Pacific War - Revision history

Ecb at 21:00, 28 March 2012

2012-03-28T21:00:23Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 28 March 2012
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-	~~[[Category:Future History]]~~
	[[Category:Future History]]		[[Category:Future History]]
	Despite all the change of the past century, the transition		Despite all the change of the past century, the transition

Ecb at 21:00, 28 March 2012

2012-03-28T21:00:15Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:00, 28 March 2012
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	[[Category:Future History]]		[[Category:Future History]]
		+	[[Category:Future History]]
		+	Despite all the change of the past century, the transition
		+	to the “modern era” can be pinned to one event. The
		+	Pacific War of 2084 brought the specter of mass warfare
		+	back into the world, and made it clear that Earth’s conflicts
		+	were about to escalate to a new level.
		+	==The Pacific War==
	The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of		The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of
	[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had		[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had
Line 91:		Line 98:
	of Indonesia seized the leadership of the TSA and		of Indonesia seized the leadership of the TSA and
	opened peace negotiations. The war was over.		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.
		+	==March of the Machines==
		+	While humanity has become more and more diverse,
		+	new forms of sentience have appeared on Earth. Among
		+	these are the final achievement of Third Wave digital civilization:
		+	fully sapient computers.
		+
		+	The arrival of sapient AI has actually been a long
		+	process. The first computers capable of passing the socalled
		+	“Turing test” appeared as early as 2015, depending
		+	on how strictly one applies Turing’s criteria. Certainly the
		+	most advanced machines of the time could run software
		+	granting them the ability to interact with humans in
		+	idiomatic “natural” language, developing distinctive personalities
		+	of their own. In the course of the 21st century,
		+	computer hardware and software continued to advance,
		+	and such personality simulations became commonplace.
		+	By the 2040s even a typical personal computer could interact
		+	with its user as if it were a friendly and cooperative
		+	sapient being.
		+
		+	Such machines were certainly intelligent, but the
		+	question of whether they were sapient beings remained
		+	open. In some sense, that question remains open to the
		+	present day. The nature of consciousness remains obscure,
		+	so it remains impossible to prove or disprove the selfawareness
		+	of any advanced computer. Asking the
		+	machines themselves is no help – some claim to be selfaware,
		+	others (sometimes of the same model, with the
		+	same software base) claim not to be. Hard-line “vitalists”
		+	continue to maintain that only biological organisms can be
		+	said to be creative, sapient beings, but this position is
		+	harder to defend with each passing year. Today, most
		+	people simply don’t worry about it, and treat anything
		+	that behaves intelligently as a human-equivalent.
		+	In any case, about the time of the Pacific War,
		+	machines of human-level intelligence became cheap and
		+	widely available. Today almost any desktop, vehicle or
		+	cybershell “brain” has the potential for intelligence about
		+	equal to that of an unmodified human being. Such computers
		+	can be built and maintained for much lower
		+	cost than that necessary to “build” and maintain a
		+	human being. The most advanced machines
		+	have attained what would be considered
		+	genius-level intelligence in a human.
		+	Although such computers are extremely
		+	expensive, they have certain advantages
		+	over human beings – they are much better at
		+	concentrating on a specific task, they can
		+	correlate vast amounts of information very
		+	quickly, and they can use a much wider variety
		+	of sensory equipment.
		+
		+	As a result, the long rear-guard action
		+	fought by human labor against the advance of
		+	automation is entering its last stages. Machine intelligence
		+	can now replace biological intelligence in a tremendous
		+	variety of occupations, including creative and
		+	decision-making tasks. Indeed, it is now possible for biological
		+	intelligence to become machine intelligence, using
		+	the new “downloading” technologies.
		+
		+	This situation is bringing many of the most developed
		+	nations to the point of crisis. In most of these societies,
		+	unemployment is rising very rapidly and putting considerable
		+	strain on society. Most futurists believe that Earth is
		+	moving toward a global “leisure society,” in which most
		+	human beings need not work at all. How to attain such a
		+	goal remains unclear. Some nations are building massive
		+	social-spending programs, ensuring that the chronically
		+	underemployed have a minimum income sufficient even
		+	for a few luxuries. Others, less accustomed to running a
		+	welfare state, are suffering serious social tensions. These
		+	are often generational (as young unemployed find themselves
		+	envying the older investor class) or ethnic (as unemployed
		+	immigrants find themselves envying wealthy
		+	natives). There is also a strong anti-technological bias in
		+	some of today’s labor movements, as the unemployed violently
		+	resist the further spread of automation.
		+
		+	Meanwhile, it’s unclear whether the machines themselves
		+	are willing to support an “unproductive” class of
		+	biological citizens. Most intelligent computers are simply
		+	programmed to work loyally, but many of the most intelligent
		+	are self-programming, and are liable to question their
		+	place in society. So far there has been no organized
		+	machine resistance, but there are a number of “machine
		+	liberation” movements worldwide, supported by both
		+	intelligent machines and biological citizens. Some nations
		+	have responded by defining categories of citizenship for
		+	emancipated computers, or even by giving advanced
		+	infomorphs a role in government

Ecb at 20:59, 28 March 2012

2012-03-28T20:59:01Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:59, 28 March 2012
Line 91:		Line 91:
	of Indonesia seized the leadership of the TSA and		of Indonesia seized the leadership of the TSA and
	opened peace negotiations. The war was over.		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.~~

Ecb at 02:24, 19 June 2010

2010-06-19T02:24:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:24, 19 June 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	[[Category:~~Transhuman Space~~ History]]	+	[[Category:Future History]]
	The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of		The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of
	[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had		[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had

Ecb at 02:23, 19 June 2010

2010-06-19T02:23:44Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:23, 19 June 2010
Line 1:		Line 1:
-	[[Category:History]]	+	[[Category:Transhuman Space History]]
	The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of		The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of
	[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had		[[China\|Chinese]] settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had

Ecb at 02:16, 19 June 2010

2010-06-19T02:16:45Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:16, 19 June 2010
Line 122:		Line 122:
	output, putting it in rough parity with China itself and		output, putting it in rough parity with China itself and
	shifting the balance of power worldwide.		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.

Ecb: Created page with 'Category:History The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of Chinese settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had been settling all over Southeast Asia,…'

2010-06-19T02:15:49Z

Created page with 'Category:History The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of Chinese settlement overseas. For centuries, Chinese had been settling all over Southeast Asia,…'

New page

[[Category:History]]
The origins of the war were rooted in the pattern of
[[China|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 [[Transpacific Socialist Alliance|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 super-cavitating
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.