How do we reach *this* for a future map?

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

What would have to happen so that in exactly 100 years from now earth looks like this:



http://img385.imageshack.us/img385/3199/thefuturelv1.png

link if Atlas shrinks the map

[Tetro Kornbluth]

Constantly play Empire Earth for hours on end?

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

I don't play Empire earth.

[J. J.]

A free trade Pacific trade zone, leading to a union.  The breakup of Canada.  Gulf War III with Sunnis fighting other Muslims and the US taking out Iran.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Yes, Yes, Yes and yes for part of it.

[ag]

The Crown of Aragon restored? Hm. Though this is, probably, the least unlikely of the changes. Overall, this map would require a lengthy sequence of zero-probability events

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Not quite. Its a union of the catalan regions. also keep in mind the VAST different from 1907 to 2007 on the map so I disagree on the zero probabiltiy event part.

[ag]

Not quite. Its a union of the catalan regions. also keep in mind the VAST different from 1907 to 2007 on the map so I disagree on the zero probabiltiy event part.

What do you mean, "not quite". While the scale of the map makes it hard to see, there is a border between the Basque Country and this "Greater Catalunya". Clearly, neither Navarra, nor Aragon are there separately, the former, probably, being given to the Basques, and the latter, in that case, going to the Catalans. In fact, except for the Roussillon, this makes it pretty much coterminous with the good old Crown of Aragon (it also seems to be picking up Murcia - whoever is the author of that map, clearly, took every Spanish province that has, or had in the last 100 years, at least a tenth of a percentage point of Catalan-speakers and drew a line around it).  Now, given that precious few people anywhere in Aragon proper (or in Murcia) speak Catalan, they wouldn't be that amused.

BTW, are you aware of the current attitudes about absorbtion into the Basque country in Navarra? Also, Galicia and Portugal haven't been part of the same state separate from Leon/Castilla ever, and, linguistic  similarities aside, there has never been any feeling for merging w/ Portugal in Galicia (if anything, Galicia and Navarra normally are the most right-wing pro-Spanish parts of the country). Overall, it seems like Castilla in this scenario has gone on an unmotivated murderous rampage with vicious ethnic cleansing against everyone around, got defeated, castrated and dismembered: that's, roughly, the only scenario under which anything remotely like this is possible (though, still, extremely unlikely).

I could go on. The merger of Central Asian states takes northern Iran and Afganistan, but has its joint Russian border unchanged - self-evident nonsense. Belarus is partitioned and then a chunk of Poland and/or Lithuania taken away to give territorial continuity to Russia? With their memories of the Danzig corridor, both Poland and Lithuania would have to be raped to agree: it might be easier to reconquer them both. BTW, Lithuania (and, to a lesser extent, Latvia) is much closer culturally to Poland than to the Nordics: you'd have an uber-Catholic non-Germanic (and non-Finnic) province looking pretty strange in the "Nordic Union".  North America is impossible: there is no sequence of remotely likely events that would lead to such a map.  "Pacific Rim" doesn't even make a godd joke - lacks plausibility for one. Why am I continuing? None of this makes any sense (ok, maybe if aliens from outer space land and make it their personal project - this is about the likeliest scenario I can think of   ).

It is not much more plausible in areas where it assumes none (a whole century, where the only change in the Balkans is reunification of Serbia w/ Montenegro and Macedonia, while ? you must be kidding). It's not the scale of "map changes" that underlied my statement, but the particular changes imagined: they seem to be selected by the improbability of each occurence (possible exception being disappearing Belgium and independent Scotland). "A lengthy sequence of zero-probability events" is most definitely a necessary condition for something like this.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

(possible exception being disappearing Belgium and independent Scotland).

He's actually added quite a bit of Northern England to Scotland for some reason. Cumberland et al for sure, but most of Northumberland too by the looks of it.

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Blame the map template I used for messing up the borders.

[ag]

(possible exception being disappearing Belgium and independent Scotland).

He's actually added quite a bit of Northern England to Scotland for some reason. Cumberland et al for sure, but most of Northumberland too by the looks of it.

Noticed that, but decided not to be too picky

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

Here's another future map I did

http://img360.imageshack.us/img360/9339/transnatsd9.png

[ag]

(bored). As unlikely as the previous one, though vaguely Orwellian. BTW, what's all that special treatment of Lusophonie?

[Undisguised Sockpuppet]

1 Heh. Heh. You're right on THAT.

2 Environmental reasons to.