“Men die in despair, while spirits die in ecstasy.”
― Honore de Balzac
EUROPE
Events across Europe continue to be shadowed by the civil war in Germania (see SPOTLIGHT below). None-the-less life continues apace throughout the continent.
In the frozen Confederate Communalist Union, new contracts with the Colombians see the communalists adopting new communist naval designs. No doubt these will be put to good use in the years to come as they also develop a small sail based merchant fleet dedicated to coordinating trade with the Iberian communists. Private trade is relatively limited but as the populations learn to depend upon one another, it is sure to pick up. Despite this, at the national level, the CCU has managed to sell a significant volume of barley and dried food to the southerners, assisting them in their recovery from the most recent drought.
Additionally, eastern confederate lands continue to be a destination of choice for many Germans and Prussian peoples seeking to escape the war in those lands and number of communities have seen their populations increase significantly. Generally these immigrants prove more than willing to contribute and work for their communities and most of them, in turn, have offered citizenship.
In Iberia, new rain brings relief not only to farmers and the population but to the new leadership of President Miguel Silva. Not having to worry about widespread famine and heat-induced deaths, the new president is free to pursue his agenda of widening party membership amongst the population. Like his predecessor, the new president continues to reform the military, ensuring that Iberian soldiers are not only well trained, but also very loyal to the party line. The efforts are coming to considerable fruition as the old guard is forced out by the new party-loyal officers. On the ground, the solar, wind and hydro projects begun in 2104 are coming to completion one by one and energy security has never been greater for the sunbathed nation. This, however, has led to new problems, as replacements of broken panels, electric grid components, and laying wire is pushing the state industrial capacity and material shortages are threatening the economic growth of the nation.
In the Frankish Principalities, the trend towards communism continues in the south. In an unexpected and landmark move, one of the princes, Fabien Juppé of Mont-de-Marsan, peacefully steps down as absolute leader of the small principality, establishing in his stead a government modelled after that of Iberia but on a much smaller scale. The local economy breaks wildly from that of the remaining principalities, again modelling itself on that of Iberia. Unexpectedly, the council of princes, perhaps recognizing the devolved and decentralized nature of their nation, do not act aggressively towards this move, accepting that the single principality govern itself as it sees fit provided it continue to loyally support the confederation.
The Austrians continue to worry over their northern borders, seeing the corporate governance models of Russia and Stuttgart replacing that of their traditional ally, and fellow monarchist, the Prussians. The affair is one of great concern and in recent years has led to a serious and potentially irreparable break in Austrian-German relations. Perhaps in anticipation of having to get involved, the Prussians develop a number of new factories dedicated to war material production. New wargames to coordinate the airforce and army in mountainous terrain has also assisted the nation’s military preparedness and officers are reporting their forces to be on high alert for any border incursions.
And while the military has been preparing for involvement, the nobles and serfs on the border have seen a huge number of peasant refugees seeking shelter from the violence. These have been quick to pledge allegiance to local Austrian nobles who, largely due to long-standing alliances and friendships with their German counterparts, are open to receiving them and providing what assistance they can.
The Mediterranean Principalities is undergoing a slow and steady movement towards reconciliation amongst its princes. Religious-based divisions create a spirit of competition and divisiveness within the nation. But with Turkey and Egypt down-playing religion on the public front, its easy enough for the admiral-princes to do so also. While religion continues to be a very important and central aspect of private life, new programs that exalt secular ideals such as art, pursuit of knowledge, philosophy, and humanism find eager ears in every court. The Admirals’ Council funds a number of programs amongst the principalities, favoring those princes who are willing to sit down at a table and discuss issues intelligently with their fellows, regardless of faith. As a consequence, a new major hospital is opened at Alcamo. Additionally a number of workshops specializing in electronics, hydraulics, pumps, and other support industries receive subsidies to expand, their products being sold across Europe, and North Africa (though not able to effectively penetrate into Turkey or Egypt where local products dominate) where infrastructure products are on the rise. To provide energy for these workshops, a number of pre-existing solar fields receive small subsidies to expand their operations, paving the way for the purchase of new solar panels.
The Zaporizhian also receive a large number of Germanic and Prussian refugees, their long border ensuring that many flee here. The Sich Rada are eager to support their neighbors, and while not willing to involve themselves militarily, demonstrate their advanced knowledge of medicine by sending significant medical assistance. They also send food, blankets and tents northwards, helping to prevent humanitarian disaster in the region.
AFRICA
Tripoli’s generals double-down on their efforts to bring freshwater to the north, greatly expanding the existing desalination facilities in the area. To provide the power required, and to address the high costs for electricity among the residents of the industrialized Mediterranean coast, already massive solar farms are greatly expanded with mile after mile of new solar voltaics. These help feed the hungry Tripoli power grid and provide the energy needed by the desalination plants. Ultimately this also translates into more irrigation inland as deserts are slowly reclaimed by the waters. The project is expensive; desalinizing and pumping water inland requires tremendous energy but there is no denying the results. More and more canals and pipeline feed into the area and imported water ensures two crop cycles per year. Where once there was but dust and sand there are now green and golden fields of alfalfa, grain, cotton, even fruit orchards beginning to take root.
The extensive focus on the north has not gone unnoticed along the western coasts and south of the Sahara, where people see their tax monies, year after year, collected and moved north. There is no doubting that the new highways, often sandswept, see food returning south, but the Yoruba in particular are vocal in wanting to understand why the generals don’t just invest the funds directly locally- where regular rains ensure excellent crop growth. Amongst the Yoruba, Borgu, Nupe, Ebira, Edo and other tribes, the greening of the northern desert is widely referred to as as General Almunstasir’s folly. Sub-Saharan Africans, many considering themselves very distant, culturally and historically, from the Maghreb who first founded the union, have been speaking openly of seceding. Magreb officers report widespread but often idle and curious talk of perhaps assuming a model similar to that of the Bantu Ubantu, which, in many cases, they feel they have more in common with than their northern, mostly Arab, government.
Despite the cease-fire with the Iberian communists, a significant portion of the Maghreb military continues to closely patrol the border, making some north of the border worry at their intentions. Though the panic and distrust of earlier in the decade have abated considerably, the significant military presence in the area has some wondering.
Despite the best intentions of the Egyptian courts to deal fairly with its citizenry in accordance with Sharia law and the precepts of the prophet Mohammed (PBUH), the land is one of huge income disparity. The sprawling slums of the ‘time before’ have become sprawling ruins- inhabited by those who cannot find work on farms or in the city. Old skyscrapers lie fallen in the streets of Cairo, so much debris swept into alleys and gutters, while their bristling bases shine in the sun with glass and the private security of the wealthy. In the countryside, land-owners make deals- trading food for for energy and tools, renting laborers from a huge pool of poor unlanded workers. Those with the means get the materials to easily outcompete those that don’t- expanding their lands and control over the Nile’s coast. For the poor, life isnt getting any easier. Every year the nile gets more and more brackish as the delta floods with the rising mediterranean. Brackish backflow means floodplains are flooded with salt, and the once highly productive Nile poisons the lands it once brought life to. Every year erosion takes a little more and the population moves further south, creating more migrants, making farmland more and more valuable and forcing out those who cannot compete.
In 2107 things get worse when the Toshka project (a 310 km canal completed in 2020 to bring Lake Nasser water to western egypt) is flooded with brackish Nile water from rising Mediterranean. Already suffering from difficulties arising from the salinity of the desert itself, the backflow effectively salinizes a 580 thousand acre area of farmland previously reclaimed from the desert. Thousands of western farmers and herdsmen are forced from their land, their crops slowly ruined by the salinity, their herds going thirsty. In combination with the increased demands of a growing army, the disaster has sent food prices skyrocketing. Advisors are warning of potential widespread famine.
While the state mobilizes resources to deal with the issue, it has been focusing on providing power to its population. Subsidizing new solar panels for those who have the funds to invest in them means a number of the wealthier farmers can pump more water and irrigate more land, hiring more workers and strengthening the economy. This helps farmers along the southern nile considerably but does little for the northern population. In addition to these efforts, the state also invests directly in a number of small solar farms, mostly around Cairo, to assist in industrial and commercial development in the area.
With the goal of increasing communication between cities, the Bantu Ubantu senate orders the development of a number of new radio towers near major urban centers. They also subsidize the purchase of radio receivers throughout the villages and urban neighborhoods, ensuring easy radio access for most. Independent radio towers also go up in a number of areas, paid for by local council with funds raised from control over local trade tariffs. The national and regional radio communications very much mirror the political and economic division of the nation. While the Bantu people as a whole continue to struggle, mostly successfully, to build a national identity, there are none-the-less divided into several tribes, each with their own regional power-base, each eager to ensure they are not left out of any national development. Already, in some areas, the local councils have grown much more powerful than the national senate had planned for. Despite clear limits on trade tariff collections, the regional powers have occasionally blatantly disregarded those limits, taking the opportunity offered by the federal powers to enrich themselves. In some areas this has severely limited trade and economic growth. The radios both centralize and decentralize- depending on the area. Where the local broadcasts prove popular, sub-national, tribal affiliation grows. Where the national broadcasts are popular, the holistic ‘Ubantu’ narrative reigns. Regardless, none can ignore the effect widespread distribution of radio programming is having on the cultural growth and identity of the region. Khoisan, Maghreb and Tukufu neighbors all tune in to listen to the entertaining and informative Bantu programming, leaving a Bantu cultural imprint upon these people as well.
Meanwhile the Bantu senate continues to focus on interdependency between regions and even beyond its borders to the Tukufu Tangayika, their recently established Ministry of Infrastructure completing their transport census and beginning the process of developing a fuel-cell-based rail-line to connect the urban centers and to the Tokufu. The rail is interspaced with regular ‘recharging’ stations where solar-powered hydrolysis plants provide new hydrogen to the engines. While still incomplete, a 114 km functional line between Kinshasa and Inkisi has already been completed and proven safe, efficacious, and economical feasible. The ministry has also begun developing a number of road projects to connect towns to the major rail-line and a number of these have also been completed though local tariffs prevent their use but for all but the most short-range trips.
Rumors of republicanism continue to smolder throughout the state of Tukufu Tanganyika and are quickly brought to a conflagration by the official declaration in February 2106 that the men in power are drafting a democratic constitution and that the nation will be making the transition to a republican government at an undisclosed point in the future. There are a number of rallies, public speeches, posters and flyers, all with official sanction to share the word. The public, though largely focused on getting by, is increasingly excited by the transition, united in their desire to choose their destiny that transcends their cultural, regional, or religious affiliations. That said, some amongst the council of the new day are worried by the move, fearful of losing their power and influence. They especially caution of the influence of the large shi’ite population potentially shifting the balance of power in favor the Ummat Al-Mu’minin.
While the political transition is beginning to take place, the government is also concerned with the economic development of the state, and small subsidies are made to a wide variety of artisanal workshops and proto-industries in an economic model based somewhat on the Khoisan.
The Makuata republic, with some assistance from the Ummat Al-Mu’minin completes the development of a major thorium reactor at Beria, the nation’s largest port. The project is a huge one, to rival those of Stuttgart, Calgary, or Tehran with multiple cooling towers and the capacity to power much of the nation’s existing electrical needs alone. Already the government is planning the construction of hydrolysis plants for the distribution of the power to businesses and civilians using fuel cells. For now however, the power is limited mostly to the port city itself.
ASIA
Though occasionally delayed for a wide variety of reasons, the relatively stable transition to post-scarcity economics in Turkey has meant that the nation has been able to continue its democratic tradition continuously since the times of Atatürk. With democracy failed across much of its neighbors, the Turkish people value their role in government and the tradition of electing its leadership. Indeed electoral participation has traditionally been very high.
Elections in 2106 come down to a race between the incumbent Ibrahim Tahir of the Republican Party who advocates national defense, especially in the face of the powerful Umma Al-Mu’minin to the east, and further integration of minority populations, especially by focusing on liberty, justice, and secular institutions. His main rival is Fahri Urysal, leader of the center-left Democratic Socialist Party who advocates domestic development and seizure of a prominent position in foreign trade. Though leftist, the DSP has been careful to appeal to Turkish business development. Ultimately the war in the South Pacific has seen tensions rise in the Umma Al’Mumin as rhetoric in that nation has ratcheted up in favor of assisting the Pacific Island Sultanates. That, in turn, has driven concern for regional military balance. Though winning by less than 3% of the votes, incumbent Ibrahim Tahir was able to maintain his presidency, securing a minority government. The DSP has promised to work with the Republican Party to advance the Turkish nation domestically and abroad.
The Russian Commonwealth’s board of directors is keen to keep its western urban population focused on producing wealth and the war materials needed to not only support its operations in Manchuria but also support the German corporatocracy in the west. They have impressed upon the peasantry the need to drive the Manchu before them with posters, pamphlets and a variety of propaganda depicting them as sub-human, making frequent comparisons of them to pest monkeys or vermin. The campaign also extends to the traditional enemy, the Umma Al-Mu’minin and Muslims in general who are similarly depicted as somehow being subhuman. The effort seems to bear fruit as public support for the war in the east continues to be quite high and production does not falter in the western factories.
Israel, in 2107, completes a major thorium reactor at Tel Aviv. The reactor, though not as large as the Canadian or Turkish ones is none-the-less modern and highly efficient and its power has already been put to use for a number of local infrastructure plans involving fresh-water aquifer access, pumping and processing of sewage, providing refrigeration and finally lighting. For western Israelites, the changes have been significant and promises to secure the incumbent Labor Party-dominated coalition in the 2109 elections.
Armenian catholicoi are eager to secure agricultural production and have focused on developing a number of low-intensity fertilizer manufacturers, with generous subsidies to companies willing to develop fertilizers from the Black Sea seaweed or woodash. The plants, though relatively small in scale, have been largely successful resulting in greater agricultural output locally and market penetrance for Armenian fertilizers in the Umma Al-Mu’minin and Turkey.
In February 2107, the Umma Al-Mu’minin National Thorium Atomics Commission proudly announces the completion of the first nuclear-thorium- powered ship, افق جدید (New Horizon). The new ship is the product of intense research in scaling thorium atomics, making smaller, cheaper reactors available for a wider number of especially mobile applications. Relying upon a a thorium-powered pressurized light water reactor, the new 340m-long New Horizon cargo ship boasts an unlimited range, 107,000 metric tons deadweight capacity, and several powerful electric cranes. Its maiden voyage, to the shores of Makuata, have proven highly successful, transporting the equivalent of over 650 normal sail-based cargo ships in 1/10 the time. The Umma navy is very interested in exploring the technology, and while probably not competitive with existing fuel-cell based technology for smaller frigates, is of intense interest for larger ships and especially submarines. Additionally the Dubai port authority has already purchased licenses and has begun building a small-scale reactor for use in unloading and loading ships at its facilities. With war continuing between the Pacific Island Sultanates and the AU6, these developments have cemented the Umma Al-Mu’minin’s merchants in the Indian ocean, south asia and eastern africa.
Despite the extensive radioactive contamination which continues to plague their nation, the Naraka ruling Brahmans are optimistic. The people have been feeling relatively safe lately, the eastern bandits increasingly under control due to aggressive pursuit by the Kshatriya cavalry. Additionally, the opening of new atomic plants in 2104, while highly controversial at the time, has spurred new development and economic growth. Now, the ruling Brahmans are re-investing those funds, developing new water purification and sewage systems for the larger towns and cities. Because of the high degree of immunosuppression amongst the radiation-poisoned population, these new measures are highly effective in combatting a number of waterborne illnesses that have long plagued the population. Already production from local workshops and businesses has shown a small increase.
The inhabitants of fall-out ravaged Odisha, in the dry season of 2107, are bombarded by the Bangladesh airforce with pamphlets addressing ‘Occupied Bengal’ and urging the local Muslim population to seek union with the greater Bangladeshi nation. And while the Muslim population of Odisha is much higher than the 4-5% it was before the fall, it is still not much more than 12-15% of the population. None-the-less, for this population, and even for a portion of the secular merchant population, especially those involved in international trade, there is substantial appeal to annexation by Bangladesh. Odisha military powers are not amused however and have warned the Bangladesh airforce that continued intrusion into their airspace will result in consequences they will ‘not enjoy’.
Mongolia is a nation walking a delicate balancing act. To the east an original promise to enforce a Korean/Yanzhou no-fly zone over Manchuria is rapidly escalating and threatens to draw in the army as well. Mongolian forces on the eastern border are eager to ride and bring the Yanzhou to their knees but chieftains and the Khan’s advisors voice caution; the situation to the north is far from sure. The Buryat insurgency is keenly felt by the Mongolian government, as they consider them in many ways their ethnic and cultural brothers. And while many of the especially younger chieftains advocate providing weapons or ammunition to the rebels, the government is not keen to antagonize the Russian bear. And so the northern border remains on high alert and the government juggles with the fear of opening the eastern front when the north is potentially so dangerous.
Yet despite fears of a Russian invasion, attacks by Korea and Yanzhou upon the Mongolian airforce and pilots cannot go unanswered and in February of 2106 Mongolia declares war upon Yangzhou- citing attacks upon their aircraft as casus belli. Soon afterwards three wings of Brazilian Chua Griante arrive via AU6 and New Qin airfields. Mongolia has cast the die.
In Tibet, the affairs in Manchuria and Russia feel distant. They focus inwards, continuing to develop their hydroelectric projects, with two more, albeit small, dams, coming online in 2106 and 7. This power is helping to drive local manufacturing, and while also on a very small scale, they have begun implementing (mostly Turkish) electric power tools in their facilities and output is increasing. This has also led to further concentration of the population as the younger generation are increasingly moving to the towns and cities developing around these small hydroelectric projects. Increasingly Tibet is re-industrializing, albeit on a very limited scale.
In Bangladesh, the people whisper of potential war with Odisha. While the military’s officers hold their cards close to their chest, observant peasantry are well aware that the pamphlet drops are most probably preliminary to a military offensive. Despite this, the Bangladeshi generals are focusing on developing new hydroelectric projects in the northern hills, making use of the still significant, though much reduced, run-off from the himalayas. Two potential sites have been identified, and after consultation with engineers and technicians, construction has begun at the historical city of Tezpur. While some local orchid growers are up in arms about the project, claiming the resultant lake will destroy one of the planet’s best sites for growing these flowers, generally the project has high public approval and construction is due to complete early in 2108.
Bangladeshi technocrats at Dargokhana have long sought to reopen the Assam University there and in recent years have been working on a number of teaching and research programs. These efforts, mostly aim at rejuvenating technical development have been mostly ignored by the military government, who run their own research programs at their own facilities. None-the-less, in 2107, academics make a visit to Dhaka where they present their work to the junta. Their advances, primarily in electronics including communication and sensors, are of great value to the airforce and army and quickly incorporated into the military program.
War between the Sinhalese rebels and the island Tamils continues in the nation of Eezham. While the disasters of 2102 are not repeated, progress is none-the-less very slow with the rebels controlling substantial territory. Both sides have turned more and more to non-conventional warfare and bombing of civilian areas by both sides have not only cost thousands of lives but also hardened resolve (-1 infantry, Eezham).
The sufi mysticism of the Huizi has long led them to look ‘inward’, to contemplate and explore what lies beneath the obvious. The philosophy is not only present amongst their mystics but has effectively permeated every aspect of the theocratic socialist dictatorship, including its scientific efforts. Throughout the summer and fall of 2107, a number of research programs focusing on nano-scale manipulations begin reporting significant and impressive results, materials coated, etched, or even built from scratch at the nano-scale with very specific qualities not normally achievable. Their focus on the ‘inwards’ has borne significant scientific fruit. Composite materials are being made stronger, lighter, more durable, water, UV, or radiation resistant. While wide-scale implementation is very unlikely, applications for industry and military are already obvious to many and indeed the Huizi military has been keen to develop new small arms for its infantry that promise to be more durable, lightweight and precise.
Recent counterinsurgency operations in Hawaii seem to have finally brought the konketsu to hee. A continuing heavy infantry and naval presence in the Pacific islands continues to monitor the situation closely, using roadblocks and surprise door to door searches to avoid any further trouble. Arrests are made, and people ‘disappear’, but the bombings and attacks upon Japanese forces seem to have come to an end. In the home isles, a focus on subsidizing rice farmers and fishing businesses has led to greater food security.
p), but Armenia isn't exactly a country where very much is going on, as far as I can tell.
