User:Penstubal/Western Union: Future

The future of the Western Union. Note these are just my ideas for now and are not official.

2018 - 2026
On April 1 2018, the Western Union will accept 5 new members in the largest WU enlargement thus far. The Western Union became the most powerful politico-economic union and organization in Antarctica. Within a few years it grew to become a very influential union, almost like a country, sticking its nose into every single part of Antarctica and investing in virtually every medium or low wealth country. The Western Union wouldn't expand at all after the 2018 expansion.

2026 - 2036
See also: Shops Civil War, 2027 Scramble for Power

In 2026, Shops Island, arguably one of the largest Antarctic economies, fell apart in one of the bloodiest wars in history. Antarctic markets immediately collapsed, some stock market indices reached 0 and the economy was in a state of disarray. The Western Union was also severely adversely affected by the crisis and the Circum, the Western Union-wide currency fell. However, the Western Union Commission was quick to issue the Economic Recovery Programme of 2026.

The 12 Western Union members were quick to unanimously state that they will, unlike other nations, not seek to annex territory of the former Shops and will instead send aid to help countries in need. This made the Western Union good, friendly and reliable to the ex-SI countries and on 17 May 2027 the Western Union and Shops Union would sign the Treaty of Dancing Penguin City in which the Western Union pledged to help stimulate the ex-SI countries' economies and to defend the countries against foreign aggression. This alliance would successfully deter some countries from trying to attack the Shops Union countries.

On 1 January 2029 Munijoch, Cheeseland and Sandila would join the Western Union, increasing the total number of members to 15.

By 2032, the Western Union almost fully recovered economically and militarily and was ready to stand strong on the Antarctic stage once again. On 24 August 2032, all 15 Western Union member states signed the Maybila Declaration, purposefully signed in Asiapelago where former Shops Island used to be, in which the Western Union members announced they were going to fight against any and all military aggressions that were ever going to take place in Antarctica. The declaration was proposed by the President of the United Provinces, Liberal Party's Jovan Janković, who was passionately pro-WU and whose initiatives helped secure the Western Union's position as the 2nd world superpower behind only the United States of Antarctica by 2036.

Also, in 2034, all 15 members have agreed to begin construction on the city of Westpolis SAD (Special Administrative District), to be located on an island in the United Provinces and to be a special city state.

2036 - 2050
In 2036 the Golden Age of the Western Union started. An era of great optimism, in contrast to the dark mood of the 2020s, had begun and President Janković had greatly reformed the United Provinces and made it a greater democracy and a better place to live than ever before, and has managed to integrate the Western Union more closely than ever before. Millions were invested into the Westpolis SAD project and it was finally finished in 2045. By 2050, over 100,000 people had moved into Westpolis SAD.

During this time, the Western Union did not expand at all. It remained at 15 members and opted to not expand further. Instead, it focused on building up its economy, infrastructure, military and bureaucracy. It also worked on its foreign policy - many new trade deals were created and ties were forged with Free Republic nations. The Free Republic Union gradually started falling apart as a result of Western Union's peaceful, non-coercive expansionism policy.

2049 - 2071
In the year 2050, the Western Union was almost a country in all but in name. The Union became so well integrated. Support for the Western Union was at around 64% on average, which is low compared to a decade before when it was 76% on average, but support for a Western Union superstate, a federal Western Union, was at an all time high of 27% average. The most supportive country for a superstate became Acadia at 39% and most opposed Terra Federation at 11%.

On 9 May 2049 the Western Unionist Party (WUP) was founded in the United Provinces. It won 5 out of 100 seats in the UP Senate and 17 out of 335 in the UP Diet in the 2050 parliamentary elections. Their support started rapidly increasing however and in the 2054 parliamentary elections they got 11 seats in the Senate and 41 in the Diet.

The WU15 and the Shops Union member states signed the Western-Shops Association Agreement (WSAA) in Wintide on 9 May 2063 resulting in an ever closer bond between these two unions. The Shops Union became very closely associated with the Western Union and started cooperating with the Western Union on military, economic and political issues. Also, in 2067, Munijoch finally agreed to change their currency to the Circum, which they have successfully done on 1 January 2071. All Western Union member states have adopted the Circum by now.

2071 - 2086
In the 2070 the United States of Antarctica and UnitedTerra were out to challenge Western Union's decades long domination of Antarctic politics. A space race broke out between the three countries that ended inconclusively in 2083. Over 200 rockets were launched from the Western Union during this time period from the Brant Esser Space Center near Delphi, Acadia and Geronimo Stanling Space Center near Thaming, Staplia, United Provinces.

The 2086 elections in Acadia resulted in the Western Unionist Party becoming the largest party in Parliament but greatly short of a majority. The same would happen in the UP Senate and Diet just 2 years later. Support for Western Union was at 81% average and for a federal Western Union 31% on average.

2086 - 2100
In the late 2080s the Antarctic economy fell into recession. The recession was mild in the rest of Antarctica, but the Western Union Circum was greatly affected. This led to a decrease of confidence for the Western economy and unemployment began to rise. Nationalist parties started to rise all over Antarctica, especially in the Republic of Moon Island. The Western Union was not affected, for then at least.

The sluggish economy began to recover in the early 2090s. But the political damage was already done - the 2090 elections resulted in a Conservative victory against the Western Unionist Party. Support for the Western Unionist Party dropped from 41% to around 29%. The same happened in the other countries. Support for the Western Union, by 2100, had fallen to 69% and for a federal Western Union to 11%. The Western Union was still immensely popular, however, but it seemed, as a UP Liberal Party member declared in 2097, "it is not the time for a federal Union now and it won't be for decades to come".