Guyana Cooperativa (1983: Doomsday)
From Alternative History
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| Capital: | Paramaribo | ||
| Largest city: | Georgetown | ||
| Language: official: | English, Dutch | ||
| Other languages: | many others | ||
| Population: | appr. 256.000 inh. | ||
| Independence: | 1987 | ||
The Guyana Cooperative is a union of the former nations of Guyana and Surname.
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[edit] History
Shortly after Doomsday, Venezuela invaded Guana to enforce its old claim over Guayana Esequiba, the part of Guyana west of the Essequibo river. Nationwide the structures crumbled and chaos spread. In a desperate attempt to fend of the invasion, Guyanan authorities sought help from Suriname. Military dictator Desi Bouterse of Suriname, though not formally speaking in charge surely the 'strong man' of the country at the time, sent his military to the east bank of the Essequibo river. Since the Venezuelans were not interested in conquering the east bank and did not bother crossing it, the Surinamese troops met little, if any, resistance. Bouterse exploited the situation by claiming this to be a 'tremendous military victory'.
The atmosphere created after the invasion brought the two countries together, paving the way towards the union between them. They saw that by uniting they could guarantee a better and more secure future. A tense but peaceful stalemate between the GC and Venezuela has more or less lasted over the years.
In the early 2000s, the nations of South America began earnestly discussing the creation of the South American Confederation, which became a reality in 2004. During these years, Guyana saw the advantages that the SAC would offer and attempted to join both the preliminary talks and the Confederation itself. However, because of the circumstances of its foundation, Venezuela claimed that the country was not legitimate and blocked every initiative admitting it to the SAC. Still, Brazil, Guyane, and other states maintain friendly relations with the GC.
In the early 2000s the GC split into two camps, one favoring continuing the ongoing effort to develop closer ties with the SAC, the other proposing a radical change by joining the neutral, economically rising neighbour French Guiana. In 2006, the pro-neutrality faction gained the upper hand and formally made an proposal of unification to French Guyana and began to intensely discuss forming a triple state. They added a third star to the flag of the GC to represent the hope of a future union. The move created some turmoil both within the GC and in French Guyana, since the proposed unification would change the power balance in the region. It has put pressure on the GC's South American allies, who would prefer the GC's joining to the Confederation to an enlarged French Guyana.
[edit] Current Situation
Guyana is still a quite unstable country and its economy is less developed than its neighbours. Politically it is still split between a pro-SAC faction and a faction favoring neutrality.
The region was extremely diverse to begin with, and post-doomsday-immigration from the Caribbean has made Guyana the most ethnically diversified, though unstable, country in South America.
[edit] Flag
The Cooperative's flag combines elements from the old flags of Guyana and Suriname. The three stars represent the hope of uniting all three Guyanas.
[edit] International relations
The Guyana Cooperativa is a member of the League of Nations. It is recognized by Brazil, French Guyana, and other South American nations, but not by Venezuela or by the SAC as a whole. Unification talks with French Guyana have so far not produced any actual results.
[edit] See Also
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