DBWI: No African Union

2016 marks the 40th anniversay of the formation of the African Union, the world's foremost military, and political power. With the capital Addis Ababa and 10 other cities wielding more than 20 million people each, with the exception of Lagos, the world's largest metropolitan area and city, housing a massive 50 million citizens.

Africa's role in the world is proven by its wonderful relationship with the first superpower, the European Union, in their successful attempt to broker a peace between the United Technates of America and the Commonwealth of America in North and Central America; and Africa's helping hand in organizing the peaceful dissolution of the Caliphate, which saw Egypt and Sudan join the AU.

Economically, Africa remains second to the European Union, with GDPs of €25 trillion and €37 trillion, and Europe's lead is expected to widen as it grows another 4.3% in the wake of their booming space industry, though once Africa successfully manages to uplift the remaining 300 million people out of poverty, their growth is expected to outpace Europe by nearly double

Africa has gotten the title of "World Police"
in the success it has solving wars and preventing them while assisting a country undergoing civil strife, Africa's power continues to grow due to it's size and political clout on the rest of Asia, which dwarfs Europe's considerably

It makes people wonder what whould happen if the African Union failed to see their common heritage and identity, and if the Europeans blundered on decolonialism.
What would a world look like without the African Union?
 
Probably apartheid in South Africa would have lasted a lot longer, since there wouldn't have been that big AU invasion in 1980, ostensibly about propping up the pro-AU government in Lesotho.

It was smart of them to put Helen Suzman in as president, since making Mandela the leader immediately after his release from prison would have been a HUGE shock to the whites, and probably provoked an uprising. And Nelson didn't have to wait long for his turn at the top.
 
I feel like this is papering over a lot of the systemic problems in the AU, especially this whole idea that decolonization was some huge success and that there is a common heritage in Africa. I'm of Mande descent (though Danish by citizenship), and we really have nothing in common with the Zulu, for ex. At a continental level you can't really create unity that didn't exist until Europe showed up.

The AU wouldn't be possible without Europe supporting strongman-style leaderships. Yes, sure, Africa's economy is doing fine, but it's mostly to the benefit of the Euro military-industrial complex.
 
I wonder how it'd come to that. Probably would mean there were more strained relations between UK and France so they couldn't plan this together.

Portugal was always a more thorny problem in that area though, the AU invasion of Angola was not a glorious day.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
AU was basically what happened when UK, France and Belgium decided to control decolonization. If Paris, London and Brussels had thought differently things would have ended differently. They wanted a colony that was not a colony.
 
You knew it was going to be all about white Euros imposing their vision of government on Africans when the ones drawing the AU's internal borders were two white men with a real white-man's-burden mindset: William Space and Anton Filling.

Maybe no AU would be possible if you had some TL where the Soviet Union were visibly weaker and less economically stable, or if Europe could have found a strong ally somewhere else. So long as there were hot zones in west Asia - the Second Iranian War comes to mind - Europe was going to want someone to fight their wars for them. All those European arms and dollars don't just land in a continent's hands out of the goodness of Europe's hearts. They had a vested interest in a united Africa capable of waging global war: Tipping the scales against the USSR.

You know what might have been a good POD? If America had developed the atom bomb sooner. You have to wonder if the country would have been able to hold together without losing so many young men in bloodbath after bloodbath trying to invade Japan with infantry. Not to mention the humiliation of the Soviets having to finish the job for them. A strong America would've given Europe a huge ally. No need for the AU.
 

yourworstnightmare

Banned
Donor
Still under the Afro-Marxist government in the 70s the AU almost collapsed. Maybe if the Afro-Marxists had retained Power in the '79 special election, and the army had tried a coup (which they threatened OTL), and everything would have collapsed very quickly.
 
I don't think Africa could have done it without the alien crash landing 1 hour outside of Lagos. The technology clearly made them unbeatable in battle and made them the foremost exporter of manufactured goods. The United Technates of American could not run without the African-trained experts at the helm. When the rest of the world catches up with understanding alien technology, I think the African Union's ascendancy disappears.
 
I think you're underestimating the potential of the United Technate's explorations of the Hollow Earth. Once they have full control of the mag-elevators at the polar entrance they will have the ability to put pretty much whatever they want into orbit for next to nothing. And with the Secret Council backing them (the worst kept secret of this century) it's going to be pretty hard to hold them back from blanketing the AU with Z rays once they have orbital control.
 
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