An Alternative Future History - Entry I

2025 to 2045: The Great Trade Blocs

This period beginning in 2025, marked the rise and fall of the Great Trade Blocs around the globe. Regional trading alliances developed in the twentieth century, such as the European Union (EU), continued to expand. New blocs, most notably the Asian Economic Union (AEU), were created.

The regrouping of nations, produced new power–brokers, as access to bloc markets refocused political and economic influence in bloc structures. Initially, the bloc system also served to facilitate the development of the economies of Asia, Africa and Latin America, creating unprecedented prosperity.

However, crime syndicates, including the Florence-based Sons of Medici and the Asian Eastern Triads, ultimately corrupted the bloc framework, employing its trading structure to establish and entrench mafia influence (c. 2030-2060). Numerous financial scandals implicating legitimate public office-holders further undermined the attempt to create more stable free trade.

The three most significant blocs of this era were:

Asian Economic Union (AEU): Founded in 2012, the AEU grew to become the largest trade bloc of the era, comprised of Cambodia, China,[1] India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea,[2] Laos, Malaysia, Nepal, the Pacific Island Nations, Pakistan, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam. By 2040, the AEU had a combined Gross National Product (GNP) of $66trillion (USD), seventy percent derived from manufacturing and production. In 2052, a political disagreement caused a group of nations, led by China, to break away and form the rival Asian People’s Forum (APF).

American Federation of Trading Nations (AFTN): The expansion of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), ultimately resulted in the creation of the AFTN. The original NAFTA nations―Canada, Mexico and the United States of America (USA)―were joined by the Central American, South American[3] and Caribbean nations in 2012. Australia and New Zealand joined the AFTN in 2018, after rejection by the AEU. By 2040, the AFTN reported a combined GNP of $62 trillion (USD), making it the second largest trading bloc on Earth.

European Union (EU): The EU gradually enveloped all European countries by 2020, including Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, in addition to the original Western European nations. A combined GNP of $60 trillion (USD) was reported in 2040, sixty percent derived from trade in information.

Smaller trading blocs included the Russian-dominated New Eastern Bloc (NEB), the West African Union (WAU), the Southern African Economic Communion (SAEC), the East African Forum (EAF) and the Middle Eastern Commerce and Trade Alliance (MECTA).