52 Tales of 2019 - Reverse Map Game 2019 - 2016 - 2019

[fardell24]

1st January 2016 - 3rd February 2019
North America
Canada
Justin Trudeau continues the reforms he had promised at the previous election (in 2015). Re-negotiation of NAFTA occurs. see below.

United States
It was thought that as the last year of Barack Obama's began that the United States was progessive, that the mistakes of the past had been left behind. However, as Donald J. Trump continued to gain support in the Republican Party, winning primary after primary, the American people knew something was up. The Democrats were divided, between supporting the controversial figure of Hillary Clinton, a former Cabinet member or supporting the Socialist policies of Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders.
Although Clinton wins the popular vote, Trump wins in the Electoral College.
Almost immediately Trump's agenda is opposed. The Supreme Court doesn't allow a 'Muslim Ban' to go ahead.
However, NAFTA is renegotiated, to stop US jobs going to Canada and Mexico and a Trade war starts with China.
Other problems arise: Evidence begins to come in that Trump (or at least those in his campaign) colluded with Russian agents to win the election...

Mexico
The situation with the various drug cartels continues to get worse.

Central America
Migrants fleeing gang violence and organised crime in Honduras and El Salvador begin travelling to the United States in Caravans...

South America
Here too, populist leaders are elected into power. In Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro is elected as President in late 2018.
However compared to Venezuela, Brazil is well off. Nicolas Maduro has continued to gain more autocratic powers as president, stacking the Supreme Court with cronies. The Court then removed the leglislative functions from the National Assembly. Up to 7% of the nation has fled...

Africa
Civil war continues in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The East African Community contineus to integrate.
Kenya continues to have trouble with Islamist terrorists, with attacks ocurring in Nairobi. Somali refugees continue to flee over the border...

In Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon, Boko Haram continues to attack targets in those countries, and raid villages...

Europe
There is more going on here than Brexit. There is also more going on than Russian Brinkmanship. There is also more going on than protests against economic policies.

Brexit
In late 2015 Prime Minister David Cameron had promised a referendum on the United Kingdom's membership in the European Union. The referendum is held in mid 2016, with 'Leave' winning by 52-48. That is where the chaos starts. Cameron resigns as PM, with Theresa May replacing him. However, the deal that she works out with the EU by the end of 2018 is not one that Parliament wants to support...
With a car attack in Derry/Londonderry there are questions on whether a Hard Brexit would lead to violence in Northern Ireland (and even beforehand).

Russian Brinkmanship
Especially vs. Ukraine, and the recent annexation of Crimea. There is a naval confrontation between Russia and Ukraine in November 2018.

Asia
Middle East
Civil War breaks out in Yemen, with the Houthi rebelling against Sa'ana with support from the Saudi regime.

The Syrian Civil War continues. However there is at least some positive developments. Da'esh is nearing defeat...

In Turkey, Erdogan continues to gain more power as President...

There is controversy in Israel. But there is always controversy in Israel. But this is new, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netinyahu mired in possible corruption charges by the beginning of 2019.
The Trump Administration announces the movement of the United States Embassy to Jerusalem, from Tel Aviv...

In Afghanistan, the country has stabilised enough that the Trump Administration is pulling the remaining troops out...

China
Economic growth continues, despite the incipient trade war against the United States.

Confrontations are occuring over the man made islands in the South China Sea.

Indian Subcontinent
Myanmar's military is now possibly genociding the Rohingya in Rahkine State, with hundreds of thousands of refugees flooding into eastern Bangladesh...


Oceania
In Australia, the Coalition remains in power, but the Prime Minister changes twice.
By the beginning of 2019 with another election on the way, the Prime Minister is not Tony Abbot, nor Malcolm Turnbull, but Scott Morrison...

In New Zealand, Labour under Jacinda Ardern wins in a landslide in 2017.