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(This isn’t every nation by any means from the PDF I’m reading. If any1 wants to see any other specific ones let me know)
 
 
KÖNIGSBERG-KALININGRAD  
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the small Kaliningrad oblast was cut off from the rest of Russia by the newly independent state of Lithuania. At first Russia went to considerable trouble to retain the region, which was a major military center and one of the country’s few remaining Baltic ports. However, during the turbulent 2050s Kaliningrad chose to press for almost complete autonomy. Independence was gained in 2073 after a long but amicable process of negotiation. It officially adopted its older pre-Soviet name, Königsberg, for the new microstate, while retaining Kaliningrad as the name of the city itself. The distinction is lost on many residents.
 
Today, it stands astride two worlds. It is closely tied to the European Union, although it is not a member. It is the westernmost outpost of Russian culture in Europe, and maintains good relations with Moscow. Since independence, it has parleyed its strategic position into a new role as major trade center. It is also the eastern headquarters of the Genetic Regulatory Agency (the western headquarters is Geneva), making it a key player in global biotech policy.
 
Kaliningrad is one of the fastest-growing cities in Europe, accepting immigrants from all over the world. Construction of new buildings and residential districts is going on at a frantic pace. The city has a reputation as a place where fortunes can quickly be made (or lost). Local organized crime is currently quite powerful, giving society a risky, slightly corrupt flavor.
 

 
RUSSIA  
 
For decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia was the “sick man of Europe.” The legacy of the Soviet era was a society riddled with corruption, a political system fragmented into dozens of squabbling factions, inefficient industries, ramshackle technology, a polluted countryside, and a gaggle of resentful ethnic minorities.
 
After an initial flirtation with democracy, Russia soon fell into a cycle of authoritarian rule followed by civil disorder. From about 2015 to about 2060, the central Russian government had a great deal of trouble maintaining control. Regional governments went their own way, often at the bidding of local military leaders, ethnic minorities, or organized crime groups. This period of weakness culminated in the chaotic civil war of 2057-2063, in which Siberia and other areas made bids for regional autonomy or outright independence.
 
The civil war was traumatic, but it led to a significant revival of Russian fortunes. By 2063 the conflict had ended with the defeat of the secessionists and the rise of a “Renewal Union” faction. This coalition had the support of several power centers, including the bulk of the Russian military and the influential Russian Orthodox Church. The regime it assembled was not very democratic, but it was strong enough to bring the provincial governments into line and begin the process of rebuilding a unified Russia.
 
Today’s Russia incorporates all of the old Russian Federation, along with what was once independent Belarus, but without the old Kaliningrad oblast on the Baltic Sea. Russia remains an authoritarian state, but the postwar regime has made great strides. Modern technology has been applied to bring a decent standard of living to all Russians, not only the urban elite. The military has been thoroughly modernized, and an aggressive space program has resumed. Corruption and regional factionalism have been much reduced. Democratic reforms have allowed the Russian people some voice in their own government. Many Russians have begun to hope that the bitter cycle of despotism and anarchy has finally been broken.
 
At present, Russia has a Fourth Wave economy and is continuing to develop at a rapid pace. In fact, Russia has an unusually long history of applying biotechnology. St. Petersburg was a biotech sanctuary early in the century, and even through the anarchic decades the city remained a major center of genetic research. The current government has devoted much effort to making sure the entire population has access to genetic technology. Gene-modified humans, bioroids, and other genetic constructs are quite common throughout the country.
 
Russia spent much of the past century bitterly resentful at its loss of position in world affairs. Once a superpower whose dictates made the world tremble, by 2025 Russia had a smaller economy than Argentina and a military barely able to maintain order within its national borders. This steep decline was halted after the civil war, and has decisively reversed in recent years. Today, Russia is aggressively pursuing greater world influence. It is a member of no formal alliance, but it sometimes finds common interests with the European Union, China, India, and the Islamic Caliphate. Russian diplomacy is carefully pragmatic, working with other nations whenever possible but not afraid to act independently. Russia is particularly cool toward the United States and the Pacific Rim Alliance.
 

 
UNITED KINGDOM  
 
The United Kingdom has seen many changes in the past century. Scotland is now an independent nation, while Wales and Northern Ireland have considerable local autonomy even within the Kingdom.
 
The United Kingdom is a major player in the European Union and in world affairs. Economic ties with Ireland and Scotland remain close, and the “British bloc” within the European Union falls only behind Germany in overall economic output. Meanwhile, although the Commonwealth of Nations no longer exists, the Kingdom has maintained economic ties to many of its former Commonwealth partners. Finally, relations with the United States remain close, translating into trade and joint investments. Overall, the United Kingdom remains one of the world’s foremost trading and financial powers.
 
The United Kingdom remains a constitutional monarchy. Several parties compete for seats in Parliament: Cornish Nationalists, Decentralist Alliance, EuroConservatives, Independent Conservatives, Labour, Liberal Democrats, Socialist Alliance, and Welsh Nationalists (among others). The Euro-Conservative and Labour parties usually dominate elections. The British people lean toward Preservationism, although those attitudes are weaker in the country’s urban population. One can find many variant human types in cities such as London, Birmingham, Liverpool, and Manchester. The United Kingdom is a Fifth Wave nation, although it is not at the leading edge of new technologies. Its space presence is small but often influential, especially in cooperation with the United States or with other European powers.
 
IRELAND  
Old tensions between Ireland and the United Kingdom have been for the most part resolved. Northern Ireland remains part of the United Kingdom, but the Republic has formal representation in local politics. Ireland is unusually strict in its regulation of human genetic engineering and reproductive medicine. Only the most conservative genetic templates are legal for production in Ireland itself, although a loophole permits many Irish citizens to go overseas to purchase upgrades for their children.
 
SCOTLAND  
Scotland peacefully gained its independence in the early 2030s, at the end of a long period of increasing separatist sentiment. Relations with the United Kingdom remain friendly, although Scotland has developed extensive ties to Scandinavia as well.
 
GIBRALTAR  
This outpost on the southern coast of Spain remains a British military base, despite occasional Spanish pressure for annexation. Politically Gibraltar operates as a free city, with only nominal British supervision. The inhabitants enjoy a Fifth Wave standard of living, based largely on tourism and an extensive financial industry.
 

 
SWITZERLAND  
 
The Swiss have moved through the 21st century in characteristic fashion. Switzerland remains independent of the European Union, although cooperation with the rest of Europe is quite close on most issues. The country is still a financial and industrial center. Bioshells and radical genetic modifications are rare, but almost the entire population has benefited from moderate genetic upgrades. Despite decades of pressure, Swiss banks hold money or records from any source in complete confidentiality. This has occasionally brought a great deal of unwelcome attention, as when a substantial portion of the Thai treasury turned up in Swiss hands after the Pacific War. Still, in a world where privacy is an increasingly expensive luxury, a service of such integrity is too useful to be abolished. The banks of Geneva and Zurich continue to operate as they have for centuries.
 

 
GERMANY  
 
As of 2100, Germany has enjoyed over a century of unity and peace. It has used the time to become a cornerstone of the European Union, in which it holds the largest economy and the most powerful military establishment. Internally Germany is wholly unified, all tensions between East and West long since resolved as both regions grew in prosperity. Externally, the nation has occasional disputes with its neighbors over trade, but it faces no significant foreign-policy challenges.
 
Germany is a multiparty democracy, with a coalition of moderate Preservationist parties that usually dominates national and regional elections. National politics are oriented toward maintaining trade and prosperity, while supporting an extensive program of social welfare benefits. Since the 2060s, local law has strictly regulated human genetic modification and bioshell manufacture.
 
Despite its current political conservatism, Germany has consistently been a leader in every new Wave of technological change, and is at present rapidly adopting Fifth Wave technologies. Germans enjoy one of the highest standards of living on Earth, including a social commitment to generous amounts of leisure time.
 

 
CANADA  
Ironically, after years of dispute over Quebecois separatism, Canadian unity finally foundered on another issue entirely. Disputes over taxes and environmental policy caused British Columbia to secede in 2033. Once the union had been broken, other provinces chose to elevate their own disputes with the central government into pretexts for secession. Even the autonomous region of Nunavut, far in the arctic north, began agitating for independence. By 2045 Canada had been whittled down to its core, with Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan the only provinces remaining in the union.
 
The final dissolution of Canada was remarkably amicable, aside from a few disputes over the division of national property and the undeveloped northern territories. Today Canada maintains a friendly relationship with most of the splinter states. Canada is a prosperous Fifth Wave society, with strong economic ties to the United States. Since it adjoins three of the Great Powers (the European Union, the Pacific Rim Alliance, and the United States) Canada sees a great deal of international trade. It also has a chronic problem with smuggling across previously undefended borders.
 
MARITIMES  
The Maritime Union is composed of three former Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) all of which seceded from Canada between 2038 and 2045. The unified nation was established in 2048 and has since joined the European Union. The Maritimes have a comfortable Fourth Wave economy, and are world leaders in fish-farming and other forms of pelagiculture.
 
MONTREAL  
When the province of Quebec separated from Canada in 2036, the city of Montreal went with it at first. However, many citizens were uncomfortable with this position, and agitated for a plebiscite to determine the city’s ultimate fate. In the end, the city chose neither continued union with Quebec nor a return to Canada. Instead, Montreal voted for the status of a “free city” with its own independent government and laws. At first, Quebec resisted this move and threatened to use force, but pressure from the United States and the rump Canadian state prevented violence. By 2041 Montreal had severed all political ties and was an independent city-state.
 
Today Montreal has a Fifth Wave standard of living and a booming economy. As an intermediary between the European Union and North America, the city has a considerable income from trans-shipment and other forms of foreign trade. The local banking, biotech, and electronics industries are also important. Montreal’s blend of Quebecois, Anglophone Canadian, and American traditions also makes it a major cultural center, with a vibrant artistic community and entertainment industry.
 
NEWFOUNDLAND  
Newfoundland seceded from Canada in 2039, later joining the European Union. The island republic is currently a prosperous Fourth Wave state, somewhat ahead of the nearby Maritime Union.
 
NUNAVUT  
Nunavut is an unusual nation, dominated by Inuit culture and populated in large part by Arctic-adapted parahumans. It has a healthy Fourth Wave economy, and its population and economy are both growing quickly. The Nunavut government is pursuing trade and diplomatic ties with other far-northern political entities, such as Greenland, Russia, and the state of Alaska. The ultimate goal is an “Arctic League” devoted to the protection of the Arctic environment and the indigenous cultures of the far north.
 
QUEBEC  
Although it was for long the primary focus of secessionism in Canada, Quebec did not finally declare its independence until 2036, once Alberta and British Columbia had already seceded. After independence Quebec suffered through a period of instability and seemed likely to fragment further. When Montreal became a free city, the situation stabilized. Quebec currently has a healthy democratic government and a Fourth Wave economy. It has been a member of the European Union since the early 2050s, and has become closely tied to France in diplomatic affairs.
 
GREENLAND  
Greenland attained full independence from the Kingdom of Denmark in the 2030s. The local economy has struggled for much of the century. In recent decades there has been heavy investment in various Fourth Wave industries, such as fish farming and cold-adapted pharm animals. This strategy has paid off, so that today the population has a comfortable Fourth Wave standard of living. Arctic-adapted parahumans have recently been settling in the far north in large numbers. There is some agitation for union with nearby Nunavut, driven by common economic and environmental interests.
 
ALBERTA AND BRITISH COLUMBIA  
 
Two former Canadian provinces formed the Union of Alberta and British Columbia (sometimes called the “ABC Republic”) in 2034. The Union is a prosperous Fifth Wave nation which trades extensively with Japan and other parts of Asia. It is a full member of the Pacific Rim Alliance. Relations with Canada and the United States are occasionally strained, and in fact there have been several (so far bloodless) border confrontations with the United States.
 

 
**UNITED STATES**  
 
The U.S. has often seemed an actor among nations, devoted to playing one role or another on the world stage. “Land of the Free” was followed by “the Arsenal of Democracy,” then by “Leader of the Free World.” That last role survived for decades, bolstered by the largest national economy on the planet, the most powerful and advanced military, and a truly imperial network of alliances and defense commitments. By the 2020s, however, the U.S. was unable to maintain its leadership role. Former allies were asserting their independence in world diplomacy. Meanwhile, the American economy was being surpassed by those of other nations, and its military power was in slow decline. By the era of the Overturn (see p. 13) the United States was simply one Great Power among many.
 

THE 60 STATES
There are 10 new states in the Union. These fall into three major categories.

• Completely New States:* Both **Guam** and **Puerto Rico** were admitted to the Union in the 2020s. Considered on its own, Guam is the wealthiest island-state in Polynesia, with extensive data-haven, financial, trans-shipment, and tourism industries supplementing income from U.S. military activities. Puerto Rico holds a similar position in the Caribbean, with the addition of extensive biotech and pelagiculture industries. 
  

*** City-States:*** As a whole, the United States has had no serious trouble with secessionism in the past century. On the other hand, several individual states have divided into smaller political units. In most cases, this was a result of persistent cultural divisions between a major metropolitan area and a state legislature dominated by suburban or rural interests – a trend similar to the appearance of “free cities” elsewhere in the world (p. 13). Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, New York City, Greater San Francisco, and Seattle-Tacoma all function as distinct states within the Union, sending their own senators and representatives to the United States Congress. San Diego does likewise, with the complication of its relationship with Tijuana, Mexico; the two cities cooperate very closely despite their allegiance to different national governments.

*** Cibola:*** The most unusual of the new states is Cibola, founded in the 2070s by carving out the Four Corners region of Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. Cibola is dominated by Native American interests, particularly the Navajo and Hopi tribal governments. It is sometimes promoted as the harbinger of a new relationship between Native American tribes and the federal government.

 There has been one other significant adjustment to state borders, although it did not affect the count of states. The District of Columbia has been almost completely annexed by the state of Maryland, leaving behind a much smaller Federal District. The current “federal enclave” includes only a small packet of territory around the Washington Mall, its only permanent residents the President, his family, and the White House live-in staff.

Nations Table: North America
%__Nation \|Alliance\|Population\|Stability\|Power\(?\)\|CR\(?\)\|Wealth__%
%Alberta & British\| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Columbia \| PRA \| 10 million\|Very Good\| 14.1 \| 2 \|Wealthy%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Canada \| – \| 20 million\|Very Good\| 14.9 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Greenland \| EUR \| 58,000 \|Very Good\| 6.5 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Maritimes \| EUR \|2.6 million\|Very Good\| 11.8 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Montreal \| – \|4.9 million\|Very Good\| 13.0 \| 2 \|Wealthy%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Newfoundland \| EUR \| 770,000 \|Very Good\| 10.1 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Nunavut \| – \| 240,000 \|Good \| 8.4 \| 1 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Quebec \| EUR \|5.8 million\|Very Good\| 12.9 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
% \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%Saint Pierre \| \| \| \| \| \|%
%and Miquelon \| EUR \| 5,500 \|Very Good\| 2.7 \| 3 \|Comfortable%
^`% | | | | | |

^{%* Many regions of the United States are Wealthy.%}

 
ECUADOR  
 
Ecuador’s unique position in hemispheric politics is due to a long-standing relationship with the United States. In the 2020s, the American corporation Columbia Aerospace built the world’s largest spaceport outside Quito. Using several innovative technologies, Columbia Aerospace soon dominated the ground-to-orbit market and ushered in a new era of space development. Part of the process involved massive investment in Ecuador’s economic infrastructure, which was turned to good use by a series of effective local governments. By 2050 Ecuador had surpassed all the other Andean states in stability and economic productivity.
 
This new prosperity roused some envy, of course. For much of the 21st century, Ecuador has had to defend itself against possible attack from Colombia or Peru. Ecuador has carefully maintained a close alliance with the United States, and has cultivated a small but very professional and well-equipped military of its own. Today Ecuador is a moderately prosperous Fourth Wave nation. The population is unusually rich in variant human types, and bioshells and cybershells are quite common. The nation’s leaders are aware that their long relationship with the United States may be about to change as the Kenyan beanstalk approaches completion. The government has been carefully playing up the possible threat from its nanosocialist neighbors, hoping to keep the United States involved in South America even after Atahualpa Spaceport is no longer such a critical element of American foreign policy.
 

**PACIFIC RIM ALLIANCE**
Early in the 21st century, American involvement in the Far East sometimes clashed with local interests. Korean reunification proceeded in spite of American diplomacy rather than because of it. American saber-rattling aimed at China unnerved its regional allies, particularly Japan. Meanwhile, the presence of American armed forces in the region came to be an irritant to Asian powers increasingly willing to undertake their own defense.

 The United States’ withdrawal from the region was slow, and did not begin until Korean unification and the return of Taiwan to China were both clearly inevitable. American forces withdrew from Japan and Korea first; in response, the two nations signed their own mutual-defense treaty in 2030. Australia joined the new alliance in 2036, due more to concern over Indian or Indonesian aggression than any breakdown of relations with the United States. From the core formed by these three partners, the Pacific Rim Alliance grew. 

 In 2100, the PRA is a major player in the balance of power worldwide. The alliance’s major partners have very different societies, with [minarchism](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night-watchman_state) supreme in Australia, [gerontocracy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerontocracy) in Japan, and cut-throat capitalism in Korea. Despite these cultural differences, the allies cooperate quite well in the diplomatic and military arenas. Naturally, they do not attempt to share any framework of common laws or free-trade provisions. 

 The PRA’s primary rivals are India and the Transpacific Socialist Alliance. Relations with China are usually cool, and PRA forces are also deployed against any possible threat from there. On the other hand, the PRA members have extensive trade links to China and there is little incentive on either side for conflict. The PRA maintains extensive air and naval forces, but has a relatively small army. All of the major PRA states have extensive foreign intelligence systems. 

 The recent addition of Thailand to the alliance has complicated its strategic situation considerably. Thailand remains surrounded by hostile nanosocialist states, and is regarded by China as being within its own sphere of influence.

 
JAPAN  
 
Outside of Europe and the United States, Japan is the most prosperous and technologically advanced nation on the planet. Japanese society changed considerably in the course of the 21st century, overcame severe structural problems in its economy, and became a founding member of the prosperous Pacific Rim Alliance. Today Japan is seen by some observers as retiring from the world, and by others as boldly leading the way into a posthuman future.
 
Japan’s population declined by over 30% during the 21st century, despite the widespread use of geriatric and rejuvenative technologies. The Japanese have simply gotten out of the habit of having children. While Japanese society still values and cherishes children, fewer individual Japanese have childbirth and childrearing as a personal goal. Meanwhile, the fall in birthrates and the dramatic extension of lifespans has made the average age of the Japanese population higher than that of any other nation. This change in Japanese demographics has also made the country conservative in outlook. Political and social leaders are almost all from the ranks of the very elderly, and they are primarily concerned with maintaining the prosperity which has allowed the distinctive Japanese society to flourish, while remaining somewhat apart from the rest of the world.
 
The human population of Japan exists largely as a management and leisure class. Ideally, a young Japanese citizen is trained as a manager, creative artist, or scientist, earning shares in one of the nation’s keiretsu as he ages and gains experience. Eventually, he reaches the status of an “elder shareholder,” who does little but manage his investments. Some young Japanese reject this path, preferring to pursue leisure or cultural activities. Most such youths live with parents or other elders. Others live solely on the income generated by inherited investments, or emigrate: the PRA nations, Elandra, Luna, Islandia, Mars, and Yametei Station in the Main (Asteroid) Belt are popular choices.
 
Despite its innate conservatism, modern Japan is not known for Preservationist sympathies. Large sectors of society are openly transhumanist, and Japan has responded to its population decline by producing a national workforce which is mostly artificial. Sapient infomorphs and high-end cybershells are quite common in Japan, dominating all but a few occupations. Japan’s “artificial citizens” have nearly full civil rights and are regarded as an integral part of society; there have even been marriages between SAIs and humans, although these are still uncommon. Indeed, the distinction between infomorph and human citizens has been blurring in recent years, as many Japanese create shadows of themselves in lieu of children, or undergo destructive uploading into cybershell bodies.
 
At first, only the elderly, eccentric, or seriously infirm became ghosts, but the accelerating tendency of healthy young people to choose to abandon their bodies for uploads is worrying even to many Japanese. Many who could not otherwise afford uploading are making use of a well-organized transhumanist underground that provides unlicensed ghost clinics. However, these establishments often suffer from substandard procedures or equipment, and this can result in would be ghosts ending up as fragments or worse. Police have shut down a few ghost clinics, but others continue to flourish, operated by idealistic transhumanists, new religions, and criminal cells.
 
Despite such bumps in the road, most Japanese remain confident in their future as a nation. They believe they can reach a social consensus on issues such as uploading, and not only preserve but perfect Japanese culture in the context of a world where the very definition of “human” is changing.
 
 
KOREA  
 
The peace treaty ending the Korean War of 1950-1953 was finally signed in 2016. Final reunification of Korea took place on 15 August 2025, on the anniversary of independence from Japan. For decades afterward, Korea struggled to integrate a northern half, with a history of brutal Communist dictatorship and grinding poverty, and a southern half, with a history of capitalist prosperity. In 2100, heroic effort and superb statesmanship have attained considerable success.
 
For many years, Korea was the only major Pacific Rim Alliance state with a potentially hostile land border (in this case with China). As a result, the Korean army is larger in proportion than that of any other PRA member. Koreans are acutely conscious and very proud of their role as bulwark of the Alliance. Korean national consciousness is very strong; many Koreans feel that they are the natural future leaders of the Pacific Rim, destined over the next few generations to eclipse the “decadent” Japanese and “barbarian” Chinese.
 
Korea lags in technology behind Fifth Wave nations such as Japan, but it has fully assimilated into the Fourth Wave economy and is catching up rapidly. Some sectors are already at the Fifth Wave level, notably the local cybershell industry (which exports much of its product to Japan). Bioroids are not particularly common in Korea, but Korean genetic research is quite advanced, and the country produces many cutting-edge species designs. Korean scientists have also become known for delving into the more exotic realms of physics, experimenting with areas like gravity manipulation and the properties of degenerate matter. Most analysts expect Korea to reach the “leading edge” of technological and industrial development within another 20 years.
 

 
CHINA  
 
Just as the 20th century was often called “the American century,” the 21st can be considered “the Chinese century.” Today’s China is the most powerful single nation-state on the planet. It is not the most populous, the most technologically advanced or the most prosperous nation. Even so, the People’s Republic stands near the top in all three of these measures, and thus has the largest economy in the world. Meanwhile, it enjoys internal unity and a sense of national purpose that multiply its effectiveness in world affairs.
 
The People’s Republic was originally a Communist state. In 2100 state power remains with the National People’s Congress, which is still dominated by the Chinese Communist Party. Despite the name, the Party has evolved far from Mao Zedong’s version of Communism. China remains an authoritarian state, in which political and civil rights are limited in order to protect the Party’s domination. The Chinese people do enjoy a variety of civil and economic rights, especially in the “special administrative regions” of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Privately owned business is the main driver of the economy. Indeed, since about 2050 the senior Party leadership has been composed primarily of successful businessmen.  

SIDEBAR: TAIWAN
The Chinese system of governance has changed in other ways as well, allowing regions within the state greater independence. At the beginning of the century, there was already considerable tension between China’s highly centralized political system and its decentralized economic system. About 2010, a new generation of Communist Party leadership began to deliberately loosen the grip of the central government. Henceforth, portions of China would be permitted to experiment with democracy or other “dangerous” ideas, so long as the experiments were safely limited in geographical scope and the authority of the Party was not threatened.

 This careful opening to new political ideas had someprecedent in the “one country, two systems” rule under which Hong Kong and Macau had been allowed to retain democratic institutions. Soon the notion faced its sternest test, as the Chinese government opened negotiations with its “renegade province” on Taiwan. The so-called Republic of China was offered almost total internal autonomy, its democratic and free-market institutions to be left intact. In exchange, foreign and defense policy would be turned over to the Beijing government, although Taiwan was guaranteed representation in the appropriate ministries. 

 The negotiations went surprisingly well. Although there was an active independence movement on Taiwan, the ruling Kuomintang party had always supported the idea of eventual reunification. Reassured that they would not be robbed of their hard-won democracy, many Taiwanese supported reunification on the grounds of common culture. Reunification was complete by 2022.

NANOSOCIALISM
Nanosocialism is a political philosophy, first stated (under the name “information socialism”) by the Australian academic Kyle Porters in 2034. Porters observed that although modern civilization was utterly dependent on information technologies, the central notion of intellectual property often gave rise to significant injustice. Although he was by no means the first person to point out this contradiction, he was the first philosopher to construct a coherent political ideology in response.

 Porters pointed out that the individual holders of intellectual property were usually unable to enforce their rights against piracy. Software and genetic designs were being stolen wholesale around the world, bringing profit to pirates at the expense of the original designers. Despite this, the artificial scarcity imposed on information by the concept of intellectual property kept the benefits of new technology out of the hands of most of the world’s billions, who lived in rank poverty as a result. Porters suggested that the state should go beyond the simple enforcement of copyrights and patents, and actually seize ownership of them. He believed that only the state could properly reward technological innovation, while still distributing the benefits of such innovation fairly to all. 

 At first, “infosocialism” was not taken seriously in the developed nations, but in some parts of the world it combined with the Majority Cultures movement to produce a viable new ideology. By the late 2060s, several nations in South America and Southeast Asia were governed by local infosocialist parties. Piracy of advanced technology had long been a going concern in these nations, primarily benefitting a corrupt entrepreneurial class. Bolstered by Porters’ theories, governments found it attractive to seize the benefits of such piracy for themselves, striking a blow against Western-style capitalism and local corruption at the same time. 

 The infosocialist nations repudiated all international treaties protecting intellectual property. Patents and copyrights held elsewhere were ruthlessly pirated, although the infosocialist regimes usually offered “royalty” payments if the owners of intellectual property were willing to sign over their rights. Scientists and engineers within the infosocialist nations were often richly rewarded by the state for their work, at the cost of losing all control over their inventions. Some of the infosocialist nations even extended the principle to works of creative art, seizing the right to publish such works and pay royalties to their creators. 

 Naturally, the repudiation of international agreements had severe consequences, as most nations imposed economic sanctions on the infosocialist regimes. In response, the most committed nations in the infosocialist bloc formed the Transpacific Socialist Alliance. At about this time, the outside media began calling the new ideology “nanosocialism,” due to the Alliance’s emphasis on state control of emergent nanotechnologies. 

 The TSA has struggled along ever since, surviving economic sanctions and the Pacific War (see pp. 16-18), gathering more support around the world each year. Most outside observers believe that nanosocialism is doomed to fail, for many of the same reasons that Soviet-style Communism failed a century ago. Still, in many parts of the world the ideology is strongly attractive, and the TSA shows no signs of immediate collapse. 

 
INDIA  
 
For most of the past century, India has exercised considerable influence in its own region. For example, Indian troops won two short conventional wars with Pakistan in the 2020s. India also provided much of the diplomatic weight enforcing Singaporean neutrality in the late 2070s. Despite all this, India has continued to fall short of truly global influence. Although it has a large population, a well-educated elite, and a sound military establishment, its serious social problems have prevented it from attaining global power anytime in the last century. Today, India seems to be a “sleeping giant,” perhaps ready to awaken and shake the world.
 
India is characterized by factionalism. Its huge population is chronically divided along lines of religion, ethnicity, class, language, and ideology. Indeed, in many ways India is less a nation than it is a loose confederation of many nations. This factionalism has often weakened Indian government and caused rapid shifts in policy.
 
The dominant trend in current Indian politics is a struggle over nanosocialism. The local nanosocialist movement goes back to the late 2050s, and has managed to win a substantial bloc of seats in the People’s Assembly. Meanwhile, the conservative Indian National Alliance opposes the further spread of socialist ideas. The INA has held the government since 2082, and has done much to make India a more effective power on the world stage. Its policies are based on a confrontational stance toward China and the Transpacific Socialist Alliance, an aggressive Indian space program, and the development of Fifth Wave industries. Despite the INA’s successes in economic and foreign affairs, it has failed to stem the growth of Indian nanosocialism, and it seems possible that the coalition will fall within a few years.  

TRANSPACIFIC SOCIALIST ALLIANCE
As the infosocialist ideology spread, nations which had accepted it found themselves at odds with the capitalist world. By undercutting the concept of intellectual property, they threatened the economies of many other nations, provoking a menacing response. To defend their ideology in a hostile world, several nations of the nanosocialist bloc formed the Transpacific Socialist Alliance in 2074.

 The TSA is primarily a diplomatic and military alliance, dedicated to the defense and spread of nanosocialism. Its member states share few cultural traits. Since nanosocialism is not hostile to religion, the member states retain diverse traditions. They also speak a wide variety of unrelated languages, from Malay to Spanish to Vietnamese. The official language of the alliance, used during all deliberations of the Alliance Council in Djakarta, is English. 


 Most TSA member states have high military budgets, but the alliance remains vulnerable to attack. TSA military establishments are at a technological disadvantage, and the alliance also faces a serious strategic problem with its membership divided by the width of the Pacific Ocean. TSA diplomacy concentrates on keeping its potential foes off balance, hoping to prevent a two-front war. 

 The TSA was not originally conceived as an economic partnership. Even so, ongoing trade sanctions have encouraged its members to cooperate in economic as well as military terms. The TSA nations trade extensively among themselves. They also have their own segment of the global web, somewhat isolated from that of the outside world. Several TSA nations are doing moderately well despite the trade sanctions. Effective local governments (and the porousness of the sanctions regime) allow them to continue technological and economic progress.

THE ISLAMIC CALIPHATE
In 2000, the Arab nations suffered from a variety of factional divisions: city-dwellers against Bedouin, oil wealthy nations against poor ones, Sunni against Shi’ites, Western allies against anti-Western states. The contradictions often limited Arab effectiveness in world affairs, as Arab states who were nominally allied against the West came to blows among themselves. The Gulf Wars of 1992 and 2013, the Egyptian-Libyan war of 2017, the constant struggle against Israel… all of these sapped the strength of the Arab states.

 To be effective in the modern world, Arab civilization needed unity. The first promise of that unity came in the late 2030s, when a Muslim religious leader named Ali al-Rashid attained prominence in Saudi Arabia. Al-Rashid’s teachings seemed contradictory at first hearing. He preached devotion to the puritanical Wahhabi sect, but also embraced science and technology as the key to Arab success. He denounced the evil and degeneracy of Western civilization, but also taught that the proper Arab response was to teach morality by example. 

 Al-Rashid was blessed with great charisma and a fiery oratorical style that won many converts. By 2040 he was the most prominent Sunni religious leader in the world, openly acclaimed as the Mahdi by millions of Arabs. He had no direct political power of his own, but in 2043 he made an alliance with the House of Saud. The combination proved irresistible. Over the next few years, the Saudis used al-Rashid’s influence to strengthen their formal partnerships with other Muslim nations. During this period, they even managed a reconciliation with the anti-monarchist regimes of Iraq and Syria. Soon the Saudi alliance system took in all the Arab nations around the Persian Gulf. 

 In 2049, the allies agreed to set up a permanent council (the Presidium of the Arab League) in the holy city of Medina. The new council would serve as a focal point for the coordination of foreign policy and economic development. Ali al-Rashid was named Chairman of the Presidium, a purely honorary position which nonetheless gave him a unique position of moral influence. Meanwhile, the House of Saud attained effective control of the new council through typically pragmatic statesmanship. 

 The first action of the new Presidium was to grant Ali al-Rashid a longvacant title: that of Caliph. This made him a recognized successor or agent of Mohammed, and therefore the foremost religious and political leader in the Muslim world. Finally, the Arab states had a rallying point for constructive action in the world community, with the Caliph to provide moral leadership and hard-headed Saudi statesmen to manage the everyday business. 

 Although Ali al-Rashid died in 2081, the Caliphate remains in existence today. It has not always been successful in preventing strife among Muslims, but it has done much to moderate Arab radicalism and promote Arab economic development. Many powerful Islamic nations remain outside the alliance, particularly Iran, Pakistan, and the Arab states of northern Africa. The Caliphate is outwardly cool to the West, but it can usually work with Western nations where its interests permit.

 
SAUDI ARABIA  
 
The Bedouin house of Saud has ruled the Arabian homeland since the 1930s. The Saudi clan has long been famous for its religious devotion and its cunning, pragmatic statesmanship. These traits found their utmost expression in the 2040s, when the house put its weight behind Ali al-Rashid (p. 75). When the Islamic Caliphate was established in 2049, the Saudis were able to take a position as the secular leaders of much of the Arab community.
 
Saudi Arabia remains the epitome of the Bedouin state, a feudal monarchy transplanted into the modern world. The local Wahhabi sect is very puritanical in some respects, and foreign visitors will be expected to conform. Alcohol and most drugs are illegal, and all forms of the media are subject to strict censorship. Non-Muslims may not practice their religion in the country, and Jews are not permitted entry at all. Violations of law can be punished by immediate expulsion (for foreigners) or by whipping, branding, mutilation, or death.
 
On the other hand, the Saudi state follows many of the traditions of Bedouin politics. The king and his royal clan can rule only so long as the people follow, and the people demand that their rulers be generous and open to petitions. Saudi statesmen are adept at building consensus, and at melding the trends of the modern world with ancient Bedouin customs. The upshot is that Saudi Arabia can be a very congenial place to live, at least if one is a devout Muslim who can stay on the good side of Islamic law.
 
Saudi Arabia has long since given up dependence on its petroleum wealth, much of which has been depleted in any case. Today the nation has a robust “high industrial” economy, producing a variety of advanced materials and products. Saudi computer technology is quite advanced, although the local segment of the web is strictly controlled due to the need to exclude “immoral” material.
 
For religious reasons, radical human gengineering and bioroid manufacture have been ignored in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the Saudis have been willing to apply biotechnology and ecological engineering to the task of reclaiming parts of the Arabian desert. Along the Red Sea coast, and in oases in the interior, the Saudis have created wide stretches of fertile fields and verdant gardens.
 
Saudi foreign policy is centered on the need to maintain the Caliphate and protect Arab interests in a rapidly changing world. The Saudis have maintained close ties with the United States and (more recently) the Pacific Rim Alliance–both non-Muslim powers which pose no direct threat to Saudi sovereignty.
 

 
CHAD  
 
Chad has enjoyed some development based on petroleum and uranium reserves, but the southward march of the Sahara Desert has devastated local agriculture. At present the country must import food, and hunger-driven violence is common.
 

 
KENYA  
For most of the 21st century, Kenya has managed to remain a stable country, developing slowly but steadily with help from South Africa and (to a lesser degree) the European Union. Local society is strongly Preservationist, and has concentrated on developing Kenya’s natural resources while keeping most of the country in as wild a state as possible. Bioroid manufacture and the development of radical new human genetics have been almost unheard of here. Most of Kenya’s people are the result of very conservative genetic therapies, and are close matches for the original human stock.
 
Kenya is one of the most prosperous nations in subSaharan Africa. It is moderately developed, having fully absorbed Fourth Wave biotechnology, and is roughly comparable to China in technology and standard of living. Since 2093 Kenya has been the focus for the Olympus Project, the first attempt at constructing a “beanstalk” ground-to-orbit system for Earth. When completed, the beanstalk will bridge the distance between the summit of Mount Kenya and geosynchronous orbit, cutting the cost of interface transport dramatically. Primary investors include South Africa, the European Union, Australia, and Japan.  
 
The Olympus Project has brought a great deal of investment to Kenya, boosting the local economy. Unfortunately, it has also brought some unwanted outside attention. The American launch facilities in Ecuador, for decades the busiest spaceport on the planet, now face obsolescence almost overnight once the beanstalk is completed. Meanwhile, the Transpacific Socialist Alliance also opposes the beanstalk project, fearing the economic advantage it would give to the capitalist nations. These rivals have been pursuing a number of strategies for stopping or subverting the Olympus Project, making Kenya the site for considerable scheming.
 

THE FIFTH WAVE HOUSE
The basic construction of homes has changed only superficially in the past century. Large housing complexes and high-rise buildings are still shaped around a frame of steel girders and supports. Small buildings, such as stand-alone homes, still use brick or (synth)wood-frame construction. Brick, sheetrock and other materials are also used, although these too are sometimes produced using cheap biotech methods.

 One addition to the architect’s repertoire is various biocements. For these, engineered bacteria secrete gluelike organic compounds, fusing sand or dirt found onsite into a tough, solid mass. The resulting materials can be shaped using cheap molds and applied to a variety of structural functions. Some buildings are made entirely out of “bioadobe,” although this is common only in poor nations. 

 Most of the century’s innovations in house design have to do with increased computerization. Smart climate control systems help ensure that every room is comfortable year-round, and that hot or cool air is not distributed unevenly. Houses are built with a combination of fiber-optic cabling and wireless transceivers in place, ready to interface with the owners’ computerized appliances. Every room has at least one display-ready wall. Most homes come with a central computer of Complexity 5-7 (depending on affordability) which can run a household AI. Meanwhile, every home comes with a broadband web connection. 

 In densely populated areas (or regions where ecofriendly politics are popular) many houses are built to be have low impact on the environment. Biotechnology is applied to help recycle some household refuse on site, while water is recovered from the sewage system. This is particularly common for large residential buildings.

THE NEW ISLANDS
High technology has been used to construct many new pieces of land. Existing islands have been merged or expanded, and new ones built up from the ocean bottom. In most cases this has been done in land-starved coastal areas, such as large coastal cities or crowded nation-states. Such land reclamation is often done in conjunction with efforts to protect coastal land from rising sea levels.

Meanwhile, a number of islands have been constructed in the deep ocean. Most of these are effectively deepwater arcologies, with populations in the tens of thousands. The new islands are almost all corporate ventures, designed to provide bases for deep-sea exploration and exploitation. Some of them also function as political sanctuaries, beyond the immediate legal reach of any nation-state.

 
End of the Farm  
Agriculture has changed dramatically over the past century. Farming is a First Wave institution, and it has been overtaken by new technology no less than four times in the last few centuries. Today the bulk of grain production is done on factory farms, which take up hundreds of thousands of acres. Meat is produced in vat factories which maintain vast engineered cell cultures. These methods were fiercely resisted a century ago, but they provide the bulk of the world’s staple foods today.
 
One effect of this change has been the near-disappearance of the ranching industry. Modern factory production is much more efficient than the method of growing feed and running it through a herd of meat animals. Also, once vat-grown meat became an accepted part of society, the sheer inhumanity of Industrial Age meat production methods became an issue. During the 2060s, animal-rights advocates in the developed nations gathered considerable public support for the banning of ranching and mass slaughter. Few nations actually followed through with new law, but the movement succeeded in the market even as it failed in the political arena. Today, the Fifth Wave societies consider ranching for meat to be about as ordinary as hunting for meat. A few farmers still engage in ranching, but meat from living cattle is a slightly sinful luxury.
 
Forestry has also changed considerably in the past century. Most wood products are produced from genemod trees in managed forests, producing superior quality with much greater efficiency than traditional logging can support. Luxury woods are often vat-grown rather than cut from timber; this allows very fine quality control and can also produce “special effects” of grain and hardness that are not found in nature. In most nations, the remaining old-growth forests have been taken over by national or local governments, and converted into wilderness preserves.
 
 
New Wilderness  
 
As a result of these changes, the character of rural life has changed considerably over the past century. Most Fifth Wave nations are actually enjoying a resurgence of wilderness areas, as land once cleared for farming is returned to an unmanaged state. Small farms and ranches continue to operate, but in most cases they provide goods solely for the luxury market. A few traditional farms are operated by small communities which desire a self-sufficient lifestyle.
 
Most Fifth Wave citizens who live in rural areas do so as a lifestyle choice. They usually follow the same professions as their city-dwelling compatriots, “commuting” across the web as necessary. They prefer calm independence to the buzz of the cities or the carefully planned suburban lifestyle. Indeed, most Isolate communities (p. 37) are situated in rural areas.
 

SHARDS OF THE U.N.
The credibility of the United Nations Organization was badly damaged early in the century, when it proved helpless to prevent several major wars and international conflicts. This process culminated in 2025 when the United States withdrew from the organization entirely. U.N. headquarters relocated to Geneva, but the organization never recovered. The final meeting of the Security Council was held in 2034.

 In 2100, many people would be surprised to learn that the United Nations still exists. In fact the organization never officially disbanded. Many nations continue to regard at least some U.N. institutions as useful, and are willing to maintain their existence. The General Assembly continues to meet to this day, with about one-third of the world’s nations regularly sending delegates. According to the U.N. Charter, the Assembly decides most questions by the agreement of those present and voting – so even though many member nations no longer send delegates, those that do can still carry on the Assembly’s business. Specifically, the Assembly continues to hold regular elections for the post of Secretary-General, and it manages the budget of the truncated organization. 

 Several U.N. agencies still operate, maintained by the Secretariat’s international civil service. The U.N. no longer recruits peacekeeping forces from its member nations, but when the budget permits it sometimes hires military force. Such employment of mercenaries is often controversial (and represents a significant departure from earlier U.N. policy), but it has effectively resolved several small conflicts.

TRANSHUMAN AWAKENING: THE ANDES WAR

• It was a war for no clear object, in a country that presented no threat, fought by soldiers who had no choice. Vietnam with pretty mountains. You would think we might have learned something in the last 80 years. %– Captain Dana Martello, USMC (ret.), The Andean Conflict (2064)%* 
  

  In the developed world, the 2030s and 2040s were a time of material prosperity and political conformism. The main concerns of most people were to make a good living and avoid causing trouble. All of that changed suddenly in the early 2050s, with the great social upheaval known as the Transhuman Awakening.
  Off Earth, the awakening was sparked by the release of the Ares Plague and the subsequent birth of the Preservationist movement. On Earth, the event that catalyzed the revolution was the outbreak of the Andes War.
  In 2049, a new insurgency broke out in Peru. Like the Sendero Luminoso insurgency of the 20th century, the “Red Sword” movement was inspired by radical Marxism. Unlike the Senderistas, the Red Sword’s radicals drew their manpower primarily from the indigenous population of Peru, and posed a serious threat to Peru’s urban centers and central government. The new rebellion also had some remarkably un-Marxist ideas, calling for the absolute rule of a genetically enhanced Incan elite and the rejection of all high-industrial technology. By 2052, the Peruvian government was fighting a vicious guerrilla war and was in dire straits. In that year, Lima made its first appeal to the United States for military aid, suggesting that a rebel victory would make the American alliance with Ecuador untenable and threaten the Columbia Aerospace facilities near Quito.

 The Andes War was the first major conflict which involved engineered and biomodified soldiers on all sides. The United States deployed Marine and regular Army units made up almost entirely of combat cybershells, run by advanced [infomorphs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Infomorph) or by human soldiers using [teleoperation.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teleoperation) Most American officers in the field used some level of biomodification, as did many of the Red Sword insurgents. The Peruvian government used [uplifted animals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uplift_(science_fiction)) as bodyguards and commando troops. 

 The war was quite controversial in the United States and the rest of the developed world. Both  rebel and Peruvian government forces behaved with extreme brutality. The diverse nature of the combatants brought the issue of nonhuman rights to the immediate attention of the American populace. Many young people demonstrated against the use of infomorphs and gene-modified organisms in dangerous or menial occupations. Other elements of society rejected them as “inhuman,” and demanded an end to their construction. Some conservatives also claimed their inhumanity, but supported their use as a liberating factor for “real” humans. 

 After American forces withdrew from Peru in 2055, Low-AI driven cybershells of increasing sophistication began appearing in civilian society. Combat models entered service with police and private security firms. Labor models appeared in the unskilled-labor pool and in public-works projects. Some were even produced to serve as expensive companions, bodyguards or sex toys. All of these events further polarized society in the U.S. and elsewhere, touching off years of social and political upheaval. 

ANTARCTICA
For many years, human activity in Antarctica was controlled by the Antarctic Treaty of 1959. This treaty allowed some nations to make territorial claims on the continent, but strictly limited what activities could be performed there. In effect, Antarctica was set aside for scientific research, and all military or resource-development activity was forbidden.

 During the 2010s, advanced exploration techniques discovered massive deposits of coal, oil, and natural gas on the Antarctic Peninsula. By the late 2020s, oil-extraction technology had advanced to the point where exploiting the Antarctic reserves was feasible, even while world oil prices were rising rapidly. This made the Antarctic oil fields extremely tempting. 

 The territorial situation was confused at best. The potential oil fields were located in a region in which Argentina, Chile, and the United Kingdom had made overlapping claims. Argentina and Chile were the closest nations, and arguably needed the oil. Meanwhile, environmental politics led the British to spearhead diplomatic resistance to drilling. The situation grew increasingly tense after 2030, as Argentina and Chile tested the boundaries of the Antarctic Treaty. 

 The Antarctic War broke out in March of 2033. Certain that the United Kingdom would be politically paralyzed by the fallout of Scottish secession, Argentina unilaterally repudiated the Antarctic Treaty and began openly drilling for oil. When the British threatened to respond with force, Argentine naval and commando forces seized the Falkland Islands in order to deny the U.K. its best forward bases in the area. Three days later, Chile announced political and military cooperation with Argentina. 

 The war was relatively small, but bitterly fought. Argentine forces were smaller and less sophisticated than the British, but the difference was not as great as in the 1982 confrontation, and the Argentines were operating much closer to their home territory. The British had great difficulty retaking the Falklands. Afterward, they were unable to interdict communications between Argentina and Antarctica. The British were also restrained by the extreme Antarctic climate, and the need to respect world opinion by avoiding all-out warfare on Antarctica itself. The result was months of low-level conflict. The British tried to capture Argentine stations and petroleum facilities on Antarctica, while the Argentines mounted counter-raids against the British stronghold around the Falklands. 

 The war threatened to escalate in 2034, when New Zealand moved a battalion of troops to its own bases on the Ross Ice Shelf to protect them against possible attack. These forces were well away from the main battle zones, but the New Zealand government openly stated its support for the British position in the war. At this point the United States used its position as a neutral friendly to all combatants, brokering a cease-fire and opening negotiations. In 2035 a new Antarctic Treaty was signed, disallowing all national claims to territory on Antarctica and forbidding further military action. Antarctica was to be held in trust by all signatories as part of the “common heritage of mankind,” and no further exploitation of local resources was to be allowed. 

 The new treaty was an imperfect compromise, but it held for some time. In the end, before new tensions could arise, a flood of new wealth began to arrive from space. By the mid-2040s, petroleum prices were falling once again as fusion power fueled by lunar helium-3 began to alter the global energy economy. The Antarctic War was thus a pivotal moment in world history: the last major war fought over petroleum, and also the last diplomatic success enjoyed by the United States as the world’s only “superpower.” The end of the petroleum economy and the end of American predominance both ushered in the modern world. 

 As of 2100, Antarctica still has no permanent residents–at least officially. Debate over the proper use of the continent continues. Today there is little interest in Antarctica’s fossil-fuel or mineral wealth. Instead, Antarctica has been proposed as an ideal place for Isolate communities, using high technology and genetic engineering to survive even in the most inhospitable land on Earth. Persistent rumors claim that such communities (or secret research facilities sponsored by unknown parties) are already in place somewhere on the continent.

THE PACIFIC WAR
The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of Chinese settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had been settling all over Southeast Asia, forming expatriate communities that often dominated local business. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand all had particularly large Chinese communities. This Chinese diaspora was further reinforced around the turn of the century, as people fled from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan just ahead of reunification with the People’s Republic.

 It was among these Chinese middle-class communities that nanosocialism found its most fertile ground in the revolutionary 2060s. Most of the new nanosocialist regimes of Southeast Asia were driven by the enthusiasm of non-Chinese majorities, but their political and economic leaders tended to be ethnic Chinese. On the other hand, nanosocialism was completely incompatible with the odd blend of Confucianism, communism, and capitalism that had taken root in the Chinese homeland. What followed was a People’s Republic that was at odds with most of the nations of Southeast Asia. Relations between China and the TSA, and especially between China and TSA leader Thailand, deteriorated steadily. 

 The situation became particularly bad in 2083, when the PRC withdrew diplomatic contact from Thailand and imposed a complete embargo on all communications, web exchange, and travel to the TSA bloc. Efforts by the Pacific Rim Alliance to mediate the dispute went nowhere, and for the first time in decades a major war seemed possible. 

 In June 2084, war finally came, with a Chinese strike against TSA communications and powersat facilities in Earth orbit. The PRC announced its discovery of a TSA “black” research program, developing contagious nanoviruses and other genetic atrocities. Chinese propaganda claimed that these nanoviruses could be released to redesign the genetics of billions of people, or (even more insidiously) to alter their beliefs and make them more susceptible to nanosocialist dogma. The TSA rejected these allegations and vowed to carry on the war by all possible means. 

 At first, it seemed likely that the war would spread, but a few days after the first Chinese strike the Pacific Rim Alliance and the United States declared themselves neutral. They applied diplomatic pressure to insure that no other powers involved themselves in the conflict; the United States imposed an embargo on helium-3 shipments to both sides. These steps kept the war “limited” in scope – if such a term can be applied to a conflict stretching all the way across the Pacific basin, into Earth orbit and out to the planetary colonies. 

 The war was fought in many theaters. The People’s Liberation Army moved against Bangkok, Hanoi, and Rangoon, making steady progress despite fierce TSA resistance in the mountains of northern Indochina. The navies of both sides, equipped with fast supercavitating submarines and hydrofoils, mounted lightning campaigns in the South China Sea. Even thousands of miles from the front lines, facilities were destroyed by commando raids, network intrusion attacks, and the delivery of “devourer” microbot swarms. The TSA’s orbital facilities were destroyed or occupied in the first Chinese attack wave, but sabotage of Chinese space facilities continued throughout the war and a number of nanosocialist AKVs remain unaccounted for even in 2100. Propaganda campaigns promoted internal rebellion on both sides. Casualties were light in comparison with the great mass conflicts of the 20th century, but even so millions of civilians died in the course of the war 

 By early 2085, it was clear that China had the upper hand. Hanoi had fallen to Chinese troops, driving the Vietnamese government into the south of the country. The TSA navies had failed to hold the South China Sea, and an invasion of Indonesia or Malaysia seemed imminent. Chinese propaganda was threatening to split the TSA in half, as the South American members of the alliance began quietly to suggest capitulation. 

 On March 12, about a hundred scientists and political leaders fled Bangkok, apparently traveling to Indonesia but in fact vanishing. The Thai government collapsed the next day, as an alliance of business leaders and second-tier military officers seized power and ejected the remaining nanosocialists. After several hours of confusion, the government of Indonesia seized the leadership of the TSA and opened peace negotiations. The war was over. 

POSTWAR CHILL
The long-term implications of the Pacific War have been difficult to assess. China apparently succeeded in its official objectives, destroying the TSA’s black weapons program and bringing down the revolutionary Thai government. Still, for all the violence and destruction, the war settled few issues. If anything it has set off a new period of international tension and conflict. China’s victory in the war established it as the leading power in world affairs, but it has also energized China’s potential rivals to improve their own standing.

 Nanosocialism and the Transpacific Socialist Alliance were not destroyed in the conflict. Indeed, under Indonesian management the TSA has recovered much prestige. The “crimes against humanity” committed by the prewar Thai leadership have been repudiated, and the alliance’s economy has recovered to better than prewar levels. As an ideology, nanosocialism continues to gain new adherents, especially in Africa, India and the Americas. 

 India’s role in world affairs appears ready to take on unique significance. Its massive population and growing economy have already brought it into the Great Power ranks. It also seems possible that India will go nanosocialist in the near future, a prospect which frightens many around the world. India’s admission to the TSA would more than double the alliance’s population and economic output, putting it in rough parity with China itself and shifting the balance of power worldwide. 

 Chinese dominance has been challenged once again by the Pacific Rim Alliance. After the war, the new Thai government quickly reached an understanding with the PRA, negotiating for entry into the alliance even while the final peace accord with China remained to be signed. When these arrangements became public in 2086, relations between China and the PRA cooled dramatically. Today, Asia and the Pacific basin are the main flashpoint for future world conflict, as a three-cornered “cold war” is under way between China and its two rival alliances. 

** The** last major power to enjoy a resurgence in the postwar era has been the United States. Long considered to be in decline, the U.S. has been greatly energized by a string of recent military and diplomatic successes. The American economy has been growing rapidly in recent years, and it seems possible that the U.S. will regain the technological lead it lost in the early 2070s. All of this has encouraged the United States to return to an activist stance, aggressively seeking influence and prestige around the world.

 
DCS-4 *GRIZZLY-CLASS* SCV (TL10)  
 
This is a force-projection vessel operated by the USAF, but carrying U.S. Army spaceborne troops. It is an unstreamlined hull massing 30,000 tons (SM +11), 450 feet long. It is the largest spacecraft constructed with diamondoid armor thus far, giving it exceptional protection.
 
 
Front Hull System(s)  
[1-3] Diamondoid Armor (Hardened; total dDR 300).  
[4] Hangar Bay (1,000 tons capacity).*  
[5!] Secondary Battery (four turrets with 100 MJ rapid fire ultraviolet lasers, six turrets with 10 MJ very rapid fire ultraviolet lasers).*
 
Front Hull System(s)  
[6] Smaller Systems (three at SM +10): one Control Room (C10 computer, comm/sensor 9, and five control stations);  
one Multipurpose Array (comm/sensor 11);  
one External Clamp.†  
[core] Fusion Reactor (two Power Points).*
 
Central Hull System(s)  
[1-2] Diamondoid Armor (Hardened; total dDR 200).  
[3-6] Fuel Tanks (1,500 tons nuclear pellets providing 12 mps delta-V each).  
[core] Habitat (50 bunkrooms, 10 cabins, three establishments, five-bed automed sickbay, minifac fabricator; 640 tons cargo).*
 
Rear Hull System(s)  
[1] Diamondoid Armor (Hardened; dDR 100).  
[2-5] Fuel Tanks (1,500 tons nuclear pellets providing 12 mps delta-V each).  
[6] Fusion Pulse Drive (0.05G acceleration).*  

• Three workspaces per system.  
  † One workspace each for control room and multipurpose array.
   
  It has dynamic chameleon skin and thermal-stealth tech. Crew consists of four bridge crew (commander, pilot, navigator, and weapons officer). Others include 17 technicians and 100 battlesuited troopers or other military personnel.
   
   
  "Spartan"  
  Attribute Modifiers: ST+5 [60]; HT+1 [10].  
  Advantages: Combat Reflexes [15]; Extra Encumbrance [5]; High Pain Threshold [10].  
  Date: 2084. Cost: $160,000.  
  The Spartan is a typical high-end combat bioroid, with hormone-boosted muscles, reinforced skeleton, reduced pain response, and sharpened reflexes for emergency situations. The most attractive feature of the Spartan is its ability to use heavy infantry support weapons alone, without mechanical or personal assistance. The Spartan model was developed in the United States, and is now widespread throughout the Americas. Versions of it can be found in China and have also been pirated by the nanosocialist states.
   
  >‘‘Spartan’’ space marine supersoldiers.  
  >Space elevator in Kenya.  
  >Insurrectionists on Earth and in space.  
   

"Guardian"
Officially, the Guardian parahuman template never existed. Just before the Pacific War, Chinese propaganda claimed that the template was being developed as a product of the TSA’s “Special Projects” division. The design was supposedly part of an attempt to create a genetic elite to rule over humanity. TSA leadership denied the charge, and Chinese officials never produced proof for the world community. Nevertheless, rumors persist that a number of Guardians were actually conceived, and may have grown to maturity in hiding since the end of the Pacific War.

 If rumors are correct, the Guardians (the name comes from Plato’s Republic) were engineered for two major goals. The first was natural durability. Guardians were to be slightly faster and more robust than unmodified humans, with cardiovascular modifications to make them fit and tough. The second goal was mastery of other human beings. Their mental balance was designed for personal pride and a willingness to command others. Physically attractive, with pleasant voices, they would be engaging from a distance or over a telecom channel. In person, they would be magnetic, the result of glands releasing dominance and sexual pheromones. These glands would not become functional until after puberty, but they would be under the Guardian’s conscious control. 

 If any Guardians are alive, they are likely approaching adulthood, ready to take up a role on the world stage. Another possibility is that there are Guardian children growing up ignorant of their heritage, but about to come into their full powers as adults. Both possibilities are among the modern world’s minor nightmares. 

"Helot"
Sometimes called “Social Man,” the Helot genetic template was developed in China about 2080. Its supporters claim that the upgrade makes human beings much better able to live in a crowded urban civilization, reducing aggressive and selfish impulses without curtailing overall intelligence. Detractors point out that these traits are exactly what a would be ruling elite would desire, making the human population more docile and tractable.

 In fact, several recent experiments with totalitarianism have used the Helot genotype in an attempt to prevent popular uprisings. The outcome of the experiment is unclear, since the first Helot cohorts are only now reaching adulthood. About 250,000 Helots exist today, most of them in central Africa, southeast Asia, Indonesia, and Peru. Elsewhere Helots are few, since the genotype is unpopular among parents who have a choice of genetic template for their children. 

• Helot II:* A more elaborate version of the Helot genotype is rumored to have been developed by TSA scientists just before the Pacific War. This template would have involved a complete restoration of the vestigial human vomeronasal organ, allowing the variant form to be strongly influenced by pheromones. According to anti-nanosocialist propaganda, the TSA elite planned to use dominance and sexual pheromones as a tool of political control; people with the “Helot II” genotype would have been particularly vulnerable to such an attack. 
  

(Cyber/Hivemind-commies be gone)

"Ariadne"
One of the more controversial ideal-parahuman types has been the Ariadne, first developed in the 2060s in the United States. Some social movements of the time called for the complete emancipation of women from male domination-through the creation of a human subspecies that would not require males to survive or reproduce. The Ariadne subspecies fell short of that goal, as genetic engineering was unable at the time to produce true parthenogenesis. Even so, with modern reproductive technology the new subspecies has been able to get by. Ideological fervor has allowed Ariadne communities to survive despite their inability to reproduce themselves “naturally.”

 Today there are about 200,000 Ariadnes. Most of them live in Isolate communities or have emigrated to the space colonies. Although most of Earth’s Fifth Wave societies have relaxed their intolerance of the Ariadne lifestyle, such prejudice has been intense at times. Most Ariadne communities remain convinced that they are persecuted and cannot live safely in the global society. Ariadne scientists are among the leaders in reproductive modifications. 

 For the most part the Ariadne genotype is a typical Homo superior type, slightly above the human average in intelligence and overall health, engineered for longevity and disease resistance. The “fight-or-flight” response has also been carefully improved to give the variant superior emergency reflexes. The controversial aspects of the variant are in its reproductive systems. Ariadnes cannot become pregnant unless they wish to, and they cannot bear male children. Male fetuses are spontaneously aborted by an autoimmune reaction by the time they reach the hundredcell stage. Meanwhile, the brain and hormonal mechanisms responsible for gender identity have been subtly modified, giving Ariadnes a strong predisposition toward homosexuality. Not all Ariadnes function as homosexuals, but most of them are at least bisexual, and fully heterosexual individuals are quite rare. 

• Ariadne II:* The product of collaboration between Earth-bound Ariadnes and geneticists on Margaret Station (p. TS37), the new version of the genotype will attain reproductive self-sufficiency once the first cohorts reach adulthood. 
  

"Korous"
Cultural struggles over “gender politics” have often bred extremism, such as that which gave rise to the Ariadne parahuman design (p. 116). One response to the gender wars has been to withdraw from the field of combat entirely. For example, members of the “asexual” movement of the 2060s used bodysculpting and other techniques to remove all sexual characteristics, expressing not only a rejection of gender politics but a rejection of gender itself. In the early 2080s a variation of this ideology gave rise to the Kouros-series design.

 Kouros parahumans are true functional hermaphrodites, able to perform either the male or female role in sex or reproduction. Indeed, a Kouros can reproduce alone. The physical appearance of a Kouros is distinctive and not in any sense androgynous. Facial features and body shape were each designed to be significantly different from either male or female norms. The result is sometimes considered attractive but is often disturbing to non-Kouros humans. 

 In an attempt to give the Kouros a distinctive mindset that was neither “masculine” or “feminine,” the designers concentrated on creativity and communication skills. One unplanned side effect is a breakdown in emergencyresponse reflexes, which often causes the Kouros to “freeze” in stressful situations. The oldest cohorts of the new subspecies have reached adulthood, and have almost universally avoided military service (but are showing some promise in linguistics, diplomacy, and the creative arts). There are about 50,000 Kouros in the world at present. 

"Avatar"
Like the Ariadne, the Avatar design was motivated by social conflicts over gender roles. Rather than try to redefine what it meant to be masculine or feminine, this design reinforces typical gender stereotypes. As such, it is an exercise in sexual dimorphism, in which the physical and psychological differences between males and females of the subspecies are exaggerated. Male Avatars are strong, robust, alert, stoic in the face of pain, and strongly egoistic. Female Avatars are dexterous, soft-voiced, and retiring. Both sexes are engineered for great physical attractiveness, and have extreme secondary sexual characteristics which make their masculinity or femininity almost fiercely obvious.

 The Avatar design is a fairly early variant, having first appeared in the Middle East. It has been surprisingly popular, even outside the strongly patriarchal cultures where it was first marketed. Today it can be found almost everywhere in Africa, the Americas, Europe and the Middle East. There are about 500,000 Avatars today. 

 Male Avatars tend to gravitate toward high-risk occupations such as the military, while female Avatars (especially those who overcome their natural Shyness) are often successful as diplomats, negotiators or entertainers. 

Mechs take considerably more maintenance than anything on wheels or treads. But when the War Council gets to see a new heavy legs unit put their foot straight through the top of a tank, it shakes the part of their brain that worries about money. I like to think the first mech field test was sort of like when the military first got real hot and bothered for helicopters back on Earth. They want the slick new stuff, who cares what it costs?

Mechs are the standard-bearers, the cavalry, and the commanders all in one. Being taller means overlapping fields of fire with shorter vehicles, better top kill and defilade, and less trouble with comms in dense urban areas on account of the antennae height. Put them hull down (“kneeling”) and you’ve got great defensive fire, perfect for covering infantry and powersuits.
_{[ Category:Mechs | Brigador Wiki | Fandom ]}

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

^{[ Praetor | Brigador Wiki | Fandom ]}

It’s the nature of military engineering to take things too far. The Praetor represents that limit, as least as far as Loyalists are concerned. Touro’s stouter younger brother, the Praetor is a command variant with major firepower and the ability to take a little more on the chin. Pays for it in tight corners though.

Praetors are slower and can’t turn for shit, but you can ride the thing straight through an enemy line and out the other side. Design Bureau laughed at Chief Engineer Halleck after that “maneuverability is for cowards” rant, but Praetors have plowed though walls and even minefields without a dent before, so who’s to say? Besides, Halleck is second only to the Founders in the Praetor driver set.

^{[ Bishop | Brigador Wiki | Fandom ]}
The Bishop is, quite frankly, a ridiculous weapon. Essentially a short-barreled smoothbore version of a cannon designed for frigates and larger littoral class vessels, the combined weight of the barrel and munitions means it can only be fielded by the heaviest mobile platforms, and even them with very limited ammunition.

^{[ Blackjack | Brigador Wiki | Fandom ]}

Whoa, someone in the Corvids stopped huffing gasoline long enough to bolt something together with a semblance of balance and symmetry? That’d make front page of the newspaper, if it weren’t illegal to write about or even mention the Corvids.

The Blackjack is a pressurized transport container with even more armor on top and about three agravs’ worth of indirect vision systems slaved in to compensate for the fact that driving one feels like being strapped in a chair at the bottom of a well. Drivers can’t tell if they’re untouchable or if they’re drowning. Better to be in one than on the receiving end of those double cannons, though.

^{[ Active Camouflage | Brigador Wiki | Fandom ]}

A combination of phased array optics and vibration damping renders a vehicle effectively invisible. However given the massive energy requirements and sensitivity of the system, the field can only be maintained for a few seconds at a time and is disrupted by weapons fire or heavy impacts. As the effect is not perfect, close proximity will also reveal the stealthed vehicle.

 
 
 
 
_^||:P||

Military spacecraft would already be hard enough to maintain without automated repair systems. Also, in space, next to nothing is hard to come by, except for things that require high amounts of power to produce, like antimatter, tho you could probably just park a station right inside the sun’s photosphere for that. On the topic of resources worth fighting lightyears around for tho, I’d just make up some sorta mgguffin, leik, black “oil” Bose-Einstein condensate reservoirs within the icy crust of unusually extremely-cold planets.  
_{(Bose-Einstein condensate shouldn’t occur naturally in the universe, and since it can be used to, leik, preserve antimatter, it’s practically “black-body” gold)}
 
When I think “efficient” mech that still flies around wildly, I think;  

 
combined with the concept of ‘‘intentional instability’’ ;  

The latest generation of fighter aircraft often employ design elements which reduce stability to increase maneuverability. Greater stability leads to lesser control surface authority, therefore a less stable design will have a faster response to control inputs. This is highly sought after in fighter aircraft design.

A less stable aircraft requires smaller control deflections to initiate maneuvering; consequently drag and control surface imposed stresses will be reduced and aircraft responsiveness will be enhanced. Since these characteristics will typically make control by the pilot difficult or impossible, an artificial stability will typically be imposed using computers, servos, and sensors as parts of a fly by wire control system.

Propellers (as well as screws, fans and rotors) are used to move through a fluid. Propellers have been used as toys since ancient times, however it was Leonardo da Vinci who devised what was one of the earliest propeller driven vehicles, the “aerial-screw”. In 1661, Toogood & Hays adopted the screw for use as a ship propeller. Since then, the propeller has been tested on many terrestrial vehicles, including the Schienenzeppelin train and numerous cars. In modern times, propellers are most prevalent on watercraft and aircraft, as well as some amphibious vehicles such as hovercraft and ground-effect vehicles. Intuitively, propellers cannot work in space as there is no working fluid, however some sources have suggested that since space is never empty, a propeller could be made to work in space.