Annexing Australia would probably be a bad idea. On account of, y'know, it being a country with its own national identity that would probably like to not get annexed. I know this America managed to overcome that in a few cases but those usually had very specific circumstances that made it easier and even the most effective annexation machine doesn't have unlimited capacity.
Let The Eagle Scream Version 2: Star-Spangled-Boogaloo
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It's not unlimited capacity by any means, but being able to freeze them out of the regional economy if they refuse to submit will see Australia gradually submit to suzerainty even if it never fully surrenders sovereignty, given enough time.
And adding a massive burden to their administrative costs? And risk opening a running wound? There are simpler ways to secure peace than annexation.
You can only do that for so long until it blows up in your face. This America is perfectly capable of attracting countries like Australia to its side voluntarily through numerous economic benefits, there's really no reason for them to create unneeded resentment by forcing people to submit to suzerainty.
Australia will most likely be in the American sphere, but annexing them would be a nightmare. Think Vietnam, but with even more land area.
@Murica1776 I was rereading and noticed something. Why is Constantinople referred to as Istanbul while the Ottoman Empire was still intact? Konstantiniyye I could understand but why Istanbul? The name wasn't changed to that until 1930.
*squints* You did the read the rest of it right? Like the part of asking why it was being done before the Republic of Turkey changed the name to Istanbul?
I know, I was just making a joke about the song Istanbul (not Constantinople). >_>
On a side note, IOTL in Turkey the name has been Istanbul (or some form of it) for a long, long time. (It derives from the Greek phrase "εἰς τὴν Πόλιν", "eis tin Poli" roughly, which means "to the city") It was only in 1930 that Turkey began to say "hey, can you stop calling our city Constantinople".
But back to the topic at hand, it would probably be a little much to annex Australia. At least with Canada the US has an excuse (enemy ally right on top of us, and they've already invaded us/slaughtered our citizens). With Australia, you have no such excuse. Save for the "ally" bit, but they're on the other side of Earth.
I wonder how Spain is doing and Spanish-Israel is doing? Maybe ITTL Israel is not doing so great with the vast majority of Jews heading to US state of Zion. Maybe in the future a major war in the Middle East breaks out and Israel is conquered. Maybe the US will step in and take complete control of Israel from the Spanish. When is the next update coming, what will it be about? Can't wait.
Hi all! I promise I'm not dead or fully MIA, just been really busy. Hoping to get another chapter up this weekend/next week
Thank you so much! I'm trying to get through the law school application process right now, but I do have ideas in my mind!
The Country's Not Alright: The One-Term Presidency of Richard Brown
The Country's Not Alright: The One-Term Presidency of Richard Brown
Governor Brown in front of his soon to be converted Presidential Campaign HQ (1975)
Governor Brown in front of his soon to be converted Presidential Campaign HQ (1975)
In 1976 the young 48 year old liberal governor of Oregon, Dick Brown, defeated Thomas Sowell in the most raucous election cycle since 1860. Governor Brown inherited a country in crisis. La Raza and New Redeemer violence plagued the South, Southwest, and Caribbean. The economy had lost its Sowell era pep (itself not as strong as the post-war boom) as the massive "New Jihad" or "Tenth Crusade" depending on one's viewpoint broke out in the Middle East, with local terror groups making a concerted push against German colonial rule. The ensuing oil crisis led to shortages for the first time in a generation. In the long-run, the United States would pursue a goal of hemispheric autarky, and President Brown took several steps towards this goal during his short term. Alongside from the brewing race war, regular crime skyrocketed as did drug addictions, a side effect of the 70's wild party culture. On top of all of this, a brewing culture war over language, faith, women's rights, sexuality, and the very norms of society was beginning to emerge. Most of these crises were beyond President Brown's control. However, he was the wrong man for the job.
Dick Brown was an ardent Kennedy fan, and believed firmly that America should mostly have a less invasive government, but should also strongly protect the rights of cultural minorities. This is not bad in and of itself. However, Brown's belief in a less domineering government meant that he did not use some of the most powerful tools of the Presidency to combat the crises facing America. While borne out of a genuine belief in civil rights and a kind of liberal libertarianism, he looked like a do-nothing, and both the crime and drug waves got worse than they needed to be. His strict interpretation of laws and constitutional precedents surrounding due process also crippled his Administration's heartfelt campaign against both La Raza and New Redeemer terrorist organizations. While his idealism had been appealing to an electorate reeling from the demagoguery and abuse of the Sowell Presidency, it made the work of governing during an era of crisis rather difficult. The trickle down effect was rather unfortunate.
New York City, Chicago, Davao City, Havana, Detroit, Philadelphia, Hong Kong, Los Angeles and other major cities became both war zones and hotbeds of debauchery. Citizens were advised to pack heat for activities as simple as going to the grocery store. The FBI busted up an unprecedented number of transcontinental prostitution and human trafficking rings, and those were just the ones they caught. Children were taught to scan public parks for used heroin needles while playing. Pittsburgh was rocked by the Hand of Gabriel serial killer (real name Delilah Hansen) who killed 17 people deemed "sinful" during 1973. There was a string of serial rapes in New York. Youth criminality increased by 200%. There were dozens of gas-shortage related crimes and riots across the country as prices soared and supplies dried up. This was just normal crime. Factoring in the war between La Raza and the New Redeemers, the situation is even worse. A La Raza fanatic bombed a Rotary Club meeting in Havana on March 15th, 1977, killing 85 people. This sparked another race riot, this time with the Whites and Blacks as aggressors. Over 400 people were killed, and much of the iconic La Rampa neighborhood was burned down. There would be race riots in LA, Miami, and Houston as well. In Texas, New Redeemer groups terrorized the Rio Grande Valley, inspiring waves of La Raza terrorism in response. Most disturbingly, in Alabama, a Mestizo man was lynched for flying a Mexican flag on his front porch, the first reported lynching in the United States since 1906. The media openly called the situation a race war. The general misery of the era fueled the ongoing drug crisis, killing thousands of Americans a year. The ongoing urban violence also led to a wave of middle-class flight to the suburbs, crippling several cities for decades to come.
The Brown Administration's poor response to these crises made him massively unpopular. A Democratic party which had mostly disavowed Sowell destroyed the GOP in the '78 midterms. However, there was still a possibility that he could win re-election, as many Americans still had fears of another Democratic demagogue. These chances were buried by the 1979 Baghdad Incident. With the Tenth Crusade still raging, 20 American aid workers were seized by the Islamic Caliphate of Mesopotamia (ICM) and held hostage. After being scammed out of $10 million in ransom money, all 20 were beheaded and video copies were sent to all major networks. As the Brown Administration debated on how to react to this incident on German soil, the President's approval rating sunk to 15%. In the wings, a new Democratic standard bearer was preaching vengeance, patriotism, and a new dawn for America. He would win in a landslide.
Police arrest a rioter in Houston, Texas (1978)
Crews clean up the aftermath of the Havana Rotary Club Bombing
American aid workers in Iraq (1979)
Nice chapter. I'm wonder who the new president will be. Would love to see a chapter on Eurasia and what there doing.
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