====== The Americas ======

====== The United States ======

> Population: 333,602,000 (approx)
>
> GDP: $16,789 Billion
>
> President: Graham Jones (Rep)
> Vice-President: Walton Matthews
> Secretary of State for Defence: Helen Carter
> Director of the CIA: Wilson Coombs
> Director of the FBI: Richard Michaels
> (Rumoured) Director of the NSA: Faith Dufrene


The United States is indisputably the most powerful nation on the planet. However, its dominance of international politics is no longer as absolute as it was a decade ago. The European Federation is a credible challenger for geopolitical supremacy, a fact that does not escape most American citizens. Fears for the nation's place in the world are reckoned to have contributed to the election of moderate conservative Graham Jones in 2016, though analysts also point to the popularity of his running mate, Walton Matthews, with the elusive Middle America demographic, and backlash against what many perceived as the "Europeanisation" of America during the 8 years of Democrat rule. 

Jones campaigned on a platform of "putting America first", and he has, so far, been relatively successful in this; the foreign policy adventurism of the 00s has not resurfaced, and the trade deficit has begun, at long last, to reduce in size. Jones is not an especially //exciting// president, but he seems to largely get things right, and Matthews provides a source of fiery rhetoric when it is needed. Primaries for the 2020 election are beginning, and most observers think that the Democrats face a brutal uphill battle: Jones has a 65% approval rating, and none of their candidates has yet shown signs of the spark needed to cause an upset.

American society maintains the differences that have always set it apart from western Europe: The gap between rich and poor is that much larger, and religious belief is still much more common, though atheism bears less of a stigma than it once did, and some progress has been made in combatting the extreme poverty found in some states. Taxes are still lower, and government surveillance, though sharply increased in the last five years, is still nowhere near at the level seen in Great Britain. Early morning FBI arrests for those who threaten national security based on wiretaps and email interceptions are now not that uncommon, but you can walk the streets confident that you are not on camera the whole time, and the innocent seem to have //relatively// little to fear. It is, however, an open secret that a large amount of the money saved in some areas by the Jones administration has been channeled into the NSA.

The United States continues to maintain one of the largest and best equipped militaries in the world. Deployments to the Middle-East have been largely wound down however, and in the 10s the US has been active in providing peacekeeping forces to the UN, which has won it much support on the international stage. President Jones, has, however, voiced opposition to the continued use of American forces in such a role, and has promised to decrease the US's commitments if re-elected, a policy behind which popular support firmly lies. Foreign journalists have thrown up opposition to Jones re-election, but if anything in the current climate this has strengthened his position.

The 2014 granting of independance to Quebec in Canada energised independance movements in both Alaska and Texas. While the movement in Texas has largely died out once more, largely thanks to support for Walton Matthews, who was born in Texas and actively spoke out against the movement on the campaign trail. The Alaskan independence movement is going from strength to strength however, now enjoying majority support in the state, and presenting a real headache for the president, since it is still a major source of the country's oil.

Overall, the United States remains one of the best places in the world to be born. It's not perfect, but it is wealthy, the people are happy, and the average standard of living is high relative to the global average.

====== Canada and the Republic of Quebec ======

> Canada:
>
> Population: 27,090,000 (approx)
>
> GDP: $1,206 Billion
>
> Prime Minister: Terrence Ford (Liberal)
> Leader of the Opposition: Iris Wright (Conservative)

> Republic of Quebec:
>
> Population: 9,650,000
>
> GDP: $473 Million
>
> President: Amelie Bayille


In 2014, with no obvious build up, it was announced that Quebec's seccission from Canada had been agreed by the Canadian Government and the National Assembly of Quebec. This news was greeted with delight by the citizens of Quebec, disbelief by the rest of Canadians, and surprise among the rest of the world. There seemed to be no strategic reason for the move, especially when calls for independence had been ignored for so long. Rumours have persisted of dark, shady deals and some ulterior motive. Certainly share prices of some companies operating in Canada took significant hits due to the layers of bureaucracy added by the change. The move also energised independence movements the world over, including those in Texas, Alaska, Scotland and Tibet.

Both Canada and the RoQ have healthy economies and high standards of living. Trade links between the two are extremely strong, and many successful businesses have been started on the back of this. However, neither is a major player in international politics.

====== Mexico ======

>Population: 121,460,000 (approx)
>
>GDP: $2,975 Billion
>
>President: Jorge Muenas

In the last ten years, Mexico has advanced right to the precipice of being a true first-world nation. While there are still areas of extreme poverty, Mexico has a rapidly growing economy, excellent socialised healthcare, a strong transport infrastructure and free elections. There are, however, still serious problems with organised crime, and often reports of human rights abuses by police and security forces, especially when dealing with poorer citizens. The drug cartels in Mexico are some of the largest and best equipped in the world, though a crackdown started in cooperation with the United States in 2017 has driven the trade somewhat further underground.

Mexico has a rich ancient history around which many conspiracy theories circle, especially that of the Aztecs, who ruled Mexico as leaders of the triple alliance from 1430 to 1521, when they were conquered by Spanish settlers. Before the conquest, their capital of Mexico-Tenochtitlan was the largest city in the world, and Mexico city lies on the same site. The Aztecs made huge advances in science and mathematics, and there have always been rumours of strange and terrible devices left behind, though no concrete evidence has ever been found.

Mexico also has the Large Millimeter Telescope, the largest of its kind in the world, designed to observe objects concealed by stellar dust. For the last two years it has been "closed for maintenance", much to the chagrin of Mexico's scientific community, and questions are starting to be asked as to why repairs are taking so long.