The Epilogue / the Saturn and Beyond

By Steven Fazekas

The Epilogue
This book forwards the reader to 2055. It is a political science fiction (or perhaps ramblings of a politically incorrect and inquisitive mind). Not unlike political science at large the theme of this composition is presumptive and speculative at best. It poses the question why and how the United States of America destroyed itself and what kind of world order followed its demise.

The Saturn and Beyond
This out in space episode takes place in 2113 when advances of science enable humanity to shed most of its handicaps. Millions of miles from Earth and covering unimaginably large distances mankind however, still struggle to define its role in the universe.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Apr 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781456755065

Steven Fazekas

Steven Fazekas immigrated in the United States of America on 1986. Prior to coming to America, he already lived as an immigrant in Italy, Britain and South Africa. They each had good and bad to offer, but generally they all have his thanks and compliments. Nevertheless, America is the only country that made him feel at home right from the start, perhaps because in here, everyone else is an immigrant. Most came long before he had arrived, but none have more rights or duties than him.

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The Epilogue

The Saturn and Beyond

Steven Fazekas

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© 2011 Steven Fazekas. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 4/6/2011

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5506-5 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-5507-2 (sc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011904493

Printed in the United States of America

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Contents

The Epilogue

Preface

Conclusion

Endnotes

The Saturn and Beyond

The Epilogue

A Political Science Fiction of the 21st Century

by

Steven Fazekas

Preface

Events described in this paper may or may not come to pass. Scenarios depicted in here are wonderings of a politically inquisitive mind. In this essay as in all science fiction the author’s imagination is the only thing that limits the subject’s boundaries. Political science not unlike science fiction is speculative at best it tries to predict what mankind can change or accomplish in the years to come. While politics can not be saved from itself – in defense of science fiction it is worth to note that the De la Terre a la Lune by Jules Verne was dismissed as pure fantasy when it was published in 1865. History has since redeemed Verne’s adventurous thinking proving the old adage that one should never say never. In other words let it be science fiction or political science: status quo is not forever.

The year is 2055 and for the past five years the destiny of nations by and large been dictated by a new political and economic order. The Bern Treaty of 2050 confirmed and acknowledged the major shift in political and economic power, which incidentally was in the making since the days of 9/11.

The world indeed is not what it was five decades earlier. Lots of things have changed and a lot has happened in the past half century. The most notable thing is that the world now lives in a post Third World War (WWIII) political order. Just as the First and Second World War before, the Third World War (2046-2049) had also substantially rearranged the earth’s economic and political map. Alliances crumbled, new ones had formed, nations had declined while others had risen. Nature takes its toll mostly on the poor but sometimes on the powerful. Just like individuals, nations also pay heavily for their mistakes, hubris, ignorance and arrogance.

By the hundredth anniversary of the start of the Second World War the BRIC nations that by 2025 besides China, India, Brazil and Russia also had included unified Korea, Vietnam, Indonesia and South Africa had run out of patience and demanded redistribution of political and financial powers. Their demand was not without merit their combined population by 2040 had exceeded three quarters of the world’s total. Their industrial output and economic might hovered around sixty percent of all nations’ combined. Nature endows the young to challenge the old; by 2040 the BRIC nations were the young ones with this urge.

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and subsequent globalization ideological differences between countries by and large had disappeared. As residues of the Cold War lingered on China had pretended to be communist (for a while) and the United States continued to claim to be the leader of the ‘Free World’. However, both claims soon became anachronistic the same way as the political world order that was established in 1945 approximately one hundred years earlier. By 2020 Chinese practicality had prevailed, the Communist Party renamed and refashioned itself into the Chinese Universal Party. The word communism now was seldom used its meaning mostly became academic. The party however retained its grip on power and under its new and energetic leadership China enjoyed the fruits of controlled capitalism. This model became known as state capitalism whereby the state as the largest conglomerate (in the country) retains ownership of certain segments of the national economy. The state mostly owns and operates essential services like: health, pension, education, national airline, national rail and road system, national TV and radio, it also maintains a national defense and police force. Everything else remains in the hands of private individuals and corporations. It is a balance whereby the state is the largest capitalist but do not compete at all outside its mandate and sphere of influence. On the contrary it enables private individuals and companies to thrive and be profitable by assuming the total burden of the afore mentioned entities. This is achieved by universal taxation: a 22.5 percent flat tax on every and all kind of income regardless of its origin let it be corporate or individual.

This 22.5 / 77.5 percent split benefits society at large since the above listed essentials i.e. health care, education, pensions, etc. is always provided by the state at no additional cost. Income tax administration is simplified by the flat tax: everybody and every income generating entity pays 22.5 percent income tax without any ifs and but’s. A national tax referendum held at every five years can adjust the flat tax rate up or down in the increment of 2.5 percent.

This is the system what China had introduced in 2020 that propelled her to world dominance ever since. Within two decades most nations had copied the Chinese model and by the eve of WWIII apart from the USA there were only a handful of nations that had not adopted state capitalism.

Since time immemorial families, groups, clans, tribes and nations with economic superiority had always directed world affairs hence no wonder that China and all the other countries that followed the Chinese model no longer listened to the guy who had no money in his account. By the year 2040 the United States was financially bankrupt, it lived on borrowed money and borrowed time. Nevertheless it still pretended to be almighty although in reality it was more like a feudal kingdom that no longer could pay for the troops and the pomp. Delusional as King George the Third ever was the USA still clung to the title of superpower. Like grandma who once ruled the roost America was outraged when nations around the world no longer heeded her call. In a political tantrum – now and again – she threatened to spank these new kids on the block. To demonstrate that she meant business she bullied smaller nations around. Her action consisted of military skirmishes, economic sanctions, blockades, trade embargoes, travel, visa and cultural restrictions.

Just like Austria-Hungary on the eve of the First World War the United States and its allies also managed to turn a minor incident into an all out war. The pretext this time came from the Philippines, the country that the US – ever since MacArthur – always deemed as its own. In 2025 Exxon discovered an extremely large oil deposit in Manila Bay. The find was so large that the area it had encompassed practically ran from Bagulo in the north to Cebu in the south. Estimated reserves were as much as Saudi Arabia’s or perhaps even more. To cap it off the area not only yielded top quality sweet crude but immense quantity of natural gas too. Exxon and BP with partnership of the then Philippines government developed the first production platforms. Besides offshore development Exxon and BP also invested heavily in onshore processing and storage facilities at Cebu, Nogo and Mindoro.

Naturally other fortune seekers i.e. oil companies also wanted to participate in this later day gold rush. Having immensely rich reserves and more than one suitor the Philippines government was less and less inclined to give the Americans exclusive control. There has been a back and forth bartering, bickering, arguing, negotiating and re-negotiating of deals between the Americans and the Philippines for fifteen years.

In 2040 the PPP (Philippines People’s Party) won the election whose main agenda was to obtain total control over the country’s oil and gas production. It proposed to retain foreign companies only as hired hands paying a negotiated fee for their expertise and services. It proposed to pay a fixed fee per barrel – independent from the price of oil on the world market. It would have been a steady income for the oil companies; they would have been safeguarded from the fluctuating oil prices. It would have also meant the loss of their influence over the market and exclusion from skyrocketing profits during high oil prices. The proposal was not palatable at all for the American companies whom by this time also included: Amoco, Chevron, Texaco, Caltex and many others.

Shortly after the breakdown of negotiations a coup – rumored to have been engineered by the CIA – toppled the Philippine government and the military junta that had taken over stuck to the business status quo. Within two years a guerrilla movement – rural and urban – paralyzed the country while openly targeting Americans and American companies. The United States accused the Chinese of arming the guerrillas and threatened to make the Philippines a US protectorate. After the guerrillas overran the US Embassy in Manila and subsequently massacred most of its occupants the US invaded the Philippines. The Chinese now stepped up aid to the guerrillas, which resulted in two Chinese supply-ships having been sunk by the US Navy. Thus the Manila Bay incident (3-10-2046) signaled the start of the Third World