stevep
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Post by stevep on Jun 28, 2021 15:40:27 GMT
In this timeline, the hypebeast and jejemon culture exists in exile communities. They still receive the same amount of ridicule as OTL. Only this time we can add the lack of fiscal discipline to the hypebeasts. The stiffhounds ITTL are practically the anti-hypebeasts, and they're the most frugal ones. Yes, I can imagine some customers calling mall security if the hypebeasts pulled this stunt in a country like Canada. Well interesting development with a pan-Hispanic movement possibly occurring in response to Kemp's excesses. Possibly a lot more bloodshed in Latin America going to result unless the US comes up responsible government again and the talk of the assassination of Kemp's successor by the criminal gangs doesn't sound good. Neither does that talk of Taidar helping criminal gangs with more powerful weapons. Likely the IRA or extreme elements of it if the OTL Good Friday Accords come into play could be one of the groups that benefit which probably means more people dying in the UK.  I don't think the IRA might be willing to get help from Tadiar, despite both Ireland and the Philippines being Catholic. It might create needless political fallout that the IRA doesn't need, and Tadiar is more focused on SE Asia and Latin America. I mean, there were instances where the Mexican military had to go to war against the cartels because the local police force are corrupt, and this is before the creation of a new Mexican national police. And speaking of EURO 2020, I think it's time I cover another OMAKE on the EURO tournament, this time we get to see if TTL's England would be able to defend their title.
Well the IRA were willing to accept aid from Libya for instance and possibly indirectly from the Soviets earlier. Especially since an hard right government in Washington is heavily backing Tadiar.
I would love to see it but it could be a challenge. Think its only happened once, recently with Spain so suspect its unlikely.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Jun 29, 2021 2:26:03 GMT
True, although the hypebeasts of TTL might be susceptible to being recruited by youth gangs.
Possibly although given such an autocratic system that's likely to see them stamped down on hard by the regime. While such extravagant attitudes, especially in terms of clothing and appearance could well go down badly in the poorer Philippines of TTL.
That is, if there are such hypebeasts in Tadiar's Philippines, which obviously there is none. However, the extravagant attitudes would have been far more viewed with such negativity, given the poorer state of the Philippine economy ITTL. It's the exile community's children that might be tempted to pull off such a stunt like it. It also depends on where the exile community lives though. Let's say, there is a thriving Filipino exile community in the UK ITTL. They would be more susceptible to the whole chav sub-culture, which means they could also gain a notorious reputation for rude behavior. Which would potentially backfire badly, especially if the Filipino chavs in the UK do end up meeting and fighting the local skinheads. The same thing in Eastern Europe as well, and I would have to address in greater detail the European right-wing backlash to the presence of the Filipino exiles there. For one thing, Spain could become a major destination for the Filipino exiles stuck in Central and Eastern Europe, where there might be more signs of racism. Portugal would be another good location for the Filipino exiles to settle in, as well as Italy. |
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Jul 9, 2021 4:47:35 GMT
Chapter Sixty-Nine: Of Banana Republics and Petro-States
PROTESTS IN EL CANEY TURNS VIOLENT AS US 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION OPEN FIRE ON DEMONSTRATORS RALLYING AGAINST AMERICAN OCCUPATION OF CUBA
Dallas Morning Tribune
April 30, 1999
(El Caney, CUBA) - An anti-occupation protest in the town of El Caney has resulted in bloodshed, as 200 American soldiers of the 101st Airborne Division have opened fire in response to what they said was a sniper attack on them. Although official reports have not yet confirmed the paratroopers' claims of a resistance sniper attack on the occupying authorities, Cuban resistance forces have so far claimed responsibility for the attack, and has not shied away from carrying out further attacks on US occupational forces. In response however, US Supreme Commander of the Cuba Invasion force (now renamed to the US Military Commander of the Cuba Occupation Force) Paul van Riper has issued a dusk to dawn curfew, to ensure that no terrorists would be allowed to freely roam the streets at night, and to also ensure the easing of counter-insurgency operations.
"While we are doing our best to restore some semblance of normalcy in this country, terrorists continue to destabilize the country, making it harder for us to help participate in the reconstruction of a post-communist Cuban democratic state," says General van Riper during a press conference in Key West, Florida. "There are also official reports of increased levels of insurgency in all key areas of Cuba, and with this possibility in mind, we may have to request for more boots on the ground, especially coming from both the US Marine Corps and the Airborne Divisions of the US Army, as well as its Armored Corps."
Approximately 35,000 additional troops are expected to join the other 90,000 US troops that are on the ground in Cuba, while 23,000 troops are also expected to join their comrades fighting the leftover Sadinista rebels in Nicaragua. In addition, several more naval vessels and air force bombers have been deployed throughout the United States for a possible bombing sortie against Cuban resistance cells in the country, though debates on whether or not the US Air Force will stick to bombing military targets has been raging in Congress, with various Republican Senators calling for the US military to show a bit more restraint, lest the international community start to support the Spanish government's initiative of replacing American troops on occupation duty with soldiers from the Spanish Foreign Legion. The Kemp administration however, has fiercely criticized Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar's proposal as the presence of Spanish troops would be in violation of the Monroe Doctrine.
"Cuba and Nicaragua, as I recall, are a part of the Western Hemisphere, and as such, they rightfully belong in America's sphere of influence. Spain has no right to interfere in our backyard, and even if it was a request on behalf of NATO, I assure the Spanish government that we have everything under controls," says President Kemp, during a speech in Congress.
--- "What ultimately triggered the Battle of El Caney was the Cuban resistance's capture of five US Marine Corps soldiers and their gruesome execution, and the bombing of a popular Havana nightclub frequented by US soldiers on leave. In addition to the US military's brutal methods of enforcing its will upon a resentful Cuban population, General Paul Van Riper had deployed the Cuban exiles as its auxiliary force in order to help maintain order in Cuba, but that was a huge mistake because the Cuban population and the local resistance movement had rightly saw the Cuban exiles as willing Quislings working side by side with the American occupation forces. Several police stations, as well as a failed attempt at raiding Guantanamo Bay's prison complex where Cuban POWs are being held, had forced the military occupation authorities to prepare for an eventual uprising, which occurred on May 9th, 1999. The official start of the insurgency kicked off with the Cuban resistance's attacks on isolated US military posts in the Cuban highlands, and the fall of one minor base in La Tomatera had triggered an offensive by the insurgents. El Caney was gradually surrounded, and American troops were suddenly awakened by mortar fire and machine gun bursts as the Cuban resistance movement decided to starve out the American troops. Yet, El Caney's American garrison was merely used as bait to draw out the larger resistance forces, to ensure that the US Air Force's bomber fleet would have free reign to drop their bombs on the Cuban countryside. Incendiary bombs were used to burn out the hideouts of the Cuban resistance movement, while bunker busting bombs were also used to eliminate additional resistance cells. Drawing on his experience in Vietnam, General Van Riper cautioned American troops against careless patrolling of the Cuban countryside, and gave an order for all suspected resistance cells to be blown up by grenades. Unfortunately, the Cuban insurgents were aided by elements of the Mexican leftist Popular Revolutionary Army, who arrived in Cuba to help their comrades in resisting the American occupation forces. Ironically, the increased presence of the Mexican leftist guerrillas in Cuba had drained them of their fighting strength needed to continue the civil war, allowing General Mario Chaparro to finally launch an all out offensive to capture the last strongholds of the Mexican communist insurgency in the region. By May 21st of 1999, all of southeastern Mexico fell to government forces, and the captured PRA terrorists who fell under government captivity were simply rounded up and executed. By the time the PRA terrorists learned of their defeat in Mexico, they decided to move their base of operations to Cuba. The arrival of the Venezuelan leftist exiles under future military dictator Ramon Rodriguez Chacin and emerging insurgency expert Francisco Arias Cardenas had also bolstered the Cuban resistance movement, as the presence of exiled Venezuelan soldiers would help with the acquisition of weapons and ammunition for the resistance forces. Eventually, the Battle of El Caney would become the longest battle in American military history, surpassing the WWII Battle of Hurtgen Forest, with the battle ending by October 13, 1999, in a Pyrrhic victory for the Cuban insurgents. How the US ended up losing this insurgency was up for debate, but the main consensus that military historians have agreed upon is the increasing ineffectiveness and brutality of the returning Cuban exiles that drove the Cuban population to fight alongside the insurgents. Ultimately, the generation that came out of the Battle of El Caney would become the backbone of the anti-Kemp movement, as returning soldiers would tell tales of horror and brutality on the battlefield. Over 28% of the returning soldiers who served in Cuba suffered from PTSD and other psychological problems related to the military occupation, while an additional 14% of the returning soldiers had lost body parts due to bomb blasts." From the CBS Documentary 'Jack Kemp's War on Terror: How America Nearly Destroyed the Monroe Doctrine', released on July 13, 2019.
--- "It wasn't surprising that the 1998 WTC Car Bombing and the 1999 Lima Senior High School Hostage could be directly traced to the US foreign policy in the Middle East, which was often focused on Israel's security needs. Yet, staunch defenders of Israel often point out the failure of both the Russians and Kazakhs to come to an agreement on the power sharing proposal in the failed Burbulis-Konayev Agreement as the catalyst for Russian aggression in northern Kazakhstan that allowed Al-Qaeda to flourish in the Central Asian region. America's lack of understanding of Muslim sensibilities, as well as its role in the peacekeeping operation in Iraq, had angered the wider Islamic community, mainly because they saw America and to a lesser extent, Israel, as the hostile power that is present in the Middle East to undermine the power of Islam. Moreover, Russia's growing frustration at its inability to stop the Al-Qaeda terrorists from wreaking havoc on Russian citizens, along with the larger appeal for law and order, has resulted in many Russian politicians looking at the desirability of the Union State of Ukraine and Belarus's proposal of a reunification with Russia. Gennady Burbulis's increasing unpopularity was tempered by his historic visit to Kiev, where he would give his most famous cathartic speech, detailing the crimes committed by not only the Soviet dictatorship, but also the Tsarist crimes against the population of what is now Ukraine and Belarus. His Willy Brandt-esque kneeling at the memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holodomor, along with the Russian delegation's call to prayer in honor of the Holodomor's victims, would pave the way for the Truth and Reconciliation Process that was established on the initiative of both President Burbulis, and his eventual successor, Mykola Azarov. Azarov on the other hand, had an experience in dealing with terrorism, as he played a key role in stabilizing the Crimea through the successful capture of several Al-Qaeda operatives, as well as breaking up a Turkish spy ring that recruited Crimean Tatar nationalists for a holy war against the Union State of Ukraine and Belarus, which made him a suitable candidate to lead the reunification of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus. Azarov however, proved to be a ruthless politician who saw the reunification of the three East Slavic states as his gateway to power, and with it, the political 'Ukrainization' of Russian politics. It was the 'Ukrainization' of Russian politics that led to the 2000 Russian invasion of Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where Russian troops, accompanied by Ukrainian and Belarusian troops, had successfully recaptured most of Central Asia from Al-Qaeda, giving humanitarian aid to the Kazakh and Kyrgyz population. However, the Russian intervention in Central Asia had reinvigorated Western Russophobia, and Zbigniew Brzezinski even called for America to arm Al-Qaeda openly to bleed the Russians dry, only to be rebuked by the likes of Hillary Clinton, who saw Al-Qaeda as the culprit for their attacks on American cities and its citizens." From 'The Geopolitics of Eurasia in the Post-Soviet Era', released by BBC, March 15, 2018.
--- CUBAN RESISTANCE FORCES LAUNCH OFFENSIVE AGAINST US OCCUPATION TROOPS IN CAMAGUEY AS US AIR FORCE CONTEMPLATES ON USAGE OF AGENT ORANGE TO DESTROY RESISTANCE HIDING PLACES
Sydney Herald
June 4, 1999
(Camaguey, US-OCCUPIED CUBA) - Only weeks after US forces suffered a rare defeat at the hands of Cuban insurgents that have taken control of El Caney, the Cuban resistance forces, bolstered by exiled Mexican far-left guerrillas of the Popular Revolutionary Army and Venezuelan volunteers led by Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, have launched their first major attempt to recapture the occupied city of Camaguey from US troops that have taken up positions inside the city. The number of troops inside Camaguey have not been disclosed, for security reasons, but US military officials estimated that approximately 5,500 anti-occupation resistance fighters have mobilized to retake the city. Moreover, additional American naval and aerial assets were spotted leaving Floridan state waters on their way to Cuba to participate in occupation duties.
"No one has said that this was going to be a grand slam when we decapitated the Cuban communist leadership," says US President Jack Kemp, during a C-SPAN session in Congress on the progress that the US military has made in Cuba. "Even with General Chaparro's valuable assistance in destroying the PRA base in southeastern Mexico, those commies are still coming to Cuba. We may have to resort to the usage of certain....controversial....weapons."
Although Jack Kemp's comments on the possible usage of certain 'controversial' weapons have not been picked up by members of his own party, Democrats and other war-weary members of the American public have raised alarms about Kemp's intentions towards Cuba and Nicaragua, which is also in the middle of a general uprising against the newly installed Contra-dominated right-wing government.
"If the US military starts to use weapons like Agent Orange and depleted uranium, I should start the process of impeaching President Kemp on charges of war crimes and other sorts of crimes against humanity," says prominent US House of Representative member Nancy Pelosi. "Americans are better than this. We already made a mistake in creating a generational crisis in Vietnam regarding birth defects arising from our usage of the very same weapons that Jack Kemp wants to use on Cuba and Nicaragua. Has he even thought of the consequences from what happens when our own troops are exposed to such a thing!?"
--- Excerpts from "When Civilizations Collide: America in the Age of Rogue Generals"
by: Paul Manafort
Simon and Schuster, published 2019
Chapter Nine: The Unexpected Bombshell
To say that we invaded Cuba and Nicaragua to topple the communist regimes there was half correct. We managed to accomplish our initial objectives, but were at a loss on where to go from there. I can imagine the President having the best time of his life, because the approval rates that he received were at a normal high level, around the 66% area. The capture of Fidel Castro was a huge bonanza for us, but his brother Raul was still at large. Moreover, the fall of the Zapatistas and the PRA in southeastern Mexico was a mixed blessing. On one hand, it finally brought peace and stability to that troubled region of Mexico and brought some form of legitimacy and credibility to General Mario Chaparro. On the other hand, all it did was to bring extra guerrilla fighters into Cuba and Nicaragua, where they can inflict enough damage to American troops occupying those two nations. Yet, our shocking defeat in El Caney is a surprise, mainly because we had grown complacent. The Cubans are about to find out what happens when they wrestle with an American military that is no longer complacent.
Luckily for me, I was told by President Kemp to stay in Japan, where our ability to influence the Japanese public on the necessity of electing someone like Toshio Tamogami has come in handy. The sad irony is that Japanese pacifism was brought about by our desire to inflict as much defeat upon Japan from the war that we fought against them. Is it time for Japan to re-assert its right to national self-defense? Unfortunately, the Japanese have grown soft due to their prosperity, but word on the street is that if you've struggled in high school and you cannot afford to get into university, or if you failed the entrance exams for placement in the university, there is always the Japan Self-Defense Force to get into. Well, we had played a role in convincing younger Japanese that maybe a career in the military can brighten even the most depressed hikikomori's future. (the term the Japanese call the isolated individuals who only interact with their families) That, or perhaps the hikikomori can find a better future in the Philippines under the Tadiar regime (I recently heard about Tadiar's offer for the Japanese to come and settle in the Philippines, as long as they have the necessary skills that the Philippine government needed).
I looked up to see Steve arrive in our room, feeling a bit exhausted but satisfied with whatever he has done. He sat down on the chair across from where I was sitting and started to read an English language version of the local paper.
"Do you think that the President is going to bring in more airpower against the Cuban resistance?" I asked Steve.
He shrugged. "I'm not sure. Even our Corsair pals are having a hard time trying to reign in the former exiles, who have launched their own reign of terror against the civilians. No wonder they're still rallying around Raul Castro."
"I'm just worried about the welfare of our troops occupying Cuba and Nicaragua. If Jack screws this up, he might become extremely unpopular," I replied. "Anyways, how's Ollie doing these days?"
Steve sighed in resignation. I did not like his posture when I mentioned Oliver North, but something is bothering him if he doesn't want me to mention Ollie's name.
"Oliver is still doing well, although he's trying to repackage himself as the reincarnation of Tail Gunner Joe." I winced after hearing Steve compare Oliver's latest attempts to enter politics to the tarnished reputation of former Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy. "At least Ollie's not making a career out of smearing everyone he doesn't like."
What Steve said was true about Ollie; he's not smearing anyone he personally detests, but he is doing a good job flying under the radar only because President Jack Kemp is doing the smearing in the first place. In addition, Ollie has also started to make connections with certain players within the Military Industrial Complex, and his friendships with the CEOs of Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, and UTC, is certainly making some of us a bit uncomfortable, as they are going to be Ollie's biggest backers. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to enter politics as the main candidate that is controlled by the defense industries. That in itself, along with his CIA position, will make him as powerful as the President, if moreso since he would use the Corsairs as a conduit to bring in weapons to regimes that are in line with American interests. Come to think of it, I'm starting to notice that all the US military recruitment ads are talking about defending American interests when it should be talking about defending American soveriegnty and independence, period.
"Lockheed Martin's shares has increased as a result of numerous investors selling their shares, and Oliver is persuading Greymarble to buy up bits of the shares in the defense industries." I paused for a minute as Steve and I heard the phone ring. We looked at each other before I picked it up. "Manafort speaking."
"Ah, Paul! It's nice to hear from you again, even if it's under such strange circumstances. It's Oliver, by the way." We were stunned to hear that it was none other than Ollie himself who's on the other line. "President Kemp has asked me to contact you guys about an upcoming military aid deal with the Israelis and the Filipinos. The latter would be especially important, as President Kemp's technically no longer abiding by that useless arms embargo, but now that the UN is imposing a new round of arms embargo on Chile in response to Alvaro Corbalan's seizure of power. He has sidelined Pinochet and is trying to become the real dictator once again."
I gave the phone to Steve, whose mood suddenly turned dark. "Why were we not informed of this? How the hell did Corbalan seize power at this moment?"
"He took advantage of Pinochet's declining health, and has formed a new junta that would consist of the Chilean military officers who have been chosen by Corbalan himself. General Pinochet's health is not good right now. Some say that he's started to lose some of his hair, which we would assume that he was subjected to radiation poisoning. I doubt that was the case, but what I have discovered from my contacts in Santiago is that Pinochet has suffered mild strokes, and one heart attack." We were absolutely stunned by what we had heard. Almost none of the other nations within South America were aware of Pinochet's condition, although I am aware that his age isn't making things easier for him. "We're not sure about any other events occurring lately, but I will keep you posted."
"Will do, Ollie," Steve told him as he hung up the phone. He turned to me and shook his head. "Paul, we have to contact John and tell him what's happening."
--- "The start of Pinochet's deteriorating health started in 1996, only a few years after the end of the Spratlys conflict when he first suffered a small stroke. The media in Chile was silent about this, because if word got out of Pinochet's questionable state of health, then that nation would be targeted for further destabilization by either the US, or China. However, what the West did not know was that China maintained its diplomatic ties with the Pinochet regime, right up to 1996, when Wang Dongxing and Ye Fei had told former Premier Jiang Zemin that Chile provided the necessary military training to the Philippine military that participated in both the peacekeeping mission in the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh and the defense of their nation during the Spratlys conflict, and that it would be prudent to convince the Chilean junta to quietly scale down their military ties to the Philippines. However, the famous general who commanded the UNAACP force in Nagorno-Karabakh, Alvaro Corbalan, denounced China's request as nothing short of an insult towards a nation still fighting the communist threat. Moreover, the younger military officers who started to see the weakened condition of Pinochet, now began to gravitate around Corbalan. Chile was about to experience the same kind of condition that befell the Philippines, with Pinochet being reduced to the Chilean Ferdinand Marcos, and Corbalan as the Chilean Artemio Tadiar. Many intelligence officers within the Direccion de Inteligencia Nacional, or DINA for short, had also started to gravitate around Corbalan, seeing him as a much better and more energetic leader than Pinochet. By 1999, Pinochet had suffered a few more minor strokes and one heart attack, but the health scares convinced Corbalan that Pinochet's de facto grip in power is slipping. Thus, by 2000, around the same time as the coup in Venezuela that paved the way for the rise of the left-wing junta around Ramon Rodriguez Chacin, Corbalan would pull a coup within a coup, and effectively sidelined Pinochet by sending him into exile in Easter Island, while he would take over Chile as the new dictator. Under Corbalan's regime, the anti-communist repression escalated to the point where his generals were imitating the same kind of human rights violations that the Tadiar regime committed in the Philippines, minus the alliance with the cartels. Corbalan would also form an alliance with Mexico's Mario Chaparro, and even contributed some of their troops to help the US battle the Sadinista insurgents in Nicaragua, and left-wing resistance fighters still battling the occupation forces in Cuba. However, Chacin's revolutionary fervor in calling for the reconquest of the lands that were once held by the entity called Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia. The revolutionary reunification of Gran Colombia under Chacin's Venezuelan Ba'ath-esque dictatorship did not go well with the governments of Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama, but the mere threat of Chacin's aspirations had forced the United States to lean more on Chaparro and Corbalan to counter the Venezuelan threat." From 'The Post-Cold War Fascist Dictatorships in the Western Hemisphere' by TeleSUR, broadcasted on May 12, 2016.
--- YEVNEFTGAZ FOUNDER VIKTOR MEDVEDCHUK BANNED FROM ENTERING KAZAKHSTAN DUE TO TIES TO AZAROV GOVERNMENT
Sydney Herald
March 9, 2005
YEVNEFTGAZ CEO and business owner Viktor Medvedchuk talks to his corporate partners on a future refinery construction project.(Moscow, RUSSIA) - A top figure within the Mykola Azarov government, founder of Eurasia Oil and Gas, or YEVNEFTGAZ, Viktor Medvedchuk, has been banned from entering the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan after the Kazakh government imposed punitive sanctions on Russia for its continued occupation of its northern and western regions. Although Kazakh President Aitkul Samak has refrained from imposing additional sanctions on Russia due to its role in driving out the Al-Qaeda terrorists from its soil, the continued occupation of what the Kazakhs called Northern and Western Kazakhstan by Russia remains a sore point, and as a result, Kazakhstan has continued to call on China to exert pressure on Russia to cede those territories back without any compensation whatsoever. However, Russian President Azarov rejected President Samaz's ultimatum, seeing it as an obstructionist maneuver.
"The governments of the Central Asian republics of the Soviet Union had not only participated in the mass expulsion of its Slavic minority population during Operation: Batyr, but had even expelled some of the Germans living there since Soviet times, and the Koryo-saram minority population there," says Azarov during a press conference in Petrograd after a meeting with top business elites there. "So far, we have burdened ourselves with resettling some of the expellees into Russian soil, in addition to accepting the White South African refugees that have been expelled from their homeland after the South African Civil War. Kazakhstan is making things worse for the entire Eurasian continent with its posturing."
Azarov's comments however, did not go well with the Central Asian public, many of whom are resentful of both Russia and China's competition in Central Asia that have affected much of their livelihoods. In addition, Kazakhs and Kyrgyz have protested together against Russian military atrocities committed against suspected terrorists and civilians during the Russian military intervention in those nations, and at the same time, they have also protested China's continued repression of its Muslim minority there. The protests in Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan however, are nothing compared to the continued political crisis in Uzbekistan, where fears of a civil war between the government and radical left-wing opponents continue to increase. Chinese Premier Bo Xilai has not only increased China's economic ties to Central Asia, but has also continued to give economic and military support to Armenia, even as it faced growing threats from Turkey and Azerbaijan. China's attempts at economic integration of Central Asia to its political and economic orbit has not gone down well with the Russian and Iranian public, many of whom view Central Asia as its traditional sphere of influence.
"While we do not mind China's positive influence in Central Asia in areas of economics, we are not comfortable with what they're trying to accomplish politically," says Iranian Vice President Mehdi Karroubi, during a Majli session with Iranian President Mohammad Khatami. "The communist poison is slowly infecting Uzbekistan, and with an unstable border in the north, the Mojahedin-e-Khalq would be re-invigorated by Chinese meddling to stage terrorist attacks against us once again. Our intelligence agents have captured 12 Chinese agents at the border, posing as Uyghur merchants while a few of them were actual Uyghurs in the employ of the Chinese secret police."
Back in Moscow, Medvedchuk's lack of reaction to the travel ban imposed on him by the Kazakh government indicates of his awareness on his status, but has also stated that he has no business interest in the Central Asian nation.
"Right now, my main focus of Yevneftgaz's production facilities are in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, with potential economic agreements made with any nation who wishes to buy our oil, and for domestic consumption as well," Medvedchuk spoke during a Yevneftgaz corporate meeting. "We are also using the profits made from the sales of our oil and gas to diversify our investment portfolio. Hopefully, we can enter the real estate market and the construction industry as well, mainly because we will soon have to hire new workers to replace our retiring employees."
---
"My friends! When we have someone like Jack Kemp who has resorted to the mass murder of Cuban and Nicaraguan civilians because they had enough dignity to resist the US imperialist war machine, you know that the world has gone truly mad. In areas of those formerly socialist states under direct US military control, we see American corporations seeking to buy out property formerly owned by those state governments for pennies on the dollar, and recruit cheap labour there. Let me tell you something: Cuba and Nicaragua under US military occupation has rendered them far worse than banana republics: they are practically banana republics in name only, because they are now being treated like actual colonies. I thought we're way past colonialism already! Now, it's making a comeback, and it's coming back with a vengeance. The heroic people who resisted the US fascist war machine are now being sent to death camps run by mercenaries from Mexico and Chile. Even I have come under attack by these hounds who roll over and wag their tails whenever their corporate capitalist masters give them a bone to chew. Not only is the Kemp regime maintaining direct control over these new corporate colonies, which they essentially are, but they've maintained ties to dictatorial petro-states whose sales of oil are heading back into either the welfare system, as is the case in Syria, or heading into the pockets of Gulf nobility who can afford to flaunt their wealth, while the cheap labour they hired to construct their buildings toil around the clock without any medical or mental care at all. These crony capitalists hate socialism, because they cannot act as ruthlessly as they wished towards them. Also, we are seeing a disturbing trend of tying left-wing progressive movements with anti-Semitic, right-wing conspiracy theories. That is, the right-wingers smearing all progressive movements as something that is controlled by the Jews. Never mind that some of the very same crony capitalists are also in bed with the Israeli government, who continues to persecute the Palestinian population there. The tragedy of banana republics and petro-states is that they're forced to rely on that one commodity that is in high demand, just to survive as a nation!" Michael Parenti, on his speech 'The Tragedy of American Corporate Colonialism for the Glory of the Almighty Dollar'.
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Post by TheRomanSlayer on Jul 10, 2021 2:06:00 GMT
Almost a hundred years after the first U.S. troops landed in Cuba, the Americans are back. But this time it's as worse as Vietnam and Afghanistan of our current timeline. I wonder how the USN and USCG would keep insurgents coming from Mexico and Venezuela. Without these support, the Cuban communist resistance is doomed. In addition, the U.S. can ask help from Britain, France, and the Netherlands to pacify Cuba since those two countries have external territories in this Western Hemisphere. The British have a significant force in Bermuda and a token force over at the British Virgin Islands. I'm sure those would be useful. Furthermore, Britain can use her ties in the Commonwealth such as Jamaica and the Bahamas to send additional forces to Cuba. Possible, but I'm sure that the Monroe Doctrine might have said something about the US not wanting European interference in the Western Hemisphere. Although it wouldn't be surprising if Kemp intentionally allowed the fleeing communists who fled from Mexico to arrive in Cuba, just so he could take them all out in one blow. In the recent update, we see the exiled Venezuelan left wing soldiers of fortune fighting alongside the Cuban resistance. What we are seeing here, is a scenario close to how the US military performed in the OTL Battle of Fallujah, and the Venezuelans might also have their own "Qaseem Soleimani" arising from fighting against the US military occupation of Cuba. In the short term the Cuban resistance can be repressed but unless the US is going to go for mass killing/deportations the Cuban population is still going to resent such an occupation, especially in the brutal way its being handled.
I can't see even a Thatcherite government [by which one which follows here policies] being stupid even to link itself with the Kemp administration. Bloody hope not anyway. Nor would I see any part of the commonwealth, especially in the region wanted to encouraged American expansionism in such a way. Ditto with the Dutch and very likely the French. Basically TTL's US under Kemp is a clumsy version of Xi's China or Putin's Russia. There would be those within the US government who might be genuinely interested in spreading democracy to Cuba, although memories of the last US influenced regime would be bad. (I'm referring to the Fulgencio Batista regime) However, I would think that Kemp ITTL would have embodied the worst aspects of both OTL Xi and Putin, and to a lesser extent, OTL George W. Bush with Donald Rumsfeld mixed into it as well. The world is already reeling from China's military adventurism, and they're seeing more of the same kind of American military adventurism, and in the early 2000s, we would even get to see Russian military adventurism. TTL is definitely not kind to the superpowers at all, and all of this could be traced to that single PoD. Without giving it away, I will probably touch base with what's happening in South America, before covering TTL's EURO 2000. Given that TTL's EURO 1996 has England winning their first cup since 1966, it would be hilarious if OTL England would win this year's tournament for the first time in 55 years of OTL. |
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stevep
Fleet admiral
Posts: 24,866
Likes: 13,252
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Post by stevep on Jul 10, 2021 9:55:06 GMT
Almost a hundred years after the first U.S. troops landed in Cuba, the Americans are back. But this time it's as worse as Vietnam and Afghanistan of our current timeline. I wonder how the USN and USCG would keep insurgents coming from Mexico and Venezuela. Without these support, the Cuban communist resistance is doomed. In addition, the U.S. can ask help from Britain, France, and the Netherlands to pacify Cuba since those two countries have external territories in this Western Hemisphere. The British have a significant force in Bermuda and a token force over at the British Virgin Islands. I'm sure those would be useful. Furthermore, Britain can use her ties in the Commonwealth such as Jamaica and the Bahamas to send additional forces to Cuba. Possible, but I'm sure that the Monroe Doctrine might have said something about the US not wanting European interference in the Western Hemisphere. Although it wouldn't be surprising if Kemp intentionally allowed the fleeing communists who fled from Mexico to arrive in Cuba, just so he could take them all out in one blow. In the recent update, we see the exiled Venezuelan left wing soldiers of fortune fighting alongside the Cuban resistance. What we are seeing here, is a scenario close to how the US military performed in the OTL Battle of Fallujah, and the Venezuelans might also have their own "Qaseem Soleimani" arising from fighting against the US military occupation of Cuba. In the short term the Cuban resistance can be repressed but unless the US is going to go for mass killing/deportations the Cuban population is still going to resent such an occupation, especially in the brutal way its being handled.
I can't see even a Thatcherite government [by which one which follows here policies] being stupid even to link itself with the Kemp administration. Bloody hope not anyway. Nor would I see any part of the commonwealth, especially in the region wanted to encouraged American expansionism in such a way. Ditto with the Dutch and very likely the French. Basically TTL's US under Kemp is a clumsy version of Xi's China or Putin's Russia. There would be those within the US government who might be genuinely interested in spreading democracy to Cuba, although memories of the last US influenced regime would be bad. (I'm referring to the Fulgencio Batista regime) However, I would think that Kemp ITTL would have embodied the worst aspects of both OTL Xi and Putin, and to a lesser extent, OTL George W. Bush with Donald Rumsfeld mixed into it as well. The world is already reeling from China's military adventurism, and they're seeing more of the same kind of American military adventurism, and in the early 2000s, we would even get to see Russian military adventurism. TTL is definitely not kind to the superpowers at all, and all of this could be traced to that single PoD. Without giving it away, I will probably touch base with what's happening in South America, before covering TTL's EURO 2000. Given that TTL's EURO 1996 has England winning their first cup since 1966, it would be hilarious if OTL England would win this year's tournament for the first time in 55 years of OTL.
I must admit that while I could see China following this path and ending up weaker as a result. Disappointed that Russia after its clearer move toward democracy seems to be shifting back towards autocracy and adventurism and horrified how far the US has descended. True its always had its extreme expansionist and exceptionist element but there's also generally been moderating elements that minimise things, especially once they had pretty much completed their continental expansion.
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