Introduction 1: Politics
In Earth 2030, the concept of the nation-state has faded in importance; no longer is any single nation in the running for the title of "superpower". Instead, the bloc of nations has become the ultimate unit of political power. North America, the European Union, the Chinese Hegemony, and the Russian Bloc are roughly equal powers, with the African Union and the Southern Confederacy contending to join the Big Four on the world stage.
To understand how this came to be, it is necessary to take a brief walk through recent history.
How Unending War Killed the Nation-State
The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan that began in the first decade of the 21st century never truly ended, as was their intention. Having declared war on what is effectively a culture, not a nation, America had no exit strategy, no way to win. No President after George Bush had the will to truly and permanently abandon those conflicts, so, effectively, they just never stopped.
Instead, they spread. Terrorism and civil war became the norm wherever America sought to combat it. Whenever there was sectarian violence or governmental instability, America's army would arrive to stamp it out, then become irrevocably mired in local affairs. By 2016, America was conducting counter-terrorist "stabilization efforts" in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Israel.
Rather than go through the hassle of declaring war, America simply began operating across borders without permission. First, it was merely covert reconnaissance of tribal lands in Pakistan. Then, it was the ill-fated bombing runs on alleged Iranian nuclear enrichment plants. Before long, the world got used to America treading wherever it pleased. The offended nations of the region ranted and raved in the chambers of the U.N., but none could bring themselves to declare outright war against such a powerful enemy. Instead, they simply joined the fray, moving their own troops as they pleased, without any official declarations.
In the world of 2030, war rages throughout the Middle East, and precious few can adequately explain exactly who is fighting who. National armies roam across borders, each claiming to be protecting their interests and keeping the peace, while far more soldiers, branded as terrorists, represent disenfranchised tribal and religious groups seeking to oust any interlopers from their lands, or, in some cases, to opportune upon the situation to make bold power plays.
The latter case has occurred several times. Religious extremists used the chaos and instability of the vast conflict to topple the governments of Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and even, briefly, Pakistan. American allies Israel and Iraq, as well as forces recruited from other occupied nations (thought by many to be American puppet states), do constant battle with religious, cultural, and political extremists who use the time-honored tactics of terrorism and guerrilla warfare to beat overwhelming numbers.
By this time, most of the generals in the war are men who arrived as foot soldiers, who have spent their entire adult lives in the Middle East, amidst constant conflict. They have tired of the ever-shifting politics of the home country, and have little use for what few fresh recruits come from the U.S. these days. Instead, they recruit soldiers from amongst those Middle Eastern natives who wish to join their cause, fighting ostensibly for western freedom and autonomy.
In the wake of vast cuts to America's defense budget and a dramatic reduction in the ability of the Federal government to wage foreign wars, these generals are largely funded by an international conglomerate of interests both local to the Middle East and foreign. Old organizations like the U.N. are supplemented by private corporations, who are now fully licensed by the U.S. government both to fund and direct war efforts and to employ their own mercenaries to that end.
Thus, the armies battling in the Middle East have become almost entirely autonomous from the U.S. or any other nation-state, just as their enemies are rarely nationals, but cultural idealists who refuse to recognize the borders on maps drawn by their enemies.
The war has become a thing unto itself, beyond the ability of any superpower to simply call off, beyond the ability of anyone to imagine a stable endgame, and, sadly, beyond the care or notice of most who live outside the region.
