Everyone:
I watched this "blast from the past" on the Sci-Fi Channel on Friday night. Back when it first aired — in 1984, I think — I was 10 years old. Boy, did that bring back memories of the 1980s ... and, of course, the Cold War (through an adult's perspective).
Here's the question: What would the timeline of "The Day After" look like in 2007?
Assuming I'm right about my dating (the nuclear war occurring in 1984), it's been 23 years since the nuclear exchange devastated not only the United States and the Soviet Union, but apparently Europe and other parts of the world as well (Japan for sure, since it was a close U.S. ally; as for other nations, such as India, Australia, Canada, Pakistan, various Middle Eastern nations and so on, I'm not sure, since the movie never went into any detail).
In my opinion, that timeline remains a blighted nightmare in 2007, albeit one where some scarring has "healed" the most gaping wounds. I don't think China was involved in the nuclear war, so they probably emerged as the world's strongest power and remain so in 2007. South America might also be home to some of the post-nuclear war strong nations, along with South Africa.
In the United States, much of the nation remains in ruins, despite the National Reconstruction Authority's (NRA) efforts to restore order and begin the rebuilding process. Why? Well, the president did say the Soviet Union was successful in hitting "most" of the nation's military and industrial assets. Knowing how there were missile fields across much of the nation's heartland in 1984, I'm quite sure that very few areas of the nation were able to avoid direct hits or "collateral" damage (i.e. secondary effects from blasts, radiation, civil disruptions and so on). Only a few major cities avoided getting blasted into oblivion — perhaps Minneapolis, Denver, Las Vegas, etc.
So, the United States is a third-rate power. Its only claim to power is the fact that it still has a few boomer submarines in the world's oceans, each one carrying enough nuclear warheads to devastate a small- to medium-sized nation. Otherwise, it's incapable of projecting power beyond North America.
The Soviet Union would be in a similar condition. Perhaps it would be in even worse condition since, in addition to nuclear bombardment from the U.S. and its NATO allies, it might literally have broken up. Why? Well, look at what caused the Soviet Union to break up in our own timeline — a vast empire held together only by force, but once that force is gone (i.e. Russia itself), the republics bolt off by themselves. The nuclear war in 1984 would have only accelerated the process, IMO, especially in the SSRs in the Caucusus region and the SSRs in the regions bordering Afghanistan, Iran and China. Assuming, of course, that they weren't turned into radioactive ruins by the aforementioned nuclear war.
I'm not overly sure of Europe's status, other than the fact that I think Spain, Switzerland and Ireland survived relatively unscathed (mainly because they weren't affiliated with NATO). Still, they'd be in a Europe devastated by nukes, because Germany (both halves), France, Britain, Italy, etc., were waist-deep in NATO).
Hmm. Well, that's all I can think about writing for now — the Earth of this timeline is pretty much screwed for thousands of years, since that's how long it'll take for the radiation to work its way out of the soil of the regions blasted by nukes. China and some other nations emerge relatively unscathed, but they're Pyhrric (sp) lords, so to speak, powerful in a world that's now just barely habitable to humans.
So, what do you all think?
RealityBYTES
I watched this "blast from the past" on the Sci-Fi Channel on Friday night. Back when it first aired — in 1984, I think — I was 10 years old. Boy, did that bring back memories of the 1980s ... and, of course, the Cold War (through an adult's perspective).
Here's the question: What would the timeline of "The Day After" look like in 2007?
Assuming I'm right about my dating (the nuclear war occurring in 1984), it's been 23 years since the nuclear exchange devastated not only the United States and the Soviet Union, but apparently Europe and other parts of the world as well (Japan for sure, since it was a close U.S. ally; as for other nations, such as India, Australia, Canada, Pakistan, various Middle Eastern nations and so on, I'm not sure, since the movie never went into any detail).
In my opinion, that timeline remains a blighted nightmare in 2007, albeit one where some scarring has "healed" the most gaping wounds. I don't think China was involved in the nuclear war, so they probably emerged as the world's strongest power and remain so in 2007. South America might also be home to some of the post-nuclear war strong nations, along with South Africa.
In the United States, much of the nation remains in ruins, despite the National Reconstruction Authority's (NRA) efforts to restore order and begin the rebuilding process. Why? Well, the president did say the Soviet Union was successful in hitting "most" of the nation's military and industrial assets. Knowing how there were missile fields across much of the nation's heartland in 1984, I'm quite sure that very few areas of the nation were able to avoid direct hits or "collateral" damage (i.e. secondary effects from blasts, radiation, civil disruptions and so on). Only a few major cities avoided getting blasted into oblivion — perhaps Minneapolis, Denver, Las Vegas, etc.
So, the United States is a third-rate power. Its only claim to power is the fact that it still has a few boomer submarines in the world's oceans, each one carrying enough nuclear warheads to devastate a small- to medium-sized nation. Otherwise, it's incapable of projecting power beyond North America.
The Soviet Union would be in a similar condition. Perhaps it would be in even worse condition since, in addition to nuclear bombardment from the U.S. and its NATO allies, it might literally have broken up. Why? Well, look at what caused the Soviet Union to break up in our own timeline — a vast empire held together only by force, but once that force is gone (i.e. Russia itself), the republics bolt off by themselves. The nuclear war in 1984 would have only accelerated the process, IMO, especially in the SSRs in the Caucusus region and the SSRs in the regions bordering Afghanistan, Iran and China. Assuming, of course, that they weren't turned into radioactive ruins by the aforementioned nuclear war.
I'm not overly sure of Europe's status, other than the fact that I think Spain, Switzerland and Ireland survived relatively unscathed (mainly because they weren't affiliated with NATO). Still, they'd be in a Europe devastated by nukes, because Germany (both halves), France, Britain, Italy, etc., were waist-deep in NATO).
Hmm. Well, that's all I can think about writing for now — the Earth of this timeline is pretty much screwed for thousands of years, since that's how long it'll take for the radiation to work its way out of the soil of the regions blasted by nukes. China and some other nations emerge relatively unscathed, but they're Pyhrric (sp) lords, so to speak, powerful in a world that's now just barely habitable to humans.
So, what do you all think?
RealityBYTES
