From:	Arno Lehmann <arno@*******.AST.UCT.AC.ZA>
Subject:	Re: Submission : NERPS Guide to the World (fwd)
Date:	Sun, 13 Sep 1998 18:17:41 +0200

This message was sent to me, personally, probably because I set the
Repl-To address... it reads as if it shpuld go to the list, so here it
is.

At the same time, this is a test if I set the Reply-To Address
correctly... If anyone knows how to remove this field using PINE I
perhaps could need taht info!

Arno
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 13 Sep 1998 11:48:40 -0400
From: Wordman <wordman@*******.com>
To: Arno Lehmann <arno@*******.ast.uct.ac.za>
Subject: Re: Submission : NERPS Guide to the World

>> 2004 : Libyan Attacks
>>
>> Responding to a Libyan chemical weapons attack on Ghaddafi(sp) Day, Israel
>> nukes Tripoli and several smaller cities, destroying the countries economic
>> and political power base forever. With tens of thousands killed and millions
>
>I hate the word "forever"... let's say "destroying the countries
>economic base till today" or something like that.

According to Erik J's stuff, most of the land currently occupied by Libya is
now owned by the Algerian Theocracy. The rest is part of the constantly
shifting African political landscape mentioned in Cyberpirates. Actually,
this extra part would be a good place for Desert Wars. I think Gurth was
going to write that, so add him to the "Africa Cabal" of writers.

>> 2011-2021 : African Isolation.
>> The FAA and Azania are majors players.

This is one thing I didn't mention before: the FAA. It's very clear from
Cyberpirates that most of Africa is a constantly shifting set of countries,
tribes and city-states. To quote page 87: "2) Most likely, any of the
countries you read about in school no longer exist. 3) If you wait six
months, most of the countries you read about here will probably be gone."
You can get a good idea of how fragmented Africa is from the map of the
Ivory Coast.

The point I'm getting to here is that the FAA doesn't really mesh with
FASA's view of Africa. I could see something like it existing, but I don't
think it would be a major power. It would be to internally divided. Perhaps
it was once powerful, then something happened to it? VITAS, maybe.

>> 2047 : Rumours from the desert.
>>
>> Rumours of weird science begin pouring out of the Syrian desert, along with
>
>Is Syria still Africa? Not that that would really matter, just
>curiosity.

The country of Syria is in the Middle East (between Iraq and Lebanon). Eric
J's treatment of the middle east has Syria being much larger (including
Turkey).

>> 2054 : Starvation
>>
>> Stories begin to come out of Somalia and Eritria of massive starvation and
>
>Why again these countries? Let's choose something different ;-)

Actually, I've been thinking about Somalia for a little while. My idea was
that some sort of crisis (like the famine mentioned here) would allow
Imperial Japan an excuse to get a foothold in Africa. You know, they bring
famine relief, then dock warships in the harbor and set up shop. I had
envisioned this happening in Somalia. What to people think of this idea?

Wordman