Transhuman Space Classic: Broken Dreams

147 Pages·2003·7.543 MB·English

by  Jamais Cascio

Written By Jamais Cascio
Illustrated by Jesse DeGraff, Justin De Witt, Matt Kresge, Christopher Shy, and Brian Tarsis
Edited by Kimara Bernard
Cover by Aaron Campbell
GURPS System Design n Steve Jackson
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Lead Playtester:John Freiler
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Thanks to:The Brain Trust: Alex, Mike and Xof. Special thanks to
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STEVE JACKSON GAMES
CONTENTS
Life in the Islamic Caliphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30
INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
The Politics and Structure of the Caliphate . . . . . . .31
ABOUTTranshuman Space . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Useful Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
About the Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 The Five Pillars of Wisdom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
About GURPS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 The Salamatin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Technology and the Caliphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34
1. OVERVIEW: MOVING FASTER Aylisha . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
AND STILL FALLING BEHIND . . . . . . . . . . .6 The Caliphate and the Rest of the World . . . . . . . .36
The Sikkiyn. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Broken Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7
Parvez Kholani. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
THESTATEOFTHEWORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 Global Memes and the Caliphate. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
The Global System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8
Characters in the Caliphate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39
Weltspiel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
THETRANSPACIFICSOCIALISTALLIANCE . . . . . . . . . . . .40
LIVINGONTHETRAILINGEDGEOFTHEFUTURE . . . . . .11 Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Transition and Transformation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11
Infosocialism versus Nanosocialism. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Top Five Most Popular Weltspiel Sites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Key Directorates in the TSA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Advantages of Backwardness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13
Operational Directorates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
MEMETICRELATIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44
Popular Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 TSA Member National Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Memetic Warfare . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Tia Chong . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Popular Global Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 Factions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Guardians and Helots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
Ideologies and Memes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Relations with the Outside World . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Voudoun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Tommy Guerro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
POLITICS, ECONOMICS, ANDPOWER . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20
Globalization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 3. PRESENT SHOCK: AREAS IN TRANSITION . .53
Lithuanian Transparency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
FAST, CHEAP, ANDOUTOFCONTROL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Distribution of Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21
Number One Songs from Around the World . . . . . . . . . . 54
Bombjacking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Life in a Perpetual Beta Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Crime and Punishment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22
Social Transition Stress Disorder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
Campaigns in Broken Dreams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Popular Antistress Drugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
2. OPTING OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Interfering Waves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56
Panopticon Societies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
LEAVINGTHESYSTEM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 To Have and Have Not . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58
Isolates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26 Examples of Content-Rights Management . . . . . . . . . . . 59
Isolate Communities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 Content Rights and the WTO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Sabbaticals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Technology Imports and Exports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60
Isolate Nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Knock-Off and Gray Market Companies . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
THEISLAMICCALIPHATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .29 Penalties for Piracy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
RELATIONSWITHTHE
FIFTHWAVEWORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Business . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Memetic Sweatshops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Law Enforcement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65
Politics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Backwards Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
Five Most Popular World Leaders . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
RESISTANCETOCHANGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Forms of Resistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69
Recent Boycotts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
Typical Military Forces
in Transition Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
2
C
ONTENTS
4. THE STATE OF NATURE: 6. CHARACTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .115
CONFLICT AND CRISIS . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71 CHARACTERTYPES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
THEENVIRONMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72 Inappropriate Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Activists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Heavy Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
Archaeotechnologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Climate Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Artist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Stormchasers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
Criminal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116
Earthquakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Entrepreneur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
The Big One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
Intelligence Agent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117
Diseases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74
Military Personnel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Environmental Cleanup and
Missionary/Chaplain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118
Anti-Ecoweapon Corporations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Stormchaser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Ecotage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .76
Tech Broker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Areoforming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Industrial Pollution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .77 RACIALANDMODELTEMPLATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
Coping with Eco-Crisis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78 Parahuman and Ideal Type Templates . . . . . . . . . .120
KLEPTOCRACIES, GANGS, ANDWARLORDS . . . . . . . . . . .78 Bioroid Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121
Cybershell Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
Kleptocratic Regimes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79
Active Criminal Organizations. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 ADVANTAGESANDDISADVANTAGES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Organized Crime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80 STSD Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
Factions and Warlords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81 SKILLS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
REVOLUTIONSANDWAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82 New Skills . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125
Uprisings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82
Coups and Civil Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83 7. TECHNOLOGY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
Interstate Wars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84 OLDANDNEWTECHNOLOGIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
Five Deadliest Current Civil Wars . . . . . . . . . . . 84 Obsolete Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127
International Terror Movements . . . . . . . .85 Planned Obsolescence and Mandatory Upgrades. . . . 128
Great Power Intervention Forces . . . . . . . . . . 86 Beta Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Terrorist Movements in 2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87 Hackware and Hot Mods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129
Typical Military Forces in Chaotic Areas . . . . 88 COMPUTERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
Hardware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
5. LIFE IN THE WORLD OF
Wearable Virtual Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130
BROKEN DREAMS . . . . . . . . . . . .89 Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131
Augmented Reality and Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
NAIROBI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90 CYBERNETICGEAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
Robert Ampala . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 Bionic Limbs and Organs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132
SafariShells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 Software Upgrades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Implants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .133
Nyota Kongata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95 New Brainbugs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
Current Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96 ECOLOGICALEQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
LOSANGELES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 LAWENFORCEMENTEQUIPMENT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97 Crime Investigation and Prevention Equipment . .134
Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99 Forensic Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Chawalit Sang Likphai . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 SUITSANDPERSONALARMOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
Ruben Galindo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 Crime Scene Investigations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
Bellissima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136
Top Five Worldarc Storyworlds – WEAPONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
January,2100 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104 WEAPONTABLE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
Current Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 UNCONVENTIONALWARFARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
ALMA-ATA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104 Ecoweapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105 Explosives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138
The Muslim Underground . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 NNBC Weapons
Evgeny Mara (Mullah Sifr) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 (Nuclear/Nano/Bio/Chem) . . . . . . . .139
Characters in Alma-Ata . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109 Proteus Weapons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140
Eduard Mikhailovich Kharkov . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
The Blyustetyelui . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111 BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . . . . . . . . . . .142
Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111
Alma-Ata’s Augmented Reality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112 INDEX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143
Current Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
3
INTRODUCTION
Earth. Humanity’s homeworld remains a showcase of Broken Dreams looks at what
both the best and the worst of mankind’s deeds. While the happens when emerging technologies
countries at the cutting edge of technology and progress and transcendent ideas are limited by
wrestle with the conquest of space and questions of identi- resources or regulations. It also covers
ty, other nations face far more prosaic concerns – freedom, those regions where nations have cho-
justice, and survival. Broken Dreamsfocuses on the parts sen to forge their own path, sometimes
of Earth where war, poverty, and environmental degrada- in opposition to the demands of the dom-
tion still wreak havoc with human life. Issues of power and inant great powers. It’s dark, but it’s not a
politics surface throughout, as many wonder whether the dystopia; even as they struggle, the people of 2100 still
riches of the Fifth Wave world are built upon the believe that they will succeed.
backs of the poor.
4
I
NTRODUCTION
A
BOUT
A GURPS
BOUT
T S
RANSHUMAN PACE
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The Transhuman Space series presents a unique 18957, Austin, TX 78760. Please include a self-
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Set in the Solar System in the year 2100, it is a setting rich write us! Resources include:
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of existence. The core book in the line is Transhuman online magazine includes new GURPS rules and arti-
Space,written by the series creator, David Pulver. cles. It also covers Dungeons and Dragons,Traveller,
World of Darkness, Call of Cthulhu, and many more
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The Transhuman Space: Broken Dreams
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Page References
Rules and statistics in this book are specifically for
the GURPS Basic Set, Third Edition.Any page refer-
ence that begins with a B refers to the GURPS Basic Set
A A
BOUT THE UTHOR – e.g., p. B102 means p. 102 of the GURPS Basic Set,
Third Edition. Page references that begin with CI indi-
Jamais Cascio is a writer and specialist in futurist sce-
cate GURPS Compendium I. Other references are CII
narios mixing technology, politics, and business. He has
for GURPS Compendium II, FW for Transhuman
been consulted by filmmakers, corporations, and govern-
Space:Fifth Wave, HTfor GURPS High-Tech,TS for
ment agencies from around the world, and his thoughts
Transhuman Space, UTfor GURPS Ultra-Tech,UTT
about the future have been featured in Time, Wired, and on
for GURPS Ultra-Tech 2, VE for GURPS Vehicles. The
National Public Radio. He is also an enthusiastic GURPS
abbreviation for this book is BD. For a full list of
player, and was excited to have an opportunity to con-
abbreviations, see p. CI181 or the updated web list at
tribute to the Transhuman Spaceline. This is his first pub-
www.sjgames.com/gurps/abbrevs.html.
lished game book. He lives in the San Francisco Bay
area with his wife and three Macs.
5
1 OVERVIEW:
MOVING FASTER AND
STILL FALLING BEHIND
He saw the stall he was told to find,Marid,the seller
The man of fruit – pomegranates,dates,the “grapples”designed by
calling himself Ibrahim Aziz walked slowly through the European bioengineers, popular with the young for some
Cairo souk, trying to draw as little attention as possible, reason. He made the briefest of eye contact, and stopped
constantly aware of the temporary p-tag implant in his left two stalls away,feigning great interest in the latest Alger-
hand. A precaution for visitors,he was told. A precaution ian knock-offs of Chinese hand-held InVid players.
for the government,he knew. The intelligence services are Licensed and totally legal,although they’d never admit to
particularly careful about visitors from Pakistan. Aziz it. People love to think they’re getting something they’re
allowed himself a brief smile. They had good reason,in not supposed to.
this case. That was why he was here.
6
O
VERVIEW
He told his virtual interface implant to start the
transfer, and a heavily encrypted copy of the latest
musical from Indus River Studios beamed over to a wait- The poorer nations only see
ing receiver in a bag casually resting on the floor of
Marid’s stall. Egypt’s web filters, generously supplied by how far behind they’ve
the World Trade Organization,would never let something
like this through – but sales of the pirated copy would be fallen . . . They know the
highly profitable for the TSA,still trying to rebuild after the
new world is there, but it is
war. Aziz had volunteered to carry it in his implant. VIIs
weren’t terribly common in the Muslim world,but the cus-
tantalizingly out of reach.
toms officials were more concerned about potential links to
Pakistani terror groups than about piracy,and he had been
scanned for explosives,not romantic comedies.
The file was a big one,fully interactive,with alternate
endings,multiple language songs,the works,and Aziz had
B D
to remain close to the fruit seller for a long five minutes for ROKEN REAMS
the transmission. The seller of InVid players was starting
Despite the best efforts of men of good will, there are
to get annoyed that Aziz was looking but not buying. Aziz
still people unable to take part in the technological and
carefully moved to the next stall,trying not to lose the con-
social transformation of Fifth Wave Earth. They know the
nection. The seller of headscarves for women gave him a
new world is there, but it is tantalizingly out of reach. Their
brief glance and continued to chat with her daughter as he
reactions to their situation vary widely, from hope and
poked through the colorful sheets of smart fabric.
redoubled effort to resentment and violence. Some find the
There. Transfer finished. Without looking at Marid,
developed world thoroughly corrupt, and turn their backs
Aziz turned and walked off toward his hotel. What he saw
on the very idea of joining the global system. Broken
made him stop. The street was blocked by a cordon of
Dreamscovers these three fundamental categories.
police, checking the IDs of passing shoppers. He noticed
one other thing:standing with the police was a sour-look-
Forging a New Path
ing European with an expensive-looking handheld. No
doubt about it. WTO. Some parts of the developing world have chosen to
Ibrahim started to sweat. avoid the mainstream economic and political system
entirely, building political coalitions for self-preservation
The world of 2100 stands on the brink of transforma- and memetic support. In doing so, however, they have
tion. In the most advanced nations, powerful new tech- become emerging powers themselves, posing both military
nologies allow the subtle manipulation of matter and the and ideological challenges to the mainstream world. The
potential for immortality. Intelligent machines are com- Transpacific Socialist Alliance and the Islamic Caliphate
monplace, and humans willingly and eagerly alter their each represent different forms of opposition to the rest of
bodies and their minds to reflect current fashion or the the world.
desire to improve themselves. Questions of identity under-
Catching Up
lie struggles for power and control: what does it mean to
be human? What do we want it to mean? And for most Many developing states are transitioning to a more
people in the Fifth Wave world, wealth is almost meaning- advanced technological society. Through hard work, the
less, as everything they may want is at their fingertips. assistance of outside patrons, and luck these transition
Yet in the less-advanced parts of the world, the story nations have begun to integrate into the global system. The
is much different. The world may be richer as a whole, but transformation is not yet complete; local unrest, great
the relative imbalance of riches and power is even greater power conflict, or an economic downturn can still harm
than in 2000. Ideas, the basis of the global economy, have them. Example states include Kenya and French Guiana.
become a rigorously controlled commodity. Many nations
Falling Apart
struggle on, slowly making a transition to the modern
world, but still face tremendous challenges. Others remain Other developing countries have not done so well.
mired in poverty, war, and political collapse. Afew have They may be failed states or a great power’s battlegrounds,
opted to forge their own paths, forming alliances that allow nations mired in civil war, split by factional conflict, or
them to stand together, even if they are going against the controlled by organized crime. They could simply be
rules and beliefs of the rest of the world. Yet even standing regions hit by environmental damage. For whatever rea-
together, the poorer nations only see how far behind son, wealth and stability are distant goals; for most citizens
they’ve fallen. The power of the advanced countries the first order is survival. Examples include Laos and
overwhelms the developing world. the remnants of Zaire.
7
O
VERVIEW
nations can be self-sufficient, and fewer still have
T S
HE TATE any desire to cut themselves off from the rest of the
world. International groups such as the World Trade Orga-
W nization and the Genetic Regulatory Agency make certain
OF THE ORLD that everyone abides by the same set of regulations.
Although most assume that the states that lead the global
economy long ago set the rules of trade to keep themselves
For many observers, the Pacific War of 2084-2085
in power, most nations are willing members of the system,
was foreshadowing greater conflict. With a multitude of
believing themselves better off as part of the dominant
mighty nations competing for international power, rapidly
structure.
growing countries seeking greater influence, and a variety
In a global economy founded on ideas, care must be
of corporations, ideological movements, and global mafia
taken to ensure that the rights of the originators and users
looking for opportunities to expand their horizons, Earth of
of ideas are both respected. Yet some believe that the
the year 2100 is a far more dangerous place than many
advanced world has gone too far in the defense of the own-
believe. For the smaller countries that are the economic
ers of intellectual property. The nanosocialist nations of the
and military battlegrounds of the dominant powers,
Transpacific Socialist Alliance uphold this, arguing
the peace and prosperity of 2100 is a mask hiding
that the works of the mind belong to everyone, and
perpetual conflict.
have faced war as a result of their ideology. But
moderate voices, too, express concerns about what
T G S
HE LOBAL YSTEM
is done in the name of ownership of ideas and
experiences.
At the close of the 20th century, political sci-
entists argued that the nation-state model had been
The Great Powers
weakened by global telecommunications and
There are currently three hegemonic powers
information networks, the increasing authority of
and a handful of emergent-power countries and
nongovernmental organizations, and the evident
alliances pushing differing agendas on the global
power of transnational corporations. Events in the
stage. Together, these key international actors are
early 21st century, from a series of wars in the
known as the “great powers,” a term from late-
Middle East to the near-collapse of the global
19th-century and early-20th-century global poli-
environment, made continued need for the capa-
tics. Analysts in 2100 use “great powers” to refer to
bilities of the nation-state abundantly clear. Com-
those nations or alliances that are sufficiently pow-
petition between a small number of hegemonic
erful to shape the policies of other globally potent
powers has come to dominate the political system
nations.
both on Earth and throughout the solar system.
Three hegemonic powers stand above all oth-
Smaller nations, businesses, organizations, and
ers in terms of system-wide capabilities: the Peo-
even ideological movements find that their for-
ple’s Republic of China, the United States, and the
tunes rise and fall with the status and influence of
European Union. This trilateral balance of power
the great powers.
emerged gradually over the course of the century,
Yet even as competition between nation-states
and has been surprisingly stable. These three
continues to dominate world events, changes to
nations, while not able to dominate the world, have
technology, the environment, and the global econ-
military, economic, cultural, and political influ-
omy have tied nations together closer than ever
ences that easily extend around the globe and through-
before. Globalization reached its full flowering in the first
out the solar system.
third of the 21st century. By 2100 it has become nearly
The other players in international competition are the
impossible for one country completely to cut itself off
emergent powers: India, the Pacific Rim Alliance, and the
from the rest. High-bandwidth information networks cov-
Transpacific Socialist Alliance. These actors are not in the
ering the planet allow individuals to work, socialize, and
class of the hegemonic powers, but are still prominent
learn alongside people half a world away. Ecosystems are
enough to shape politics and economics outside of their
equally dismissive of borders, and the rights of nations to
borders. Some strategists include the Islamic Caliphate and
defend their environment from the actions of others is now
the South African Coalition among the emergent powers,
widely recognized.
as their influence and capabilities are growing rapidly;
Most important is that national economies are inti-
Mexico and the Mercosul alliance based around Brazil are
mately connected to the cycles and rules of global markets.
also potential emergent powers, although they have large-
From natural resources to intellectual capital, modern
ly focused on internal development. The shifting relation-
economy is dependent upon the easy trade of goods, serv-
ships between the various nations has helped keep
ices, and especially ideas across the planet. Few
international politics relatively stable, if dangerous.
8