An Alternative History of the Future - Entry VI

2035

The Treaty of Friendship; Early product specialization

The NEB, AFTN and EU signed the Treaty of Friendship, ending a bitter twenty-year trade war. The Treaty allocated product specializations to each trade bloc. Trade conflicts were eliminated by diminishing competition, fostering interdependence without sacrificing efficiency. Warren Kirkland, the United Nations Commerce Secretary and the Treaty’s mastermind, was, for the first time in history, simultaneously awarded both the Nobel Peace Prize and the Nobel Economic Prize.

Exploration of the Asteroid Belt

For two years beginning in 2035, the Hercules missions performed detailed explorations of the Asteroid Belt between Mars and Jupiter, including the large asteroids, Ceres, Juno and Pallas. In 2037, six space navigation stations were established at the edges of the Asteroid Belt to guide travellers.

The Asteroid Belt ultimately proved a rich source of iron and copper. Mining programs on Ceres and Juno initiated in 2078, were jointly managed by British Interspace Mining Corporation and Germany’s Dreigan Geocorp.

In 2124, the spaceship Voyager 3000 collided with a miniature asteroid, killing all crew and passengers. The SPA governing body reacted by implementing the Rearrangement Policy, to clear asteroids from vital space routes.[17]

New world chess champion

Spiro Bubari, the Azerbaijani chess prodigy became the youngest Human World Chess Champion, winning the title at the age of fourteen by defeating Deep Blue VIII. IBM’s Deep Blues had not been defeated by a Human player in over thirty years. This event shocked the artificial intelligence community, in particular adherents of the Top-Down school of thought, who had declared victory over the Thinking Chess Computer Problem.[18]

Disintegration of the Canadian Federation

Following the granting of independence to the Canadian province of Quebec in 2025, First Nations won self-government in large parts of the provinces of Saskatchewan, British Columbia and Manitoba in 2035. In 2041, the province of Ontario merged with the state of New York; Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island provinces joined the state of Maine. By 2060, the remainder of the Canadian Federation had been absorbed by the United States.

2036

Cure for AIDS discovered

Mikhail Thaslov and Dorothea Woo, biomedical researchers at Johns Hopkins University, announced that they had prevented the replication of HIV using a genetically engineered drug, Soripan. The drug led to the eradication of AIDS in 2042. The cure, however, came too late to save the seven hundred and ninety-one million lives lost from AIDS since the disease was first identified.[19]

Tri-Nation attack on Pakistan

Precipitated by Pakistani support for Afghani resistance movements, Mussaud Khan, the dictatorial leader of Afghanistan, backed by Iranian and Indian troops, attacked Pakistan. Pakistan was defeated in the nine-month conflict, but only after twenty million people had died when nuclear weapons were used by both factions.

2037

Democracy fails in Malaysia

Right-wing military generals overthrew Malaysia’s democratically elected political leadership. A military coup also ended democracy in Indonesia in 2038. These democratic failures were linked to East Asia’s growing economic malaise.

The Great Nile Project

Several mini-lakes were created along the Nile River, by employing forced flooding techniques. The lake water irrigated the Sudanese Sahara, greatly improving the region’s agricultural capacity. Eventually, the Nile was divided into ten rivers, nine emptying into mini-lakes and the tenth continuing to flow into the Mediterranean Sea.

2038

Terrorists attack AFTN

Liberation America, a terrorist organization opposed to global economic integration, attacked an AFTN meeting, assassinating the leaders of Argentina, Columbia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Venezuela. The unprecedented simultaneous murder of world leaders, drew attention to popular dissatisfaction with the loss of national identities caused by globalization.

Three-year recession begins

The default on large loans to several emerging space corporations, triggered the bankruptcy of the Chase Manhattan Bank. The United States entered a three-year recession that spread to the rest of the AFTN and the AEU.

Tribal Rebellion in Zimbabwe

The Matabele successfully rebelled against Shona domination in Zimbabwe, creating an independent republic. The Matabeleland Republic joined the SAEC in 2040.