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Harmony Day
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You will be the representative/s of a national government or supranational entity. At the moment, things look bleak because currently nobody knows how to avert Earth's fate. but it is in times like this when man is strongest and the most inventive.
Depending on the choice for a nation, the starting day may change.
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After these 'years of collapse' as some have come to call this decade, the maps of the world didn't have to be redrawn, most interestingly.
What did change, however, was the alignment of various nations to each other. Traditional allies sometimes became enemies, while former enemies became friends. All in all, most of this change was in Asia and Africa.
The United States of America. Previously powerful, though its power slowly slipping from its grasp. It already was in economic trouble before Cato's discovery, a situation which only grew more dire in the following years. When California was hit by an 8.7 in 2014, things went truly downhill. Los Angeles was hit hard, more than 70% of the city's buildings collapsing, the vast majority in the poorer parts of the city, where most of the population resided. Through something of a chain reaction, the earth further east and north-east of the city began to tremble as well. Finally, the Hoover dam was hit - already weakened by decades of monetary mismanagement, failed maintenance and a serious clam problem clogging up the turbines.
It gave in with little warning. Tens of trillions of litres cleansed everything in their path, roaring down the Colorado River towards Davis and Parker dams. Neither held for long, and more water was added to the masses. While the masses eventually slowed, anything between what had been the Hoover dam and Lake Havasu was practically gone, with major floods happening further downriver. Thousands more were added to the death toll from this alone. The resulting energy crisis in the region, not to mention that half a million acres of fertile farmland lost its source of water and the loss of drinking water added to the problems faced in the aftermath of the earthquake.
California's economy practically collapsed, dragging several neighbouring states with it even as tens of thousands died and millions of refugees - including the entire population of Las Vegas - began flooding the rest of the nation over the next months and years.
In the end, the United States had to declare total bankruptcy - throwing the global economy off the rails and adding to the crisis.
Even today, years after the catastrophe, the effects could be felt. The US is weakened considerably. While it still possesses its mighty Navy, trust in the economy - and capitalism - has evaporated practically overnight. Any further action would have to be measured carefully, lest riots break out, all despite the looming threat of Cato.
The Commonwealth of Nations. Officially established in 1971, with its roots going back as early as the 40s faced problems of lesser magnitude compared to the US, but problems nonetheless. During the years of collapse, the economy suffered, like that of everyone else did. Canada and Australia did surprisingly well, while the mother country of Great Britain lost northern Ireland to insurgent attacks in 2017 after a series of political blunders and economic mismanagement on Britain's part.
Other than this, wondrously little happened - Britain and the Commonwealth stand proud and with their heads held high, having weathered the majority of the storm and recovering.
With the Commonwealth's great resource deposits - among this the largest uranium reserves in the world in Canada and Australia - the Royal Navy, strengthened bonds between the members and good relations to the EU, some consider it to be on its way to reclaim Great Britain's status as a superpower from the 19th century.
The European Union. A supranational entity before the war, it has finally done the very last step on its long way to become a truly united entity. But despite this new-found strength, it had to endure severe economic problems in previous years, as well as Ireland's expulsion from the EU in 2018, testing the strength of the unity that had its source in some obscure treaties of the early 50s, but matures enough to bring so many nations together under a single banner.
The unity is further tested by the continuing economic problems of regions such as Greece and Spain, as well as nationalist movements flaring up in parts of the Union. While it doesn't have the power-projection capabilities of the Commonwealth or the United States, Europe's military forces are second to none, recent endeavours in high-tech weaponry having resulted in infantry-held 'Battle Lasers'. The Union's resources are still considerable, but depleted from centuries of exploitation, dependent on importing some crucial resources such as gas and certain rare earths.
The Union of South American Nations. Finding its origin Cusco Declaration from 2004, the USAN was founded a mere decade before the world-wide crisis. In an attempt spearheaded by Brazil to keep the continent's economy relatively stable, the various member nations strengthened their ties and reliance on each other. While successful, the USAN is considerably less united than the US, EU or Commonwealth, especially the language barrier between Brazil and the rest of the continent making cooperation something of a difficulty on occasion, not to speak of nationalists especially in the south, in Argentina. Adding to this are considerable problems with getting rid of crime syndicates in the various member countries, most of all Brazil.
All in all, the economy is solid, if not as incredibly powerful as that of some other nations. Its military assets are somewhat lacking, though Brazil recently finished construction of its first carrier. Concerning resources, the continent still has plenty of untapped deposits, making it largely independent in this regard.
The Arab League. Founded in Cairo shortly after the second world war, the League is even less united than the USAN, though democratic movements before and during the years of collapse led to many of its citizens having found a new identity and changed views of themselves. Though by no means all of its members are democratic - Saudi Arabia, for example - the League itself does decide things democratically. During the crisis, the majority of its problems were a result of the USA's economy failing. Today, however, they have largely recovered, in part thanks to the still vast oil exports, and the proximity to the EU.
Still, the League is probably the weakest of the major entities regarding economy, at least right now. Its population is quite large, and with new allies found in central Africa, it has a chance to grow stronger in the face of Cato. Militarily, the League can be considered average, though religious extremism is on the rise.
Japan. Land of the Rising Sun, Japan's economy suffered not only from the Tohoku earthquake in 2011, but also from the tsunami caused by the Los Angeles Quake in 2014 as well as the United States' bankruptcy. Today, some consider it but a shadow of its former power, though growing steadily by the day. All these problems have led to a rise in extremely high-tech inventions in the previous few years, with artificial eyes, fully robotic surgery and plastic bones being but a few of the great advances made by the populous island nation.
In the wake of the global crisis, the Japanese Self-Defense Force was strengthened, forced to become less dependent on the United States. With this, the government has begun to experiment with robotic soldiers and is considering other such high-tech shenanigans. Still, the nation - and thus its economy - depends on the rest of the world for its resources, little of anything being available.
The Republic of India. An old nation with a rigid caste-system, its current incarnation ws established in 1947 after the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi and his followers convinced the British government to let them go. During the first decade after Cato's discovery, millions fell to several consecutive years of bad harvest and a lack of food imports, resulting in the largest famine since Mao's 'Great Leap Forward'. An estimated 90 million died, with some provinces almost entirely depopulated. Despite the loss of more than 7% of the population, India at large remained relatively stable. It is one of the things it has to spare: The poor.
In recent years, the nation grew - if not demographically - with the economy strengthening and growing at a speed that might soon lead to dangerous inflation, if nothing is done. Militarily, India is on par with the Arab League, powerful enough to dissuade any hostile neighours - especially the north-westerly one - from invasion. Having found allies and friends in the South Asian Unity Pact, they might well be on their way to make India a superpower, especially considering the resources they have available. If there is time.
The Russian Federation. Great Mother Russia, re-founded as federation after the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991. In the years before Cato, it had plenty of problems. In the years after, these problems only intensified. While the population is growing again thanks to a resurgence of religion, the economy is largely stagnant. This, for the most part, is because of the Mafia extending its feelers even further than before, even manipulating the elections to bring in an ultra-capitalist government. Even with the (rather pitiful) support of the Eurasian Federation, Russia has its problems with growth. A solution may be to exploit the truly vast riches of Siberia. After all, less than 10% of the population lives there, in 80% of the nation's area.
Militarily, what Russia has is old, but reliable. Even if it is not as powerful as previously, there still are many nuclear weapons in the silos, this alone making the country a force to be reckoned with.
The People's Republic of China. Powerful, totalitarian, with a history spanning the ages. Created by a man who, thanks to the party's manipulation of the system of education, will sooner or later be forgotten, it was the victor of a cruel war between communists and nationalists throughout the 40s. Since then, the PRC has come a long way. Up until the discovery of Cato, its economy was one of the fastest-growing in all of Asia, rivalled by few others. In the decade after, when both the US and Russia were weakening, China's economy suffered as well. However, through political maneuvering, making promises and giving incentives, China acquired enough influence in various surrounding and Central Asian nations to found the 'Asian Pact for Economic Prosperity'. The governments of the nations in this pact have become dependent on the People's Republic, though some of the eastern members are actively considering cooperation with Russia.
In the End, the People's Republic is still as mighty a juggernaught as it was in 2012 ago, if not more so. It has become less dependent on the United States for exports. The economy is strong, and the imports from its 'allies' - puppets, rather - serve only to strengthen it further. Its military is larger than any other, though the equipment is not the most modern and the navy is relatively weak.
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Choose one.
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