of some sort.

For extra hard difficulty start after 1975, when British Guiana and Dutch Guiana were already independent as Guyana and Suriname, respectively.

Alternatively, the unification of just British and Dutch Guiana (or Guyana and Suriname) would also be acceptable.



Its still going to be a country with small economy and a weak army
 

Ismail

Banned
Its still going to be a country with small economy and a weak army
If so that could prove troublesome, since Venezuela has a border dispute with Guyana known as Guyana Esequiba, which could get ugly if the three countries were united. Although tensions cooled down in the 1970's and 80's, this could have easily changed if the three were united. I'd imagine Brazil might be a bit wary as well.
 

HJ Tulp

Donor
The only way I can see this happening is if the US takes control of the three territories. Otherwise you need a POD before 1900.
 

Ismail

Banned
I suppose one big problem is that despite sharing the same historical territory there are various ethnic issues within Guyana and Suriname. French Guiana also seems diverse, but no big ethnic issues (though this could easily change under independence.)
 

HJ Tulp

Donor
I suppose one big problem is that despite sharing the same historical territory there are various ethnic issues within Guyana and Suriname. French Guiana also seems diverse, but no big ethnic issues (though this could easily change under independence.)

These countries haven't been one since the 1700s and they are very different in size, language, ethnic composition, political system and above that lack any integrated economy.
 
After WWII is going to be tough...could it be perhaps a bit earlier?

IIRC in OTL the Guyanas were tossed out as a potential location for a refuge for German/Austrian Jews fleeing Nazi Germany. In OTL the idea fizzled due to various factors, but let's say for the sake of argument that someone/something backs the idea and gets busy ASAP. Basically under this scenario, everything that did go wrong for the emigration of Germanic Jewry in OTL goes right. Within months of the conference Thousands of Germanic Jews are headed on boats to French, Dutch, and British Guyana which now find themselves under a joint immigration board. There the Jewish refugees find themselves put to work on farms and other infrastructure projects, financed heavily by the JDC.

Come WWII an agreement is made in which Jewish immigrants from Germany to the Guyanas are unable to leave the country due to the possibility that they might be German spies (as opposed to OTL where the Allies simply refused them entry/interned them on the same grounds). Despite these restrictions, thousands more Jewish and other refugees pour into the Guyanas where they continue to work and participate in the war effort. The presence of Jewish refugees in French Guiana is enough to convince that colony to side with De Gaulle, and soon enough thousands of young Jewish men have signed up for the Free French Foreign Legion. As WWII progresses the Guyanas continue to grow closer economically and politically due to improved infrastructure, wartime cooperation, and the large population of Jewish refugees in all three countries. When the war ends, around a million Jews are living in the Guyanas and have founded thriving communities in addition to contributing heavily to the economy and culture of all three Guyanas.

In TTL with the presence of a successful Territorialist (non-Zionist) Jewish settlement that movement is less discredited and surely many Jewish refugees will choose Guyana over the embattled nascent state of Israel. For the sake of the scenario let's then assume that the lower Israeli population leads to that state's destruction at the hands of the Arabs and a wholesale flight of the Jewish population to settlements in Guyana/the USA.

In the 1950's the integrated Jewish populations of the Guyanas along with the local populations, vote for independence and Union, creating the Guyanan Confederation which soon grows to become one of the world's strongest economies.
 
These countries haven't been one since the 1700s and they are very different in size, language, ethnic composition, political system and above that lack any integrated economy.
Agreed. It is a bit a a Ah.com-cliche to combine the three guyana's into one country, while they are as different as well the Netherlands, France and Britain. They don't even speak the same language. Just because they lie in the same region doesn't mean they should form one country. It is like saying the Netherlands, Britain, Belgium, Norway and Denmark should form one country because they all border the North Sea. And why does everyone forget the Guyanese parts of Brasil and Venezuela? Why not add them too? Only because they don't have Guyana in their name?
 

Ismail

Banned
And why does everyone forget the Guyanese parts of Brasil and Venezuela? Why not add them too? Only because they don't have Guyana in their name?
Probably 'cause said challenge would turn from "very hard" to "completely impossible." :p
 
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