1935 - Britain, France, and Japan form an alliance against Mexico and Germany, who are also allied. The two power blocs are almost evenly matched, so the course of the CNA is crucial - if it joins Britain, the resulting alliance will be too strong to attack, but otherwise the Germans and Mexicans have a good chance at victory. Tensions around the world rise.
1936 - Kramer Associates moves its headquarters to Luzon in the Philippines. Supposedly this is to move closer to its Asian interests, in reality it is to move control of the corporation beyond the possible influence of the Mexican government. Soon later it is learned that Kramer has been converting its funds to gold in recent weeks all across the world, creating a threat of financial crisis. One by one the world's securities markets close their doors in response, leading to a short- lived, sharp drop in stocks. The economic boom of the past decade, combined with the arms buildup around the world, has led to substantial inflation and soaring interest rates, a ticking financial time bomb that is unrecognized by most of the world.
On March 15, high-risk loans given out by the NFA in recent years lead to the near-failure of the Manitoba branch to meet its payments. The entire organization soon collapses - the largest purely financial corporation in the world is bankrupt. The resulting financial panic turns the attention of the CNA inward dramatically, removing any real possibility of its entering the alliance system.
1937 - The financial crisis in the CNA has spread to the rest of the world, leading to a widespread depression. Government intervention soon helps stabilize the markets in most countries, but growth does not come. Widespread peace demonstrations occur in many countries, as some call for military action as a form of government spending to stimulate the economy. Elections in Britain and Germany that year are won by the "hawk" factions of those countries.
1938 - In the CNA, Bruce Hogg wins the governor-generalship on a platform of nonintervention. He has been a long time opponent of the arms buildup. Hogg manages to convince the leaders of the world that the CNA will not join any war unless attacked, ironically making conflict nearly inevitable. In Mexico, Silva is re-elected, a move viewed as nothing less than a mandate for war.
1939 - In August, the Ottoman Empire is struck by revolution. Revolutionary leader el Sallah, after financing an army by secretly promising both Britain and Germany concessions, is soon forced to retreat by the Shah's army, and calls upon Germany for aid. The Shah requests aid from Britain. The first clash of troops occurs on September 30, and by the end of the week, all of Western Europe except Italy and Scandinavia is involved in what will soon be the Global War.
1940 - In the first six months of war, Germany wins a series of dazzling victories. Two German armies swing into France, capture Paris, and soon force the country to capitulate. Spain leaves the Anglo-French alliance, proclaiming neutrality, while Italy joins the Germans. Several Russian states and the Ukraine join the anti-German coalition, but most remain neutral. In the Middle East, the Germans are also successful, rapidly seizing Alexandria and the Victoria Canal. Late in the year, the Germans march eastward from the Ottoman Empire, with a task force sailing into the Indian Ocean in support. The only notable German failure is an attempt to invade Britain across the English Channel, which fails on December 1 due to poor weather conditions and insufficient naval support.
In Mexico, Silva is somewhat disappointed that the war has started in an area far from those Mexico is interested in, so he remains on the sidelines, building up the Mexican army and becoming somewhat uncomfortable at the effectiveness of the German military.
1941 - By the end of the year, India falls to the German invasion.
1942 - On New Year's Day, a combined Mexican and Siberian airstrike is launched against Nagasaki and Hawaii, opening a new phase in the Global War. Throughout the year, and the one that follows it, Mexico and Germany continue their conquests, though with some difficulty. Germany seizes Indo-China, but bogs down in the East Indies. Mexico and Siberia conquer Manchuria and occupy most of northern China, but fail in their attempts to invade Japan and Taiwan. Kramer Associates' private army puts the Philippines off limits. The Mexicans take numerous Pacific island chains, while failing to seize Australia, but Germany takes the eastern coast of Africa, establishing control of the Indian Ocean.
1944 - The turning point of the war comes as a fourth German assault on Britain fails, as does a Mexican invasion of Honshu. In November, an uprising in Paris forces Chancellor Bruning to withdraw troops from Africa. By the end of the year the Germans find themselves re-fighting the European campaign, this time against partisans and rioters. Bruning begins a campaign of terror in response, killing over a million civilians, but the Germans are forced to pull out of Indo-China and the Pacific, back to positions in India. In central China, the Mexican battle line stabilizes and the Chinese even begin to retake some land. In December of 1944, a Japanese airmobile carrier task force bombs Honolulu, and later San Francisco.
1945 - The British Isles no longer fear invasion, Australia and Japan are no longer under constant attack, and it is clear that China will not fall. Neither the Mexicans nor the Germans had foreseen the ability of their enemies to obtain arms after the destruction of their economic bases, but they soon realize that their real enemies are now the "neutral" powers, the CNA and Kramer Associates, arsenal of their enemies. Mexico seizes and nationalizes all Kramer assets there - at least, all that they can track down (approximately 20%
. The resulting chaos is a serious detriment to Mexican war industry.
1946 - German activities slow down considerably, as public opposition to the war rises. Bruning attempts to suspend the Diet, but is arrested and soon a new chancellor is elected. The new leader, von Richter, is an opponent of Bruning but has no intention of signing a humiliating peace treaty. He withdraws all forces from India and the former Ottoman Empire, strengthens garrisons along the Russian front, and begins to allow elections (of puppet governments) in many European countries.
1948 - By the end of 1948, the war is effectively over in Europe - Germany cannot invade Britain, and Britain has no hope of defeating Germany. In Asia, the Japanese push the Mexicans out of China, conquer Siberia, and stand poised to invade Alaska. Australian forces mop up most of the Pacific islands, while Japanese task forces attempt to assault Hawaii and the Aleutians. Mexico refused to sign a peace treaty with its foes, so the "war without war" continues as a legal fiction, but hostilities have ended.
The world is a very different place from ten years past. Britain and France have lost their empires, now subordinate to the CNA and Germany respectively. Japan controls Siberia, and is judged a major power, but is heavily dependant on Kramer Associates and will be for many years to come. Australia pursues its own course, and nationalist revolts in Africa lead to the withdrawal of most European forces. China and Indo-China become battlegrounds for rival warlords. In Russia, a war between the Free Russian Republic, the Ukrainian Empire, and the Russian Confederation start as a direct result of the Global War in 1947, and will continue until 1955.
The casualty toll of the Global War is estimated to be 25.4 million battle deaths, over 35 million civilians killed (excluding Africa), with 30 million civilians and 50 million servicemen suffering war wounds. An influenza epidemic in 1946-47, caused in part by the conditions of the war, claimed over 25 million people worldwide.
Germany appears to emerge from the war as the world's most powerful nation, controlling all western continental Europe except Scandinavia and Switzerland, but it is in a shambles following the war and will not recover for more than a decade. Kramer associates is one of the two "winners", now a world power with control of Taiwan and millions of direct employees. The CNA is the other great power, having prospered tremendously from arms sales while suffering no direct damage.
In the CNA, debate rages over the Hogg administration's conduct before and during the war. As many see it, Hogg's insistence on neutrality destroyed a very good chance for the CNA to prevent the war, leaving him and the CNA partly responsible for over 100 million innocent dead. Many North Americans soon feel rather guilty about the actions of their nation as casualty information is released, and films of the destruction around the world are seen. A result of this is the Mason Doctrine, a program of financial aid to the various nations devastated by war with the aim of helping them to recover.
In Mexico, the press has been under the control of Silva since the middle of the war, and he has used it to paint everyone from Kramer Associates to black guerillas as traitors to Mexico. In 1948, with the war winding down everywhere else, in Mexico there are many calls to continue the conflict and mount a renewed invasion of China. When sufficient support for this cannot be found, and Mexico withdraws, the people who have been told they are winning the war are shocked. The President finds it increasingly difficult to rule without grass roots support.
1949 - John Jackson dies in Taiwan, and is succeeded by Carl Salazar as leader of Kramer Associates. One of Salazar's concerns is getting some 500 of his key men out of Mexico - he cares much less for the Kramer assets still in Mexico, some 20% of the corporation's holdings. He soon orders the industrialization of Taiwan and the abandonment of Luzon, as the former is blessed with a more skilled population, better climate, and more stable government. Taiwan's growth rate soon reaches 12% per annum. It is the richest nation in Asia, and is slowly turning Australia and Japan into economic colonies.
1950 - The first election is held in Mexico in twelve years. The only credible candidate against Silva is Suarez, a former admiral in the Pacific fleet who resigned over the conduct of the war. He is against a war in China, but in favor of a blockade of the Philippines and a naval war against Japan, Taiwan, and Australia which he believes Mexico has a better chance of winning. The campaign is rocked by violence and accusations, and near election day fifteen are killed in demonstrations. Suarez wins, but as the nation nears a state of anarchy, Vincent Mercator, leader of the Guadalajara garrison, proclaims martial law in his district, and meets with ten other garrison commanders. The next day he has Silva arrested for "crimes against the republic" and Suarez taken into provisional custody. He proclaims the formation of a provisional government, led by Field Marshal Felix Garcia, in which he will serve as Secretary of War. Mercator becomes de facto dictator of Mexico. The Mexican public, who voted for the closest thing to an antiwar candidate, are now led by a colonel's clique determined to escalate the war. Mercator enlarges the constabulary, sets about crushing the rebels, and engages in a massive plan of nationalizing industry. By 1952, seventy percent of all USM industrial plants hiring over one hundred employees are under government control.
1953 - Kramer affiliates cease doing business with Mexican firms. Mexican petroleum gluts the market, Mexican foodstuffs become difficult to sell, and Mexico enters a depression.
1954 - Garcia retires, and Mercator officially assumes the Presidency of Mexico. Mercator embarks in a large scale social welfare program. The widespread reforms eliminate most of Mexico's wealthy, and causes many of the rest to flee, but also reduces the nation's poverty problem with increased transportation and free health care. Some half a million middle-class Mexicans flee the country during the decade. Mercator weathers the storm by encouraging immigration from South America, and dramatically expanding the education system. Medical and technological schools become little more than trade schools, soon resulting in one of the lowest ratio of population to doctors in the world... and a medical system with serious quality problems.
1955 - Mercator proclaims his intention to return to the Pacific and deal directly with Kramer. This speech is the first blow of the second stage of the War Without War era.
1957 - Most countries, assisted by Mason Plan aid from the CNA, have recovered from the war. Germany is secretly funneling aid funds directly to its military. Several nations demand outright military aid from the CNA, fearful of their recovering enemies, and internal opposition to the Mason plan increases.
1958 - Mercator establishes a limit on individual incomes, to $4,600 per year. The Estate Law of 1960 orders the nationalization of all individual assets on the death of the owner, the only exception being houses of less than six rooms.
1960 - Support for Mason, now in his second term, begins to break up as Mexico expands its military presence and engages in a large rearmament program. Mason is adamantly antiwar, and Salazar, knowing he cannot count on the CNA for an alliance against Mexico, turns to "Project Taichung".
1962 - Kramer Associates detonates an atomic bomb at Taichung. Salazar tells the leaders of the world that it will be used on anyone who attempts to reopen the Global War. Kramer Associates becomes, temporarily, the most feared power on Earth and all the powers launch their own nuclear weapons programs.
1965 - Britain detonates a nuclear bomb. Its alliance with Japan is revived and plans for war against Germany are created, but are crushed later that year when Germany detonates its own weapon, and signs a treaty of alliance with the newly formed Associated Russian Republics. Mason delays work on a CNA bomb for nearly a year until he is out of office, his party crushed in the next election by Peoples' Coalition candidate Perry Jay. Jay cuts back Mason Doctrine programs sharply, begins work on the atomic bomb, and restores cooperation with Britain. The National Financial Administration is elimenated, and the CNA detonates an atomic bomb in 1966.
In Mexico, Mercator holds elections - in which only his picked candidates can run. Dominguez, the winner, is nothing more than a Mercator puppet and scapegoat as Mercator assumes his old position of Secretary of War.
1967 - An attempted Mexican atomic test ends in failure. Several more end the same way later, and as of 1971, Mexico still does not have the atomic bomb, despite the fact that fleeing Mexican scientists were crucial to the weapons projects of many other nations. In response, the "quantity before quality" program that has gutted Mexico of specialists is reformed, but it will take decades for Mexican science to recover.
1969 - A major Mexican atomic spy ring is uncovered in Michigan City, causing the CNA to break off relations with the USM.
1971 - There are five great powers in the world - the CNA, the USM, Kramer Associates, Germany, and Britain. Britain, however, has never fully recovered from the war and derives much of its strength from the United Empire, especially Australia, and its alliance with Japan. Australia and Japan are natural enemies in the Pacific, and Britain may be obliged to choose between them in the near future. Similarly, Germany's strength lies in her domination of Europe and the Middle East as much as in her own natural resources. In recent years France, the Associated Russian Republics, and the Arabs have shown signs of chafing against Berlin, with many capitals hit by anti-German demonstrations in recent years. This nationalist revival may cause the breakup of the de facto German empire, which would leave central Europe in a very unstable position.
Kramer Associates controls, indirectly, almost a sixth of the world's resources, its nuclear weapons are now equipped with missile delivery systems, and it has employees in every country. The primary risk is that nobody really knows exactly what it owns and controls, so that there is great potential for misunderstanding and paranoia. The CNA is the most powerful conventional nation in the world, with a GNP equal to those of the German and British nations and allies combined, though the rest of the world worries over the constant struggles between its diametrically opposed internationalist and pacifist factions.
The United States of Mexico is considered the world's trouble spot. Even larger than the CNA, growing more powerful each year under Mercator's "benign dictatorship", it is the primary threat to world peace. In 1970 its GNP passed that of the Germans, and next year it should surpass that of Britain, thus moving to second place among the conventional nations (third if Kramer Associates is included). Neither it nor the CNA seem to have any real chance of losing their relative positions, and the hostility between the two nations is also unlikely to change in the near future.
May the Force be with you.
It's worth a shot to at least ask
Oh, and I have come to realize I should have just linked to the frikkin site.
1936 - Kramer Associates moves its headquarters to Luzon in the Philippines. Supposedly this is to move closer to its Asian interests, in reality it is to move control of the corporation beyond the possible influence of the Mexican government. Soon later it is learned that Kramer has been converting its funds to gold in recent weeks all across the world, creating a threat of financial crisis. One by one the world's securities markets close their doors in response, leading to a short- lived, sharp drop in stocks. The economic boom of the past decade, combined with the arms buildup around the world, has led to substantial inflation and soaring interest rates, a ticking financial time bomb that is unrecognized by most of the world.
On March 15, high-risk loans given out by the NFA in recent years lead to the near-failure of the Manitoba branch to meet its payments. The entire organization soon collapses - the largest purely financial corporation in the world is bankrupt. The resulting financial panic turns the attention of the CNA inward dramatically, removing any real possibility of its entering the alliance system.
1937 - The financial crisis in the CNA has spread to the rest of the world, leading to a widespread depression. Government intervention soon helps stabilize the markets in most countries, but growth does not come. Widespread peace demonstrations occur in many countries, as some call for military action as a form of government spending to stimulate the economy. Elections in Britain and Germany that year are won by the "hawk" factions of those countries.
1938 - In the CNA, Bruce Hogg wins the governor-generalship on a platform of nonintervention. He has been a long time opponent of the arms buildup. Hogg manages to convince the leaders of the world that the CNA will not join any war unless attacked, ironically making conflict nearly inevitable. In Mexico, Silva is re-elected, a move viewed as nothing less than a mandate for war.
1939 - In August, the Ottoman Empire is struck by revolution. Revolutionary leader el Sallah, after financing an army by secretly promising both Britain and Germany concessions, is soon forced to retreat by the Shah's army, and calls upon Germany for aid. The Shah requests aid from Britain. The first clash of troops occurs on September 30, and by the end of the week, all of Western Europe except Italy and Scandinavia is involved in what will soon be the Global War.
1940 - In the first six months of war, Germany wins a series of dazzling victories. Two German armies swing into France, capture Paris, and soon force the country to capitulate. Spain leaves the Anglo-French alliance, proclaiming neutrality, while Italy joins the Germans. Several Russian states and the Ukraine join the anti-German coalition, but most remain neutral. In the Middle East, the Germans are also successful, rapidly seizing Alexandria and the Victoria Canal. Late in the year, the Germans march eastward from the Ottoman Empire, with a task force sailing into the Indian Ocean in support. The only notable German failure is an attempt to invade Britain across the English Channel, which fails on December 1 due to poor weather conditions and insufficient naval support.
In Mexico, Silva is somewhat disappointed that the war has started in an area far from those Mexico is interested in, so he remains on the sidelines, building up the Mexican army and becoming somewhat uncomfortable at the effectiveness of the German military.
1941 - By the end of the year, India falls to the German invasion.
1942 - On New Year's Day, a combined Mexican and Siberian airstrike is launched against Nagasaki and Hawaii, opening a new phase in the Global War. Throughout the year, and the one that follows it, Mexico and Germany continue their conquests, though with some difficulty. Germany seizes Indo-China, but bogs down in the East Indies. Mexico and Siberia conquer Manchuria and occupy most of northern China, but fail in their attempts to invade Japan and Taiwan. Kramer Associates' private army puts the Philippines off limits. The Mexicans take numerous Pacific island chains, while failing to seize Australia, but Germany takes the eastern coast of Africa, establishing control of the Indian Ocean.
1944 - The turning point of the war comes as a fourth German assault on Britain fails, as does a Mexican invasion of Honshu. In November, an uprising in Paris forces Chancellor Bruning to withdraw troops from Africa. By the end of the year the Germans find themselves re-fighting the European campaign, this time against partisans and rioters. Bruning begins a campaign of terror in response, killing over a million civilians, but the Germans are forced to pull out of Indo-China and the Pacific, back to positions in India. In central China, the Mexican battle line stabilizes and the Chinese even begin to retake some land. In December of 1944, a Japanese airmobile carrier task force bombs Honolulu, and later San Francisco.
1945 - The British Isles no longer fear invasion, Australia and Japan are no longer under constant attack, and it is clear that China will not fall. Neither the Mexicans nor the Germans had foreseen the ability of their enemies to obtain arms after the destruction of their economic bases, but they soon realize that their real enemies are now the "neutral" powers, the CNA and Kramer Associates, arsenal of their enemies. Mexico seizes and nationalizes all Kramer assets there - at least, all that they can track down (approximately 20%
. The resulting chaos is a serious detriment to Mexican war industry. 1946 - German activities slow down considerably, as public opposition to the war rises. Bruning attempts to suspend the Diet, but is arrested and soon a new chancellor is elected. The new leader, von Richter, is an opponent of Bruning but has no intention of signing a humiliating peace treaty. He withdraws all forces from India and the former Ottoman Empire, strengthens garrisons along the Russian front, and begins to allow elections (of puppet governments) in many European countries.
1948 - By the end of 1948, the war is effectively over in Europe - Germany cannot invade Britain, and Britain has no hope of defeating Germany. In Asia, the Japanese push the Mexicans out of China, conquer Siberia, and stand poised to invade Alaska. Australian forces mop up most of the Pacific islands, while Japanese task forces attempt to assault Hawaii and the Aleutians. Mexico refused to sign a peace treaty with its foes, so the "war without war" continues as a legal fiction, but hostilities have ended.
The world is a very different place from ten years past. Britain and France have lost their empires, now subordinate to the CNA and Germany respectively. Japan controls Siberia, and is judged a major power, but is heavily dependant on Kramer Associates and will be for many years to come. Australia pursues its own course, and nationalist revolts in Africa lead to the withdrawal of most European forces. China and Indo-China become battlegrounds for rival warlords. In Russia, a war between the Free Russian Republic, the Ukrainian Empire, and the Russian Confederation start as a direct result of the Global War in 1947, and will continue until 1955.
The casualty toll of the Global War is estimated to be 25.4 million battle deaths, over 35 million civilians killed (excluding Africa), with 30 million civilians and 50 million servicemen suffering war wounds. An influenza epidemic in 1946-47, caused in part by the conditions of the war, claimed over 25 million people worldwide.
Germany appears to emerge from the war as the world's most powerful nation, controlling all western continental Europe except Scandinavia and Switzerland, but it is in a shambles following the war and will not recover for more than a decade. Kramer associates is one of the two "winners", now a world power with control of Taiwan and millions of direct employees. The CNA is the other great power, having prospered tremendously from arms sales while suffering no direct damage.
In the CNA, debate rages over the Hogg administration's conduct before and during the war. As many see it, Hogg's insistence on neutrality destroyed a very good chance for the CNA to prevent the war, leaving him and the CNA partly responsible for over 100 million innocent dead. Many North Americans soon feel rather guilty about the actions of their nation as casualty information is released, and films of the destruction around the world are seen. A result of this is the Mason Doctrine, a program of financial aid to the various nations devastated by war with the aim of helping them to recover.
In Mexico, the press has been under the control of Silva since the middle of the war, and he has used it to paint everyone from Kramer Associates to black guerillas as traitors to Mexico. In 1948, with the war winding down everywhere else, in Mexico there are many calls to continue the conflict and mount a renewed invasion of China. When sufficient support for this cannot be found, and Mexico withdraws, the people who have been told they are winning the war are shocked. The President finds it increasingly difficult to rule without grass roots support.
1949 - John Jackson dies in Taiwan, and is succeeded by Carl Salazar as leader of Kramer Associates. One of Salazar's concerns is getting some 500 of his key men out of Mexico - he cares much less for the Kramer assets still in Mexico, some 20% of the corporation's holdings. He soon orders the industrialization of Taiwan and the abandonment of Luzon, as the former is blessed with a more skilled population, better climate, and more stable government. Taiwan's growth rate soon reaches 12% per annum. It is the richest nation in Asia, and is slowly turning Australia and Japan into economic colonies.
1950 - The first election is held in Mexico in twelve years. The only credible candidate against Silva is Suarez, a former admiral in the Pacific fleet who resigned over the conduct of the war. He is against a war in China, but in favor of a blockade of the Philippines and a naval war against Japan, Taiwan, and Australia which he believes Mexico has a better chance of winning. The campaign is rocked by violence and accusations, and near election day fifteen are killed in demonstrations. Suarez wins, but as the nation nears a state of anarchy, Vincent Mercator, leader of the Guadalajara garrison, proclaims martial law in his district, and meets with ten other garrison commanders. The next day he has Silva arrested for "crimes against the republic" and Suarez taken into provisional custody. He proclaims the formation of a provisional government, led by Field Marshal Felix Garcia, in which he will serve as Secretary of War. Mercator becomes de facto dictator of Mexico. The Mexican public, who voted for the closest thing to an antiwar candidate, are now led by a colonel's clique determined to escalate the war. Mercator enlarges the constabulary, sets about crushing the rebels, and engages in a massive plan of nationalizing industry. By 1952, seventy percent of all USM industrial plants hiring over one hundred employees are under government control.
1953 - Kramer affiliates cease doing business with Mexican firms. Mexican petroleum gluts the market, Mexican foodstuffs become difficult to sell, and Mexico enters a depression.
1954 - Garcia retires, and Mercator officially assumes the Presidency of Mexico. Mercator embarks in a large scale social welfare program. The widespread reforms eliminate most of Mexico's wealthy, and causes many of the rest to flee, but also reduces the nation's poverty problem with increased transportation and free health care. Some half a million middle-class Mexicans flee the country during the decade. Mercator weathers the storm by encouraging immigration from South America, and dramatically expanding the education system. Medical and technological schools become little more than trade schools, soon resulting in one of the lowest ratio of population to doctors in the world... and a medical system with serious quality problems.
1955 - Mercator proclaims his intention to return to the Pacific and deal directly with Kramer. This speech is the first blow of the second stage of the War Without War era.
1957 - Most countries, assisted by Mason Plan aid from the CNA, have recovered from the war. Germany is secretly funneling aid funds directly to its military. Several nations demand outright military aid from the CNA, fearful of their recovering enemies, and internal opposition to the Mason plan increases.
1958 - Mercator establishes a limit on individual incomes, to $4,600 per year. The Estate Law of 1960 orders the nationalization of all individual assets on the death of the owner, the only exception being houses of less than six rooms.
1960 - Support for Mason, now in his second term, begins to break up as Mexico expands its military presence and engages in a large rearmament program. Mason is adamantly antiwar, and Salazar, knowing he cannot count on the CNA for an alliance against Mexico, turns to "Project Taichung".
1962 - Kramer Associates detonates an atomic bomb at Taichung. Salazar tells the leaders of the world that it will be used on anyone who attempts to reopen the Global War. Kramer Associates becomes, temporarily, the most feared power on Earth and all the powers launch their own nuclear weapons programs.
1965 - Britain detonates a nuclear bomb. Its alliance with Japan is revived and plans for war against Germany are created, but are crushed later that year when Germany detonates its own weapon, and signs a treaty of alliance with the newly formed Associated Russian Republics. Mason delays work on a CNA bomb for nearly a year until he is out of office, his party crushed in the next election by Peoples' Coalition candidate Perry Jay. Jay cuts back Mason Doctrine programs sharply, begins work on the atomic bomb, and restores cooperation with Britain. The National Financial Administration is elimenated, and the CNA detonates an atomic bomb in 1966.
In Mexico, Mercator holds elections - in which only his picked candidates can run. Dominguez, the winner, is nothing more than a Mercator puppet and scapegoat as Mercator assumes his old position of Secretary of War.
1967 - An attempted Mexican atomic test ends in failure. Several more end the same way later, and as of 1971, Mexico still does not have the atomic bomb, despite the fact that fleeing Mexican scientists were crucial to the weapons projects of many other nations. In response, the "quantity before quality" program that has gutted Mexico of specialists is reformed, but it will take decades for Mexican science to recover.
1969 - A major Mexican atomic spy ring is uncovered in Michigan City, causing the CNA to break off relations with the USM.
1971 - There are five great powers in the world - the CNA, the USM, Kramer Associates, Germany, and Britain. Britain, however, has never fully recovered from the war and derives much of its strength from the United Empire, especially Australia, and its alliance with Japan. Australia and Japan are natural enemies in the Pacific, and Britain may be obliged to choose between them in the near future. Similarly, Germany's strength lies in her domination of Europe and the Middle East as much as in her own natural resources. In recent years France, the Associated Russian Republics, and the Arabs have shown signs of chafing against Berlin, with many capitals hit by anti-German demonstrations in recent years. This nationalist revival may cause the breakup of the de facto German empire, which would leave central Europe in a very unstable position.
Kramer Associates controls, indirectly, almost a sixth of the world's resources, its nuclear weapons are now equipped with missile delivery systems, and it has employees in every country. The primary risk is that nobody really knows exactly what it owns and controls, so that there is great potential for misunderstanding and paranoia. The CNA is the most powerful conventional nation in the world, with a GNP equal to those of the German and British nations and allies combined, though the rest of the world worries over the constant struggles between its diametrically opposed internationalist and pacifist factions.
The United States of Mexico is considered the world's trouble spot. Even larger than the CNA, growing more powerful each year under Mercator's "benign dictatorship", it is the primary threat to world peace. In 1970 its GNP passed that of the Germans, and next year it should surpass that of Britain, thus moving to second place among the conventional nations (third if Kramer Associates is included). Neither it nor the CNA seem to have any real chance of losing their relative positions, and the hostility between the two nations is also unlikely to change in the near future.
May the Force be with you.
It's worth a shot to at least ask
Oh, and I have come to realize I should have just linked to the frikkin site.
Did you buy the book or just look it up online? 
