You realize @Mac Gregor has often put the TL on hold for various reasons, right? Don't be so hasty in assuming that TTL is dead.
The Union Forever: A TL
- Thread starter Mac Gregor
- Start date
You realize @Mac Gregor has often put the TL on hold for various reasons, right? Don't be so hasty in assuming that TTL is dead.
Gentlemen, the timeline is not dead. I have actually been adding some much needed thread marks today. It is possible that another hiatus may be coming but I do certainly intend to finish the African War and do a 2025 update. Cheers!
The African War: 2025
Believe it or not here is an update! Also, I am happy to announce that we finally have threadmarks for the entire TL. Cheers!
The African War
2025
The second quarter of the twenty-first century began with Africa still engulfed by war. With the All-African Alliance losing ground to the Coalition for a Democratic Africa, the Central Committee of the Technate of China entered a special session in Peking to assess the situation. The Technate’s leaders found themselves bitterly divided over the course of action to take. Many felt the time had come to cut their losses, as it seemed that continued fighting could only undermine their AAA proxies’ position at the negotiating table. Others felt, that a massive influx of aid could tip the scales and possibly take Nigeria out of the war. Executive Yang Zhanshu was eventually able to coble together a consensus of continuing to fund the AAA for another six months, staking his political reputation on the effort.
Nigerian Theater
As in the previous year, West Africa launched another drive towards Lagos in an effort to win the war. This time starting in March, the West Africans advanced deliberately securing their line of supply across the Ouémé River. The advance turned into a bitter slugging match as Nigerian cataphracts, supplied by the British, fought it out with their rivals, equipped by the Chinese. The West African advance reached within 60 miles of Lagos before running out of steam. The Nigerian counterattack however, proved incredibly difficult and failed to push AAA forces back across the Ouémé and Niger Rivers. By June, both sides were forced onto the defensive by mutual exhaustion.
Great Lakes Theater
By February, the East African offensive into Abyssinia had stalled due to logistical limitations. This allowed AAA forces to regroup. In April, an attack on Field Marshal McWilliams right flank nearly ended in disaster for the CDA. The next two months saw repeated thrusts by both sides. However, neither was able to make much headway. By midyear, the front had stabilized around the Ahmar Mountains. Attempts to bring Somalia and Puntland into the war on the CDA side failed, but an uprising in Aksum threatened to cut Abyssinia off from the sea. Unfortunately, for the CDA, an attempt to conduct an amphibious landing in Aksum to link up with the rebels failed when it tried to force its way through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. A well-planned AAA defense consisting of a combination mines, underwater autocraft, and anti-ship missiles, mostly supplied by the Technocratic Union, forced the CDA armada to retreat after heavy losses. The ICR and Katanga remained relatively quiet during these months, as both sides had diverted resources elsewhere.
Southern Theater
The CDA met with the most success in Angola. At the third Battle of Cuanza, South African and Zambezian forces finally broke through AAA lines. Elation over finally breaching this barrier was short lived however as the following Battle of Luanda proved to be one of the costliest of the war. Despite fierce fighting, Angolan and Congolese forces were eventually forced out of the country completely. CDA troops captured the mouth of the mighty Congo River in June. This deprived Léon Mihambo’s regime of access to the sea and vital foreign supplies. Still AAA forces prepared to fight in the impossibly rugged Congolese interior during the second half of 2025.
International Reaction
East Africans celebrating the ceasefire
July 22, 2025
The African War
2025
The second quarter of the twenty-first century began with Africa still engulfed by war. With the All-African Alliance losing ground to the Coalition for a Democratic Africa, the Central Committee of the Technate of China entered a special session in Peking to assess the situation. The Technate’s leaders found themselves bitterly divided over the course of action to take. Many felt the time had come to cut their losses, as it seemed that continued fighting could only undermine their AAA proxies’ position at the negotiating table. Others felt, that a massive influx of aid could tip the scales and possibly take Nigeria out of the war. Executive Yang Zhanshu was eventually able to coble together a consensus of continuing to fund the AAA for another six months, staking his political reputation on the effort.
Nigerian Theater
As in the previous year, West Africa launched another drive towards Lagos in an effort to win the war. This time starting in March, the West Africans advanced deliberately securing their line of supply across the Ouémé River. The advance turned into a bitter slugging match as Nigerian cataphracts, supplied by the British, fought it out with their rivals, equipped by the Chinese. The West African advance reached within 60 miles of Lagos before running out of steam. The Nigerian counterattack however, proved incredibly difficult and failed to push AAA forces back across the Ouémé and Niger Rivers. By June, both sides were forced onto the defensive by mutual exhaustion.
Great Lakes Theater
By February, the East African offensive into Abyssinia had stalled due to logistical limitations. This allowed AAA forces to regroup. In April, an attack on Field Marshal McWilliams right flank nearly ended in disaster for the CDA. The next two months saw repeated thrusts by both sides. However, neither was able to make much headway. By midyear, the front had stabilized around the Ahmar Mountains. Attempts to bring Somalia and Puntland into the war on the CDA side failed, but an uprising in Aksum threatened to cut Abyssinia off from the sea. Unfortunately, for the CDA, an attempt to conduct an amphibious landing in Aksum to link up with the rebels failed when it tried to force its way through the Bab-el-Mandeb strait. A well-planned AAA defense consisting of a combination mines, underwater autocraft, and anti-ship missiles, mostly supplied by the Technocratic Union, forced the CDA armada to retreat after heavy losses. The ICR and Katanga remained relatively quiet during these months, as both sides had diverted resources elsewhere.
Southern Theater
The CDA met with the most success in Angola. At the third Battle of Cuanza, South African and Zambezian forces finally broke through AAA lines. Elation over finally breaching this barrier was short lived however as the following Battle of Luanda proved to be one of the costliest of the war. Despite fierce fighting, Angolan and Congolese forces were eventually forced out of the country completely. CDA troops captured the mouth of the mighty Congo River in June. This deprived Léon Mihambo’s regime of access to the sea and vital foreign supplies. Still AAA forces prepared to fight in the impossibly rugged Congolese interior during the second half of 2025.
International Reaction
By midyear, the AAA and their TU backers found themselves completely isolated on the world stage. The financial strain of supporting the AAA, compounded by a growing number of embargos by foreign nations, had pushed the Chinese economy into recession for the first time in years. Russia was in the midst of a troop buildup on the Manchurian border a fact that greatly alarmed the Chinese and Korean militaries. Moreover, the war was not going well. Despite the massive infusion of aid, Angola had been lost to the CDA and Nigeria had not capitulated. Yang Zhanshu was forced by the Central Committee to resign on July 9. His departure was somewhat ironic, as he had replaced his predecessor Yu Qishan after his failed gamble during the Ryukyu Island Crisis of 2011. Now Yang’s plan to put the Western alliances to the test over Africa had failed to accomplish much besides profuse bloodletting. Yang was replaced by Sun Xiaowen, China's first female head of state in over a century. A week after Sun consolidated power, the Chinese representative at the Fellowship of Nations officially called for a ceasefire in Africa and a suspension of military aid to the belligerents. Though some members of the CDA and ComNat wished to continue the war, as they were winning, American President Desmond Parker backed Sun’s effort for an immediate end to the fighting. After more than 2 years and 8 months of fighting and millions of deaths, the ceasefire ending the African War went into effect at noon on July 22, 2025.
East Africans celebrating the ceasefire
July 22, 2025
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Honestly I'm surprise the African War didn't end up blowing up into another Great War.
Bit surprised that war ended so quickly and easily. It seems that there is some reason on AAA leaders when they don't try fight to end. Just let's see what kind of peace terms there will be.
And intresting that in China status of head of state/government is not so all-pwerful like it was in OTL USSR. Heng Jiang is by now only leader of the technate who served until his death and his successors were enforced to resign.
And intresting that in China status of head of state/government is not so all-pwerful like it was in OTL USSR. Heng Jiang is by now only leader of the technate who served until his death and his successors were enforced to resign.
Considering what nasty clusterfuck’s wars in Africa tend to be, I’m both surprised this ended so easily and certain that ‘bushfire wars’ will continue on for years.
On another note, it seems like Technocracy is much more effective an ideology than Communism, as China seems to be remarkably rational and capable in its foreign policy as well as internal stability. To be fair, we haven’t exactly gotten a close look at them thus far.
On another note, it seems like Technocracy is much more effective an ideology than Communism, as China seems to be remarkably rational and capable in its foreign policy as well as internal stability. To be fair, we haven’t exactly gotten a close look at them thus far.
It seems like their government loves palace coups though, on the other hand it’s when the top dog screws the pooch so it’s justified.
Let me provide a little elaboration on the African War and the belligerents' rationale for their decisions.
What we call the African War is an acute stage in a long runner series of conflicts between illiberal pan-Africanist forces and the more Western orientated nations of Africa. The conventional warfare stage started, without Chinese authorization, when the dictator of the Congo invaded the neighboring ICR in what it irrationally hoped would be an easy conquest. China largely backed the AAA to protect its past investment, as they had favorable trade deals and basing rights with many of the AAA nations. It also saw this as an opportunity to test new weapon systems and see how far it could push the more democratic alliances. While a war lasting less than a 1000 days might seem short to us, it severely taxed the nations involved, nearly all of which were relatively poor and underdeveloped. As Lonely Wolf points out above, the Technocrats pride themselves on being rational. By mid 2025, it is clear that the AAA is not going to win the war. Angola and Mozambique have been overrun. The Congo delta had been captured. Abyssinia has been invaded, and West Africa has repeatedly failed to conquer Nigeria. China, has become completely isolated due to its support of the AAA and is now facing an overt threat by Russia on its northern border. If China had continued to fund the war it ran the serious risk of further damaging its already struggling economy and possibly triggering a wider war, which it does not want and likely wouldn't win. On the CDA side, while they were winning, there are still plenty of reasons for wanting peace. First, nobody was eager to conduct a massive invasion of the Congo basin. Second Nigeria seems to be hanging on precariously. Third, the invasion of Abyssinia seems to be mired in stalemate. Almost all of the foreign powers simply want the fighting to stop as the refugee and humanitarian situation was on the verge of going from terrible to atrociously unmanageable. In short, nearly every belligerent was exhausted by 2025 and saw diminishing gains of continuing the war. Furthermore, what may seem like a short conflict to us the reader, was an outrageously expensive and deadly war that ravaged an already struggling continent.
What we call the African War is an acute stage in a long runner series of conflicts between illiberal pan-Africanist forces and the more Western orientated nations of Africa. The conventional warfare stage started, without Chinese authorization, when the dictator of the Congo invaded the neighboring ICR in what it irrationally hoped would be an easy conquest. China largely backed the AAA to protect its past investment, as they had favorable trade deals and basing rights with many of the AAA nations. It also saw this as an opportunity to test new weapon systems and see how far it could push the more democratic alliances. While a war lasting less than a 1000 days might seem short to us, it severely taxed the nations involved, nearly all of which were relatively poor and underdeveloped. As Lonely Wolf points out above, the Technocrats pride themselves on being rational. By mid 2025, it is clear that the AAA is not going to win the war. Angola and Mozambique have been overrun. The Congo delta had been captured. Abyssinia has been invaded, and West Africa has repeatedly failed to conquer Nigeria. China, has become completely isolated due to its support of the AAA and is now facing an overt threat by Russia on its northern border. If China had continued to fund the war it ran the serious risk of further damaging its already struggling economy and possibly triggering a wider war, which it does not want and likely wouldn't win. On the CDA side, while they were winning, there are still plenty of reasons for wanting peace. First, nobody was eager to conduct a massive invasion of the Congo basin. Second Nigeria seems to be hanging on precariously. Third, the invasion of Abyssinia seems to be mired in stalemate. Almost all of the foreign powers simply want the fighting to stop as the refugee and humanitarian situation was on the verge of going from terrible to atrociously unmanageable. In short, nearly every belligerent was exhausted by 2025 and saw diminishing gains of continuing the war. Furthermore, what may seem like a short conflict to us the reader, was an outrageously expensive and deadly war that ravaged an already struggling continent.
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Good question. Overall it’s pretty close to OTL but there are some differences. Ecoist parties, especially in South and Central America, have made important progress. Africa is worse due to greater industrialization and the war.
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There seems being greener technology and more of other energy forms instead fossil fuels. And there seems being lesser of nuclear plant problems so Ecoists might not be so fiercely anti-nuclear as OTL Greens. And at least in USA politics seems much lesser divided as in OTL so I would imaginate that there is too lesser of climate denialism and it is easier issue to deal.
I agree US politics seems less ripe for the emergence of science denialism ITTL. The biggest potential hiccup to global cooperation on climate change is that the Technate of China is probably ALL ABOARD on combating climate change, and its frosty relationship with the rest of the globe could lead to distrust and skepticism towards any initiatives and tech coming out of China. I could certainly see some right-wing, anti-intellectual factions in the West embracing a similar sort of rhetoric to that which we see today OTL but from an anti-China perspective ("You can't trust a thing that comes from the egg-heads in Peking!").
I'd guess that the Technate has been sounding the alarm on climate change for decades, developing and adopting tech to move away from fossil fuels probably as early as the 1970s. We know from the TL that the rest of the world is still very dependent on fossil fuels in the 2000s and smuggling oil in the Middle East remains lucrative in the 2020s. It may be that the world ITTL is "better" overall with carbon release, but I figure that it's not appreciably better, even with the increased nuclear power use. If China is one of the leading voices of combating climate change (and I can't imagine it's not in this timeline), then the other power blocs may well be less willing to engage.
Given what Mac Gregor said about South American ecoist parties being relatively powerful, I wonder if the the LAR is moving in that direction as well. Certainly the oil interests in the USA, Canada, and Venezuela would make those governments somewhat resistant to radical change. Globally, Arabia and Mesopotamia are likely still heavily invested in their oil resources, although in a more liberal and peaceful ME, there could be a strong movement in those countries to transition to solar-electric, though how feasible solar electricity is as an export is unknown. Likewise I could see the French and Italians leveraging their Saharan possessions into solar power as well, at least for domestic consumption.
Part of this equation also comes down to how prevalent automobile ownership is across the globe ITTL versus rail transportation. We know that the US developed somewhat similarly to OTL, allowing the rail system to decay in favor of cars, but what about Europe? Does the less integrated Europe have the sort of rail network that our EU has? German engineering may well have produced some pretty advanced train designs, as well as alternative fuel autos (i.e. hydrogen, electric battery, etc.), but if the rail and re-fueling networks aren't universal across the continent, the environmental benefits would be limited to greater Germany.
I'd guess that a major political question in the US in the 2010s and 2020s is whether to re-invest in modernizing the National Highway System or going big into refurbishing the US rail network. I wonder if Latin America via the LAR would be a major source of international pressure to link more of the Americas via modern rail.
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This is all really good, but I can , on the other hand, totally see the Technate having a Soviet-style “progress cult”, with all the reckless disregard for the environment that such a fixation entails
The transport stuff looks really solid.
Sorry for the delay in responding to this. Believe it or not, the Technate of China is not considered a friend of the environment. Chinese cities have some of the worst air pollution in the world. As an authoritarian state China is not very responsive to the health/comfort of its people. This coupled with a large population and heavy industrialization has, as in OTL, produced some regrettable environmental results. An important caveat though is that the Technate of China is a champion of geo-engineer and maintains that this will be the solution to climate change and not reduced production and consumption.
2025: Foreign and Domestic Developments
Hey everyone, due to a promotion at work, the imminent birth of my second son, and writing a novel, I will be putting this TL on hiatus for the foreseeable future. Thanks to everyone who has helped in the past. I fully plan to resume this project at a future date and take it to 2062. I will continue to check in so feel free to ask questions or offer content. Cheers!
2025
Foreign and Domestic Developments
Practitioners of Hanfu in Peking
Hanfu, a social movement promoting the wearing of traditional Chinese fashion, proliferated in several Chinese cities. Though not inherently political, many understood the spread of Hanfu as a silent protest against the Technate and its heavy-handed insistence on ultra-modernism. While Technate authorities generally tolerated the practice, a demonstration in Mukden by protesters in Manchu costumes was broken up by police resulting in six deaths.
Three space agencies and one private organization took advantage of a favorable interplanetary transfer window and sent unmanned spacecraft to Uranus. If successful, these will become the first probes to reach the outer planet since Russia’s Svetilo mission when they arrive in 2037.
Chilean tennis player Matías Sarabia beat his husband Iago Feijóo to win the German Open clinching all major international tennis championships. The competition between the homosexual couple garnered widespread media attention.
Japanese researchers at Keio University unveiled a new polyethylene terephthalate digesting enzyme. This mutated enzyme breaks down plastic molecules faster than the ones found in nature. Scientists hope that enzymes such as these could be used to help fight the growing tons of plastic waste plaguing the world’s oceans and landfills.
During the summer, Kaiser Wilhelm III died after 36 years on the throne. His eldest son was crowned Friedrich V. Unlike his reactionary father, Friedrich was reputed to favor progressive reforms. While these sympathies were shared by many Germans at the time, they proved to be a point of contention with the Conservative Chancellor Uwe Boehler, who was reelected without a majority the same year.
Claudia Hunter’s coalition government of Liberals, Democratic Laborites, and Irish Democrats finally fell during the spring general election. Percival Acton won an outright majority, the first pure Tory government since Sir Ryan Baxter in 1952. Hunter’s downfall was due more to a string of messy scandals in the cabinet than her handling of foreign policy. Like President Desmond Parker in the United States, Acton promised to bring the war in Africa to a “swift and decisive end.”
After several months vetting proposals, the Astronomical Nomenclature Council named the Solar System’s 11th planet Minerva after the Roman goddess of wisdom.
Dravidism, the belief in a distinct political identity for the speakers of Dravidian languages, continued to spread with several large-scale demonstrations in Hyderabad, Madras, and Mysore occurring throughout the year. Calls for a unified Dravidian state, including from such intellectuals as Raghu Jagannath, gathered greater mainstream support.
During the summer, American billionaire Chester Avery launched the Wanderlust the largest ship yet constructed at 1,650 meters in length. Though technically registered in South Arabia, Avery styled the Wanderlust as an “independent international vessel.” While the ship boasted several thousand permanent residents, the vast majority of its 70,000 passengers were visiting tourists. Serviced by an airstrip on its top deck, Wanderlust hosted an array of casinos, resorts, restaurants, and a theme park.
The Canadian company EverHome began printing houses through large 3D printers utilizing gantry mounted nozzles. By using a cellulose fiber-based building material instead of concrete or carbon fibers, EverHome reduced the amount of fossil fuels needed in construction. The homes’ floorplan, though small, could be tailored for owner preferences and printed in a mater of days.
The second half of 2025 was consumed hammering out a settlement ending the African War. As the war was a collection of separate conflicts, no single treaty resolving all disputes was possible. Under the auspices of the Fellowship of Nations, negotiations were held in Dubai over the coming months. Broadly speaking, the Coalition for a Democratic Africa (CDA) achieved many of its objectives. CDA forces would leave Mozambique and Angola after holding free elections. Both countries were forbidden to rejoin the All African Alliance (AAA). Leader of the Congo, Léon Mihambo, was forced to abandon claims to the Independent Congolese Republic and Katanga as he struggled to maintain power at home. CDA troops would withdraw from Abyssinia and a demilitarized zone establish in its southern provinces. The most contentious point proved the status of northern Nigeria. West Africa refused to abandon its support for Usman Bankole’s State of Islamic Nigeria or its occupation of Guinea. Hostilities threatened to resume, until a compromise was reached. The AAA would remove its troops from northern Nigeria and agreed not to annex Guinea. A Fellowship of Nations led multinational peacekeeping force was dispatched to enforce the ceasefire. The Union of Nigeria refused to recognize Bankole’s government but agreed to the peacekeepers until a “permanent resolution could be determined.” Lagos kept control of its Biafran provinces. Though the peace settlements left many sides dissatisfied and issues unresolved it did bring an end to most of the fighting. Millions of refugees started to return and rebuild their shattered homes, millions of others fled abroad to start new lives in the latest chapter of the African diaspora.
2025
Foreign and Domestic Developments
Practitioners of Hanfu in Peking
Hanfu, a social movement promoting the wearing of traditional Chinese fashion, proliferated in several Chinese cities. Though not inherently political, many understood the spread of Hanfu as a silent protest against the Technate and its heavy-handed insistence on ultra-modernism. While Technate authorities generally tolerated the practice, a demonstration in Mukden by protesters in Manchu costumes was broken up by police resulting in six deaths.
Three space agencies and one private organization took advantage of a favorable interplanetary transfer window and sent unmanned spacecraft to Uranus. If successful, these will become the first probes to reach the outer planet since Russia’s Svetilo mission when they arrive in 2037.
Chilean tennis player Matías Sarabia beat his husband Iago Feijóo to win the German Open clinching all major international tennis championships. The competition between the homosexual couple garnered widespread media attention.
Japanese researchers at Keio University unveiled a new polyethylene terephthalate digesting enzyme. This mutated enzyme breaks down plastic molecules faster than the ones found in nature. Scientists hope that enzymes such as these could be used to help fight the growing tons of plastic waste plaguing the world’s oceans and landfills.
During the summer, Kaiser Wilhelm III died after 36 years on the throne. His eldest son was crowned Friedrich V. Unlike his reactionary father, Friedrich was reputed to favor progressive reforms. While these sympathies were shared by many Germans at the time, they proved to be a point of contention with the Conservative Chancellor Uwe Boehler, who was reelected without a majority the same year.
Claudia Hunter’s coalition government of Liberals, Democratic Laborites, and Irish Democrats finally fell during the spring general election. Percival Acton won an outright majority, the first pure Tory government since Sir Ryan Baxter in 1952. Hunter’s downfall was due more to a string of messy scandals in the cabinet than her handling of foreign policy. Like President Desmond Parker in the United States, Acton promised to bring the war in Africa to a “swift and decisive end.”
After several months vetting proposals, the Astronomical Nomenclature Council named the Solar System’s 11th planet Minerva after the Roman goddess of wisdom.
Dravidism, the belief in a distinct political identity for the speakers of Dravidian languages, continued to spread with several large-scale demonstrations in Hyderabad, Madras, and Mysore occurring throughout the year. Calls for a unified Dravidian state, including from such intellectuals as Raghu Jagannath, gathered greater mainstream support.
During the summer, American billionaire Chester Avery launched the Wanderlust the largest ship yet constructed at 1,650 meters in length. Though technically registered in South Arabia, Avery styled the Wanderlust as an “independent international vessel.” While the ship boasted several thousand permanent residents, the vast majority of its 70,000 passengers were visiting tourists. Serviced by an airstrip on its top deck, Wanderlust hosted an array of casinos, resorts, restaurants, and a theme park.
The Canadian company EverHome began printing houses through large 3D printers utilizing gantry mounted nozzles. By using a cellulose fiber-based building material instead of concrete or carbon fibers, EverHome reduced the amount of fossil fuels needed in construction. The homes’ floorplan, though small, could be tailored for owner preferences and printed in a mater of days.
The second half of 2025 was consumed hammering out a settlement ending the African War. As the war was a collection of separate conflicts, no single treaty resolving all disputes was possible. Under the auspices of the Fellowship of Nations, negotiations were held in Dubai over the coming months. Broadly speaking, the Coalition for a Democratic Africa (CDA) achieved many of its objectives. CDA forces would leave Mozambique and Angola after holding free elections. Both countries were forbidden to rejoin the All African Alliance (AAA). Leader of the Congo, Léon Mihambo, was forced to abandon claims to the Independent Congolese Republic and Katanga as he struggled to maintain power at home. CDA troops would withdraw from Abyssinia and a demilitarized zone establish in its southern provinces. The most contentious point proved the status of northern Nigeria. West Africa refused to abandon its support for Usman Bankole’s State of Islamic Nigeria or its occupation of Guinea. Hostilities threatened to resume, until a compromise was reached. The AAA would remove its troops from northern Nigeria and agreed not to annex Guinea. A Fellowship of Nations led multinational peacekeeping force was dispatched to enforce the ceasefire. The Union of Nigeria refused to recognize Bankole’s government but agreed to the peacekeepers until a “permanent resolution could be determined.” Lagos kept control of its Biafran provinces. Though the peace settlements left many sides dissatisfied and issues unresolved it did bring an end to most of the fighting. Millions of refugees started to return and rebuild their shattered homes, millions of others fled abroad to start new lives in the latest chapter of the African diaspora.
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