An Alternative History of the Future - Entry XVI

2078

Sino-Russia alliance

Russian dictator Yuri Sporzakov met with Chinese premier Zing Zeching in Hong Kong. The two leaders put aside their differences and decided to implement a cooperative economic and military plan. Analysts later argued that Sporzakov and Zeching had decided to divide up their territorial ambitions, so that Russia would be granted free reign in Europe and parts of the Middle East, while China would pursue its imperialistic aims in Asia without hindrance. At the meeting’s conclusion, Sporzakov remarked, “There is a need to create a new global power base, independent of the constraints of liberal democracy.” Such a power base, Sporzakov claimed, would favour the economic and population settlement demands of the “oppressed” Slavic and Chinese people. For several years, Sporzakov had spoken against what he termed “the economic exploitation of the Slavic people by Western nations.”

The EU and USA responded to the Sino-Russian bilateral agreement, by drawing several nations of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Pact, all of whom feared Chinese expansion, into military alliance with the West.

Assessment of global distribution of military power

The Relative Military rankings of the principal international armed forces, as listed in a 2078 edition of Jane’s, is given below.

The unit of measurement is the Military Standard (MS).

1 MS is equivalent to	2 battleships or
	50 tanks or
	1 aircraft carrier or
	15 conventional missiles or
	4 cruiser ships or
	1 killer satellite or
	10 fighter bombers

Country or Alliance	MS Units
Slavo-Asian Alliance	245
USA	237
China	212
EU	195
ASEAN[5]	174
WAU	94
LAAF[6]	95
EAF	62

The development of anti-nuclear missile systems by the major powers between 2020 and 2065, meant conventional wars could be waged without fear of recourse to nuclear weapons.

2079

The gathering storm between the West and Sino-Russia

Through a unanimous vote in Accra, the WAU opted to remain neutral with respect to the continued hostility unfolding between the Sino-Russian camp and the EU-US alliance. Latin American countries split evenly over the decision to choose sides in a conflict that one Brazilian political analyst described as a “Northern Hemisphere Crisis.” The Middle Eastern and Maghreb countries also expressed mixed feelings, with Algeria, Iraq and Pakistan siding diplomatically with the Sino-Russians, while Egypt’s secular government, Israel and Syria-Jordan backed the EU-US alliance. The EAF opted to remain neutral in any conflict.

Space agency splits: Two new space cities open

A political struggle within the SPA, led to the splitting of the organization and the formation of the rival International Space Agency (ISA), of which the United States and Germany were leading founders.

The same year, two space cities, Futaria A and Mirov, were established. The former was situated near the asteroid belt, where it functioned as a scientific monitoring base. The latter, an agricultural project belonging to the powerful Russian corporation Vlatchkov Holdings, was located in the vicinity of Venus.

Invention of the Gravo-suit

Denis Champlain, a Quebec engineer, invented the high-tech gravo-suit, that proved vital in the exploration of the outer planets in the 2090s. The suit used micro-stabo generators, implanted in its material fibre, to normalize the gravitational forces exerted upon an individual. The new suits were more comfortable than earlier technologies weighed less and offered better protection against cosmic radiation.

2080

Breakthrough in molecular genetic cleaning

General Electric designed and built the first Deletrious Molecular Remover (DMR). The DMR used controlled X-ray bombardment to clean DNA strands at the nanotech level. DMR was further enhanced in 2090s, by the development of DNA reconfiguration devices, able to remove unwanted atomic interference in individual DNA bases and thereby stabilize the integrity of the molecule against potential decay. Computer enhancement later increased the speed of DNA cleaning in vivo, thereby insuring the viable reproduction of DNA in the body. It became commonplace in the early twenty-second century, for people to visit DNA clinics to have their DNA cleaned as a protection against cancer.

War in Europe edges closer

A joint session of the UN and WON was convened in Lima, Peru, after the Russians began massing troops on the Polish and Finnish borders. UN Secretary-General Dominique Lamberaine, invited the Russians to discuss the troop deployment with representatives of the EU. This meeting, held in Geneva, proved fruitless. Russian Foreign Minister Ivan Balchenko, argued that Moscow was supporting the interests of Slavic minorities in both Poland and Finland and would not retreat from its planned action. The world held its breath as the threat of war became more imminent.

Mass space transport

As the dense population of the planet continued to strain Earth’s resources and decrease many people’s quality of life, cash benefits paid by interplanetary development corporations further enticed would-be new world colonists.

Simultaneously, the Technological Resource Foundation, ASEAN’s Engineering Initiative and a consortium of aeronautical companies (Airstar International, Lugvlieg Inc., Tatse-Yakamoto and Airbus), unveiled the Da Vinci series of high-capacity spaceships for both commercial and military use. These ships transported large numbers of people (up to eight thousand at a time), at high velocities, to destinations including Mars and Jupiter, furthering the space colonization initiative.

2081

China flexes her muscle

In August, China launched an attack on the independent nation of Nepal. Despite a brave defense by elite Ghurka fighting units, Katmandu fell to Chinese forces two months after the invasion. The UN and WON condemned the Chinese action by placing international trade sanctions on Beijing, however, countries in the Slavo-Asian Pact refused to adhere to these sanctions. In September, Chinese naval destroyers clashed with Japanese battleships off the Korean coast.

The West’s guarantees

The EU and US issued the Brussels Promise, guaranteeing the sovereign rights of any country threatened by either Slavo-Asian or Chinese aggression. US president Dianne Bergholm, despite her election less than a year earlier on an anti-war platform, won approval from Congress to introduce compulsory military conscription.

2082

Ukraine joins forces with Russia

Anatol Fuchma, a general in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, took control of the government in Kiev, after staging a successful military coup d’état. Fuchma added his country’s name to the Slavo-Asian pact, in spite of Western efforts to keep the Ukraine outside Russia’s sphere of influence. He preached Slavic brotherhood and coexistence, similar to Sporzakov’s rhetoric.

Soon after Fuchma gained control, construction began on an underground tunnel to enable the shipment of supplies between the Ukraine and Russia.