[Meta] Warring Libya - The West is Red Preview 2.0 <--- Q&A --->
Warring Libya - The West is Red Preview 2.0
<--- Q&A Contribution --->
I have to make this a separate post for y'all to notice, especially since I'm giving you guys the chance to contribute to this piece. So basically, I planning to make a page dedicated to a Q&A, with the person of interest being Hubert Douglas - the guy who wrote about China becoming a superpower while America is fumbling from the stairs. It'll be under the style of this piece below, where the questionnaires are set in stone so you could understand the design and context.

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1.0: A concept example for the upcoming page.

Anyway, here's an introduction piece to understand the character and what type of question you might want to ask. If you don't want to add anything, that's fine. I could write one myself but I thought maybe y'all could be engaged over this and might ask something interesting or even funny. I don't want you guys to feel underappreciated for reading my piece of work since the start of this project so I might as well let you guys contribute something here.

Introduction: Hubert Douglas

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1.1: A placeholder basically. Might even use this for future pieces.
April 23rd, 2025

Hello, everyone. My name's Hubert G. Douglas. I'm an International Relations Analyst and Polemicist, basically someone who figures out the relations of two-or-more countries and also someone who expresses an interesting viewpoint. I was generously invited by the folks from TIMES to contribute an interesting piece so I decided to write an article based on China and how they're slowly becoming a superpower while America is not up to the challenge. Some folks claimed that I'm well-versed in rhetorics while others call me verbose and pretentious, but I mostly try to spice up my insight with simple but engaging wordplays.

Anyway, I wrote about a lot of stuff: I wrote about how Iran's geopolitical strategy and how they outsmarted the United States and Co. over the regional influence of the Middle East (From Cyrus to Khameini), a piece about the optimistic future of West Africa and the role they'll play in the future (The Jewels of the Atlantic), how neoliberal institutions failed to curb down the rising tides of the extreme spectrums of both the right and left in this current political scene (The Noble Failure of Liberalism and Humanism), and how the prospect of authoritarianism is more morally-grey than some might assume (One Man's Tyrant; Another Man's Hero). I also contributed some pieces in the Northern Front and The Mediterranean, lectured in decent institutions such as The Halls of Perspectives.

If you have any curious questions you want me to answer, just write something down below and the TIME could articulate them into this page! I hope you people have a good and healthy life. Goodbye, folks!


Well, that's it from the man for now. Remember, write the answers below and I recommend using fake names or even usernames to add some flavor to the page. Anyway, that's it from me. Goodbye, ladies and gents!
 
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Also, I set the deadline to... actually, there is no deadline. Just make sure you have the answers and names and post them below as soon as possible! I don't really have a strict schedule at this moment so I'm giving y'all a huge gap to work with.

Anyway, that's all I need to add. K, bye!
 
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[Meta] TIME Magazine: The West is Red - Preview 3.0
Warring Libya - The West is Red Preview 3.0

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3.1: This is the entire project. Have to move the PNGs into another file to prevent lag.

It's been a long time since my last post, wasted a lot of it slouching on the desk chair drooling over M&B2 but I managed to spend some of it well from time-to-time. Anyway, after months of delicate writing and designing, the process of making this piece is finally over... It's done. I've managed to complete 34 pages in total, plus the addition dedicated to the Q&A (I'm still waiting for your answers, btw).

It wasn't an easy process to handle actually, there were times where I thought of giving up when facing fierce difficulty. There are cases where I have to rewrite an entire page just because it doesn't with the overall design, leaving me distraught and dispassionate over the project at hand. But despite the obstacles, I've managed to overcome them in the end, and it's now ready for publication. I'll put it out this week, although I have to go through a process of proofreading and revisions before I make my final case.

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3.2: Another teaser from your's truly. Enjoy!

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3.2: A sneak peek on the article, mostly about Farrakhan and the NOI.

With that out of the way, I could finally explain two key writing principles for the magazine outlet: to get the context of what I'm trying to accomplish here.
  1. Writing Articles In-Character: As I said before (at least from what I'm aware of), I'm trying to be less reliant on maps and emphasize more on graphic illustrations and writing pieces. While that doesn't mean map illustrations won't be a thing anymore (on the contrary, I'm preparing a map on the city of Sabha at this moment), they'll be less apparent than before. To make it interesting, I have to change the writing style into something in-character; based on the perspective of the characters I wrote for the project. That's why I wrote people like LordBrit111 and Hubert Douglas into the universe, to have an immersive explanation on how this world works. I thought up characters for every article, each with their perspective and biases. Some are subtle, others are rather outspoken on their polemics.
  2. Tackling Fluff: With the addition to the main article, I added a lot of fluff for worldbuilding. There are a lot of surprises in the future and writing some crucial events under the guise of a mere tabloid is a small but pretty effective piece to make people engaged. But I have to make sure that the stuff I wrote isn't some disposable baggage writing pieces just to amuse folks. Some will play a rather significant role in the future, despite its gimmicky implications.
Well, that's it for me. Expect the entire papers to be published within the week. I don't really have much to work with other than proofreading and making revisions. And yes, I managed to optimize the pdf from 56 MBs to 15 MBs, although the image quality is a bit tacky. I might form an Imgur gallery if the pdf doesn't work as planned. Goodbye, folks!
 
[Media] TIME Magazine: The West is Red - Complete Edition
TIME Magazine: The West Is Red - Complete Edition


<--- Author's Note --->

NOTE: Here's the download link to the PDF: [Download Here!]

It's finally here, fellas! I've spent an entire month just to finish this piece. I faced a lot during the past couple of days: optimism, depression, and even irritation over the process. But that's over and despite the mess have to face, it's all worth it because it's a setpiece for the entire world and beyond. As I said, it's a bible that will set the setting into a grander stage, something more ambitious after this project. It took me years to figure out the pieces until I found the confidence to make this and I'm glad it's all done because I can move on to other projects, especially for the thread. Anyway, I hope you folks truly enjoy this piece. I've tons of effort to make this as perfect as possible. Have fun!

Also, here's some alt-links for shameless plugin: [r/AlternateHistory] - [DeviantArt]

< --- Description --- >

Charlotte McLamb: The Mediterranean: The Issue that Angers the World - June 7th, 2026

On July 14, 2025, TIME Magazines published one of the most controversial issues in recent years. In an attempt to bring a more sensitive topic after facing negative feedback, the Editor-In-Chief - Louis Malford, commissioned four authors to write a particular subject of their choosing; offering them exposure to their profile. After it was released to public hands, the issue was met with the highest of praises and fierce condemnations. The outlet sold 5,000,000+ issues in the first following months, more than they made in a year during 2013.

One of the articles of the main coverage - The West is Red, is both lauded for being the only piece to discuss an otherwise taboo and panned for insinuating the Reagan Tragedy as the folly of the United States. Dan Schreier, National Security Analyst and President McCallum's former Secretary of Defense, praised Hubert Douglas for bringing such topic to the public eye, especially over Washington's lack of a meaningful response to China's rapid expansion and policy change. His last prose over America's lack of a coherent response was an impressive piece to him, referring it as a "Stroke of genius against the lazy middlemen in the White House..." However, others condemned this column, calling it a provocative piece that disrespects the victims and for implying that it was the fault of the United States foreign policy. Other such as Michael Aronowitz also faced similar reactions, with praises and condemnations over the subject matter of Hebron, and even faced threats of having his citizenship stripped by the Knesset.
 
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[META] TIME Magazine: The West is Red - Complete Edition - A Follow-Up
TIME Magazine: The West Is Red - Complete Edition
A Follow-Up

I noticed that the PDF download link doesn't work as intend. I'm so sorry about this disaster. I didn't realize this problem until I checked through my email, clogged by permission requests. Fortunately, El_Presidente mentioned this problem to me, although I was not aware of his post until now.

Anyway, here's the revised download link - [Revised Download Here!].

If the problem persists, please hit the DM. Sometimes I'm a bit scatterbrained when it comes to managing complex publications.
 
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[Media] The Mediterranean - (7/21/2026)
The Mediterranean first started as a journalistic blog developed by Charlotte McLamb. After leaving her company due to ethical issues, she decides to design a platform where she and her peers can tell their ventures without having to comply with the corporate interloping that is present in every news media. Eventually, after jump-starting a donation campaign, she was able to hire programmers and actual designers to make her vision a reality. Today, the news website relies on its numerous subscribers and donations from numerous NGOs.

The news outlet received numerous praises for its bold coverage of events around the globe: Charlotte McLamb's coverage over human trafficking in South Libya has rewarded her with the Pulitzers in 2024, Michael Aronowitz leaks over Israel's de facto implementation of apartheid in 2023 has inaugurated his name into Amnesty International's "Heroes for a Better World".

--- Excerpts ---

(7/21/2026)

Indonesia and Australia expand the Lombok Treaty after de-escalation: "Despite the exchanges of strategic power moves over Darwin and the Timor Sea, the two countries have finally reconciled its callous escalation and expanded the Lombok Treaty into a far-reaching degree."

CD Projekt Red and Malta: A developer’s refuge and the Far-Right Intrusion: "Proving to be their worst course of action, the influential gaming company faced the worrying prospect of both slavers attempting to kidnap their employees and the rising tide of far-right politics harassing them from Poland. The company moved from its home country ever since the landslide of far-right influence over the country."

Map: Aftermath of DPR and LPR expansion over Eastern Ukraine: "This map showcases the timeline of the disastrous operation against Pro-Russian forces and their counterattacks that leads them to gain more grounds over Eastern Ukraine. Alan Herver blames the United States military for its disorganized support and their inconsistent policy over the matter."

UNHCR: The Free State of Sabha generated billions of income from slavery: "Martin Geoff's claims of making over billions of dollars correlates with the recent reports published by the UNHCR, asserting that the Free State of Sabha generated a ludicrous amount of income due to its horrifying management over human-trafficking and its utilization for forced labor."
 
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[Map] Islamic State of Libya (2026)
Warring State of Libya - Islamic State of Libya

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Description

“Don’t be fooled by their change of heart! They’re still the marauding jihadists hiding behind a reformed mask!”

- Dimitry Vasily, Main contributor to the Northern Front expressing his doubts on the Islamic State of Libya.
The Islamic State of Libya, commonly-known as Daesh, are remnants of the original Islamic State who splintered from their home region. Establishing a small but resilient foothold over the surrounding city of Sirte, they expanded across the entire regions surrounding the Gulf of Sirte, and redefine the original mission of their organization; replacing the overarching strive for a Pan-Islamic caliphate for a more "moderate" religious internationalism and localism. Securing the shore surrounding their respective region, they managed to form a considerable monopoly over the situation concerning the Neo-Barbary Crisis, allowing local corsairs to use their lands as a platform for their operations and became a haven for fishermen carousing over the Mediterranean Sea.

Their forces are divided between the hardened veterans and the local militias. The former serves as the main vanguard of their entire army: They are battle-hardened foreign volunteers who fought during the earliest years of the Islamic State, a quarter of them are composed of disgruntled Chechens, of which they serve as their elite shock unit. The local militias serve as garrisons protecting their territories and supporting guards to accompany their campaigns. Most of them are recruited from the local towns and sometimes young men from local tribes, some independent units such as the Misrata Brigade pledge their loyalty in exchange for territorial autonomy. The Islamic States are the only few forces to wield a navy. Unlike the highly-equipped warlords of Eastern Libya however, their flotilla consists mostly of improvised speedboats meant to protect their fishing fleets from harm and also used by the corsairs as transport vehicles; speeding across the seas as they kidnap their victims.

Economically, they inherited a meager and underdeveloped backwater wedged between two populous and industrial regions. Despite these challenges, the Islamic State has managed to accumulate a consistent flow of income through three major supplements: An efficient taxation system, a consistent flow of tribute from autonomous states, and a rejuvenated fishing industry. They managed to develop a cohesive form of taxation under a fair sum and even allowing the local netizens to pay according to their wage and living, which leads them to garner enough funds to develop their lands without alienating the people through cumbersome demands. With the city of Misrata and the Shura Council pledging their allegiance under their wing, they managed to collect a form of tribute from them through the consistent flow of either material assets or literal cash. Lastly, they turned the loose fishing sprawls spread across the Gulf of Sirte and beyond into a lucrative market which supplies them a surplus amount of food for their subjects and their soldiers: Aided by their beneficiaries from Sabha, they capitalized the flourishing fishing zone flowing with tuna to great effect. Despite being an economic hub for corsairs operating across the Mediterranean Sea, their actual contribution to their treasury is nothing more but negligible due to expenses demanded by the Free State of Sabha for their aid. Despite lacking any industrial power, they managed to control the city of Misrata: An economically-prosperous city housing many powerful industries, including the third-largest steel factory throughout the African continent.

Just like the Free State of Sabha, they are foreign interlopers only tolerated by the locals due to their competent bureaucracy and unusual leniency over the matters of possible dissidents, more so compared to the likes of the Green Army. The new Caliph and his local accomplices have managed to develop a court system far less brutal than those exercised by their western rival and less corrupt compared to the phony jurisdiction favored by the local cliques over Eastern Libya: Many constituents within their territory consider their jurists to be fairer and more considerate than those from both ends, especially after dealing a detrimental property dispute that they managed to apprehend coherently in 2022; and most of their sentences are milder and corporal when it comes to criminal punishment, sentencing offenders ranging from disclosed caning to lengthy confinement in prisons. They still exercise the jurisprudence of the Sharia code under the ideological context of the Salafi Movement, punishing those who commit solicited vices under their rule. However, they give some exemptions in the name of pragmatism: they allow tribal politicking to exist to keep them in check and include secular laws to address the local challenges present throughout the gulf. What separates them from their brothers mucking around the Levant, however, is their ideological invention: They completely abandoned the original call for an Islamic superstate and replace it with a more nationalistic take where each state, or Dawlat, locally addresses their religious duties under their own volition.

Considered by rivaling powers as a foreign interloper interfering with the local affairs surrounding the Warring State, the Islamic States is wedged between a zealous proto-state cursing for their downfall and the remnants of the LNA pledging to destroy their presence in Libya. The Green Army, despite the cordial exchanges between the Qayid and the Caliph, still present themselves as the biggest threat to the Islamic States: They launched frequent raids against their fishing boats and waged a campaign to take over the valiant city of Misrata, only to be brokered by a rather fragile peace deal that many considered to be dubious in practice. The LNA also presents itself as an imposing threat towards their survival: Their men are mustered to launch an offensive against the feeble but strategically-important city of Zelten, threatening to attack their core territories from their underbelly and seeking to establish a forward base to form a platform for future campaigns. However, they managed to bring key powers such as Misrata and the Shura Council under their influence and garnered enough support from Sabha to lend their equipment and expertise to provide aid for their corsairs.
 
An outstandingly good update into an excellent scenario in itself. I really like the idea of toned down Daesh that kinda goes into a "Sharia in one country" sort of way. Very, very interesting.

Just how autonomous are the "autonomous regions"? Do they set up their own courts or even laws? Or is the autonomy more on military matters?
 
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