Discussion Thread:https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=26116&page=7
[1994]
The POD: A much more ‘thorough’ campaign against Marcos
EZLN command structure is located through bribery of the newspapers that publish them and some (possibly US assisted) bushwork. In January of 1994, a Mexican helicopter gunship in Chiapas strafes and kills Subcommander Marcos and about a dozen other EZLN fighters. Kill is confirmed by Mexican Army regulars.
EZLN, in outrage, begins more radical actions. Suspected contact with the FARC and possibly financial support out of the newly released Hugo Chavez and his MVR movement later in the year spurs military action.
[1995]
Violence intensifies in Chiapas. Mexican Army embarrassed when several soldiers defect and aid ambushes on Mexican Army troops. Clinton issues a condemnation of the Zapatistas. But the US does see some effect as the chicano movement is encouraged in the Southern United States. The US classifies the Zapatistas as a terrorist group after the Mexican government claims they have killed negotiators. Zapatistas deny the allegations and continue their insurgency.
The Zapatista movement spreads outside Chiapas and into major cities. Mexican Army incapacitated by violent and non-violent protest. Mexican Army declares martial law in all effected areas and promises to punish any media publishing EZLN declarations.
The turning point comes when Mexican oilfields are seized in a daring raid in December. Among them are several American consultants. US demands they be released while some protest that this group has nothing to do with the EZLN and is likely FARC attempting to instigate conflict. The raiders say they will release the hostages on the condition that US halt all trade effected by NAFTA and remain neutral.
Clinton, knowing the election is coming up, does what he hopes will encourage US voters. US Navy SEALS are sent in and free all hostages, except for a Mexican and American who were hit by a ricocheting slug of unknown origin and a Zapatista bullet, respectively. The US, outraged, makes a joint statement with the Mexican government that they will classify the Zapatistas as terrorists and sends over 3,000 US SPECFOR and soldiers into Mexico to assist Federal troops.
The War of Mexican Intervention (or the War of Yanqui Imperialism, depending on who you ask), had begun.
[1996]
US troops are deployed into Chiapas and the surrounding territories, using Mexican intelligence agents to pinpoint targets for precision strikes. Laser-Guided Bombs are dropped in the dozens during the initial days of the strike, while US Army Rangers hunt down Zapatistas in the brush. The US Army is very successful despite some warning that the jungles of Chiapas could become 'a new Vietnam'.
In retaliation, Zapatistas encourage Chicano groups to revive the brown berets. They cross the border and in three coordinated strikes, body-armored, assault rifle toting men seize a Bank and shopping mall in the Los Angeles area. The LAPD's initial response teams are shredded to pieces at the bank, where, using two hostages as a shield, an unknown man used a belt-fed machinegun to destroy entire patrol cars. The LAPD SWAT was called in, and in a coordinated sniper and assault team strike, killed all 5 of the terrorists. However, the massive automatic weapon crossfire resulted in the deaths of 3 hostages. At the shopping mall, the attack was a bit more successful, though had a much more profound psychological impact. TV crews and security cameras recorded chilling images: polished tiles smeared with the blood of rent-a-cops, armed gunmen exchanging shots with the LAPD, and hostages screaming for their lives. No hostages were killed though a police officer lost his life when a high-powered .308 bullet hit him in the head. In his honor the 'Schumaker Bill' was passed by Californian legislation, adding several thousand assault rifles to the inventories of border-city Police Departments.
Meanwhile, the US began an extensive campaign to track down and prosecute those involved in the logistics and planning of the act. FBI agents stormed the barrios, though two suspects (including a drug-lord who'd used his connections to acquire many of the rifles used in the act) fled to Cuba.
The election year rolled forward, with Clinton promising to uphold the rights of Latin American citizens and secure Mexico, while Dole argued the NAFTA act was too damaging to be upheld, essentially through violence. Democrats snapped back saying that this selfish attitude would only allow Mexico to destabilize more, and may even increase illegal immigration beyond the rising levels due to a Mexican flight from dictatorship.
Though it was not the sole campaign issue, Clinton won the election.
[1997]
The dominant news story out of Southern California is race riots regarding several arrests and trials from the LA terrorist attacks of the previous year. OJ Simpson goes relatively unnoticed for quite some time.
On October 17, after the burial of Che Guevera with full military honors, the Cuban government says they will not hand the suspects unless the death penalty will be ruled out by the Californian governor. The Californian governor refuses to make such an agreement and demands that the 'Cuban government hand over these murderers lest they share in the stain of innocent blood'.
Cuba refuses.
On October 26 the Californian governor says 'America should do anything necessary to take these terrorists out of Cuba'. The next day, combined with the Asian financial crisis, the stock market plummets.
[1998]
The Monica Lewinsky scandal somehow manages to overshadow the Mexican conflict, if briefly. In an attempt to distract attention and out of complete frustration with Cuba, Clinton gives Cuba until March 20th to hand over the suspects.
The world watches with baited breath.
On March 18th a gunfire exchange takes place at Guantanamo Bay. Cubans say they saw a Marine crossing the border, Americans say the Cubans fired in error, and simply returned fire. The gunbattle ends with Cuban forces besieging Guantanamo Bay. The USS John F. Kennedy, which had ended a 6-month deployment in 1997, was quickly refitted for duty and called into the Carribbean. The Kennedy began immediate strikes on Cuba in retaliation. On March 20th a pair of F/A-18 Hornets kill Castro with a laser guided bomb. Soon after many members of the Cuban army desert and the US breaks out of Guantanamo, fighting skirmishes with guerillas and the Cuban army along the way.
By April American forces were at the edges of Havana, where the Cuban diehards were making their last stand. The USMC, after a massive 'precision' bombardment by American strategic aircraft, completes the assault. As a PR gesture, cameras roll as Cuban-Americans and anti-Castro Cuban guerillas raise the Cuban and American flags in Havana, though the Cuban one is ordered to fly higher. This is effectively the end of major resistance in Cuba. The rest of the island is gradually won over by Alberto Franqui, who becomes interim President of the Republic of Cuba. He promises not to remove the current healthcare given to Cubans, but makes an agreement to join NAFTA 'in the near future' as he begins programs to help develop Cuba into a free-market society.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world was shocked by the US invasion. Many agreed that the downfall of Castro was good, but they condemned the US violence. China and Russia began vetoing US pleas to help stabilize Cuba or Mexico in the UN.
The African Embassy bombings are met with Operation Infinite Reach, and out of sheer luck, Osama Bin Laden is presumed killed, as he never appears in any audiovisual record again. Al-Qaeda never again adopts a rallying symbol. Desert Fox is also made in response to Hussein.
Socialist guerillas begin flooding into Mexico as Venezuela and several other nations condemn the US invasion of Cuba.
[1999]
Republican governorships and senators win every US border state, as Republicans adopt a new platform of 'non-intervention'. Republicans angry at US intervention in Mexico are only more enflamed by conflicts in Cuba, Iraq, Sudan, the Balkans, and Afghanistan.
But it seems the War in Mexico is slowing down. Many of the Zapatistas withdraw back into Chiapas and the Southern provinces, but increased illegal activity occurs near the borders. Texas and California deploy National Guard units and 'Minutemen Volunteer Groups' to monitor the border for crossing terrorists. In California, many illegal (and legal) immigrants are rounded up and arrested, and then held without trial for months. The Supreme Court rules in Marquez v California that the Californian government may not suspend habeas corpus and orders immediate trials for all arrested.
Clinton splits both parties. Anti-War Democrats and many Republicans say that he is fostering 'American Imperialism.' But many pro-business Republicans and neoliberal Democrats say that the wars were absolutely necessary to American security and preserving democracy. The rifts only continue when Bush and McCain announce their bids for the 2000 Presidency against Al Gore, who is quickly voted in by Democratic Primaries and nominated. McCain ran as what the Op-Eds were calling 'Pax Americana moderates'. McCain's position on Mexico was outlined thusly:
"[There are] dangers implicit in failing to properly monitor traffic crossing the Mexican border, and there are certainly dangers in this war. Yet, Mexico is one of our largest trading partners, and it is in our best interest to maintain as open a border and as stable a nation as possible. It is a careful balancing act. [We should] ensure that we are doing everything we can to stem the flow of illegal drugs and Zapatista terrorists without impeding the flow of legitimate commerce. I think that it’s clear now the Mexican government needs our nation's aid to maintain that balance."
As the race begins, in November 30th clashes occur outside the Seattle WTO conference, many linking it to 'unjust US action in Mexico and Cuba'. There are no deaths but it illustrates growing anti-American sentiment from the Old Left and antiglobalizers, who compare the current US Caribbean wars to the Mexican American War. Rather than gaining territory for slaves, they argue the current government seeks to gain more territory for 'wage-slaves' and 'economic imperialism'.
As the race continues, Venezuela finds that virtually every anti-war candidate has been voted out of office. Though the rebellion is calming, Chavez will have none of it. Venezuela begins a mobilization of troops, and then the Zapatistas begin a last bid for freedom. Chiapas and other sections of Zapatista controlled territory hold a vote, and say that they are now the independent People's Republic of Chiapas. America is not amused, and refuses to recognize the nation. But the UNSC vote to send peacekeepers is again shut down by Russia and China, who ironically state the US is undermining the democratic process. The actual validity of the votes is never revealed but the Zapatistas do enjoy exceptional support.
The first nation to recognize the People's Republic was Venezuela. The next is China, which was seeking to solidify their oil partnership. Then a slew of other socialist nations fall in, all saying a new vote should be conducted with heavy UN monitoring.
It is scheduled for February of 2000.
The Mexican government and people, which has elected Vincente Fox on a heavy 'United Free Mexico' platform, refuses to recognize the People's Republic but knows it has virtually no control over the South. They sign a cease fire for the duration of the vote and demilitarize sections of Mexico, with the UN breathing down their necks.
[2000]
The vote goes smoothly, but for all the wrong reasons. With the uprising virtually every anti-Zapatista has fled the area, resulting in a landslide victory for the independence ballot.
The United States is outraged, and vetoes every UNSC measure to support the small nation.
Huge amounts of the Mexican Army from the far South desert, and the Mexican government, its troops already worn down by attrition, is desperate to raise enough troops. In late March the Mexican Army launches a last ditch offensive into disputed territory, but finds it bogged down by guerilla attacks and unexpected support of the Zapatista guerillas and the newborn Chiapas Army in disrupting the supply chain. The Mexicans quickly find themselves in the 'DMZ' with an offensive that, due to a combination of emotionally-fueled and ill-considered planning, incompetent leadership, and low troop morale, has driven itself into the jungle and mud with no escape in sight.
The US can do nothing in the DMZ. Cries for air support are heard but never met, as Venezuela begins shipping air defense into the small nation through the Yucatan. The Interim Governing Council of Chiapas decries the attack and requests Venezuelan military support in a 'purely defensive role'.
The two nations reach a standoff. America cannot afford a massive war with Venezuela, or so many argue. Already the 1998 fervor is slowing down in the nativist Republicans and anti-war Democrats. Over the summer of 2000, the US maintains a shaky relationship as an 'aid race' occurs over Mexico. As Venezuela moves troops into Chiapas, America sends more and more men into Mexico. China sends humanitarian aid to the new nation but refuses to take part in any military conflict.
Though a vote in the Organization of American States fails, the US threatens quarantine on Chiapas. The world protests, saying quarantine on Chiapas is throwing it to the hungry wolves in the Mexican leadership. McCain wins the presidential election, and as the curtains close on the tumultuous Clinton administration, both American and Venezuela prepare for war.
[2001]
The new 'Chiapas Air Force' (crewed by Venezuelan pilots in Venezuelan planes) begins shooting down all Mexican aircraft that enter 'Chiapas Air Space'. Both nations are now ignoring the DMZ, though it is Mexico who is struggling to reform their military.
McCain's inaugural is a fiery speech about protecting Mexico and promoting freedom. In April, the unthinkable happens. Over some DMZ Border dispute, Mexican helicopter gunships 'accidentally' strafe several pro-Chiapas villagers. This is the last straw for many in the cities, and the pro leftist poor begin nearly complete rebellion. Fox refuses to leave, and instead calls his forces into the capital and other major cities to silence the rebellion.
But the Chiapan Republic seems to be eager for blood. They begin an immediate, full out assault into provinces as far as Vera Cruz. Old, but effective cruise missiles pound Mexico City, and the Mexican air force finds itself in no capacity to stand up to PRCAF equipment. The offensive scrambles towards Mexico City as their goal, where Vincente Fox attempts to flee. His aircraft is destroyed by Zapatistas using an SA-18 missile.
PRCAF Su-27s scramble to war in the 2001 offensive. Though advanced, the Venezuelan piloted aircraft couldn’t match up to USAF numbers, training and technology.
America is swift to respond. Within two days the 3rd Armored Cavalry has reached the battlefront, and utterly obliterates the Chiapan advance. The US Air Force achieves complete air superiority, and within 24 hours bombs rain on every inch of Chiapas. However, they do find that the hardcore Zapatistas, as the Vietnamese, were in no mood to roll over. Guerilla fighting bogs down US forces in Central Mexico as the US demands immediate Venezuelan troop withdrawal.
US tanks in Central Mexico helped turn the tide of the assault.
Chavez responds by saying they will not withdraw troops from Chiapas until the US sends its forces out of Mexico. With the Mexican government in shambles, Northern Mexico throws in the towel. In all US bordering states and Durango, state governments and the people both vote to become part of the US. Durango is the last to vote, with the official results being proclaimed in 2002. McCain heartily encourages the result of the vote. Though he remarks it is saddening that the Mexican government has failed, he believes the US and Mexico alike could have significant security and economic gains from the Mexican states joining the Union. By 2002, Congress passes the 'Southern Ordinance', which puts each region as a semi-autonomous territory for at least 5 years while infrastructure is put up and the US bureaucracy is established. Few vote against the measure, but many say it will help alleviate the immigration problems. Increased US business activity and new minimum wage laws will not result in the original US states being swamped with labor, say proponents, and the senate also offers a plan to naturalize all Mexican illegal immigrants. The US Mexican Territories all set up measures to help bring US business there, and also establish special task forces for cleaning out the crime and corruption left over from the old government. Ultimately, a homogenization begins. With the former border porous, many Mexicans go home to try and take advantage of US businesses setting up in former Northern Mexico, while many Americans are drawn to Mexico by cheaper land prices and a growing infrastructure. Though the US will likely have to condense some of the territories into larger states, many are optimistic.
Texas governor Bush now finds himself under intense scrutiny for his support of the militias, who now have no border to guard and are angry about Mexican integration, along with many other nativists. Many see their political careers going down as pro-war and pro-integration politicians get the victories they have been campaigning for. Many will need to make adjustments to their policy if they hope to survive upcoming elections. With the 2008 elections still an option for many politicians, it seems that the new Mexican states may hurt their chances of the Presidency if they states still have bitter memories of nativists.
[2002]
The US negotiates an uneasy peace with the Republic of Chiapas. There is no demilitarized zone, but the US keeps its forces farther from the borders of the tiny nation. However, warns McCain, if any new military equipment is shipped to Chiapas, the US will begin punitive strikes and quarantine. Venezuela responds that any action against Chiapas is an action against the Venezuelan state, and MERCOSUR begins discussing the idea of a mutual defense clause to their economic pact. With Argentina in the throes of depression, it seems a leftist leaning candidate is inevitable. Already Hugo Chavez is being hailed by some as the 'Man Who Stood up to the Superpower', and Venezuela continues its military buildup. The US blocks deals everywhere it can, but falls short of preventing the Chinese and some other nations of pushing their deals through. In retaliation, US diplomats abroad send similar messages. You trade weapons technology with China, and sooner or later they will end up in use against the US. And Colombia responds to its neighbors' armament purchases with its own military buildup. F-15 and F-16 fighters, new attack helicopters, and more are imported by the nation.
But not all nations are content with US hegemony. Along with Venezuela and Argentina, Brazil moves further into the anti-US camp. Lula da Sila, the newly elected Brazilian President, has been campaigning hard left, (and unlike in the OTL) is committed to following it. The EU, where many had touted the democratic votes as grounds for Chiapan independence, still tastes those bitter statements in their mouth while the Mexican states, including Baja California del Sur in the most recent vote, decide to become part of the US.
The initially bright future proposed by eager congressmen doesn't seem to play out as it was expected to. With a midterm election coming up, and knowing the slightest stain of legislative failure will taint their careers, the Southern Ordinance is amended. The minimal integration time is quadrupled, and all Mexican citizens will have to be fully naturalized and will not be given a 'free ticket' in. But on the economic front, the slump Mexico has seen since the beginning of the rebellion is starting to slow. With US companies now paying the full minimum wage or more, a Mexican middle class is slowly arising. Though they are not as well paid as their American counterparts, they are a distinct departure from the usual 'sweatshop outsourcers' American companies are portrayed as. This new class, as it integrates, will be a deciding force in the internal votes, one that keeps the Mexican territories on a strong path to US integration, territorial or otherwise.
In the US itself, Latin culture starts to make a comeback after being pummeled by nativist propaganda. Latin Americans, who will soon be the largest minority in the US, try to celebrate their culture without the politics of the Chicano movement. American military technology starts to take a new shape as well. The Rapid Deployment Force concept seems to get a thorough workout in Mexico, where the RPG becomes a symbol of Congressional inadequacy. McCain urges Congress to approve new types of anti-RPG and improved armor for the 2003 budget. An interesting survivor of the fray is the M1 Abrams, which proves to be quite effective in central Mexico. With the heaviest armor available and new anti-personnel canister rounds, many step back from a 'The MBT is Dead' policy. The US defense budget shows no signs of slowing down with the possibility of a conventional war in the near future.
[2003]
America had cast a lazy eye on the Mideast for a long time. Now, their concern for Latin America had allowed far too many things to go on without control. Iran's nuclear ambitions were exposed, and when Pakistan was shown to be involved in possible technology trade, SAARC nearly burst at the seams. China continued to support both nations, angering both Israel and India. Iran, at the time, was looking to solidify its connections with other Islamic nations, forming a prospective 'Central Asian Cooperative Group' after heavy negotiations with Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Afghanistan conceded 'homelands' where Shiia Muslims could live freely, and Iran would cut off arms support of these rebel factions. The nations acknowledged they had common interests, and moved to integrate with SAARC.
But things did not quite go as planned. India and Russia were outraged. The pseudo-alliance that composed of BRIC was falling apart. The problem was only intensified after US-Chinese negotiations over Chiapas. China agreed to cut off arms sales to MERCOSUR if the US would loosen some restrictions on trade. The US, looking to step down from the brink of trade war and eager to weaken the leftist triumvirate of Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina obliged. Brazil, now alienated, continued to buy up from Russia.
Russia itself was continuing to fight hard in Chechnya. The US had not yet felt the backlash of Islamic fundamentalism. But Turkey and Russia were. Turkey, a US friendly secular Republic, stood at a vital three way junction between East, West, and politically, America. With prospective EU membership talks, it looked as if Turkey had a bright future.
And then, on November 18, a series of bomb blasts rocked Istanbul. It was an attack that symbolically struck at the link between Europe and the secular nation of Turkey. Europe backed away as it watched smoke plume on the other side of the Bosphorous. Working ruthlessly and efficiently, Turkish Intelligence tracked down attacks to Syrian groups. It was a throwback to 1998, and it was hoped this conflict would end the same. It wasn't the case. Syria demanded the Turks back down in December as troops massed on the border, and conducted its own 'investigation'. Turks were outraged, and as Kurdish rebellion reached the verge of outbreak in Turkey, Ankara demanded for the final time that they hand over every involved man. They refused.
For the second time in about half a decade, a nation was to be invaded for its complicity to terrorism. Though the links were more definite, it was a trend that disturbed many. A 'vigilante justice' that transcended national borders had been seen in Cuba, and soon crashed down on Syria. Turkish fighters were the first to strike the blow. Appeals for peace by the EU were met by American condemnation of Syria as bombs fell in Damascus. Turkey made strong initial advances due to its well-planned blitzkrieg, but Turkey didn't want to completely occupy the nation. They deliberately kept their advance paced, hoping to get concessions out of the shaken government The US asked both nations stand down as Egypt offered to again mediate peace talks. None of that had much effect. Syria was effectively decapitated, the President not making any confirmable statement. It was generally assumed the Syrian military was calling the shots. When Turkey massed armor for a breakthrough under a helicopter and fighter combined arms assault, the end of the year Syria was running out of options...
Midterm elections in the US resulted in no significant shift of power. The US funds were continually based on lowering the national debt, slowly phasing in Mexico, and maintaining the American hegemony in Latin America.
[2004]
The year began with horror. On New Year's Day Syrian military commanders authorized Chemical weapons release. A few SS-N-3B cruise missiles were still intact, and on January 2nd VX gas ravaged four cities in Southern Turkey. Along the line, FROG-7 and other rocket platforms launched Sarin and mustard gas into Turkish lines. The attack had no logic, only the anger and frustrations of Syrian military commanders. Over 18,000 civilians were killed by the VX attacks, but Turks were well trained in NBC warfare and managed to respond quickly. Soon, Syria was under Turkish military occupation. Military commanders who were suspected to be involved with WMD release were given quick court martial and quicker execution.
Iran is outraged, and demands immediate Turkish withdrawal, and offers to have CACG Bloc troops 'peace-keep' in the area. UN attempts to replace Turks with international peacekeepers are vetoed by the US.
Problems only increase when MERCOSUR is found to be harboring a nuclear weapons development program. Lead by Argentina and Brazil in a joint rather than competitive program, as pursued in the 1970s, the US demands they immediately cease the program. MERCOSUR responds defiantly that they require them to defend from US invasion. Combined with the Iranian and North Korean programs, the IAEA warns the world about the rapid increase in nuclear proliferation.
In the US, McCain wins another term. He pushes increased funding for FEMA after the horror of chemical use in Turkey and the threat of a nuclear armed MERCOSUR. As a part of the increased FEMA funding, New Orleans and other Gulf of Mexico areas receive funding for increased defense against natural disasters as well as the possibility of a US-MERCOSUR war.
[January through March 2006]
When Russia and China seem to withdraw themselves from the war, the world declares peace, if erroneously. Like in many major wars and crises before, America had exhibited restraint. But that restraint could only be held for so long.
The final straw was the confirmation in January 2006 that Iran and MERCOSUR were trading uranium and nuclear technology. America gave no declaration of war. McCain took advantage of the 60 day limit to launch a giant air-sea blitzkrieg on South America. The USS Ohio, which had been pre-positioned in the South Atlantic for this occasion, was the first to fire, loosing hundreds of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles over MERCOSUR air defense and early warning installations with deadly accuracy. Despite their new equipment, MERCOSUR still lacked the personnel quality of a first world military fighting force. Soon on the follow-up were B-2 Spirit bombers which bombed Resende and every other known MERCOSUR nuclear facility. The following day, Congress voted to declare war, with McCain saying 'operational secrecy' was necessary for the pre-Declaration attacks. World War III had begun in earnest.
[South American Front]
MERCOSUR was caught completely off guard by the initial attacks, and within 24 hours their air forces were in ruins. Initial strikes had destroyed many major airbases, and though there was still some capability, the US was quickly beginning a round-the-clock bombing campaign on strategic targets. Panama announced its decision to ban canal access to MERCOSUR, and Colombia promptly began an offensive into Venezuela.
The internal strain in MERCOSUR was most evident when Paraguay's government voted to secede and offered neutrality. Uruguay promptly followed. But within the 'triumvirate' of hardliners, political dissent was hardly someone else's problem. In Venezuela and Argentina, US Allied nations began supply of resistance groups. Conventional efforts were effective, more so in Venezuela than Argentina. The Colombian 1st Division spearheaded the assault into Venezuela under a fairly effective air cover. The Colombian Air Force also scored a decisive victory against their Venezuelan counterparts east of San Cristobal, allowing Colombian forces to advance relatively quickly. The Chilean army made excellent progress, but with significantly less US Air support, they faced what was probably the best-equipped and most competent armed force of the MERCOSUR bloc.
In Mexico, Chiapas was quickly subjugated by the USMC. With no support from an embattled MERCOSUR, their professional army was decisively destroyed in the Yucatan. They quickly resorted back to guerilla warfare, but without any source of arms, the US assured that their 'surrender was inevitable'.
[The Mideast Front]
Sharon's troubled recent medical history culminated in a stroke which gave Olmert control of the nation. Seeing Iran at the point of no return, he asks in February for Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear program. It does not.
Israeli forces attack Bushehr and Natanz, and the US, knowing it is all or nothing now, responds with devastating strikes on Iranian air defense and missile capabilities. US aircraft over Iraq begin massive bombardment of the nation (which declared war when Israel attacked Iran), and US troops are quickly deployed into Saudi Arabia, where US forces push for Baghdad. SOCOM begins sending arms to Shiites in Southern Iraq, and soon Iraq must turn its forces inward.
Azerbaijan resigns from the CACG and declares alliance with Turkey, its longtime ally. Azerbaijan had been lobbying for peace, but when war broke out they did not wish to suffer under their former friend's boots. Iran's conventional army launched a counter offensive into Iraq against US forces there, while declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed to the EU, NATO, and US. In one of the darkest days for the US, CVN-68 Nimitz is crippled by an Iranian Sunburn missile strike, along with a Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser. Retaliatory airstrikes quickly clear the Strait of most missiles, though the USAF and USN aircraft are caught in a constant search for launchers farther inland.
Pakistan itself was the sole nuclear power of the 'Anti-Western' side of the new World War. But most of their military was tied up in a defense against India, and of their handful of nukes, Pakistan wanted to keep enough to have deterrence against India, which had declared it would attack Pakistan if they moved against Israel or set off a nuclear weapon against anyone.
By spring, the US is in a state of total war. America could not afford to fight this conflict with an air of detachment. McCain warned that "We must not falter to mobilize every resource availible if it is required in the face of adversity. We cannot leave when the going gets tough. This war will determine the future of every American life, whether we want to fight it or not. The only way America will prosper in this future is if we fight it on our terms."
[April-December 2006]
[Overview]
The war has taken on many names. In America, it is the Third World War. In the Mideast, it is The Great Jihad. In the crumbling nations of MERCOSUR it is the War of American Imperialism. The conflict is best decribed as the 'War for Hegemony': The war to preserve the dominance of the West and those who embrace it. The war waged between those who want to globalize and those who want to regionalize. A war, that as of April 2006, the West seems to be winning.
[South American Front]
By April of 2006 Allied air dominance is complete. With the deployment of the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group to the South Atlantic, the stalemate near the Andes is finally broken. Chilean forces split Argentina in half as they drive towards the capital. By September, Argentina throws in the towel. With the Chilean Army in Junin and daily bombardment of the 'last stand' at Buenos Aires, the war for them is over.
In Venezuela, the well-armed Colombian forces continue to pound towards Caracas. Revolution is rife as US Special Forces lead guerilla strikes against the supply lines of most Venezuelan forces and provincial capitals. Key oil fields are seized by the 82nd Airborne and other airmobile units. Venezuela's conventional army is effectively destroyed by mid-summer, and Colombia refocuses its forces towards Brazil.
Brazil itself is no easy nut to crack. The largest nation in South America, it is choked by jungle and crisscrossed by rivers that would cause invasion to drag on for much longer than any other front. The US and Allied nations began massing troops for an invasion. It would be a two pronged assault: Marines would prepare to assault the Central Coast of Brazil, while the US would station troops in a Uruguay that had recently withdrawn from Mercosur. One key new development in this was an 'American Foreign Legion': US equipped and lead forces of immigrants who wanted guaranteed citizenship or work-permits for them and their families. It was not an unusual development: many a time Mexicans had jumped the border to fight for the US, this war would be no different. They would be among the first troops to cross into Brazil.
The assault began in late October when the appropriate amount of troops necessary was amassed. Two Marine Expeditionary Forces crashed ashore in Bahia, and met fierce resistance. Forces here were among the most professional Brazil could muster, well equipped, well trained, and well motivated. It was one of the bloodiest battles, but once major armor was ashore, and combined with US air support, the province was taken by the end of the year.
In the South, the US 1st Cavalry and the American Foreign Legion spearheaded the assault into the fertile Rio Grande do Sul. US forces destroyed any conventional opposition until Sao Paolo, when guerilla forces from the highlands in the South began to slow the logistic train. In late November, major elements of the American Foreign Legion stormed into the highlands with the intent of tracking down and killing the insurgents based there. In the most casualty heavy event of the South American Front, the AFL proved their skill as a fighting force and their dedication to the United States.
With that disruption out of the way, the US was in Northwestern Minas Gerais, only a few dozen miles away from linking up with the USMC by the end of the year.
[The Mideast Front]
After the Battle of Hormuz, the Allies were poised to dominate the Middle East. In the largest tank battle since Kursk, the US III Corps defeats five Divisions of Iraqi combat troops, including 3 Iranian Armored Divisions. Even the newly purchased Type 90 MBT (Chinese, not the Japanese of similar designation) is no match for the Abrams and the air support of the USS Reagan. The US traces a swath of destruction across the Arabian Peninsula, decapitating the governments of Iraq, Yemen, and Oman. But as forces push into Iran, the ferocity of the fighting reaches savage levels.
In Southern Iran, the population reacts to the Ayatollah's declaration of jihad with bloodthirsty fervor. Thousands of poorly-equipped equipped and trained, but extremely motivated fighters throw themselves at US spearheads. Embedded reporters capture scenes of horror: teenagers with Kalashnikovs and other outdated equipment ripped apart and cut down by .50 caliber machineguns and airbursting mortar shells; giant splatters of gore on tank hulls from prematurely detonated suicide bombs; ritual executions of captured Allied prisoners... In the West they were signs of the fanatic enemy of democracy and liberalism, in the east they were images of the forces of God against the Great Satan. Israeli troops received a particular brand of hate. Bodies that were captured in fighting were hacked to pieces and strewn outside of stronghold towns and cities before being flattened by Israeli tanks and artillery.
The war against governments seemed like it would be at an end by 2007, with the Ayatollah fleeing to Pakistan in October. But things were about to take a turn for the worse in Saudi Arabia.
The military of Saudi Arabia, along with much of the nation, was disgusted by the idea of hosting the US in a war against the rest of the Mideast, especially when the US was collaborating with Israel. The Holy Land would not tolerate Americans much longer.
On November 2nd, outside Mecca, a group of people calling themselves 'The Servants of Allah' announced their intentions to expel the foreign invaders who desecrated Saudi Arabia with their presence. They called for the toppling of the Kingdom of Saud and a return to a pan-Islamic empire. Much of the Saudi Military, particularly the SANG units guarding Saudi Arabia's holy sites, revolted. The rest of the SANG seemed to fall in line after the death of the Crown Prince from a car bomb attack on an evacuation convoy. It was clear many inside the Saudi government were prepared to betray the House of Saud, which was 'no longer serving Islam'.
British Forces were actually the first to meet the threat, securing vital oilfields from those who wanted to cut supply to the infidels. British troops beat back suicidal masses while the Royal Navy moved to secure the Mandeb. At the moment, African Muslims were streaming across to 'fight the infidels' from Sudan, Somalia, and various other African nations.
With the Ayatollah establishing himself in Pakistan, the last feasible stronghold of the CACG, Indian invasion seemed imminent. Afghanistan had since been assaulted by a NATO task force. German and Spanish forces assumed quick control over the nation, aiding Northern Alliance troops into defeat of the Taliban.
With America to the west, NATO to the north and India to the east, Pakistan was out of options. The Ayatollah and the nation surrendered. While many Pakistani people seemed angry, he said it was a sacrifice that had to be made to 'prevent India and their allies from savaging our nation'. The decision was likewise accepted by the Allies, who were eager to see China back away.
Of course, China was not without problems of its own. Dozens of Islamist rebellion movements wracked Xinjiang province, declaring a new Republic of East Turkistan. The Allies offer to turn a blind eye if China does the same while the Allies 'restructure' the governments of their allies. China reluctantly agrees.
In Chechnya, attacks intensify, and the Russian Army is put on full alert as Islamist attacks intensify there. But by the close of 2006, conventional fighting seems to be at an end.
[South America]
The US war here was short, quick, and amazingly surgical. It would be the greatest success story for the US during the war. Peacekeeping roles were turned over primarily to Allied South American nations and US trained militia and police groups. In Venezuela, the popular revolt that destabilized Chavez results in many leftist groups taking a lower profile.
Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuelan governments all sign the Treaty of Panama City, which establishes limits on nuclear development and offensive arms, and gives the US rights to base troops in small bases in some countries. The US is careful not to demand concessions or 'humiliate' the nations, hoping to divert resources from the South American theater to the ongoing violence in the Mideast.
[The Mideast]
Allied forces now had a difficult task on their hands. Seeking to destroy conventional warmaking capability first, they had left many areas rife with guerilla insurgencies.
The US would avoid overturning governments, and just monitor elections. Iraq in particular was becoming a difficult affair to handle. Turkey demanded the country remain unified, though the Kurds were quietly given a semi-autonomous state. Many lower level Ba'athists remained in power, though it was expected Shia muslims would regain power in any future election. In Iran, the Ayatollah and other theocractic, authoritarian elements of the government were simply lopped off. In Saudi Arabia, Allied forces would promise democratic elections: But would make sure that a pro-Western leader ended up in the driver's seat. Liberalist ideology aside, the West could not afford a radical regime in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to US-EU Allied troops, Indonesia and Egypt contributed troops. A campaign was started to integrate Democracy and Islamic values together, though it would be a long road ahead before anything came of it.
But in China, things were not going quite as well. The Uygur people and their 'Republic of East Turkestan' quickly fell, but the ideas behind it raged on. Even postwar Arabia looked like an improvement to the Muslims of Xinjiang. In fact, many Muslims in Xinjiang call for the US to liberate them. The Chinese government ruthlessly suppresses any sign of dissidence in the region, and few pieces confirmable knowledge about the rebellion was available until a digital video recording, stuck onto a USB card smuggled out into Kazakhstan hit the world media. Hundreds of millions watched in horror as Chinese soldiers (confirmed by uniform, tactical analysis and the unique Type 95 rifle) massacred suspected dissidents. Those hoping for a repeat of Tiananmen Square heroics were sadly disappointed as tank platoons rolled through crowds and demolished buildings. In late December, the US citizen was caught between a rock and a hard place. Take an economic hit from a loss of trade with China, or let millions live at the mercy of the Chinese army?
The condemnations marred the Holiday season as China and India militarized their borders.
[Domestic US]
In face of skyrocketing petrol prices, President McCain called for a 'national effort' to revitalize the US economy and pursue alternative energy. Many called it the equivalent of a new space race, to grab a hold of a technology that could reduce the need for US intervention in the Mideast and elsewhere.
Detroit sees new hope with the possibility of a Chinese embargo (With China projected to be a force in automaking in the future), and begins lobbying Congress for funds for their alternative energy development programs, and an embargo on Chinese goods.
Wal-Mart is horrified at the idea of a Chinese embargo, but can't afford to speak up. Advertising against the corporation continues, which alone is one of China's top trading partners. A viral 'counter advertisement' hits the internet, with a picture of the Chinese massacre in Xinjiang, a Wal-Mart smiley-face superimposed over a Red Army soldier and anti Wal-Mart slogans. Many like it soon follow.
[2008-2010]
[Domestic US]
Mark Warner wins the 2008 election, primarily due to a split among the Republican party over a Giuliani nomination. Warner promises to keep US commitment to free trade, but wants to reduce US involvement in foreign wars. Though the 'wars of hegemony' (as they are now being referred to by many) were popular with Americans earlier, the Western occupation in the Mideast is quickly mounting.
American markets are recovering after the massive spike in oil prices, thanks to the relatively quick stabilization of Venezuela and the increase in Canadian oil technology investment. However, many Democrats are still angered by Warner's fiscal conservatism, and it seems that with both political parties facing major rifts, the US political system may be due for large changes.
Alternative energy research increases, and the US does have over 150,000 hydrogen and ethanol fueled vehicles on the road by 2010. Ford wows auto-show voyeurs with a high performance ethanol fueled line it plans to release 'by 2015'. GMC and Chrysler quickly scramble to match the offer.
[American Military/Trends]
Defense spending remains a high priority as the US shifts towards network centric warfare. With the use of ballistic and advanced cruise missiles in the Gulf, the US starts up a low-level 'missile defense initiative', with bases established in Poland, Alaska, and contracts for one in Diego Garcia.
The US also backs down from its trend of 'lighter is better' warfare. Though the Stryker was successful, the US tank force won by margins that disturbed many. Intelligence reports of a newly upgraded Type-98 based on Russian 'Black Eagle' concepts lead to a plan for a new generation of Abrams upgrades by 2010. The possibility of a new conventional arms race with China seems apparent as they promise a next generation fighter by 2012.
American investment in infantry is higher than ever. The Force Warrior 2010 concept was seen as a success, and newer, more advanced concepts in body-armor are being fielded by US occupation troops.
[China]
China itself was hit hard by the war. While the US alternative energy programs were beginning to bear fruit and new oil supplies opened themselves up, the loss of Iranian oil exports was especially damaging to the Chinese government. As a result, China stepped up purchases of oil from Sudan, Libya, and Indonesia.
However, as the nations of the Mideast rebuilt with the majority holding new elections by 2010, China looked on at the opportunity to gain support among the 'Political Islamists', those who wanted revenge against the West. The Chinese made apologies to citizens of Xinjiang, and offered them greater autonomy. Though those inside Xinjiang were only slightly comforted, the message it sent to the Mideast was far more significant.
[Northern Eurasia]
The EU found itself most devastatingly hit by the oil price shock, shifting a vast portion of its purchases to Russia. Russia itself was providing increasing amounts of oil to both Europe and China, but tensions between India and China over Pakistan and oil were forcing Russia to pick sides.
[South/East Asia]
In the aftermath of the war between India and Pakistan, Indian troops held de facto control over Kashmir. The resulting tensions between the two governments were enormous. The war also created a huge increase in arms purchases by India from Russia. China protested as Pakistan was forced into a corner by Allied forces in the war, and was only more enraged as India canceled Chinese contracts to explore Rajasthan for oil.
As a 'goodwill gesture', India and Pakistan agreed to a joint pipeline, but one that hardly served Chinese interests. India was hoping in the long term to procure oil for its own economic development, often at the expense of China.
[The Mideast]
Elections in formerly-occupied Syria and Iran brought about governments that were quietly anti-American. They demanded foreign withdrawal by 2012, and the West was forced to quietly oblige to the governments it had fostered. The fear of a democracy bringing in more anti-American governments was apparent in many states, though in Saudi Arabia and Iraq a more negative attitude towards Politicized Islam.
Many Islamic papers call for a rebirth of the 'Pan Islamic state', but the governments themselves are not as eager to arouse suspicion. Though strict military controls have been imposed, the Islamic world continues to unite.
[2010-2015]
[Domestic US]
The US economy is seeing more investment than ever as the market for alco-ethanol fuel skyrockets. US corporations agree that nobody can patent the concept (in order to avoid antitrust lawsuits), but a variety of different engines arise. Some cars have battery backups while others run on straight-up alcohol fuel. Many cars are retrofitted to run engines that use both old petrofuel and the new source.
Warner began to lower farm subsidies on grain as a result of the burgeoning new market though many said the new demand would be the 'end of the small farmer'.
By 2015 30% of cars on the road had the capability to run on an alternative fuel source.
Warner secured the 2012 election on a slim margin, briefly uniting Democrats, when he promised not to veto a plan to partially universalize healthcare. As a condition, all work would be subcontracted to existing private entities. He also made a compromise with Republicans to help reform social security and add private accounts to the system without sacrificing other sections of it.
But with globalization, dormant after the 2006 war on the rise again, new political alliances were forming. The 'Globalist' politicians, consisting of the wall-street, fiscal conservatives and neoliberal pro-trade groups countered against 'Nativists', those who were for the most part protectionists.
In the 2014 mid-term elections the 'United Party' split from the Republican party, winning a fraction of seats in Congress, though more significantly in the House. Known more locally as the 'United American Party', the UP promoted protectionist, socially conservative views, in contrast with mainstream Republicans who were thought to be too similar to Warner. Budget voting has become bitter as UP Congressmen in the House struggle against any budget that slackens tariffs or protectionist policy.
As 2016 looms, Americans are unsure about who will be leading the nation. Rumor has it that many Democrats are becoming discontent with 'Globalist' philosophy as well.
In the Mexican territories, virtually every former Mexican state down to the Chiapan border votes to become part of the US. The directly administered US territories are confirmed by Senate votes, with the states set to become part of the Union by 2025.
Meanwhile, US Defense industries find themselves with significant surpluses of outmoded weaponry. The M8 rifle, the F-22, and various other new weapons have left millions of US weapons no longer needed. The M16 series of weapons were sold off into Africa primarily and to other 'pro-US' regimes.
US educational reforms are also pushed heavily by moderates as the US increasingly opens its markets to foreign sources.
[The Allied Nations Group]
In 2013 Warner proposed the Allied Nations Group, a community of nations that embraced 'Free Society and Free Trade', basically an extension of the USUK community. The ANG was officially formed in 2015 with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Colombia and the Republic of Cuba as members.
The ANG was for Free Trade and mutual defense, and would maintain 'open relations' with nations that met their standards. In effect it was a consolidation against East Asian power.
[The China-Russia-Islam Crisis]
From 2010 to 2015, China was facing ever increasing problems. By 2012 relations were at a truly low point. Russia and China were at increasing odds over the issue of relations with the Mideast, where China embraced the Panislamic movement, Russia rejected it. Soon, the three nations engaged in a power struggle to preserve influence in the region. China began reaching out towards former Soviet Republics and Southeast Asian nations, while Russia reached out to the EU and Japan. This was divisive in Russian politics. Early attempts to make amends with Europe were met with nativist backlash, and increased crackdown in Caucasia. As a result, virtually all of the Russian Federal Subjects in the Caucasus seceded, calling upon Muslim neighbors for aid. The 'Caucasian Confederation' was also the recipient of huge amounts of Chinese made weapons being resold from Iran. China claimed it had nothing to do with the matter, but Russia was suspicious. Russia responded with a full out war in the Caucasus, with EU sanctions and condemnations in 2014 when genocide resulted. Russian internal materials were diverted towards the war effort.
In late 2014 Caucasian forces seized control of a Russian special weapons depot and destroyed inventory lists. By the time Federal forces had dealt with the attackers, the Caucasians had seized an unknown amount of biological and chemical weapons.
In 2015, suicide attacks hit an emergency session of Parliament, killing the vast majority of the members using VX and similar nerve agents. The Caucasians said the attack was legitimate response to Russian atrocities in Caucasia.
The Russian President declared extraordinary executive powers and, despite the protests of the world community, gassed most of the major cities of Caucasia, leaving an estimated 400,000 dead.
The EU, China, and ANG imposed sanctions, though UNSC action was impossible due to Russia's veto power.
[The Mideast]
Islamic support for the Caucasus was reached for the billion dollar mark in 2015 in both humanitarian and military aid. Oil prices had skyrocketed and many Mideastern nations enjoyed high profit margins. The notions of Panislamism reached a new high as Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen united in an 'Alliance of God'. Turkey, meanwhile, entered into the European Union in 2014.
[2016-2020]
An Overview of American Politics, 2012 to 2020
In 2012, Mark Warner won a slim majority over Giuliani, it signaled the death blow for the traditional Republican and Democratic party. Though it would be awhile yet until the Elephants and Donkeys dropped from the ballot, the tumult in American politics was considerable.
The primary issue was termed as the Globalists versus the Nativist parties. The idea of Mexican states joining and growing Asian economies seemed threatening to many, resulting in the United Party formation in the post 2012 devastation.
The UP was unique because it was not the 'white mans' party that other nativists favored. Rather, the UP found significant support among those who worked in jobs of all levels who faced overwhelming foreign competition. The UP enjoyed significant success in unions and boardrooms alike. The UP also tended to be more morally conservative, favoring a 'Public Decency, Private Freedom' policy. It was called the 'American Family's Party', and did enjoy significant blue collar turnout. Often excessive foreign competition signaled a quick UP turnover, but if the economy gained a greater market through free trade it could easily change.
By 2016, politics had significantly reorganized. The Democrats found themselves torn deeply as many pro-labor elements left for the new vitality of the UP, and the Republicans fared no better. By 2015, a new political structure had organized itself: The Enterprise Alliance Party, eventually shortening to Enterprise Party by 2018. The EP advocated a socially moderate and economically neoliberal philosophy. They asked for a free market, with porkbarrel spending transferred to useful areas like Education. The EP advocated energetic, efficient use of money for education and health programs rather than post facto subsidies and welfare. As Presidential Candidate (for 2016) Robert McConnell (note: Completely fictional) said- "We are launching a pre-emptive strike on poverty in America".
In 2016, the UP won the election with Ross Humbert, when Chinese markets began attempting to 'dump' goods on the US market. The UP retaliated with massive tariffs on Chinese products, only further angering the Chinese.
In 2020, Humbert claimed a significant victory, with chaos abroad as evidence that isolation and protectionism were superior to the interventionism of years past.
[Miscellaneous US]
The UP continued Warner's efforts to produce new 'clean' nuclear PBMRs, windfarms, and solar arrays for decreased oil dependence.
The UP also began development of a new missile defense program, using a variety of new missile and sensor technologies. It brought US global facilities to almost full capability, capable of intercepting missiles launched from Russia, South Asia, and East Asia with good probability of use.
[The Demise of the Russian Federation]
As Russian generals raged in the 2014-2016 major operations in the Caucasus Republic, many pro EU Russian politicians were beginning to express discontent over the constant sanctions with the European Union, the Muslim world, and China. As war continued in the Caucasus region, Islamic nations and EU contractors enjoyed the oppurtunity to replace the destroyed Russian pipelines with their own.
In 2017 Andrei Pankratev, representative of the Northwestern Federal District, encouraged plebiscites to form a 'New Russia' seperate from the Muscovite military dictatorship. Pankatrev declared independence after vote, and set up an interim government until 2019, when the people of the Confederation of Russia could vote on their own choice.
Announcing he was tired of surrendering what little goods they had to dictators who would 'destroy Russia to kill a handful of ‘evildoers', they recalled their troops and prepared for the inevitable response.
With both possessing nuclear weapons, Moscow decided upon a conventional attack to try and push for Novogorod. In April of 2017 the Spring Offensive was launched, sending rear line units against the new Confederation Army. The battle-weary Russians were burdened by significant logistical foul ups as a result of the war efforts focus down South. Over the years of chaos, Russian infrastructure that did not collapse or weaken went into the war effort against the Caucasian Republic.
Though Confederate leaders and men were not to be underestimated, the clumsy redirection of already worn forces northward made the Spring Offensive doomed from the start. Initial gains were strong as aircraft bombed outside St. Petersburg and other major cities, but soon the Confederation's own air force made their own victories. Ships in the Black Sea launched cruise missiles back onto advancing forces, and the attack was stalemated by 2018.
Isolationist America cared little about Russian politics, but the EU did. Polish leaders praised the new movement, and the EU was even more pleased when Pankatrev encouraged free-market reforms and trade with Europe. The Union voted to recognize the new nation, and the Allied Nations Group followed suit in 2019. In 2018, the EU also began a military assistance campaign, bolstering an offensive into the Central Federal District in late 2019. Freed of the military dictatorship (when the generals fled to the Ural region), they also voted to become part of the Confederation, with the agreement that a convention would be held on a possible relocation of the capital.
With no clear authority in the west, the Ural district and eastward on, became the new seat of the Russian Federation. They grudgingly reopened trade with China on the condition that they would not expand southward into Chinese pipeline interests in Central Asia, but retained xenophobic ideas. Believing US expansion into Mexico, EU support of the Confederation, Sino-Islamic support of the Caucasus as evidence of a new world order conspiracy against Russia, the Federation clung to the idea of a Russian revival and dreamt of re-conquering Moscow.
[East Asia]
China continued its call for 'Asian Solidarity', even as the UP was elected into office. Military buildup continued, with China offering alliances and trade benefits to those who respected Chinese authority in the region. By 2017, China possessed 2 'Supercarriers', the Sea Dragon and Swift Storm, each capable of holding up to 70 aircraft. China's next generation J-12 fighter also shocked many Western analysts, with Taiwanese pilots saying they were nearly invisible to turn-of-the-century fighter radar during a potential BVR engagement. Taiwan began purchasing armaments from the US and EU, despite Chinese protests.
In 2019 Japan amended its constitution to allow Japanese protection of self-interest abroad, and responded with its first nuclear-powered carrier in 2020, along with revolutionary new nuclear-powered submarines. To spite the international community, Japan bought all the reactors from German firms and made none at home, though maintained stock parts. Japan was still committed to avoiding the use of 'the bomb', though fewer and fewer were left who remembered such acts.
[The Islamic World]
Support for the Caucasian Republic grew, and as oil prices continued to spike higher, Islam turned to the developing world for markets. With rich nations moving towards alternative energy, Islam diversified its interest, using what money it had to 'import' brainpower and diversify industry. Homegrown Islamic defense industry also sprang up in some nations, as Libya, Oman, and Syria joined 'The Alliance of God'.
[2021-2025]
[Domestic US]
As Humbert's early second term years unfolded, Americans began to taste the benefits of a reformed Social Security system, improved education, and expanded healthcare benefits. But the effects of heavy protectionism and increased spending and taxing would hit American consumers hard before 2024, setting back the UP and giving the EP their big break. But for a time, things for the UP were good. But big business and those who were hoping to take advantage of globalization were hurt as China gobbled up other markets.
In 2024, the EP rocketed into office as prices skyrocketed on protected goods and Chinese trade partners retaliated with the US. The EP declared that such a trade war could help lead to a shooting war in the end, calling upon Friedman's Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention (Note: In TTL, the book was still written, though with a focus on Mexico and NAFTA's future) among others. Slyly, the EP promised not to remove the social security reforms, the education and healthcare program, but did say it would cut out corporate welfare. In actuality, the EP's campaign of reinvigorating the sluggish market was almost a self fulfilling prophecy. As news of Robert McConnell's election and the new EP Senate majority swept the world, foreign investment skyrocketed. Consumer confidence went up, and most of the boardrooms of the United States breathed a sigh of relief.
In 2025, the first Mexican states entered the Union, though not in their original form. Sonora was merged with the Baja Californias. Durango, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas all entered the Union as well, more or less in their original geographic forms. The populations of the states had significantly increased due to refugees and old American population flocking to the region for the low tax rates and business incentives. Though certainly not perfect, the government reforms imposed by McCain and Warner had done well for the new American states.
Many anti-American Mexicans unwilling to leave their homes refused US citizenship, and secluded themselves from the new society. Of course, US law dictated they could remain there, but would have to pay for any benefits the United States had added to the area. But eventually, those who did not leave grew tired of paying the extra cost and grudgingly accepted the US government as their own.
[Technology and War in 2025]
The United States continued to lead the world in technology in 2025, spurred on by many years of war and the fear of a rising China. Both the EP and UP agreed on maintaining high US defense spending, but the disagreement was on how to use it. In any case, this defense spending had become civilian accessible by 2025. The micromachined armor used by the Force Warrior 2025 development program was in service by 2020 (primarily in response to guerilla and insurgent warfare in the 2006 war) had resulted in a variety of new consumer products. By 2025, these 'miracle materials' were also in licensed use by many other nations in a variety of fields. True nanobots were still not fully realized.
Alternative energy was spreading out of the United States, and by 2025 was in heavy use by Europe and Japan. China was still heavily petrol fueled due to its cozy relationship with many Islamic nations. A joint Allied Nations Group project promised to put a solar space powerplant array in orbit by 2030.
Artificial Intelligence and computing had expanded in leaps in bounds. Due to the plummeting costs of nanomaterial manufactures, carbon computers were phasing out high-end mainframes, with many theorizing that perhaps within the next decade they would be available in regular desktop computers. The militaries of the world were the highest buyers of the products, and the beginnings of a 'computational arms race' were in the making as the ANG, China, Japan and EU all increasingly researched and developed new supercomputers. True AI wasn't quite there, but what did exist was enough to fool many people into thinking it was.
The technologies of war, the spurs of much of this advancement, were in high use by 2025. The United States and the ANG was said to maintain the world's 'best' air force in terms of training and technology. The US made F/A-22G used a carbon supercomputer, adaptive control surfaces, high resolution, long range radar, and packed ultramanuverable missiles with extremely 'intelligent' targeting and tracking computers. But it was rumored the US was researching into even more radical designs, such as switchblade fighters. The Chinese J-13/Mig-37 was a close second or third, unique not only because of its Russian Federation/Chinese cooperation, but the fact that China lead that project. Aerospace was becoming increasingly regionalized, as India, Japan, and even South Africa's resurgent economy began to design and manufacture their own aircraft. It was even rumored that true mobile lasers would be in implementation soon.
The US Navy had responded to the Chinese threat (now 6 carriers) with an increase to 14 Carrier Battle Groups, many utilizing new 'stealthy' designs, not just for carriers but for escort vessels like the Zumwalt and CG-21 series of designs. Chinese submarine technology had caught up with their Western rivals, but the Virginia upgrades and Australian advances in 'Acoustic Daylight Imaging' technology stood to turn the balance back in the favor of the West.
The European Union made its own advances with a standardized EU tank design, the EMBT-1. With British designed armor, a Rhinemetall ETC gun and a high-performance hybri-diesel engine, it set the standard for world armor. China itself took from old Russian Black Eagle designs. The United States looked like their Abrams II would be mounting an electromagnetic gun within the next few years.
And of course, space was on the verge of weaponization. The US and China had fleets of high turnaround shuttles capable of boosting cargo or weapons into orbit, while the US had chosen to refit its ballistic missiles as rapid-response deployment platforms for satellites or ASAT style weapons. Many nations also employed space-based radar and sensors, and virtually every major nation or power-bloc maintained constellations of satellites.
[Africa]
The technological advances of the world had helped a neglected Africa. From 2015 onward, South Africa had experienced an economic rebirth, primarily due to the collapse of Harare's government and the 'turning point' in the war on disease through new vaccinations. The funding pouring into the nation went into the development of nuclear power and other alternative energy sources for the 'cultivation of Africa' program. Desalination plants and new, more efficient agritech systems allowed South African farmers to effectively feed not only themselves, but many of their neighbors. Investment in South Africa increased as their growing technology sector emerged. Without significant Western intervention, sub-Saharan Africa was 'South Africa's domain'. A modern military force performed peackeeping duties, a friendly government gained the trust of other nations, and massive aid campaigns from the newly-wealthy nation were used to help their neighbors.
South Africa's success story had attracted the eyes of the world community by the early 2020s, and China was quick to step in. South Africa began absorbing Chinese consumer goods, and the Chinese gave plenty of diplomatic backing to the nation and its allies in Africa. But India pulled a heavy counterbalance, and soon the two nations were struggling over influence in the South African government. Other nations were divvied up by the two Asian powers, in the first time the emerging nations had begun seriously influencing extra-regional politics.
[The Islamic World]
The Alliance of God only expanded as petrol demand slackened from the big-pocketed Westerners. Still discontent with Europe's influence through Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus Republic all joined in the years between 2021 and 2025. The Alliance of God was not a true alliance though, like brothers they quarreled within the household, but presented a united front when faced with foreign threat.
[Europe]
The Russian Confederation began its EU membership process in 2023, much to the dismay of the Federation. Germany was recovering from their economic slump, though many European core states were facing increasing problems with angry Muslim immigrants. The EU was still loosely organized, with a shaky Constitution emerging by 2022, though it hardly changed the Union's politics.
[The Two Russias]
An uneasy truce rested between the two nations. The Confederation enjoyed a more neoliberal government, and enjoyed EU support. The Confederation was also becoming a technology based economy, while the old Federation relied on its mineral and oil reserves. Interestingly, the Federation became heavily reliant on Chinese aid and loans, though they did not enjoy the relationship in any way. The xenophobic Federation government did not check or encourage the actions of its people when it came to race conflicts. Vladivostok, the new capital, had a massive increase in crime rate as Russian and Chinese criminal organizations clashed.
[Asia and Oceania]
The Chinese and Indian government waged their silent political and economic wars through client states, and, as previously mentioned, those in Africa. India surpassed Chinese trade due to UP regulations, but China was eager to reclaim its spot. One of the major elements of tension was between Japan's growing military power and its alliance with India. Japan began designing and training Indian ships and crews for their Navy, providing regional counterbalances to China's emerging force. In Singapore, the government affirmed a stance against Chinese political influence, in a surprise move. The new President stated "Embracing our heritage does not mean we must tie the puppetmaster's strings around our arms. Singapore enjoys good relations with many nations besides China, and they are just as important. Similarly, our government cannot become a means to an end for Chinese interests."
Sino-Taiwanese relations continued to move back and forth between opinions, but overall Taiwan was increasingly fearful they would be subject to the first new 'hard' use of Chinese power.
In Korea, 2021 marked the end of the DPRK. The Dear Leader died under unknown circumstances, and the ROK quickly responded with a 'peaceful takeover'. For the world community, it was a wonderful end to 70 year tear between the Korean people. Korea quickly began to try and bring the former DPRK up to the living standards of the South. But Korean politicians were divided on foreign policy. Should they turn towards China, or stand by their traditional allies? Policy fluctuated back and forth, but overall Korea was more concerned with helping its new citizens rather than arming itself as other nations did.
Australia was experiencing a similar political problem. The Australian economy had become somewhat reliant on Chinese trade, but strategically Australia wanted to stand with the Allied Nations Group. Australia quietly began taking measures to decrease their reliance on Chinese trade, trying not to elicit too harsh of a political response from the full-fledged power of China.
[2026]
[Domestic US]
The EP continues to gain legislative majority, though UP Supreme Court Justices continue to give EP politicians a hard time in several business related cases. However, the EP takes advantage of older appointees open slots to put in their own members.
American culture has changed significantly. The ‘net revolution’ continues as internet based media-networks begin to present serious competition to mainstream television based networks. Google Intermedia, a synthesis of their previous services, can offer media information virtually anywhere they go, personalized to their interests. All this begins to have a backlash, as the personalization of news presents every subscriber with their own little form of bias. ‘What You Need to Know’ has been replaced by ‘What You Want to Know’, and though Americans are emerging from the new, overhauled education system, it does present a problem of ignorance. Many are displeased by this, and program-savvy hackers shower ‘news-bombs’ onto networks when certain reports seem like they are underrepresented. They come from both sides of any issue.
Popular culture continues to change. Mexican states have brought about a rapid increase in Latin-American integration. Latin stars and themed movies are popular, especially when merged with the political re-examination of the American involvement with Mexico. On the anniversary of the LA attacks, a Mexican-American filmmaker releases Diez Anos. The film takes a morally ambiguous look at the conflict between the North and South from the point of view of a Mexican soldier in the US Army who goes on to lead a unit in the American Foreign Legion. The film alternates between brutal, stylishly shot combat scenes and outwardly quiet but well-acted scenes of the tense relationship between Americans and Mexicans as the Mexican states are integrated, and ends with the 2006 War in Brazil. The film won Best Picture and many other awards, and sparked a debate about its view of Hispano-American relations. Some said the film was a criticism of American policy, while others viewed it as a tribute to it. The writer said it was merely an amalgamation of stories he heard and people he’d met, though he said if it was more anti-war than anti-American, and on other interviews he said he thought American integration was good for the Mexican economy. Rock music in particular was also heavily affected by the Mexican States, with many traditional guitar rhythms finding themselves inside popular alternative rock tunes.
[European Union]
By 2026 the EU’s old core states were losing their vigor. Germany was slowing down as their socialized systems taxed what few working taxpayers they had, and France was kept alive primarily by North African immigrants who were not pleased by new, strict, Alliance of God policies in their area, though French had previously passed laws making it difficult for immigrants to completely trump the French natives. The government of France called for a revival of French culture, a call that turns from one of cultural unification to one of cultural tension. The interpretation of French pride sways with the ruling party, but beyond France the EU is seeing new leaders.
The Poles, who have remained staunchly Catholic, were becoming a regional power. Forging an alliance with the United States early on in missile defense programs and embracing Western ‘globalized’ trade policy, Poles were the prime example of Eastern Europe’s rising influence. Standing as a bridge between the old ‘First’ and ‘Second’ world nations, the Poles also had a powerful military and industry, based on cooperation with US defense contractors. In fact, Poland’s entry into the Allied Nations Group was actually accepted by 2026.
[Allied Nations Group]
The ANG was quickly responding to new threats, becoming a new, globally accessible NATO. Still bent on promoting Free People and Free Markets, the ANG accepted Papua New Guinea, Poland, and Panama by 2026. The ANG adopted new standards, similar to NATO MILSPEC orders. The new US 6.5x40mm caseless round was adopted by many member nations, and the ANG’s Joint Development projects were widely considered to lead the world in military technology. They began their new ‘Valkyrie’ project, to develop a new line of next-generation aircraft, including scramjet powered spaceplanes and missiles that would ensure ‘allied superiority in space’. China and allies quickly responded.
[The Alliance of God]
The Alliance now encompassed the vast majority (geographically) of the traditional Muslim world. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and even Jordan joined the alliance, with negotiations beginning to get Afghanistan and Pakistan into the group by 2028. The Alliance was also facing increasing internal turmoil as oil revenue began to slow, with China propagating its new alternative energy programs to customer nations. With their diversification of industry and desalinated agricultural programs still coming out of infancy, many were skeptical about the future of the Arab world.
Of course, the Alliance continued to try and gain favor in Turkey. The influx of Muslim pride had been countered by an influx of Western ideas and goods, and soon politics were polarized upon these simple alignments. The government, hoping to maintain their EU membership by resisting Islamist policies, warned that it would not allow a fundamentalist party to dictate Turkish policies, though the strongest opponents were the military.
[Eastern Asia]
Things were beginning to become tense as the Asian nations waged a quiet technological and economic war. China continued their policy of ‘uniting the Chinese people’, but there were resisters. China’s new Russian-designed submarines were caught by Taiwanese and Japanese governments prowling near their waters, with China denying their existence. Their reason for being there: Japan had adopted the new ‘Great Shark’ SSN, entirely Japanese designed as a response to Chinese purchases, and China wanted to take a look. As for Taiwan, their quick purchases of old AEGIS missile defense destroyers (though upgraded with new electronics and systems) were reason to worry.
Taiwan, as a result, began to pursue relations with India for the ultimate defense against Chinese aggression. The pro-nationalist elements of Taiwan’s military financed much of the project through some government funds and trading assets from their own connections, transferred through Swiss Banks. Later, rumor would point to some US involvement.
Taiwan ‘purchased’ from India two thermonuclear devices, which were then mounted onto a pair BrahMos Universal Supersonic Cruise Missiles, and then shipped in a routine freighter trip between a Taiwanese company and its Indian customers.
Nobody would know the wiser for six months.
[2027]
[The birth of American ‘extra-nationalism’]
In late 2026, pro-EP think tanker and historian John Li-Collins publishes Freedom’s Atlas: 21st Century Policy and the Need to Support Liberty. He argued that the resurgence of China and the Alliance of God, America must step in as the defender of liberty. Rather than pre-emptive doctrine, America should actively prevent the aggressive expansion of its enemies through arms support, or if necessary, direct military support. At the same time, he called for a new ‘Peaceful Expansionism’ process, to allow other nations to join the United States if they so choose. With scathing critiques of Chinese and AoG expansionism and government coupled with calls for an American ‘mobilization against tyranny’, the book drew a mix of criticism and fervor among voters and politicians.
[West Pacific]
Asia’s rising military power, despite some lingering demographic problems, was continuing to develop their military. By 2027, Japan had completed its third SSGN, and developed their own form of Acoustic Daylight Imaging on par with that of ANG members.
After the Chinese submarine incident, the Japanese people were becoming increasingly suspicious of their neighbors. Japan adopted an old Cold-War policy used by other nations, it was revealed by a US intelligence analyst. Japanese SSNs now trailed Chinese missile subs as far south as the South China Sea. ANG member nation subs were also found in the area in 2027, leading to a new Chinese policy. Fearing the prospect of enemy subs using the region, on December 15 China declared the South China Sea north of the tenth parallel as their Exclusive Military and Economic Zone, saying no nation could sail a warship in the area or conduct oil drilling or fishing without the permission of the Chinese government. Citing increasing Japanese and ANG presence in the area, they said it was necessary to defend against Western imperialism.
Vietnam was not pleased in the least. Saying the South China Sea was legitimate international water, they said they would retain the right to sail any ships they wished in the area. Taiwan was particularly disturbed, but hoped China would not instigate war against them. Much of the government was still unaware of their nation’s nuclear purchases. China granted the Philippines the rights to the area, but the UN Secretary General said “It does not matter if China allows every nation to use these waters; the problem is that it is not China’s place to decide the use of these waters.”
The crisis escalated. As Taiwanese nationalism increased, (due to strict clampdowns on dissident political factions who had told China to back down to preserve investor confidence) China deployed two Carrier Battle Groups into the northerly end of the Sea. Vietnam and Taiwan refused to withdraw their vessels from the area, so China set a five day deadline to put their ships back towards port.
The stock markets took big hits, especially in Asia as investors frantically sold their stocks in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese companies that could face sanctions or destruction. China stuck by their deadline, and the President of the US ordered additional carrier groups to the area.
The deadline, which had been given on December 26, left the world with shaky hopes for peace.
[Latin America]
The remainder of Mexico between the US and Chiapas voted to become the ‘Commonwealth of Mexico Sur’, in the same fashion of Puerto Rico.
[Africa/Islamic World]
With Sudan being one of the longstanding Alliance of God members, the nation had become a focal point for ethnic and religious violence. Combined by AoG Council pressure and Chinese interest in securing pipelines, the Sudanese Army began a forced relocation program to designated provinces for Christians. Those who resisted were exiled or killed.
By 2027, with the Western world unwilling to declare war on the Alliance, Southern Sudan called upon the help of the silent ally of all those who share enemies with the United States. The CIA began providing funds and arms to the fighters, while operating from covert airbases in the Central African Republic. The CIA gave mercenaries, money, and arms to the new ‘Republic of the White Nile, though primarily through previously established African groups to avoid linkage.
South Africa and the African Union offered peacekeeping troops to oversee the infant nation for a legitimate plebiscite, but Sudan was still enraged to the idea of their southern end seceding.
[2028]
[The South China Sea]
[New Year’s Day]
[Vietnamese People’s Navy Ship Tonkin]
Captain Nghiem rapped his fingers on the cold, metal windowsill of the ship for perhaps the billionth time. It was just a habit people picked up, and generally corresponded to boredom. But it didn’t today. Today, as it had been since China declared the South China Sea hers and the Tonkin set out, it was driven by anxiety.
The Tonkin was a former Sovremenny missile destroyer, not quite as advanced as the ones the Chinese had bought and upgraded, but probably the best destroyer the People’s Navy could afford.
Nghiem wasn’t old enough to remember the last time Vietnam had gone to war, but his forefathers all did. And it was a defining element of Vietnamese training. There would be many, they said, who would seek to destroy Vietnam. The French had tried, the Americans had tried, and the Chinese had tried before. But oddly enough, it would be the Americans who had the best chance of stopping a second war. He was probably the first Vietnamese officer wishing American carriers would show up near Vietnam faster.
He wasn’t a politician. And with a Chinese missile frigate a few miles away, he didn’t care who had wronged Vietnam in the past, as long as they did something to prevent war.
Nghiem went through the orders in his head again, and then sighed. A junior officer perked up, and the Chinese called again, ordering him to turn around. Telling him he was violating Chinese waters. Telling him they were willing to shoot. But Nghiem couldn’t do that. He would be executed at home, his crew receiving a similar fate, maybe his family too.
He could die in dishonor, or as a martyr. Maybe give the Americans or whoever else was out there to bring in some help.
“Ready the Moskits, and put all defensive radars on full active.”
Another message from the Chinese came, asking them to turn off all combat radar and go to a halt, to prepare for boarding. They were giving him two minutes.
“Sound the general alarm.” His decision had already been made for him, by the People’s Republic. And now he would execute it.
Two minutes marked their passage with the first warning shot, from a five inch gun. It splashed a few hundred yards portside. Fifteen seconds later, another one. Fifteen more passed, and a howling shriek filled the bridge of the vessel. It was a missile, probably sea-skimming, he realized as it dropped off the radar. A few seconds later it picked up again, this time by the defensive radars. Tonkin’s 30mm guns burped out rounds to try and stop the incoming missile, but failed. Nghiem didn’t have time to contemplate why, the entire ship rocked as several hundred pounds of high explosive warhead impacted the starboard side at roughly three and a half times the speed of sound.
Nghiem fell into a second of sparkling and colors, and then simultaneously tasted the metallic taste of deck and blood. One hand at a time, he lifted himself from the deck along with the rest of the sailors, and excess blood. He asked his crew if they’d returned fire, and they had. But it was too late.
He was dead before he realized the second had impacted.
[The West Pacific War: Origins and Opening Battles]
The sinking of the Tonkin occurred early New Year’s Morning in Vietnam. For most viewers, reports on how Indians and Russians and Australians were ringing in the New Years were interrupted by images of warships, world leaders, and maps of the crisis zone. The Tonkin had been sunk, and an unknown Chinese vessel damaged. The Chinese claimed the Tonkin had refused repeated orders and activated combat radar, and most of its client states stood by its decision. Vietnam responded with a declaration of war, and began a short lived bombing campaign into Hainan. More importantly, Vietnamese gunboats and government-sponsored pirates ravaged Chinese shipping in the area, destroying dozens of freighters and VLCCs headed to China within the first week. China responded with a blockade against Vietnam, and cruise missile attacks on the nation.
Negotiation failed because there was nobody left in Vietnam to negotiate with.
Some blamed China for initiating the violence; others said the Vietnamese should have known better to retaliate. But within a week of the strikes, Chinese troops were in Northern Vietnam, in response to purported guerilla attacks.
Taiwan, watching as China became embroiled in conflict and the ruthless destruction of any foreign vessels in the area, began to ponder secession. China was imposing heavy duties on Taiwanese vessels in the South China Sea, and subjecting them to constant search.
In a cabinet meeting of the Taiwanese Presidency, ROC Navy officers announced their possession of nuclear weapons, of which Taiwan had acquired three more before the crisis began. Apparently, the Chinese penetration of the Taiwanese government was complete enough for China to learn of the nuclear arms as well.
China, in one announcement, told the world of Taiwan’s nuclear arms and asked them to disarm not just its nuclear weapons, but its entire offensive capability, and prepared several divisions for landing on the island to secure the weapons.
Taiwan refused. The US offered itself as an intermediary in the conflict, saying the Taiwanese should disarm its nuclear arms, but should be allowed to retain its armed forces until the mainland ended their ‘criminal activities’ in the South China Sea. By then, the George Bush and John McCain were close enough for combat operations to begin in a cross-strait war.
Outraged, China declined to negotiate ‘with our own country’ and remarked that foreign concern was no more welcome than if China tried to intervene in a local dispute.
Taiwan decided to refute the idea, and when American CBGs were close enough, declared independence. Immediately, cruise missile strikes slammed over the nation, destroying the Taipei 101 building and some ships in port. Taiwanese purchases of new SAM weapons had prevented a more serious outcome, but the damage was done. The Taiwanese navy responded with strikes on Chinese vessels in the strait.
Realizing Taiwan was lost if they did not intervene, the US declared war on China on January 30th, 2028. The opening engagements resulted in an embarrassing defeat of PLAN vessels in the region. Sorties by Valkyrie-series “Peregrine”[1] stealth fighters and hypersonic cruise missiles crippled or destroyed a pair of Chinese CVNs and sixteen other surface combatants within the first two days of the Battle of the Strait. China in turn attacked US supply lines and declared the entire region around the area to be a Maritime Exclusion Zone while submarines went after US supply ships.
In early February a cruise missile strike hit Guam, hurting US re-supply efforts. But the carriers remained, and soon the US asked Japan for assistance in fighting China. Japan agreed, and China promptly responded with a declaration of war and bomber sorties over Tokyo [2]. Angered by the attacks, the Japanese Navy responded with an attack on the PLAN Northern Fleet in a series of bloody battles near the Korean peninsula.
Within the first month of the war, China had lost two dozen naval surface combatants and a classified number of submarines. The United States lost half the number, though many of them would be repaired and ready for combat within a few months (or a year). Japan had lost fifteen vessels, while the Taiwanese had lost half their navy. All sides had lost a significant amount of aircraft, and the US had lost its first bombers in combat since Vietnam.
The war was not limited to Earth. American combat space-planes and ASAT weapons downed dozens of Chinese satellites and Chinese space stations in military use, and a classified program was underway to refit US space assets and ballistic missiles to carry kinetic energy components for strikes against China.
Over 10,000 Taiwanese civilians and military personnel were dead, missing, or seriously wounded due to China’s massive bombing and missile campaigns. Attacks on Hainan, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai had inflicted a roughly equal number, primarily due to precise Japanese and US bombing campaigns. An unknown number of Vietnamese were dead, and eight thousand Japanese were reported casualties by the government. World markets were in disarray, and the war showed signs of only escalation.
Notes
[1] The Peregrine was derived from the ANG ‘Valkyrie’ project. The Peregrine was considered the undisputable ruler of the skies, though they cost a hefty $250 million dollars during their first production runs. Peregrines featured switchblade, variable geometry wings with ‘smart skin’ that could flex for maximum aerodynamics. The hardy carbon shell gave the Peregrine good RAM and light, durable armor. It had a maximum speed of ‘over mach 3’ with the right load, and carried much of its weapons within internal bays. It had hybrid pulse detonation/variable bypass turbofans with 3-D thrust vectoring.
Most advanced of all was the sensor suite. The Peregrine incorporated Synthetic Aperture LPI radar using newer gallium-nitride based transistors, giving it a huge advantage in search size and range. Smaller radar modules could be mounted as aerodynamic attachments, and on many models a small rear looking radar was attached. Streamlined IR camera turrets and a new helmet design provided a full field of view.
[2] The Tokyo Bombing raids persisted for the fist three months of the war. Chinese bombers (ANG Designation: Behemoth) could fly in low using variable-bypass engines at Mach 1, while still maintaining excellent fuel efficiency. The bombers carried over 90,000 pounds of armament on full load, and often dropped bunker-busters into metropolitan ‘superstructure’ arcologies. These tactics destabilized the local Japanese economies, and would later cause massive civilian casualties. However, F-9 fighters from Japan’s air force became particularly effective against the bombers, which often flew sorties without fighter escorts (Japanese forces destroyed many tankers).
[The War: March]
The Taiwan situation reached a critical point. Though the US had committed two extra carrier groups to the war, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep Taiwan intact. Though no major Chinese forces had crossed the strait, Taiwan was an island under siege. China launched an E-Bomb attack on Taiwan later that month. Mixed with cruise missile strikes and precision EM gun fire, Taiwan’s infrastructure was devastated. Chinese subs resorted to raiding Taiwanese relief convoys.
In one of the controversial episodes of the war, a Chinese SSN engaged a convoy outside Darwin. China’s People’s Storm [1] class SSN allowed the PLAN to reach out in naval engagements never before seen. In this case, a relief column passing around New Guinea was engaged by the Dark Storm. The vessel, while not quite up to match with newer Western subs like the American Norfolk Class or the Oceania Class of Australia, the Allied Nations Group had left a gap in escorts that the Chinese were able to exploit. Overconfident about the containment of Chinese submarines, the Dark Storm sank dozens of convoy ships in its opening strike, and then laid a trap for three older ANZAC class vessels. The Chinese super-heavy 660mm Little Predator [2] super-cavitating torpedo was a very effective ship killer to these older vessels, and soon the HMAS Australia, an Oceania [3] Class vessel, hunted down and killed the Dark Storm in Indonesian waters. Indonesia briefly threatened to declare war, though backed down at the prospect of the assembled Australian fleets turning towards them instead of the Chinese.
The first combat use of ‘orbital bombers’ occurred when the USAF equipped one of its combat space planes with a unique device. Four retrofitted reentry vehicles containing mass-area e-bombs were fitted onto a space-plane along with a series of dummy warheads. US Defense Network satellites clear a path towards Chinese space, and the spacecraft releases its payload.
Traveling at roughly Mach 15, and precisely targeted by the spacecraft, the E-bombs passed through as the dummy warheads took a few hits. They exploded over Beijing, Harbin, and Chinese strategic locations previously unreachable by ANG weaponry [4].
[April]
Plans in the ANG begin circulating under the codenames of Operation MISERLOU, a plan to force China to throw in its hand. The Cross-Strait situation was an impasse, with the Chinese massing too many troops for effective US offensive and the US possessing clear naval superiority.
American politicians feared the war dragging on, and the Chinese government hadn’t revealed its face since the crisis started. Their presence was limited to military figureheads who ‘lead the fight against Western imperialism’, while the real politicians lay dead from missile strikes or in hiding. And there was always the possibility of these hard-line generals actually being in charge. In any case, the US demands for China’s unconditional surrender and Taiwanese sovereignty weren’t going to be met. Allied propaganda attempts to attempt to incite civil war had thus far failed, and in fact, seemed to be vindicating the theories and ideas of the Chinese propaganda machine.
MISERLOU proposed bringing total war to China, a commitment of a million ANG combat personnel to the invasion of the Northern Plain region, cutting the country in half and using forward airbases to attack the inland regions of China.
With Chinese amassing troops in the South, the plan might work. But then again, the PLA possessed over twice that number in regulars during peacetime, and certainly many more with wartime conscription requirements. It was a risky bargain, and preparation began, with the hope that war would be over before then.
By late April, Naval Intelligence reported that they had lost track of a single Chinese SSGN, and was heading eastward. A handful of US SSNs were tasked to track down the threat, hoping it would not reach firing range of Hawaii or the West Coast.
[1] The Dark Storm class displaced 14,000 tons, and was the largest attack sub of the war. It was not the quietest or fastest vessel, but was very reliable and packed a massive armament of torpedo and VLS. It was also the first class of Chinese submarine to incorporate the western development of AHSUM, supercavitating cannon that could be used to intercept incoming torpedo.
[2] The Little Predator was based on the Chinese-made spinoff of the German Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, essentially a parallel development of the Mk 58 SADCAP ‘Pirhana’ torpedo. However, the Little Predator was much larger and packed more than twice the explosive power of its American counterpart, and proved quite effective as a ship-killer during the war.
[3] The Oceania class was created in the late 2010s as a result of growing Chinese sub developments. Roughly the same size as the American Virginia, it was the first sub to be designed for ADI usage, and the first SSN ever made by Australia. The primary purpose of the vessel was to hunt other submarines.
[4] Both range limitations and the potency of Chinese air defense networks made striking targets in inland China or Beijing very difficult. Part of the reason MISERLOU received so much attention was the desire to destroy inland Chinese industry through forward bases. Though quite successful, the spaceborne strike policy would not become cost-effective until the development of Orbital Kinetic Kill Weapons.
[1994]
The POD: A much more ‘thorough’ campaign against Marcos
EZLN command structure is located through bribery of the newspapers that publish them and some (possibly US assisted) bushwork. In January of 1994, a Mexican helicopter gunship in Chiapas strafes and kills Subcommander Marcos and about a dozen other EZLN fighters. Kill is confirmed by Mexican Army regulars.
EZLN, in outrage, begins more radical actions. Suspected contact with the FARC and possibly financial support out of the newly released Hugo Chavez and his MVR movement later in the year spurs military action.
[1995]
Violence intensifies in Chiapas. Mexican Army embarrassed when several soldiers defect and aid ambushes on Mexican Army troops. Clinton issues a condemnation of the Zapatistas. But the US does see some effect as the chicano movement is encouraged in the Southern United States. The US classifies the Zapatistas as a terrorist group after the Mexican government claims they have killed negotiators. Zapatistas deny the allegations and continue their insurgency.
The Zapatista movement spreads outside Chiapas and into major cities. Mexican Army incapacitated by violent and non-violent protest. Mexican Army declares martial law in all effected areas and promises to punish any media publishing EZLN declarations.
The turning point comes when Mexican oilfields are seized in a daring raid in December. Among them are several American consultants. US demands they be released while some protest that this group has nothing to do with the EZLN and is likely FARC attempting to instigate conflict. The raiders say they will release the hostages on the condition that US halt all trade effected by NAFTA and remain neutral.
Clinton, knowing the election is coming up, does what he hopes will encourage US voters. US Navy SEALS are sent in and free all hostages, except for a Mexican and American who were hit by a ricocheting slug of unknown origin and a Zapatista bullet, respectively. The US, outraged, makes a joint statement with the Mexican government that they will classify the Zapatistas as terrorists and sends over 3,000 US SPECFOR and soldiers into Mexico to assist Federal troops.
The War of Mexican Intervention (or the War of Yanqui Imperialism, depending on who you ask), had begun.
[1996]
US troops are deployed into Chiapas and the surrounding territories, using Mexican intelligence agents to pinpoint targets for precision strikes. Laser-Guided Bombs are dropped in the dozens during the initial days of the strike, while US Army Rangers hunt down Zapatistas in the brush. The US Army is very successful despite some warning that the jungles of Chiapas could become 'a new Vietnam'.
In retaliation, Zapatistas encourage Chicano groups to revive the brown berets. They cross the border and in three coordinated strikes, body-armored, assault rifle toting men seize a Bank and shopping mall in the Los Angeles area. The LAPD's initial response teams are shredded to pieces at the bank, where, using two hostages as a shield, an unknown man used a belt-fed machinegun to destroy entire patrol cars. The LAPD SWAT was called in, and in a coordinated sniper and assault team strike, killed all 5 of the terrorists. However, the massive automatic weapon crossfire resulted in the deaths of 3 hostages. At the shopping mall, the attack was a bit more successful, though had a much more profound psychological impact. TV crews and security cameras recorded chilling images: polished tiles smeared with the blood of rent-a-cops, armed gunmen exchanging shots with the LAPD, and hostages screaming for their lives. No hostages were killed though a police officer lost his life when a high-powered .308 bullet hit him in the head. In his honor the 'Schumaker Bill' was passed by Californian legislation, adding several thousand assault rifles to the inventories of border-city Police Departments.
Meanwhile, the US began an extensive campaign to track down and prosecute those involved in the logistics and planning of the act. FBI agents stormed the barrios, though two suspects (including a drug-lord who'd used his connections to acquire many of the rifles used in the act) fled to Cuba.
The election year rolled forward, with Clinton promising to uphold the rights of Latin American citizens and secure Mexico, while Dole argued the NAFTA act was too damaging to be upheld, essentially through violence. Democrats snapped back saying that this selfish attitude would only allow Mexico to destabilize more, and may even increase illegal immigration beyond the rising levels due to a Mexican flight from dictatorship.
Though it was not the sole campaign issue, Clinton won the election.
[1997]
The dominant news story out of Southern California is race riots regarding several arrests and trials from the LA terrorist attacks of the previous year. OJ Simpson goes relatively unnoticed for quite some time.
On October 17, after the burial of Che Guevera with full military honors, the Cuban government says they will not hand the suspects unless the death penalty will be ruled out by the Californian governor. The Californian governor refuses to make such an agreement and demands that the 'Cuban government hand over these murderers lest they share in the stain of innocent blood'.
Cuba refuses.
On October 26 the Californian governor says 'America should do anything necessary to take these terrorists out of Cuba'. The next day, combined with the Asian financial crisis, the stock market plummets.
[1998]
The Monica Lewinsky scandal somehow manages to overshadow the Mexican conflict, if briefly. In an attempt to distract attention and out of complete frustration with Cuba, Clinton gives Cuba until March 20th to hand over the suspects.
The world watches with baited breath.
On March 18th a gunfire exchange takes place at Guantanamo Bay. Cubans say they saw a Marine crossing the border, Americans say the Cubans fired in error, and simply returned fire. The gunbattle ends with Cuban forces besieging Guantanamo Bay. The USS John F. Kennedy, which had ended a 6-month deployment in 1997, was quickly refitted for duty and called into the Carribbean. The Kennedy began immediate strikes on Cuba in retaliation. On March 20th a pair of F/A-18 Hornets kill Castro with a laser guided bomb. Soon after many members of the Cuban army desert and the US breaks out of Guantanamo, fighting skirmishes with guerillas and the Cuban army along the way.
By April American forces were at the edges of Havana, where the Cuban diehards were making their last stand. The USMC, after a massive 'precision' bombardment by American strategic aircraft, completes the assault. As a PR gesture, cameras roll as Cuban-Americans and anti-Castro Cuban guerillas raise the Cuban and American flags in Havana, though the Cuban one is ordered to fly higher. This is effectively the end of major resistance in Cuba. The rest of the island is gradually won over by Alberto Franqui, who becomes interim President of the Republic of Cuba. He promises not to remove the current healthcare given to Cubans, but makes an agreement to join NAFTA 'in the near future' as he begins programs to help develop Cuba into a free-market society.
Meanwhile, the rest of the world was shocked by the US invasion. Many agreed that the downfall of Castro was good, but they condemned the US violence. China and Russia began vetoing US pleas to help stabilize Cuba or Mexico in the UN.
The African Embassy bombings are met with Operation Infinite Reach, and out of sheer luck, Osama Bin Laden is presumed killed, as he never appears in any audiovisual record again. Al-Qaeda never again adopts a rallying symbol. Desert Fox is also made in response to Hussein.
Socialist guerillas begin flooding into Mexico as Venezuela and several other nations condemn the US invasion of Cuba.
[1999]
Republican governorships and senators win every US border state, as Republicans adopt a new platform of 'non-intervention'. Republicans angry at US intervention in Mexico are only more enflamed by conflicts in Cuba, Iraq, Sudan, the Balkans, and Afghanistan.
But it seems the War in Mexico is slowing down. Many of the Zapatistas withdraw back into Chiapas and the Southern provinces, but increased illegal activity occurs near the borders. Texas and California deploy National Guard units and 'Minutemen Volunteer Groups' to monitor the border for crossing terrorists. In California, many illegal (and legal) immigrants are rounded up and arrested, and then held without trial for months. The Supreme Court rules in Marquez v California that the Californian government may not suspend habeas corpus and orders immediate trials for all arrested.
Clinton splits both parties. Anti-War Democrats and many Republicans say that he is fostering 'American Imperialism.' But many pro-business Republicans and neoliberal Democrats say that the wars were absolutely necessary to American security and preserving democracy. The rifts only continue when Bush and McCain announce their bids for the 2000 Presidency against Al Gore, who is quickly voted in by Democratic Primaries and nominated. McCain ran as what the Op-Eds were calling 'Pax Americana moderates'. McCain's position on Mexico was outlined thusly:
"[There are] dangers implicit in failing to properly monitor traffic crossing the Mexican border, and there are certainly dangers in this war. Yet, Mexico is one of our largest trading partners, and it is in our best interest to maintain as open a border and as stable a nation as possible. It is a careful balancing act. [We should] ensure that we are doing everything we can to stem the flow of illegal drugs and Zapatista terrorists without impeding the flow of legitimate commerce. I think that it’s clear now the Mexican government needs our nation's aid to maintain that balance."
As the race begins, in November 30th clashes occur outside the Seattle WTO conference, many linking it to 'unjust US action in Mexico and Cuba'. There are no deaths but it illustrates growing anti-American sentiment from the Old Left and antiglobalizers, who compare the current US Caribbean wars to the Mexican American War. Rather than gaining territory for slaves, they argue the current government seeks to gain more territory for 'wage-slaves' and 'economic imperialism'.
As the race continues, Venezuela finds that virtually every anti-war candidate has been voted out of office. Though the rebellion is calming, Chavez will have none of it. Venezuela begins a mobilization of troops, and then the Zapatistas begin a last bid for freedom. Chiapas and other sections of Zapatista controlled territory hold a vote, and say that they are now the independent People's Republic of Chiapas. America is not amused, and refuses to recognize the nation. But the UNSC vote to send peacekeepers is again shut down by Russia and China, who ironically state the US is undermining the democratic process. The actual validity of the votes is never revealed but the Zapatistas do enjoy exceptional support.
The first nation to recognize the People's Republic was Venezuela. The next is China, which was seeking to solidify their oil partnership. Then a slew of other socialist nations fall in, all saying a new vote should be conducted with heavy UN monitoring.
It is scheduled for February of 2000.
The Mexican government and people, which has elected Vincente Fox on a heavy 'United Free Mexico' platform, refuses to recognize the People's Republic but knows it has virtually no control over the South. They sign a cease fire for the duration of the vote and demilitarize sections of Mexico, with the UN breathing down their necks.
[2000]
The vote goes smoothly, but for all the wrong reasons. With the uprising virtually every anti-Zapatista has fled the area, resulting in a landslide victory for the independence ballot.
The United States is outraged, and vetoes every UNSC measure to support the small nation.
Huge amounts of the Mexican Army from the far South desert, and the Mexican government, its troops already worn down by attrition, is desperate to raise enough troops. In late March the Mexican Army launches a last ditch offensive into disputed territory, but finds it bogged down by guerilla attacks and unexpected support of the Zapatista guerillas and the newborn Chiapas Army in disrupting the supply chain. The Mexicans quickly find themselves in the 'DMZ' with an offensive that, due to a combination of emotionally-fueled and ill-considered planning, incompetent leadership, and low troop morale, has driven itself into the jungle and mud with no escape in sight.
The US can do nothing in the DMZ. Cries for air support are heard but never met, as Venezuela begins shipping air defense into the small nation through the Yucatan. The Interim Governing Council of Chiapas decries the attack and requests Venezuelan military support in a 'purely defensive role'.
The two nations reach a standoff. America cannot afford a massive war with Venezuela, or so many argue. Already the 1998 fervor is slowing down in the nativist Republicans and anti-war Democrats. Over the summer of 2000, the US maintains a shaky relationship as an 'aid race' occurs over Mexico. As Venezuela moves troops into Chiapas, America sends more and more men into Mexico. China sends humanitarian aid to the new nation but refuses to take part in any military conflict.
Though a vote in the Organization of American States fails, the US threatens quarantine on Chiapas. The world protests, saying quarantine on Chiapas is throwing it to the hungry wolves in the Mexican leadership. McCain wins the presidential election, and as the curtains close on the tumultuous Clinton administration, both American and Venezuela prepare for war.
[2001]
The new 'Chiapas Air Force' (crewed by Venezuelan pilots in Venezuelan planes) begins shooting down all Mexican aircraft that enter 'Chiapas Air Space'. Both nations are now ignoring the DMZ, though it is Mexico who is struggling to reform their military.
McCain's inaugural is a fiery speech about protecting Mexico and promoting freedom. In April, the unthinkable happens. Over some DMZ Border dispute, Mexican helicopter gunships 'accidentally' strafe several pro-Chiapas villagers. This is the last straw for many in the cities, and the pro leftist poor begin nearly complete rebellion. Fox refuses to leave, and instead calls his forces into the capital and other major cities to silence the rebellion.
But the Chiapan Republic seems to be eager for blood. They begin an immediate, full out assault into provinces as far as Vera Cruz. Old, but effective cruise missiles pound Mexico City, and the Mexican air force finds itself in no capacity to stand up to PRCAF equipment. The offensive scrambles towards Mexico City as their goal, where Vincente Fox attempts to flee. His aircraft is destroyed by Zapatistas using an SA-18 missile.
PRCAF Su-27s scramble to war in the 2001 offensive. Though advanced, the Venezuelan piloted aircraft couldn’t match up to USAF numbers, training and technology.
America is swift to respond. Within two days the 3rd Armored Cavalry has reached the battlefront, and utterly obliterates the Chiapan advance. The US Air Force achieves complete air superiority, and within 24 hours bombs rain on every inch of Chiapas. However, they do find that the hardcore Zapatistas, as the Vietnamese, were in no mood to roll over. Guerilla fighting bogs down US forces in Central Mexico as the US demands immediate Venezuelan troop withdrawal.
US tanks in Central Mexico helped turn the tide of the assault.
Chavez responds by saying they will not withdraw troops from Chiapas until the US sends its forces out of Mexico. With the Mexican government in shambles, Northern Mexico throws in the towel. In all US bordering states and Durango, state governments and the people both vote to become part of the US. Durango is the last to vote, with the official results being proclaimed in 2002. McCain heartily encourages the result of the vote. Though he remarks it is saddening that the Mexican government has failed, he believes the US and Mexico alike could have significant security and economic gains from the Mexican states joining the Union. By 2002, Congress passes the 'Southern Ordinance', which puts each region as a semi-autonomous territory for at least 5 years while infrastructure is put up and the US bureaucracy is established. Few vote against the measure, but many say it will help alleviate the immigration problems. Increased US business activity and new minimum wage laws will not result in the original US states being swamped with labor, say proponents, and the senate also offers a plan to naturalize all Mexican illegal immigrants. The US Mexican Territories all set up measures to help bring US business there, and also establish special task forces for cleaning out the crime and corruption left over from the old government. Ultimately, a homogenization begins. With the former border porous, many Mexicans go home to try and take advantage of US businesses setting up in former Northern Mexico, while many Americans are drawn to Mexico by cheaper land prices and a growing infrastructure. Though the US will likely have to condense some of the territories into larger states, many are optimistic.
Texas governor Bush now finds himself under intense scrutiny for his support of the militias, who now have no border to guard and are angry about Mexican integration, along with many other nativists. Many see their political careers going down as pro-war and pro-integration politicians get the victories they have been campaigning for. Many will need to make adjustments to their policy if they hope to survive upcoming elections. With the 2008 elections still an option for many politicians, it seems that the new Mexican states may hurt their chances of the Presidency if they states still have bitter memories of nativists.
[2002]
The US negotiates an uneasy peace with the Republic of Chiapas. There is no demilitarized zone, but the US keeps its forces farther from the borders of the tiny nation. However, warns McCain, if any new military equipment is shipped to Chiapas, the US will begin punitive strikes and quarantine. Venezuela responds that any action against Chiapas is an action against the Venezuelan state, and MERCOSUR begins discussing the idea of a mutual defense clause to their economic pact. With Argentina in the throes of depression, it seems a leftist leaning candidate is inevitable. Already Hugo Chavez is being hailed by some as the 'Man Who Stood up to the Superpower', and Venezuela continues its military buildup. The US blocks deals everywhere it can, but falls short of preventing the Chinese and some other nations of pushing their deals through. In retaliation, US diplomats abroad send similar messages. You trade weapons technology with China, and sooner or later they will end up in use against the US. And Colombia responds to its neighbors' armament purchases with its own military buildup. F-15 and F-16 fighters, new attack helicopters, and more are imported by the nation.
But not all nations are content with US hegemony. Along with Venezuela and Argentina, Brazil moves further into the anti-US camp. Lula da Sila, the newly elected Brazilian President, has been campaigning hard left, (and unlike in the OTL) is committed to following it. The EU, where many had touted the democratic votes as grounds for Chiapan independence, still tastes those bitter statements in their mouth while the Mexican states, including Baja California del Sur in the most recent vote, decide to become part of the US.
The initially bright future proposed by eager congressmen doesn't seem to play out as it was expected to. With a midterm election coming up, and knowing the slightest stain of legislative failure will taint their careers, the Southern Ordinance is amended. The minimal integration time is quadrupled, and all Mexican citizens will have to be fully naturalized and will not be given a 'free ticket' in. But on the economic front, the slump Mexico has seen since the beginning of the rebellion is starting to slow. With US companies now paying the full minimum wage or more, a Mexican middle class is slowly arising. Though they are not as well paid as their American counterparts, they are a distinct departure from the usual 'sweatshop outsourcers' American companies are portrayed as. This new class, as it integrates, will be a deciding force in the internal votes, one that keeps the Mexican territories on a strong path to US integration, territorial or otherwise.
In the US itself, Latin culture starts to make a comeback after being pummeled by nativist propaganda. Latin Americans, who will soon be the largest minority in the US, try to celebrate their culture without the politics of the Chicano movement. American military technology starts to take a new shape as well. The Rapid Deployment Force concept seems to get a thorough workout in Mexico, where the RPG becomes a symbol of Congressional inadequacy. McCain urges Congress to approve new types of anti-RPG and improved armor for the 2003 budget. An interesting survivor of the fray is the M1 Abrams, which proves to be quite effective in central Mexico. With the heaviest armor available and new anti-personnel canister rounds, many step back from a 'The MBT is Dead' policy. The US defense budget shows no signs of slowing down with the possibility of a conventional war in the near future.
[2003]
America had cast a lazy eye on the Mideast for a long time. Now, their concern for Latin America had allowed far too many things to go on without control. Iran's nuclear ambitions were exposed, and when Pakistan was shown to be involved in possible technology trade, SAARC nearly burst at the seams. China continued to support both nations, angering both Israel and India. Iran, at the time, was looking to solidify its connections with other Islamic nations, forming a prospective 'Central Asian Cooperative Group' after heavy negotiations with Azerbaijan, Pakistan, and Afghanistan. Afghanistan conceded 'homelands' where Shiia Muslims could live freely, and Iran would cut off arms support of these rebel factions. The nations acknowledged they had common interests, and moved to integrate with SAARC.
But things did not quite go as planned. India and Russia were outraged. The pseudo-alliance that composed of BRIC was falling apart. The problem was only intensified after US-Chinese negotiations over Chiapas. China agreed to cut off arms sales to MERCOSUR if the US would loosen some restrictions on trade. The US, looking to step down from the brink of trade war and eager to weaken the leftist triumvirate of Venezuela, Brazil and Argentina obliged. Brazil, now alienated, continued to buy up from Russia.
Russia itself was continuing to fight hard in Chechnya. The US had not yet felt the backlash of Islamic fundamentalism. But Turkey and Russia were. Turkey, a US friendly secular Republic, stood at a vital three way junction between East, West, and politically, America. With prospective EU membership talks, it looked as if Turkey had a bright future.
And then, on November 18, a series of bomb blasts rocked Istanbul. It was an attack that symbolically struck at the link between Europe and the secular nation of Turkey. Europe backed away as it watched smoke plume on the other side of the Bosphorous. Working ruthlessly and efficiently, Turkish Intelligence tracked down attacks to Syrian groups. It was a throwback to 1998, and it was hoped this conflict would end the same. It wasn't the case. Syria demanded the Turks back down in December as troops massed on the border, and conducted its own 'investigation'. Turks were outraged, and as Kurdish rebellion reached the verge of outbreak in Turkey, Ankara demanded for the final time that they hand over every involved man. They refused.
For the second time in about half a decade, a nation was to be invaded for its complicity to terrorism. Though the links were more definite, it was a trend that disturbed many. A 'vigilante justice' that transcended national borders had been seen in Cuba, and soon crashed down on Syria. Turkish fighters were the first to strike the blow. Appeals for peace by the EU were met by American condemnation of Syria as bombs fell in Damascus. Turkey made strong initial advances due to its well-planned blitzkrieg, but Turkey didn't want to completely occupy the nation. They deliberately kept their advance paced, hoping to get concessions out of the shaken government The US asked both nations stand down as Egypt offered to again mediate peace talks. None of that had much effect. Syria was effectively decapitated, the President not making any confirmable statement. It was generally assumed the Syrian military was calling the shots. When Turkey massed armor for a breakthrough under a helicopter and fighter combined arms assault, the end of the year Syria was running out of options...
Midterm elections in the US resulted in no significant shift of power. The US funds were continually based on lowering the national debt, slowly phasing in Mexico, and maintaining the American hegemony in Latin America.
[2004]
The year began with horror. On New Year's Day Syrian military commanders authorized Chemical weapons release. A few SS-N-3B cruise missiles were still intact, and on January 2nd VX gas ravaged four cities in Southern Turkey. Along the line, FROG-7 and other rocket platforms launched Sarin and mustard gas into Turkish lines. The attack had no logic, only the anger and frustrations of Syrian military commanders. Over 18,000 civilians were killed by the VX attacks, but Turks were well trained in NBC warfare and managed to respond quickly. Soon, Syria was under Turkish military occupation. Military commanders who were suspected to be involved with WMD release were given quick court martial and quicker execution.
Iran is outraged, and demands immediate Turkish withdrawal, and offers to have CACG Bloc troops 'peace-keep' in the area. UN attempts to replace Turks with international peacekeepers are vetoed by the US.
Problems only increase when MERCOSUR is found to be harboring a nuclear weapons development program. Lead by Argentina and Brazil in a joint rather than competitive program, as pursued in the 1970s, the US demands they immediately cease the program. MERCOSUR responds defiantly that they require them to defend from US invasion. Combined with the Iranian and North Korean programs, the IAEA warns the world about the rapid increase in nuclear proliferation.
In the US, McCain wins another term. He pushes increased funding for FEMA after the horror of chemical use in Turkey and the threat of a nuclear armed MERCOSUR. As a part of the increased FEMA funding, New Orleans and other Gulf of Mexico areas receive funding for increased defense against natural disasters as well as the possibility of a US-MERCOSUR war.
[January through March 2006]
When Russia and China seem to withdraw themselves from the war, the world declares peace, if erroneously. Like in many major wars and crises before, America had exhibited restraint. But that restraint could only be held for so long.
The final straw was the confirmation in January 2006 that Iran and MERCOSUR were trading uranium and nuclear technology. America gave no declaration of war. McCain took advantage of the 60 day limit to launch a giant air-sea blitzkrieg on South America. The USS Ohio, which had been pre-positioned in the South Atlantic for this occasion, was the first to fire, loosing hundreds of Tomahawk Cruise Missiles over MERCOSUR air defense and early warning installations with deadly accuracy. Despite their new equipment, MERCOSUR still lacked the personnel quality of a first world military fighting force. Soon on the follow-up were B-2 Spirit bombers which bombed Resende and every other known MERCOSUR nuclear facility. The following day, Congress voted to declare war, with McCain saying 'operational secrecy' was necessary for the pre-Declaration attacks. World War III had begun in earnest.
[South American Front]
MERCOSUR was caught completely off guard by the initial attacks, and within 24 hours their air forces were in ruins. Initial strikes had destroyed many major airbases, and though there was still some capability, the US was quickly beginning a round-the-clock bombing campaign on strategic targets. Panama announced its decision to ban canal access to MERCOSUR, and Colombia promptly began an offensive into Venezuela.
The internal strain in MERCOSUR was most evident when Paraguay's government voted to secede and offered neutrality. Uruguay promptly followed. But within the 'triumvirate' of hardliners, political dissent was hardly someone else's problem. In Venezuela and Argentina, US Allied nations began supply of resistance groups. Conventional efforts were effective, more so in Venezuela than Argentina. The Colombian 1st Division spearheaded the assault into Venezuela under a fairly effective air cover. The Colombian Air Force also scored a decisive victory against their Venezuelan counterparts east of San Cristobal, allowing Colombian forces to advance relatively quickly. The Chilean army made excellent progress, but with significantly less US Air support, they faced what was probably the best-equipped and most competent armed force of the MERCOSUR bloc.
In Mexico, Chiapas was quickly subjugated by the USMC. With no support from an embattled MERCOSUR, their professional army was decisively destroyed in the Yucatan. They quickly resorted back to guerilla warfare, but without any source of arms, the US assured that their 'surrender was inevitable'.
[The Mideast Front]
Sharon's troubled recent medical history culminated in a stroke which gave Olmert control of the nation. Seeing Iran at the point of no return, he asks in February for Iran to completely dismantle its nuclear program. It does not.
Israeli forces attack Bushehr and Natanz, and the US, knowing it is all or nothing now, responds with devastating strikes on Iranian air defense and missile capabilities. US aircraft over Iraq begin massive bombardment of the nation (which declared war when Israel attacked Iran), and US troops are quickly deployed into Saudi Arabia, where US forces push for Baghdad. SOCOM begins sending arms to Shiites in Southern Iraq, and soon Iraq must turn its forces inward.
Azerbaijan resigns from the CACG and declares alliance with Turkey, its longtime ally. Azerbaijan had been lobbying for peace, but when war broke out they did not wish to suffer under their former friend's boots. Iran's conventional army launched a counter offensive into Iraq against US forces there, while declaring the Strait of Hormuz closed to the EU, NATO, and US. In one of the darkest days for the US, CVN-68 Nimitz is crippled by an Iranian Sunburn missile strike, along with a Ticonderoga class Guided Missile Cruiser. Retaliatory airstrikes quickly clear the Strait of most missiles, though the USAF and USN aircraft are caught in a constant search for launchers farther inland.
Pakistan itself was the sole nuclear power of the 'Anti-Western' side of the new World War. But most of their military was tied up in a defense against India, and of their handful of nukes, Pakistan wanted to keep enough to have deterrence against India, which had declared it would attack Pakistan if they moved against Israel or set off a nuclear weapon against anyone.
By spring, the US is in a state of total war. America could not afford to fight this conflict with an air of detachment. McCain warned that "We must not falter to mobilize every resource availible if it is required in the face of adversity. We cannot leave when the going gets tough. This war will determine the future of every American life, whether we want to fight it or not. The only way America will prosper in this future is if we fight it on our terms."
[April-December 2006]
[Overview]
The war has taken on many names. In America, it is the Third World War. In the Mideast, it is The Great Jihad. In the crumbling nations of MERCOSUR it is the War of American Imperialism. The conflict is best decribed as the 'War for Hegemony': The war to preserve the dominance of the West and those who embrace it. The war waged between those who want to globalize and those who want to regionalize. A war, that as of April 2006, the West seems to be winning.
[South American Front]
By April of 2006 Allied air dominance is complete. With the deployment of the Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group to the South Atlantic, the stalemate near the Andes is finally broken. Chilean forces split Argentina in half as they drive towards the capital. By September, Argentina throws in the towel. With the Chilean Army in Junin and daily bombardment of the 'last stand' at Buenos Aires, the war for them is over.
In Venezuela, the well-armed Colombian forces continue to pound towards Caracas. Revolution is rife as US Special Forces lead guerilla strikes against the supply lines of most Venezuelan forces and provincial capitals. Key oil fields are seized by the 82nd Airborne and other airmobile units. Venezuela's conventional army is effectively destroyed by mid-summer, and Colombia refocuses its forces towards Brazil.
Brazil itself is no easy nut to crack. The largest nation in South America, it is choked by jungle and crisscrossed by rivers that would cause invasion to drag on for much longer than any other front. The US and Allied nations began massing troops for an invasion. It would be a two pronged assault: Marines would prepare to assault the Central Coast of Brazil, while the US would station troops in a Uruguay that had recently withdrawn from Mercosur. One key new development in this was an 'American Foreign Legion': US equipped and lead forces of immigrants who wanted guaranteed citizenship or work-permits for them and their families. It was not an unusual development: many a time Mexicans had jumped the border to fight for the US, this war would be no different. They would be among the first troops to cross into Brazil.
The assault began in late October when the appropriate amount of troops necessary was amassed. Two Marine Expeditionary Forces crashed ashore in Bahia, and met fierce resistance. Forces here were among the most professional Brazil could muster, well equipped, well trained, and well motivated. It was one of the bloodiest battles, but once major armor was ashore, and combined with US air support, the province was taken by the end of the year.
In the South, the US 1st Cavalry and the American Foreign Legion spearheaded the assault into the fertile Rio Grande do Sul. US forces destroyed any conventional opposition until Sao Paolo, when guerilla forces from the highlands in the South began to slow the logistic train. In late November, major elements of the American Foreign Legion stormed into the highlands with the intent of tracking down and killing the insurgents based there. In the most casualty heavy event of the South American Front, the AFL proved their skill as a fighting force and their dedication to the United States.
With that disruption out of the way, the US was in Northwestern Minas Gerais, only a few dozen miles away from linking up with the USMC by the end of the year.
[The Mideast Front]
After the Battle of Hormuz, the Allies were poised to dominate the Middle East. In the largest tank battle since Kursk, the US III Corps defeats five Divisions of Iraqi combat troops, including 3 Iranian Armored Divisions. Even the newly purchased Type 90 MBT (Chinese, not the Japanese of similar designation) is no match for the Abrams and the air support of the USS Reagan. The US traces a swath of destruction across the Arabian Peninsula, decapitating the governments of Iraq, Yemen, and Oman. But as forces push into Iran, the ferocity of the fighting reaches savage levels.
In Southern Iran, the population reacts to the Ayatollah's declaration of jihad with bloodthirsty fervor. Thousands of poorly-equipped equipped and trained, but extremely motivated fighters throw themselves at US spearheads. Embedded reporters capture scenes of horror: teenagers with Kalashnikovs and other outdated equipment ripped apart and cut down by .50 caliber machineguns and airbursting mortar shells; giant splatters of gore on tank hulls from prematurely detonated suicide bombs; ritual executions of captured Allied prisoners... In the West they were signs of the fanatic enemy of democracy and liberalism, in the east they were images of the forces of God against the Great Satan. Israeli troops received a particular brand of hate. Bodies that were captured in fighting were hacked to pieces and strewn outside of stronghold towns and cities before being flattened by Israeli tanks and artillery.
The war against governments seemed like it would be at an end by 2007, with the Ayatollah fleeing to Pakistan in October. But things were about to take a turn for the worse in Saudi Arabia.
The military of Saudi Arabia, along with much of the nation, was disgusted by the idea of hosting the US in a war against the rest of the Mideast, especially when the US was collaborating with Israel. The Holy Land would not tolerate Americans much longer.
On November 2nd, outside Mecca, a group of people calling themselves 'The Servants of Allah' announced their intentions to expel the foreign invaders who desecrated Saudi Arabia with their presence. They called for the toppling of the Kingdom of Saud and a return to a pan-Islamic empire. Much of the Saudi Military, particularly the SANG units guarding Saudi Arabia's holy sites, revolted. The rest of the SANG seemed to fall in line after the death of the Crown Prince from a car bomb attack on an evacuation convoy. It was clear many inside the Saudi government were prepared to betray the House of Saud, which was 'no longer serving Islam'.
British Forces were actually the first to meet the threat, securing vital oilfields from those who wanted to cut supply to the infidels. British troops beat back suicidal masses while the Royal Navy moved to secure the Mandeb. At the moment, African Muslims were streaming across to 'fight the infidels' from Sudan, Somalia, and various other African nations.
With the Ayatollah establishing himself in Pakistan, the last feasible stronghold of the CACG, Indian invasion seemed imminent. Afghanistan had since been assaulted by a NATO task force. German and Spanish forces assumed quick control over the nation, aiding Northern Alliance troops into defeat of the Taliban.
With America to the west, NATO to the north and India to the east, Pakistan was out of options. The Ayatollah and the nation surrendered. While many Pakistani people seemed angry, he said it was a sacrifice that had to be made to 'prevent India and their allies from savaging our nation'. The decision was likewise accepted by the Allies, who were eager to see China back away.
Of course, China was not without problems of its own. Dozens of Islamist rebellion movements wracked Xinjiang province, declaring a new Republic of East Turkistan. The Allies offer to turn a blind eye if China does the same while the Allies 'restructure' the governments of their allies. China reluctantly agrees.
In Chechnya, attacks intensify, and the Russian Army is put on full alert as Islamist attacks intensify there. But by the close of 2006, conventional fighting seems to be at an end.
[South America]
The US war here was short, quick, and amazingly surgical. It would be the greatest success story for the US during the war. Peacekeeping roles were turned over primarily to Allied South American nations and US trained militia and police groups. In Venezuela, the popular revolt that destabilized Chavez results in many leftist groups taking a lower profile.
Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuelan governments all sign the Treaty of Panama City, which establishes limits on nuclear development and offensive arms, and gives the US rights to base troops in small bases in some countries. The US is careful not to demand concessions or 'humiliate' the nations, hoping to divert resources from the South American theater to the ongoing violence in the Mideast.
[The Mideast]
Allied forces now had a difficult task on their hands. Seeking to destroy conventional warmaking capability first, they had left many areas rife with guerilla insurgencies.
The US would avoid overturning governments, and just monitor elections. Iraq in particular was becoming a difficult affair to handle. Turkey demanded the country remain unified, though the Kurds were quietly given a semi-autonomous state. Many lower level Ba'athists remained in power, though it was expected Shia muslims would regain power in any future election. In Iran, the Ayatollah and other theocractic, authoritarian elements of the government were simply lopped off. In Saudi Arabia, Allied forces would promise democratic elections: But would make sure that a pro-Western leader ended up in the driver's seat. Liberalist ideology aside, the West could not afford a radical regime in Saudi Arabia.
In addition to US-EU Allied troops, Indonesia and Egypt contributed troops. A campaign was started to integrate Democracy and Islamic values together, though it would be a long road ahead before anything came of it.
But in China, things were not going quite as well. The Uygur people and their 'Republic of East Turkestan' quickly fell, but the ideas behind it raged on. Even postwar Arabia looked like an improvement to the Muslims of Xinjiang. In fact, many Muslims in Xinjiang call for the US to liberate them. The Chinese government ruthlessly suppresses any sign of dissidence in the region, and few pieces confirmable knowledge about the rebellion was available until a digital video recording, stuck onto a USB card smuggled out into Kazakhstan hit the world media. Hundreds of millions watched in horror as Chinese soldiers (confirmed by uniform, tactical analysis and the unique Type 95 rifle) massacred suspected dissidents. Those hoping for a repeat of Tiananmen Square heroics were sadly disappointed as tank platoons rolled through crowds and demolished buildings. In late December, the US citizen was caught between a rock and a hard place. Take an economic hit from a loss of trade with China, or let millions live at the mercy of the Chinese army?
The condemnations marred the Holiday season as China and India militarized their borders.
[Domestic US]
In face of skyrocketing petrol prices, President McCain called for a 'national effort' to revitalize the US economy and pursue alternative energy. Many called it the equivalent of a new space race, to grab a hold of a technology that could reduce the need for US intervention in the Mideast and elsewhere.
Detroit sees new hope with the possibility of a Chinese embargo (With China projected to be a force in automaking in the future), and begins lobbying Congress for funds for their alternative energy development programs, and an embargo on Chinese goods.
Wal-Mart is horrified at the idea of a Chinese embargo, but can't afford to speak up. Advertising against the corporation continues, which alone is one of China's top trading partners. A viral 'counter advertisement' hits the internet, with a picture of the Chinese massacre in Xinjiang, a Wal-Mart smiley-face superimposed over a Red Army soldier and anti Wal-Mart slogans. Many like it soon follow.
[2008-2010]
[Domestic US]
Mark Warner wins the 2008 election, primarily due to a split among the Republican party over a Giuliani nomination. Warner promises to keep US commitment to free trade, but wants to reduce US involvement in foreign wars. Though the 'wars of hegemony' (as they are now being referred to by many) were popular with Americans earlier, the Western occupation in the Mideast is quickly mounting.
American markets are recovering after the massive spike in oil prices, thanks to the relatively quick stabilization of Venezuela and the increase in Canadian oil technology investment. However, many Democrats are still angered by Warner's fiscal conservatism, and it seems that with both political parties facing major rifts, the US political system may be due for large changes.
Alternative energy research increases, and the US does have over 150,000 hydrogen and ethanol fueled vehicles on the road by 2010. Ford wows auto-show voyeurs with a high performance ethanol fueled line it plans to release 'by 2015'. GMC and Chrysler quickly scramble to match the offer.
[American Military/Trends]
Defense spending remains a high priority as the US shifts towards network centric warfare. With the use of ballistic and advanced cruise missiles in the Gulf, the US starts up a low-level 'missile defense initiative', with bases established in Poland, Alaska, and contracts for one in Diego Garcia.
The US also backs down from its trend of 'lighter is better' warfare. Though the Stryker was successful, the US tank force won by margins that disturbed many. Intelligence reports of a newly upgraded Type-98 based on Russian 'Black Eagle' concepts lead to a plan for a new generation of Abrams upgrades by 2010. The possibility of a new conventional arms race with China seems apparent as they promise a next generation fighter by 2012.
American investment in infantry is higher than ever. The Force Warrior 2010 concept was seen as a success, and newer, more advanced concepts in body-armor are being fielded by US occupation troops.
[China]
China itself was hit hard by the war. While the US alternative energy programs were beginning to bear fruit and new oil supplies opened themselves up, the loss of Iranian oil exports was especially damaging to the Chinese government. As a result, China stepped up purchases of oil from Sudan, Libya, and Indonesia.
However, as the nations of the Mideast rebuilt with the majority holding new elections by 2010, China looked on at the opportunity to gain support among the 'Political Islamists', those who wanted revenge against the West. The Chinese made apologies to citizens of Xinjiang, and offered them greater autonomy. Though those inside Xinjiang were only slightly comforted, the message it sent to the Mideast was far more significant.
[Northern Eurasia]
The EU found itself most devastatingly hit by the oil price shock, shifting a vast portion of its purchases to Russia. Russia itself was providing increasing amounts of oil to both Europe and China, but tensions between India and China over Pakistan and oil were forcing Russia to pick sides.
[South/East Asia]
In the aftermath of the war between India and Pakistan, Indian troops held de facto control over Kashmir. The resulting tensions between the two governments were enormous. The war also created a huge increase in arms purchases by India from Russia. China protested as Pakistan was forced into a corner by Allied forces in the war, and was only more enraged as India canceled Chinese contracts to explore Rajasthan for oil.
As a 'goodwill gesture', India and Pakistan agreed to a joint pipeline, but one that hardly served Chinese interests. India was hoping in the long term to procure oil for its own economic development, often at the expense of China.
[The Mideast]
Elections in formerly-occupied Syria and Iran brought about governments that were quietly anti-American. They demanded foreign withdrawal by 2012, and the West was forced to quietly oblige to the governments it had fostered. The fear of a democracy bringing in more anti-American governments was apparent in many states, though in Saudi Arabia and Iraq a more negative attitude towards Politicized Islam.
Many Islamic papers call for a rebirth of the 'Pan Islamic state', but the governments themselves are not as eager to arouse suspicion. Though strict military controls have been imposed, the Islamic world continues to unite.
[2010-2015]
[Domestic US]
The US economy is seeing more investment than ever as the market for alco-ethanol fuel skyrockets. US corporations agree that nobody can patent the concept (in order to avoid antitrust lawsuits), but a variety of different engines arise. Some cars have battery backups while others run on straight-up alcohol fuel. Many cars are retrofitted to run engines that use both old petrofuel and the new source.
Warner began to lower farm subsidies on grain as a result of the burgeoning new market though many said the new demand would be the 'end of the small farmer'.
By 2015 30% of cars on the road had the capability to run on an alternative fuel source.
Warner secured the 2012 election on a slim margin, briefly uniting Democrats, when he promised not to veto a plan to partially universalize healthcare. As a condition, all work would be subcontracted to existing private entities. He also made a compromise with Republicans to help reform social security and add private accounts to the system without sacrificing other sections of it.
But with globalization, dormant after the 2006 war on the rise again, new political alliances were forming. The 'Globalist' politicians, consisting of the wall-street, fiscal conservatives and neoliberal pro-trade groups countered against 'Nativists', those who were for the most part protectionists.
In the 2014 mid-term elections the 'United Party' split from the Republican party, winning a fraction of seats in Congress, though more significantly in the House. Known more locally as the 'United American Party', the UP promoted protectionist, socially conservative views, in contrast with mainstream Republicans who were thought to be too similar to Warner. Budget voting has become bitter as UP Congressmen in the House struggle against any budget that slackens tariffs or protectionist policy.
As 2016 looms, Americans are unsure about who will be leading the nation. Rumor has it that many Democrats are becoming discontent with 'Globalist' philosophy as well.
In the Mexican territories, virtually every former Mexican state down to the Chiapan border votes to become part of the US. The directly administered US territories are confirmed by Senate votes, with the states set to become part of the Union by 2025.
Meanwhile, US Defense industries find themselves with significant surpluses of outmoded weaponry. The M8 rifle, the F-22, and various other new weapons have left millions of US weapons no longer needed. The M16 series of weapons were sold off into Africa primarily and to other 'pro-US' regimes.
US educational reforms are also pushed heavily by moderates as the US increasingly opens its markets to foreign sources.
[The Allied Nations Group]
In 2013 Warner proposed the Allied Nations Group, a community of nations that embraced 'Free Society and Free Trade', basically an extension of the USUK community. The ANG was officially formed in 2015 with the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Colombia and the Republic of Cuba as members.
The ANG was for Free Trade and mutual defense, and would maintain 'open relations' with nations that met their standards. In effect it was a consolidation against East Asian power.
[The China-Russia-Islam Crisis]
From 2010 to 2015, China was facing ever increasing problems. By 2012 relations were at a truly low point. Russia and China were at increasing odds over the issue of relations with the Mideast, where China embraced the Panislamic movement, Russia rejected it. Soon, the three nations engaged in a power struggle to preserve influence in the region. China began reaching out towards former Soviet Republics and Southeast Asian nations, while Russia reached out to the EU and Japan. This was divisive in Russian politics. Early attempts to make amends with Europe were met with nativist backlash, and increased crackdown in Caucasia. As a result, virtually all of the Russian Federal Subjects in the Caucasus seceded, calling upon Muslim neighbors for aid. The 'Caucasian Confederation' was also the recipient of huge amounts of Chinese made weapons being resold from Iran. China claimed it had nothing to do with the matter, but Russia was suspicious. Russia responded with a full out war in the Caucasus, with EU sanctions and condemnations in 2014 when genocide resulted. Russian internal materials were diverted towards the war effort.
In late 2014 Caucasian forces seized control of a Russian special weapons depot and destroyed inventory lists. By the time Federal forces had dealt with the attackers, the Caucasians had seized an unknown amount of biological and chemical weapons.
In 2015, suicide attacks hit an emergency session of Parliament, killing the vast majority of the members using VX and similar nerve agents. The Caucasians said the attack was legitimate response to Russian atrocities in Caucasia.
The Russian President declared extraordinary executive powers and, despite the protests of the world community, gassed most of the major cities of Caucasia, leaving an estimated 400,000 dead.
The EU, China, and ANG imposed sanctions, though UNSC action was impossible due to Russia's veto power.
[The Mideast]
Islamic support for the Caucasus was reached for the billion dollar mark in 2015 in both humanitarian and military aid. Oil prices had skyrocketed and many Mideastern nations enjoyed high profit margins. The notions of Panislamism reached a new high as Iran, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen united in an 'Alliance of God'. Turkey, meanwhile, entered into the European Union in 2014.
[2016-2020]
An Overview of American Politics, 2012 to 2020
In 2012, Mark Warner won a slim majority over Giuliani, it signaled the death blow for the traditional Republican and Democratic party. Though it would be awhile yet until the Elephants and Donkeys dropped from the ballot, the tumult in American politics was considerable.
The primary issue was termed as the Globalists versus the Nativist parties. The idea of Mexican states joining and growing Asian economies seemed threatening to many, resulting in the United Party formation in the post 2012 devastation.
The UP was unique because it was not the 'white mans' party that other nativists favored. Rather, the UP found significant support among those who worked in jobs of all levels who faced overwhelming foreign competition. The UP enjoyed significant success in unions and boardrooms alike. The UP also tended to be more morally conservative, favoring a 'Public Decency, Private Freedom' policy. It was called the 'American Family's Party', and did enjoy significant blue collar turnout. Often excessive foreign competition signaled a quick UP turnover, but if the economy gained a greater market through free trade it could easily change.
By 2016, politics had significantly reorganized. The Democrats found themselves torn deeply as many pro-labor elements left for the new vitality of the UP, and the Republicans fared no better. By 2015, a new political structure had organized itself: The Enterprise Alliance Party, eventually shortening to Enterprise Party by 2018. The EP advocated a socially moderate and economically neoliberal philosophy. They asked for a free market, with porkbarrel spending transferred to useful areas like Education. The EP advocated energetic, efficient use of money for education and health programs rather than post facto subsidies and welfare. As Presidential Candidate (for 2016) Robert McConnell (note: Completely fictional) said- "We are launching a pre-emptive strike on poverty in America".
In 2016, the UP won the election with Ross Humbert, when Chinese markets began attempting to 'dump' goods on the US market. The UP retaliated with massive tariffs on Chinese products, only further angering the Chinese.
In 2020, Humbert claimed a significant victory, with chaos abroad as evidence that isolation and protectionism were superior to the interventionism of years past.
[Miscellaneous US]
The UP continued Warner's efforts to produce new 'clean' nuclear PBMRs, windfarms, and solar arrays for decreased oil dependence.
The UP also began development of a new missile defense program, using a variety of new missile and sensor technologies. It brought US global facilities to almost full capability, capable of intercepting missiles launched from Russia, South Asia, and East Asia with good probability of use.
[The Demise of the Russian Federation]
As Russian generals raged in the 2014-2016 major operations in the Caucasus Republic, many pro EU Russian politicians were beginning to express discontent over the constant sanctions with the European Union, the Muslim world, and China. As war continued in the Caucasus region, Islamic nations and EU contractors enjoyed the oppurtunity to replace the destroyed Russian pipelines with their own.
In 2017 Andrei Pankratev, representative of the Northwestern Federal District, encouraged plebiscites to form a 'New Russia' seperate from the Muscovite military dictatorship. Pankatrev declared independence after vote, and set up an interim government until 2019, when the people of the Confederation of Russia could vote on their own choice.
Announcing he was tired of surrendering what little goods they had to dictators who would 'destroy Russia to kill a handful of ‘evildoers', they recalled their troops and prepared for the inevitable response.
With both possessing nuclear weapons, Moscow decided upon a conventional attack to try and push for Novogorod. In April of 2017 the Spring Offensive was launched, sending rear line units against the new Confederation Army. The battle-weary Russians were burdened by significant logistical foul ups as a result of the war efforts focus down South. Over the years of chaos, Russian infrastructure that did not collapse or weaken went into the war effort against the Caucasian Republic.
Though Confederate leaders and men were not to be underestimated, the clumsy redirection of already worn forces northward made the Spring Offensive doomed from the start. Initial gains were strong as aircraft bombed outside St. Petersburg and other major cities, but soon the Confederation's own air force made their own victories. Ships in the Black Sea launched cruise missiles back onto advancing forces, and the attack was stalemated by 2018.
Isolationist America cared little about Russian politics, but the EU did. Polish leaders praised the new movement, and the EU was even more pleased when Pankatrev encouraged free-market reforms and trade with Europe. The Union voted to recognize the new nation, and the Allied Nations Group followed suit in 2019. In 2018, the EU also began a military assistance campaign, bolstering an offensive into the Central Federal District in late 2019. Freed of the military dictatorship (when the generals fled to the Ural region), they also voted to become part of the Confederation, with the agreement that a convention would be held on a possible relocation of the capital.
With no clear authority in the west, the Ural district and eastward on, became the new seat of the Russian Federation. They grudgingly reopened trade with China on the condition that they would not expand southward into Chinese pipeline interests in Central Asia, but retained xenophobic ideas. Believing US expansion into Mexico, EU support of the Confederation, Sino-Islamic support of the Caucasus as evidence of a new world order conspiracy against Russia, the Federation clung to the idea of a Russian revival and dreamt of re-conquering Moscow.
[East Asia]
China continued its call for 'Asian Solidarity', even as the UP was elected into office. Military buildup continued, with China offering alliances and trade benefits to those who respected Chinese authority in the region. By 2017, China possessed 2 'Supercarriers', the Sea Dragon and Swift Storm, each capable of holding up to 70 aircraft. China's next generation J-12 fighter also shocked many Western analysts, with Taiwanese pilots saying they were nearly invisible to turn-of-the-century fighter radar during a potential BVR engagement. Taiwan began purchasing armaments from the US and EU, despite Chinese protests.
In 2019 Japan amended its constitution to allow Japanese protection of self-interest abroad, and responded with its first nuclear-powered carrier in 2020, along with revolutionary new nuclear-powered submarines. To spite the international community, Japan bought all the reactors from German firms and made none at home, though maintained stock parts. Japan was still committed to avoiding the use of 'the bomb', though fewer and fewer were left who remembered such acts.
[The Islamic World]
Support for the Caucasian Republic grew, and as oil prices continued to spike higher, Islam turned to the developing world for markets. With rich nations moving towards alternative energy, Islam diversified its interest, using what money it had to 'import' brainpower and diversify industry. Homegrown Islamic defense industry also sprang up in some nations, as Libya, Oman, and Syria joined 'The Alliance of God'.
[2021-2025]
[Domestic US]
As Humbert's early second term years unfolded, Americans began to taste the benefits of a reformed Social Security system, improved education, and expanded healthcare benefits. But the effects of heavy protectionism and increased spending and taxing would hit American consumers hard before 2024, setting back the UP and giving the EP their big break. But for a time, things for the UP were good. But big business and those who were hoping to take advantage of globalization were hurt as China gobbled up other markets.
In 2024, the EP rocketed into office as prices skyrocketed on protected goods and Chinese trade partners retaliated with the US. The EP declared that such a trade war could help lead to a shooting war in the end, calling upon Friedman's Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention (Note: In TTL, the book was still written, though with a focus on Mexico and NAFTA's future) among others. Slyly, the EP promised not to remove the social security reforms, the education and healthcare program, but did say it would cut out corporate welfare. In actuality, the EP's campaign of reinvigorating the sluggish market was almost a self fulfilling prophecy. As news of Robert McConnell's election and the new EP Senate majority swept the world, foreign investment skyrocketed. Consumer confidence went up, and most of the boardrooms of the United States breathed a sigh of relief.
In 2025, the first Mexican states entered the Union, though not in their original form. Sonora was merged with the Baja Californias. Durango, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, and Tamaulipas all entered the Union as well, more or less in their original geographic forms. The populations of the states had significantly increased due to refugees and old American population flocking to the region for the low tax rates and business incentives. Though certainly not perfect, the government reforms imposed by McCain and Warner had done well for the new American states.
Many anti-American Mexicans unwilling to leave their homes refused US citizenship, and secluded themselves from the new society. Of course, US law dictated they could remain there, but would have to pay for any benefits the United States had added to the area. But eventually, those who did not leave grew tired of paying the extra cost and grudgingly accepted the US government as their own.
[Technology and War in 2025]
The United States continued to lead the world in technology in 2025, spurred on by many years of war and the fear of a rising China. Both the EP and UP agreed on maintaining high US defense spending, but the disagreement was on how to use it. In any case, this defense spending had become civilian accessible by 2025. The micromachined armor used by the Force Warrior 2025 development program was in service by 2020 (primarily in response to guerilla and insurgent warfare in the 2006 war) had resulted in a variety of new consumer products. By 2025, these 'miracle materials' were also in licensed use by many other nations in a variety of fields. True nanobots were still not fully realized.
Alternative energy was spreading out of the United States, and by 2025 was in heavy use by Europe and Japan. China was still heavily petrol fueled due to its cozy relationship with many Islamic nations. A joint Allied Nations Group project promised to put a solar space powerplant array in orbit by 2030.
Artificial Intelligence and computing had expanded in leaps in bounds. Due to the plummeting costs of nanomaterial manufactures, carbon computers were phasing out high-end mainframes, with many theorizing that perhaps within the next decade they would be available in regular desktop computers. The militaries of the world were the highest buyers of the products, and the beginnings of a 'computational arms race' were in the making as the ANG, China, Japan and EU all increasingly researched and developed new supercomputers. True AI wasn't quite there, but what did exist was enough to fool many people into thinking it was.
The technologies of war, the spurs of much of this advancement, were in high use by 2025. The United States and the ANG was said to maintain the world's 'best' air force in terms of training and technology. The US made F/A-22G used a carbon supercomputer, adaptive control surfaces, high resolution, long range radar, and packed ultramanuverable missiles with extremely 'intelligent' targeting and tracking computers. But it was rumored the US was researching into even more radical designs, such as switchblade fighters. The Chinese J-13/Mig-37 was a close second or third, unique not only because of its Russian Federation/Chinese cooperation, but the fact that China lead that project. Aerospace was becoming increasingly regionalized, as India, Japan, and even South Africa's resurgent economy began to design and manufacture their own aircraft. It was even rumored that true mobile lasers would be in implementation soon.
The US Navy had responded to the Chinese threat (now 6 carriers) with an increase to 14 Carrier Battle Groups, many utilizing new 'stealthy' designs, not just for carriers but for escort vessels like the Zumwalt and CG-21 series of designs. Chinese submarine technology had caught up with their Western rivals, but the Virginia upgrades and Australian advances in 'Acoustic Daylight Imaging' technology stood to turn the balance back in the favor of the West.
The European Union made its own advances with a standardized EU tank design, the EMBT-1. With British designed armor, a Rhinemetall ETC gun and a high-performance hybri-diesel engine, it set the standard for world armor. China itself took from old Russian Black Eagle designs. The United States looked like their Abrams II would be mounting an electromagnetic gun within the next few years.
And of course, space was on the verge of weaponization. The US and China had fleets of high turnaround shuttles capable of boosting cargo or weapons into orbit, while the US had chosen to refit its ballistic missiles as rapid-response deployment platforms for satellites or ASAT style weapons. Many nations also employed space-based radar and sensors, and virtually every major nation or power-bloc maintained constellations of satellites.
[Africa]
The technological advances of the world had helped a neglected Africa. From 2015 onward, South Africa had experienced an economic rebirth, primarily due to the collapse of Harare's government and the 'turning point' in the war on disease through new vaccinations. The funding pouring into the nation went into the development of nuclear power and other alternative energy sources for the 'cultivation of Africa' program. Desalination plants and new, more efficient agritech systems allowed South African farmers to effectively feed not only themselves, but many of their neighbors. Investment in South Africa increased as their growing technology sector emerged. Without significant Western intervention, sub-Saharan Africa was 'South Africa's domain'. A modern military force performed peackeeping duties, a friendly government gained the trust of other nations, and massive aid campaigns from the newly-wealthy nation were used to help their neighbors.
South Africa's success story had attracted the eyes of the world community by the early 2020s, and China was quick to step in. South Africa began absorbing Chinese consumer goods, and the Chinese gave plenty of diplomatic backing to the nation and its allies in Africa. But India pulled a heavy counterbalance, and soon the two nations were struggling over influence in the South African government. Other nations were divvied up by the two Asian powers, in the first time the emerging nations had begun seriously influencing extra-regional politics.
[The Islamic World]
The Alliance of God only expanded as petrol demand slackened from the big-pocketed Westerners. Still discontent with Europe's influence through Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Caucasus Republic all joined in the years between 2021 and 2025. The Alliance of God was not a true alliance though, like brothers they quarreled within the household, but presented a united front when faced with foreign threat.
[Europe]
The Russian Confederation began its EU membership process in 2023, much to the dismay of the Federation. Germany was recovering from their economic slump, though many European core states were facing increasing problems with angry Muslim immigrants. The EU was still loosely organized, with a shaky Constitution emerging by 2022, though it hardly changed the Union's politics.
[The Two Russias]
An uneasy truce rested between the two nations. The Confederation enjoyed a more neoliberal government, and enjoyed EU support. The Confederation was also becoming a technology based economy, while the old Federation relied on its mineral and oil reserves. Interestingly, the Federation became heavily reliant on Chinese aid and loans, though they did not enjoy the relationship in any way. The xenophobic Federation government did not check or encourage the actions of its people when it came to race conflicts. Vladivostok, the new capital, had a massive increase in crime rate as Russian and Chinese criminal organizations clashed.
[Asia and Oceania]
The Chinese and Indian government waged their silent political and economic wars through client states, and, as previously mentioned, those in Africa. India surpassed Chinese trade due to UP regulations, but China was eager to reclaim its spot. One of the major elements of tension was between Japan's growing military power and its alliance with India. Japan began designing and training Indian ships and crews for their Navy, providing regional counterbalances to China's emerging force. In Singapore, the government affirmed a stance against Chinese political influence, in a surprise move. The new President stated "Embracing our heritage does not mean we must tie the puppetmaster's strings around our arms. Singapore enjoys good relations with many nations besides China, and they are just as important. Similarly, our government cannot become a means to an end for Chinese interests."
Sino-Taiwanese relations continued to move back and forth between opinions, but overall Taiwan was increasingly fearful they would be subject to the first new 'hard' use of Chinese power.
In Korea, 2021 marked the end of the DPRK. The Dear Leader died under unknown circumstances, and the ROK quickly responded with a 'peaceful takeover'. For the world community, it was a wonderful end to 70 year tear between the Korean people. Korea quickly began to try and bring the former DPRK up to the living standards of the South. But Korean politicians were divided on foreign policy. Should they turn towards China, or stand by their traditional allies? Policy fluctuated back and forth, but overall Korea was more concerned with helping its new citizens rather than arming itself as other nations did.
Australia was experiencing a similar political problem. The Australian economy had become somewhat reliant on Chinese trade, but strategically Australia wanted to stand with the Allied Nations Group. Australia quietly began taking measures to decrease their reliance on Chinese trade, trying not to elicit too harsh of a political response from the full-fledged power of China.
[2026]
[Domestic US]
The EP continues to gain legislative majority, though UP Supreme Court Justices continue to give EP politicians a hard time in several business related cases. However, the EP takes advantage of older appointees open slots to put in their own members.
American culture has changed significantly. The ‘net revolution’ continues as internet based media-networks begin to present serious competition to mainstream television based networks. Google Intermedia, a synthesis of their previous services, can offer media information virtually anywhere they go, personalized to their interests. All this begins to have a backlash, as the personalization of news presents every subscriber with their own little form of bias. ‘What You Need to Know’ has been replaced by ‘What You Want to Know’, and though Americans are emerging from the new, overhauled education system, it does present a problem of ignorance. Many are displeased by this, and program-savvy hackers shower ‘news-bombs’ onto networks when certain reports seem like they are underrepresented. They come from both sides of any issue.
Popular culture continues to change. Mexican states have brought about a rapid increase in Latin-American integration. Latin stars and themed movies are popular, especially when merged with the political re-examination of the American involvement with Mexico. On the anniversary of the LA attacks, a Mexican-American filmmaker releases Diez Anos. The film takes a morally ambiguous look at the conflict between the North and South from the point of view of a Mexican soldier in the US Army who goes on to lead a unit in the American Foreign Legion. The film alternates between brutal, stylishly shot combat scenes and outwardly quiet but well-acted scenes of the tense relationship between Americans and Mexicans as the Mexican states are integrated, and ends with the 2006 War in Brazil. The film won Best Picture and many other awards, and sparked a debate about its view of Hispano-American relations. Some said the film was a criticism of American policy, while others viewed it as a tribute to it. The writer said it was merely an amalgamation of stories he heard and people he’d met, though he said if it was more anti-war than anti-American, and on other interviews he said he thought American integration was good for the Mexican economy. Rock music in particular was also heavily affected by the Mexican States, with many traditional guitar rhythms finding themselves inside popular alternative rock tunes.
[European Union]
By 2026 the EU’s old core states were losing their vigor. Germany was slowing down as their socialized systems taxed what few working taxpayers they had, and France was kept alive primarily by North African immigrants who were not pleased by new, strict, Alliance of God policies in their area, though French had previously passed laws making it difficult for immigrants to completely trump the French natives. The government of France called for a revival of French culture, a call that turns from one of cultural unification to one of cultural tension. The interpretation of French pride sways with the ruling party, but beyond France the EU is seeing new leaders.
The Poles, who have remained staunchly Catholic, were becoming a regional power. Forging an alliance with the United States early on in missile defense programs and embracing Western ‘globalized’ trade policy, Poles were the prime example of Eastern Europe’s rising influence. Standing as a bridge between the old ‘First’ and ‘Second’ world nations, the Poles also had a powerful military and industry, based on cooperation with US defense contractors. In fact, Poland’s entry into the Allied Nations Group was actually accepted by 2026.
[Allied Nations Group]
The ANG was quickly responding to new threats, becoming a new, globally accessible NATO. Still bent on promoting Free People and Free Markets, the ANG accepted Papua New Guinea, Poland, and Panama by 2026. The ANG adopted new standards, similar to NATO MILSPEC orders. The new US 6.5x40mm caseless round was adopted by many member nations, and the ANG’s Joint Development projects were widely considered to lead the world in military technology. They began their new ‘Valkyrie’ project, to develop a new line of next-generation aircraft, including scramjet powered spaceplanes and missiles that would ensure ‘allied superiority in space’. China and allies quickly responded.
[The Alliance of God]
The Alliance now encompassed the vast majority (geographically) of the traditional Muslim world. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and even Jordan joined the alliance, with negotiations beginning to get Afghanistan and Pakistan into the group by 2028. The Alliance was also facing increasing internal turmoil as oil revenue began to slow, with China propagating its new alternative energy programs to customer nations. With their diversification of industry and desalinated agricultural programs still coming out of infancy, many were skeptical about the future of the Arab world.
Of course, the Alliance continued to try and gain favor in Turkey. The influx of Muslim pride had been countered by an influx of Western ideas and goods, and soon politics were polarized upon these simple alignments. The government, hoping to maintain their EU membership by resisting Islamist policies, warned that it would not allow a fundamentalist party to dictate Turkish policies, though the strongest opponents were the military.
[Eastern Asia]
Things were beginning to become tense as the Asian nations waged a quiet technological and economic war. China continued their policy of ‘uniting the Chinese people’, but there were resisters. China’s new Russian-designed submarines were caught by Taiwanese and Japanese governments prowling near their waters, with China denying their existence. Their reason for being there: Japan had adopted the new ‘Great Shark’ SSN, entirely Japanese designed as a response to Chinese purchases, and China wanted to take a look. As for Taiwan, their quick purchases of old AEGIS missile defense destroyers (though upgraded with new electronics and systems) were reason to worry.
Taiwan, as a result, began to pursue relations with India for the ultimate defense against Chinese aggression. The pro-nationalist elements of Taiwan’s military financed much of the project through some government funds and trading assets from their own connections, transferred through Swiss Banks. Later, rumor would point to some US involvement.
Taiwan ‘purchased’ from India two thermonuclear devices, which were then mounted onto a pair BrahMos Universal Supersonic Cruise Missiles, and then shipped in a routine freighter trip between a Taiwanese company and its Indian customers.
Nobody would know the wiser for six months.
[2027]
[The birth of American ‘extra-nationalism’]
In late 2026, pro-EP think tanker and historian John Li-Collins publishes Freedom’s Atlas: 21st Century Policy and the Need to Support Liberty. He argued that the resurgence of China and the Alliance of God, America must step in as the defender of liberty. Rather than pre-emptive doctrine, America should actively prevent the aggressive expansion of its enemies through arms support, or if necessary, direct military support. At the same time, he called for a new ‘Peaceful Expansionism’ process, to allow other nations to join the United States if they so choose. With scathing critiques of Chinese and AoG expansionism and government coupled with calls for an American ‘mobilization against tyranny’, the book drew a mix of criticism and fervor among voters and politicians.
[West Pacific]
Asia’s rising military power, despite some lingering demographic problems, was continuing to develop their military. By 2027, Japan had completed its third SSGN, and developed their own form of Acoustic Daylight Imaging on par with that of ANG members.
After the Chinese submarine incident, the Japanese people were becoming increasingly suspicious of their neighbors. Japan adopted an old Cold-War policy used by other nations, it was revealed by a US intelligence analyst. Japanese SSNs now trailed Chinese missile subs as far south as the South China Sea. ANG member nation subs were also found in the area in 2027, leading to a new Chinese policy. Fearing the prospect of enemy subs using the region, on December 15 China declared the South China Sea north of the tenth parallel as their Exclusive Military and Economic Zone, saying no nation could sail a warship in the area or conduct oil drilling or fishing without the permission of the Chinese government. Citing increasing Japanese and ANG presence in the area, they said it was necessary to defend against Western imperialism.
Vietnam was not pleased in the least. Saying the South China Sea was legitimate international water, they said they would retain the right to sail any ships they wished in the area. Taiwan was particularly disturbed, but hoped China would not instigate war against them. Much of the government was still unaware of their nation’s nuclear purchases. China granted the Philippines the rights to the area, but the UN Secretary General said “It does not matter if China allows every nation to use these waters; the problem is that it is not China’s place to decide the use of these waters.”
The crisis escalated. As Taiwanese nationalism increased, (due to strict clampdowns on dissident political factions who had told China to back down to preserve investor confidence) China deployed two Carrier Battle Groups into the northerly end of the Sea. Vietnam and Taiwan refused to withdraw their vessels from the area, so China set a five day deadline to put their ships back towards port.
The stock markets took big hits, especially in Asia as investors frantically sold their stocks in Chinese, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese companies that could face sanctions or destruction. China stuck by their deadline, and the President of the US ordered additional carrier groups to the area.
The deadline, which had been given on December 26, left the world with shaky hopes for peace.
[Latin America]
The remainder of Mexico between the US and Chiapas voted to become the ‘Commonwealth of Mexico Sur’, in the same fashion of Puerto Rico.
[Africa/Islamic World]
With Sudan being one of the longstanding Alliance of God members, the nation had become a focal point for ethnic and religious violence. Combined by AoG Council pressure and Chinese interest in securing pipelines, the Sudanese Army began a forced relocation program to designated provinces for Christians. Those who resisted were exiled or killed.
By 2027, with the Western world unwilling to declare war on the Alliance, Southern Sudan called upon the help of the silent ally of all those who share enemies with the United States. The CIA began providing funds and arms to the fighters, while operating from covert airbases in the Central African Republic. The CIA gave mercenaries, money, and arms to the new ‘Republic of the White Nile, though primarily through previously established African groups to avoid linkage.
South Africa and the African Union offered peacekeeping troops to oversee the infant nation for a legitimate plebiscite, but Sudan was still enraged to the idea of their southern end seceding.
[2028]
[The South China Sea]
[New Year’s Day]
[Vietnamese People’s Navy Ship Tonkin]
Captain Nghiem rapped his fingers on the cold, metal windowsill of the ship for perhaps the billionth time. It was just a habit people picked up, and generally corresponded to boredom. But it didn’t today. Today, as it had been since China declared the South China Sea hers and the Tonkin set out, it was driven by anxiety.
The Tonkin was a former Sovremenny missile destroyer, not quite as advanced as the ones the Chinese had bought and upgraded, but probably the best destroyer the People’s Navy could afford.
Nghiem wasn’t old enough to remember the last time Vietnam had gone to war, but his forefathers all did. And it was a defining element of Vietnamese training. There would be many, they said, who would seek to destroy Vietnam. The French had tried, the Americans had tried, and the Chinese had tried before. But oddly enough, it would be the Americans who had the best chance of stopping a second war. He was probably the first Vietnamese officer wishing American carriers would show up near Vietnam faster.
He wasn’t a politician. And with a Chinese missile frigate a few miles away, he didn’t care who had wronged Vietnam in the past, as long as they did something to prevent war.
Nghiem went through the orders in his head again, and then sighed. A junior officer perked up, and the Chinese called again, ordering him to turn around. Telling him he was violating Chinese waters. Telling him they were willing to shoot. But Nghiem couldn’t do that. He would be executed at home, his crew receiving a similar fate, maybe his family too.
He could die in dishonor, or as a martyr. Maybe give the Americans or whoever else was out there to bring in some help.
“Ready the Moskits, and put all defensive radars on full active.”
Another message from the Chinese came, asking them to turn off all combat radar and go to a halt, to prepare for boarding. They were giving him two minutes.
“Sound the general alarm.” His decision had already been made for him, by the People’s Republic. And now he would execute it.
Two minutes marked their passage with the first warning shot, from a five inch gun. It splashed a few hundred yards portside. Fifteen seconds later, another one. Fifteen more passed, and a howling shriek filled the bridge of the vessel. It was a missile, probably sea-skimming, he realized as it dropped off the radar. A few seconds later it picked up again, this time by the defensive radars. Tonkin’s 30mm guns burped out rounds to try and stop the incoming missile, but failed. Nghiem didn’t have time to contemplate why, the entire ship rocked as several hundred pounds of high explosive warhead impacted the starboard side at roughly three and a half times the speed of sound.
Nghiem fell into a second of sparkling and colors, and then simultaneously tasted the metallic taste of deck and blood. One hand at a time, he lifted himself from the deck along with the rest of the sailors, and excess blood. He asked his crew if they’d returned fire, and they had. But it was too late.
He was dead before he realized the second had impacted.
[The West Pacific War: Origins and Opening Battles]
The sinking of the Tonkin occurred early New Year’s Morning in Vietnam. For most viewers, reports on how Indians and Russians and Australians were ringing in the New Years were interrupted by images of warships, world leaders, and maps of the crisis zone. The Tonkin had been sunk, and an unknown Chinese vessel damaged. The Chinese claimed the Tonkin had refused repeated orders and activated combat radar, and most of its client states stood by its decision. Vietnam responded with a declaration of war, and began a short lived bombing campaign into Hainan. More importantly, Vietnamese gunboats and government-sponsored pirates ravaged Chinese shipping in the area, destroying dozens of freighters and VLCCs headed to China within the first week. China responded with a blockade against Vietnam, and cruise missile attacks on the nation.
Negotiation failed because there was nobody left in Vietnam to negotiate with.
Some blamed China for initiating the violence; others said the Vietnamese should have known better to retaliate. But within a week of the strikes, Chinese troops were in Northern Vietnam, in response to purported guerilla attacks.
Taiwan, watching as China became embroiled in conflict and the ruthless destruction of any foreign vessels in the area, began to ponder secession. China was imposing heavy duties on Taiwanese vessels in the South China Sea, and subjecting them to constant search.
In a cabinet meeting of the Taiwanese Presidency, ROC Navy officers announced their possession of nuclear weapons, of which Taiwan had acquired three more before the crisis began. Apparently, the Chinese penetration of the Taiwanese government was complete enough for China to learn of the nuclear arms as well.
China, in one announcement, told the world of Taiwan’s nuclear arms and asked them to disarm not just its nuclear weapons, but its entire offensive capability, and prepared several divisions for landing on the island to secure the weapons.
Taiwan refused. The US offered itself as an intermediary in the conflict, saying the Taiwanese should disarm its nuclear arms, but should be allowed to retain its armed forces until the mainland ended their ‘criminal activities’ in the South China Sea. By then, the George Bush and John McCain were close enough for combat operations to begin in a cross-strait war.
Outraged, China declined to negotiate ‘with our own country’ and remarked that foreign concern was no more welcome than if China tried to intervene in a local dispute.
Taiwan decided to refute the idea, and when American CBGs were close enough, declared independence. Immediately, cruise missile strikes slammed over the nation, destroying the Taipei 101 building and some ships in port. Taiwanese purchases of new SAM weapons had prevented a more serious outcome, but the damage was done. The Taiwanese navy responded with strikes on Chinese vessels in the strait.
Realizing Taiwan was lost if they did not intervene, the US declared war on China on January 30th, 2028. The opening engagements resulted in an embarrassing defeat of PLAN vessels in the region. Sorties by Valkyrie-series “Peregrine”[1] stealth fighters and hypersonic cruise missiles crippled or destroyed a pair of Chinese CVNs and sixteen other surface combatants within the first two days of the Battle of the Strait. China in turn attacked US supply lines and declared the entire region around the area to be a Maritime Exclusion Zone while submarines went after US supply ships.
In early February a cruise missile strike hit Guam, hurting US re-supply efforts. But the carriers remained, and soon the US asked Japan for assistance in fighting China. Japan agreed, and China promptly responded with a declaration of war and bomber sorties over Tokyo [2]. Angered by the attacks, the Japanese Navy responded with an attack on the PLAN Northern Fleet in a series of bloody battles near the Korean peninsula.
Within the first month of the war, China had lost two dozen naval surface combatants and a classified number of submarines. The United States lost half the number, though many of them would be repaired and ready for combat within a few months (or a year). Japan had lost fifteen vessels, while the Taiwanese had lost half their navy. All sides had lost a significant amount of aircraft, and the US had lost its first bombers in combat since Vietnam.
The war was not limited to Earth. American combat space-planes and ASAT weapons downed dozens of Chinese satellites and Chinese space stations in military use, and a classified program was underway to refit US space assets and ballistic missiles to carry kinetic energy components for strikes against China.
Over 10,000 Taiwanese civilians and military personnel were dead, missing, or seriously wounded due to China’s massive bombing and missile campaigns. Attacks on Hainan, Guangzhou, Beijing and Shanghai had inflicted a roughly equal number, primarily due to precise Japanese and US bombing campaigns. An unknown number of Vietnamese were dead, and eight thousand Japanese were reported casualties by the government. World markets were in disarray, and the war showed signs of only escalation.
Notes
[1] The Peregrine was derived from the ANG ‘Valkyrie’ project. The Peregrine was considered the undisputable ruler of the skies, though they cost a hefty $250 million dollars during their first production runs. Peregrines featured switchblade, variable geometry wings with ‘smart skin’ that could flex for maximum aerodynamics. The hardy carbon shell gave the Peregrine good RAM and light, durable armor. It had a maximum speed of ‘over mach 3’ with the right load, and carried much of its weapons within internal bays. It had hybrid pulse detonation/variable bypass turbofans with 3-D thrust vectoring.
Most advanced of all was the sensor suite. The Peregrine incorporated Synthetic Aperture LPI radar using newer gallium-nitride based transistors, giving it a huge advantage in search size and range. Smaller radar modules could be mounted as aerodynamic attachments, and on many models a small rear looking radar was attached. Streamlined IR camera turrets and a new helmet design provided a full field of view.
[2] The Tokyo Bombing raids persisted for the fist three months of the war. Chinese bombers (ANG Designation: Behemoth) could fly in low using variable-bypass engines at Mach 1, while still maintaining excellent fuel efficiency. The bombers carried over 90,000 pounds of armament on full load, and often dropped bunker-busters into metropolitan ‘superstructure’ arcologies. These tactics destabilized the local Japanese economies, and would later cause massive civilian casualties. However, F-9 fighters from Japan’s air force became particularly effective against the bombers, which often flew sorties without fighter escorts (Japanese forces destroyed many tankers).
[The War: March]
The Taiwan situation reached a critical point. Though the US had committed two extra carrier groups to the war, it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep Taiwan intact. Though no major Chinese forces had crossed the strait, Taiwan was an island under siege. China launched an E-Bomb attack on Taiwan later that month. Mixed with cruise missile strikes and precision EM gun fire, Taiwan’s infrastructure was devastated. Chinese subs resorted to raiding Taiwanese relief convoys.
In one of the controversial episodes of the war, a Chinese SSN engaged a convoy outside Darwin. China’s People’s Storm [1] class SSN allowed the PLAN to reach out in naval engagements never before seen. In this case, a relief column passing around New Guinea was engaged by the Dark Storm. The vessel, while not quite up to match with newer Western subs like the American Norfolk Class or the Oceania Class of Australia, the Allied Nations Group had left a gap in escorts that the Chinese were able to exploit. Overconfident about the containment of Chinese submarines, the Dark Storm sank dozens of convoy ships in its opening strike, and then laid a trap for three older ANZAC class vessels. The Chinese super-heavy 660mm Little Predator [2] super-cavitating torpedo was a very effective ship killer to these older vessels, and soon the HMAS Australia, an Oceania [3] Class vessel, hunted down and killed the Dark Storm in Indonesian waters. Indonesia briefly threatened to declare war, though backed down at the prospect of the assembled Australian fleets turning towards them instead of the Chinese.
The first combat use of ‘orbital bombers’ occurred when the USAF equipped one of its combat space planes with a unique device. Four retrofitted reentry vehicles containing mass-area e-bombs were fitted onto a space-plane along with a series of dummy warheads. US Defense Network satellites clear a path towards Chinese space, and the spacecraft releases its payload.
Traveling at roughly Mach 15, and precisely targeted by the spacecraft, the E-bombs passed through as the dummy warheads took a few hits. They exploded over Beijing, Harbin, and Chinese strategic locations previously unreachable by ANG weaponry [4].
[April]
Plans in the ANG begin circulating under the codenames of Operation MISERLOU, a plan to force China to throw in its hand. The Cross-Strait situation was an impasse, with the Chinese massing too many troops for effective US offensive and the US possessing clear naval superiority.
American politicians feared the war dragging on, and the Chinese government hadn’t revealed its face since the crisis started. Their presence was limited to military figureheads who ‘lead the fight against Western imperialism’, while the real politicians lay dead from missile strikes or in hiding. And there was always the possibility of these hard-line generals actually being in charge. In any case, the US demands for China’s unconditional surrender and Taiwanese sovereignty weren’t going to be met. Allied propaganda attempts to attempt to incite civil war had thus far failed, and in fact, seemed to be vindicating the theories and ideas of the Chinese propaganda machine.
MISERLOU proposed bringing total war to China, a commitment of a million ANG combat personnel to the invasion of the Northern Plain region, cutting the country in half and using forward airbases to attack the inland regions of China.
With Chinese amassing troops in the South, the plan might work. But then again, the PLA possessed over twice that number in regulars during peacetime, and certainly many more with wartime conscription requirements. It was a risky bargain, and preparation began, with the hope that war would be over before then.
By late April, Naval Intelligence reported that they had lost track of a single Chinese SSGN, and was heading eastward. A handful of US SSNs were tasked to track down the threat, hoping it would not reach firing range of Hawaii or the West Coast.
[1] The Dark Storm class displaced 14,000 tons, and was the largest attack sub of the war. It was not the quietest or fastest vessel, but was very reliable and packed a massive armament of torpedo and VLS. It was also the first class of Chinese submarine to incorporate the western development of AHSUM, supercavitating cannon that could be used to intercept incoming torpedo.
[2] The Little Predator was based on the Chinese-made spinoff of the German Barracuda supercavitating torpedo, essentially a parallel development of the Mk 58 SADCAP ‘Pirhana’ torpedo. However, the Little Predator was much larger and packed more than twice the explosive power of its American counterpart, and proved quite effective as a ship-killer during the war.
[3] The Oceania class was created in the late 2010s as a result of growing Chinese sub developments. Roughly the same size as the American Virginia, it was the first sub to be designed for ADI usage, and the first SSN ever made by Australia. The primary purpose of the vessel was to hunt other submarines.
[4] Both range limitations and the potency of Chinese air defense networks made striking targets in inland China or Beijing very difficult. Part of the reason MISERLOU received so much attention was the desire to destroy inland Chinese industry through forward bases. Though quite successful, the spaceborne strike policy would not become cost-effective until the development of Orbital Kinetic Kill Weapons.