HOME | DD

Description
This started as a War on Terror/Early 00s punk but then it got derailed

WI In the last days of the Soviet Union the universe stops working correctly and instead begins to resemble a military science fiction novel?

The Soviet Union falls more gently, and its core manages to consolidate itself in the 2000s, taking the form of the Eurasian Union State. Vladimir Vladimirovitch never achieves the Presidency and its economy isn't looted by a bunch of oligarchs. In the present day Eurasia (shorthand for the Eurasian Union State), the European Union and the United States project the image of a happy family in front of the cameras while they prepare a growing number of daggers pointed at their counterparts.

NATO, after the fall of the USSR and the subsequent detente and collaboration in the first decade of the millennium, lost its reason for existence and formally disbanded; with most of the European members turned to the European Union, amplifying its integration process even beginning the creation of federal armed forces of the States. The United States, for its part, strengthened its ties with its main traditional allies in a new alliance called the Global Defense Initiative. This would have its baptism of fire in the sweltering summer of 2002.

China has gone down a horrible road, the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis ended with the humiliation of China before the international community, and just 6 years later its ally North Korea decided to commit suicide by police; attacking their southern brothers thinking that the new American alliance would not intervene, a fatal mistake that cost the DPRK it’s independence. China suffered a hardline coup d'état that, while on one hand it has slowed down its economic growth, on the other it has managed to create a network of alliances with other states dissatisfied with the World Order.

The India-Pakistan Conflict of 2001-2002 went hot, nuclear hot. What was a chest-thumping match devolved into open warfare between both nations. And as soon as Indian forces managed to break the frontline and begin the drive towards Islamabad. Pakistani generals decided to use tactical nuclear weapons to stop the Indian Army. Indian generals meanwhile used their own tactical weapons in response against entrenched Pakistani forces and before anyone knew what was happening New Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad, Multan and other metropolises ended up as radioactive ashes.

The war had significant consequences (not only surpassing WW2 in terms of lethality in a fraction of the time) but one of the contenders collapsed almost immediately while in the other an ultranationalist regime came to power. Fear of a large-scale nuclear exchange forced major powers, excluding China, to collaborate on a satellite-based anti-missile system, from GDI and Eurasia's "Rods of God" satellites to the high-powered lasers of Europe, the probability that an ICBM will be able to reach its target is practically zero.

The collapse of Pakistan also had other consequences: radical Islamists feeling betrayed by the petro-monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula, committed a terrorist attack at the coronation of Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, killing 95% of the line of succession. The political crisis lasted until 2010, when the so-called "Islamist Spring" began in both Iraq and Syria against their Baathism dictatorships, fundamentalist groups began to appear in Saudi Arabia and, given the inability of the Riyadh government to confront them and its ineffectiveness since 2005, a republican revolt (supported and financed by the Western powers clandestinely) started in the Northwest, since 2014 2012 UN (Bluehelmets) forces have arrived in the area protecting the holy cities and the important oil fields of the Persian Gulf.

Hugo Chavez, after discovering that he was suffering from an inoperable tumor in 2012, and the news of the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits off the coast of Essequibo, attempted give a glorious goodbye to Venezuela with a rapid campaign against his much weaker neighbor- Guyana. However such open war in the Americas earned the ire of the juggernauts; Brazil and the United States. Both . Brazil and the United States disagreed and following a campaign "as quick as lightning" Chavez would later perish from said tumor in a cell; rendering the last embers of the Bolivarian regime dead.

As a consequence, the once again isolated Castroist Cuba, after losing Venezuelan aid and fuel and with the prospect of a revolution nearing, its leader Fidel, that old fox, decided to first sign an amnesty for all his possible past crimes and to organize free elections under UN supervision. A truly brilliant example of a democratic transition. The economy of the now democratic Cuba is growing rapidly thanks to trade with the US and the return of many American-Cubans to their old homeland.

Thanks to the successes of both Eurasia and the European Union, the African Union has strengthened its institutions and with greater Western investment (although I guess we should say "Northern" in this timeline) has made the situation slightly better than in OTL's 2017. Dishonorable exceptions are Morocco (which made a mistake similar to that of North Korea but against Spain in 2010 and the end of NATO) losing Western Sahara and after the assassination of the King in 2014 after a campaign of repression against real (Islamists and republicans) and imaginary (Rifeños whom he accused of collaborating with Spain) enemies ended in another low intensity conflict, in the face of an Islamist insurgency and the occupation of the Rif by the United Nations (with a possible independence referendum on the cards) Moroccan prospects are grim; and the Central African Republic (insurgents, insurgents everywhere).

A beneficial part of the militarization of space has been the increased investment and advancements in space travel, from rockets to new probes. NASA has returned man to the Moon and the mission to Mars has a date (2025 Mars or bust) the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has created a subsidiary of his main company that offers trips to orbit for an "affordable" fee.

The Middle East crisis has accelerated the transition to nuclear energy, renewable energy and biofuel (research in hydrocarbon-producing GMO is on the rise throughout the planet, we don't want to burn the Amazon y'know).

A standoff between Eurasia and China in Eastern Siberia is happening right now, but thankfully the possibility of it escalating into a regional war remains negligible at worst. With Eurasia and a weary West afraid of total war and China’s need to industrialize both itself and gain further support beyond its paltry allies, war in Siberia is unlikely.

The world is pretty stable now, but who knows, China is irritated with the new world order, India is sinking deeper into ultranationalism and internal conflict with each passing day, the “Second Space Age” looks promising as four of the ‘Nuclear 7’ have space-based capabilities and increased investments in orbital infrastructure. This however has come at the cost of hundreds if not thousands of daggers pointed at the Earth, while for now the holders of those daggers promise to uphold civility; how long can this promise last?. And not to mention disputes over the possible extraterrestrial resources that will be within reach in a few decades. But for now, wake me up when September ends.

OOC Yeah, you could consider this a Tom Clancy's Expanded Universe. No superspies in the White House though.

P.S. Will check spelling and stuff later this week if I have the chance.

Description
This started as a War on Terror/Early 00s punk but then it got derailed

WI In the last days of the Soviet Union the universe stops working correctly and instead begins to resemble a military science fiction novel?

The Soviet Union falls more gently, and its core manages to consolidate itself in the 2000s, taking the form of the Eurasian Union State. Vladimir Vladimirovitch never achieves the Presidency and its economy isn't looted by a bunch of oligarchs. In the present day Eurasia (shorthand for the Eurasian Union State), the European Union and the United States project the image of a happy family in front of the cameras while they prepare a growing number of daggers pointed at their counterparts.

NATO, after the fall of the USSR and the subsequent detente and collaboration in the first decade of the millennium, lost its reason for existence and formally disbanded; with most of the European members turned to the European Union, amplifying its integration process even beginning the creation of federal armed forces of the States. The United States, for its part, strengthened its ties with its main traditional allies in a new alliance called the Global Defense Initiative. This would have its baptism of fire in the sweltering summer of 2002.

China has gone down a horrible road, the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis ended with the humiliation of China before the international community, and just 6 years later its ally North Korea decided to commit suicide by police; attacking their southern brothers thinking that the new American alliance would not intervene, a fatal mistake that cost the DPRK it’s independence. China suffered a hardline coup d'état that, while on one hand it has slowed down its economic growth, on the other it has managed to create a network of alliances with other states dissatisfied with the World Order.

The India-Pakistan Conflict of 2001-2002 went hot, nuclear hot. What was a chest-thumping match devolved into open warfare between both nations. And as soon as Indian forces managed to break the frontline and begin the drive towards Islamabad. Pakistani generals decided to use tactical nuclear weapons to stop the Indian Army. Indian generals meanwhile used their own tactical weapons in response against entrenched Pakistani forces and before anyone knew what was happening New Delhi, Mumbai, Islamabad, Multan and other metropolises ended up as radioactive ashes.

The war had significant consequences (not only surpassing WW2 in terms of lethality in a fraction of the time) but one of the contenders collapsed almost immediately while in the other an ultranationalist regime came to power. Fear of a large-scale nuclear exchange forced major powers, excluding China, to collaborate on a satellite-based anti-missile system, from GDI and Eurasia's "Rods of God" satellites to the high-powered lasers of Europe, the probability that an ICBM will be able to reach its target is practically zero.

The collapse of Pakistan also had other consequences: radical Islamists feeling betrayed by the petro-monarchies of the Arabian Peninsula, committed a terrorist attack at the coronation of Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, killing 95% of the line of succession. The political crisis lasted until 2010, when the so-called "Islamist Spring" began in both Iraq and Syria against their Baathism dictatorships, fundamentalist groups began to appear in Saudi Arabia and, given the inability of the Riyadh government to confront them and its ineffectiveness since 2005, a republican revolt (supported and financed by the Western powers clandestinely) started in the Northwest, since 2014 2012 UN (Bluehelmets) forces have arrived in the area protecting the holy cities and the important oil fields of the Persian Gulf.

Hugo Chavez, after discovering that he was suffering from an inoperable tumor in 2012, and the news of the discovery of hydrocarbon deposits off the coast of Essequibo, attempted give a glorious goodbye to Venezuela with a rapid campaign against his much weaker neighbor- Guyana. However such open war in the Americas earned the ire of the juggernauts; Brazil and the United States. Both . Brazil and the United States disagreed and following a campaign "as quick as lightning" Chavez would later perish from said tumor in a cell; rendering the last embers of the Bolivarian regime dead.

As a consequence, the once again isolated Castroist Cuba, after losing Venezuelan aid and fuel and with the prospect of a revolution nearing, its leader Fidel, that old fox, decided to first sign an amnesty for all his possible past crimes and to organize free elections under UN supervision. A truly brilliant example of a democratic transition. The economy of the now democratic Cuba is growing rapidly thanks to trade with the US and the return of many American-Cubans to their old homeland.

Thanks to the successes of both Eurasia and the European Union, the African Union has strengthened its institutions and with greater Western investment (although I guess we should say "Northern" in this timeline) has made the situation slightly better than in OTL's 2017. Dishonorable exceptions are Morocco (which made a mistake similar to that of North Korea but against Spain in 2010 and the end of NATO) losing Western Sahara and after the assassination of the King in 2014 after a campaign of repression against real (Islamists and republicans) and imaginary (Rifeños whom he accused of collaborating with Spain) enemies ended in another low intensity conflict, in the face of an Islamist insurgency and the occupation of the Rif by the United Nations (with a possible independence referendum on the cards) Moroccan prospects are grim; and the Central African Republic (insurgents, insurgents everywhere).

A beneficial part of the militarization of space has been the increased investment and advancements in space travel, from rockets to new probes. NASA has returned man to the Moon and the mission to Mars has a date (2025 Mars or bust) the eccentric billionaire Elon Musk has created a subsidiary of his main company that offers trips to orbit for an "affordable" fee.

The Middle East crisis has accelerated the transition to nuclear energy, renewable energy and biofuel (research in hydrocarbon-producing GMO is on the rise throughout the planet, we don't want to burn the Amazon y'know).

A standoff between Eurasia and China in Eastern Siberia is happening right now, but thankfully the possibility of it escalating into a regional war remains negligible at worst. With Eurasia and a weary West afraid of total war and China’s need to industrialize both itself and gain further support beyond its paltry allies, war in Siberia is unlikely.

The world is pretty stable now, but who knows, China is irritated with the new world order, India is sinking deeper into ultranationalism and internal conflict with each passing day, the “Second Space Age” looks promising as four of the ‘Nuclear 7’ have space-based capabilities and increased investments in orbital infrastructure. This however has come at the cost of hundreds if not thousands of daggers pointed at the Earth, while for now the holders of those daggers promise to uphold civility; how long can this promise last?. And not to mention disputes over the possible extraterrestrial resources that will be within reach in a few decades. But for now, wake me up when September ends.

OOC Yeah, you could consider this a Tom Clancy's Expanded Universe. No superspies in the White House though.

P.S. Will check spelling and stuff later this week if I have the chance.