Throughout the early decades of the 21st century, the return of the multi-polar world
seemed inevitable. The United States would no longer be a single hyperpower, but one
among several. Potential, rival superpowers included the People’s Republic of China,
the European Union, India and a resurgent Russia. The Tel Aviv War, and the global
energy crisis it triggered however, crippled these countries along with the United States.
With the international power structure undergoing its greatest change since the fall of the Soviet
Union, the path to global superpower status was open to seemingly unlikely possabilities.
With this new era dawning, on June 2nd, 2014, Brazil, Argentina, and Chile united to form a
new nation. In an instant a new superpower was born: The Federation of the Americas.
The unlikely success of unification sentiments across South America was born,
somewhat paradoxically, out of right-wing populism, and jingoistic nationalism. The
Tel Aviv War was seen as the latest example in a long history of American and Eurocentric
arrogance which came at the expense of historically marginalized and exploited
“third world” nations. The Federation was the natural expansion of this sentiment,
a purposeful attempt to create a new counterweight in global affairs.
Echoing the Pan-American rhetoric of Simón Bolívar, the Federation pursued a foreign
policy of aggressive expansion. Through both skillful diplomacy, the threat and use of
economic and military force, and the simple idealistic belief in a united South America,
the Federation eventually came to encompass the entire continent. The legitimacy of this
consolidation varied from nation to nation, while every former country within the Federation is
granted the status of member-state, many are seen internationally as occupied territories.
The prominence of authoritarian governments and policies across its founding nations continued
into Federation itself. It is a totalitarian dictatorship with many fascist aspects
including the forced suppression of political opposition and ultranationalist rhetoric
based on the idea of national rebirth. The Social indoctrination of its citizens is widespread,
achieved through state-education, propaganda and media.
This propaganda harnesses the diverse, vibrant culture of Latin America,
injecting them with a sense of supremacism, exceptionalism, and victim mentality.
The amity between South American cultures is a constant of state media, with even the positive
relations with native tribes, particularly prized by the government. This sense of moral superiority
is in turn directed against the United States, Europe and Asia, characterized as the traditional
parasites of freedom and economic prosperity both within the Federation and across the world.
While this is undoubtedly exaggerated for political purposes, the decline of the United
States and the traditional great powers was of enormous benefit to the Federation’s economy.
The global energy crisis transformed Venezuela from an impoverished, failed state, to energy
superpower virtually overnight. Brazil meanwhile, as the largest economy within South America,
was well placed to invest in its neighbors and capitalize on shifting global trends.
With the establishment of a single global economy, and the expansion of the Federation,
the nation’s economic potential skyrocketed. By 2027, the Federation of the Americas
had emerged from years of rapid growth to become the largest economy on the planet.
Much of this new wealth was directed towards military spending. The Federation Army,
Navy and Air Force, the three primary branches of the nation, have imported much of their hardware
from overseas. Russian equipment is the most common, with AK-12 Assault Rifles, T-90MS main
battle tanks, and Mi-28 Havoc Attack Helicopters, ubiquitous across its ground divisions. These have
been both imported directly and produced locally under license. The Air Force likewise operates
Mig-29 fighter aircraft. However, western equipment is also found across its branches,
with F-15 fighter aircraft and Arleigh Burke-class destroyers in its Air and Naval forces.
The irregularity between its military equipment and the problems this poses in terms of training
and maintenance is offset by the cheap cost at which these items can be obtained.
Even so, their use is purely as a stopgap measure, until indiginious production can
meet the demands of the Federation military. Early efforts by South American defense contractors,
namely “Industrias Soberanas” have resulted in the X08 “Selva Tigre” main battle tank,
and the Aegis-class destroyer, a modification of the Arleigh Burke class intended to
incorporate designs reverse-engineered from American Littoral Combat Ships.
The sophistication and potential of South American military forces moved from theory to practice with
the outbreak of war between the Federation and the United States. This open conflict materialized
out of years of growing tensions between the two powers, which reached their breaking point in the
attempted invasion of Caracas by the United State in 2015. While the invasion ended in a tentative
armistice, it energized the Federation’s population with anti-American sentiments.
In 2017, the truce was broken when the United States own “Orbital Defense Initiative”
was hijacked by Federation agents. A series of kinetic weapons were launched at American cities,
turning parts of Southern California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, Lousinia and
Florida into a devastated “no man’s land”. This preemptive strike resulted in the deaths of 27
million Americans and was quickly followed by an enormous land invasion through Mexico. The
initial surprise and success of this attack was eventually frustrated by American counter-attacks
turning what was to be a swift campaign into a stalemate, but one fought on American soil.
Incursions into Federation territory, most notably by an unknown amalgamation of American
Special Forces units, successfully prevented the salvaged remains of ODIN from being restored,
but the stalemate remains. The Federation has been denied its critical strike,
and the United States granted the time it needs to rebuild and rearm.
But above all, the Federation has displayed the uncanny ability to mobilize its populace around
seemingly impossible goals and turn the weapons of their enemies against them.