Rogue Generals: A Different Post-EDSA Uno Philippines TL

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heysel_Stadium_disaster

He is probably talking about this one.

Chapter Ninety-Two: The Thick Red Line

ESF, KAZAKHSTAN, TO FINALIZE BORDER ADJUSTMENTS BETWEEN THE TWO NATIONS AS PART OF PERMANENT PEACE SETTLEMENT
Moscow Times
February 14, 2002

(Shymkent, KAZAKHSTAN) - Diplomatic representatives from both the East Slavic Federation and Kazakhstan had met up in the Kazakh capital of Shymkent for a diplomatic summit that would formally settle the issue of the border between the two nations, as part of the unresolved diplomatic tensions that have lingered since the end of the Second Russian Civil War. ESF Foreign Minister Natalia Zarudna met with her Kazakh counterpart in Kazakh Foreign Minister Erlan Idris, before the official summit was to begin. The borders that were left unresolved was around the region that was known as the Pritobolye Free State, where a majority of the Russian population lived after events of Operation: Batyr resulted in the biggest expulsion of not only ethnic Russians, but Ukrainians, Belarusians, and residents of foreign backgrounds, primarily German and the Koryo-saram. Before the official negotiations for the permanent borders were to begin, Erlan Idris addressed the issue of ethnic Kazakhs that still lived within the territories of the ESF proper, and called for their repatriation to Kazakhstan, as a precondition for the border settlement. Ms. Zarudna agreed to the plan, and also acknowledged the ESF's crime of ethnic cleansing of the Kazakh population of the region called the Priuralye Free State, in retaliation for Operation: Batyr. Morever, there were also negotiations for reparations that was to be made to Kazakhstan by the ESF, which would come in the form of financial compensations to the Kazakh families that were expelled, in exchange for Kazakhstan compensating the Slavic and European expellees who were forced from their homes after Operation: Batyr was launched. When the actual issue of the border was raised, Ms. Zarudna offered to cede one half of the Pritobolye Free State's territory to Kazakhstan, in exchange for Kazakhstan's recognition of the territorial changes that occurred during the Second Russian Civil War. In addition, representatives from the rest of the Central Asian post-Soviet republics have also arrived in Shymkent to normalize relations with the ESF, which had been in stasis since the end of that civil war as well, though Kyrgyzstan's President Askar Akayev also attended the summit in Shymkent to also normalize relations with Kyrgyzstan's neighbors as well.

"I would like to say that this opportunity to settle the lingering tensions within Central Asia has been the keystone of our government's national policy since the end of the civil war in the former Soviet Union, and that the brief episode involving Al-Qaeda should be a thing of the past, now that they've been pretty much driven off from most of our homeland," says Kazakh President Aitkul Samak, during his speech in the Kazakh Mazhlis in Shymkent. "Although we are reluctant to recognize the territorial changes that have occurred between us and our northern neighbor, we also realize the necessity of restoring some semblance of economic stability in the region."

The economic state of Central Asia has been terrible, due to Al-Qaeda's operations there. While oil and gas extractions have resumed once again, there were only a few customers willing to buy the oil from Central Asia, with China and India being the most prominent customers. In addition, representatives from various companies based in the East Slavic Federation have also arrived in Shymkent to negotiate potential project deals with the governments of the five Central Asian nations. The most important part of the summit was the arrival of the Indian delegation, whose presence in Shymkent is a welcome sight, and Indian Minister of External Affairs Jaswant Singh has led the Indian delegation to Shymkent to negotiate a pipeline project that would connect the ESF to India, through Iran and Pakistan, or even through Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and China.

"India's thirst for oil and gas has never been more important in the development of the Indian economy, and the opportunity to build a pipeline into our territory from the ESF and Central Asia is crucial to our national interests," says Indian Minister for External Affairs Jaswant Singh, during an interview with ESF reporters. "All the more reason why we needed to settle our affairs with China and Pakistan, before the project could take off."


The final border adjustment made between the East Slavic Federation and the Republic of Kazakhstan.

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BUKHARA FALLS TO UZBEK FORCES AS REMNANTS OF AL-QAEDA FORCES CONTINUE TO RETREAT, JOINED BY FELLOW FIGHTERS WHO SURVIVED ALMATY SIEGE
Moscow Times
January 29, 2002


Members of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan patrol the countryside as they try to avoid ambushes from Uzbek government forces or the ESF military.

(Bukhara, UZBEKISTAN) - Inspired by the recent successful capture of Almaty from Al-Qaeda forces by the combined armies of the East Slavic Federation and Kazakhstan, the Uzbek military had launched a surprise attack on the only Al-Qaeda stronghold left in Uzbekistan, in the city of Bukhara. The fighting between the surviving Al-Qaeda fighters and the surging Uzbek military had resulted in an intense urban warfare that saw much of Bukhara's old neighborhoods turned into makeshift pillboxes and tank traps. Uzbekistan's forces also received military aid from Iran and the ESF, although the aid was slow to arrive, due to the mop up operations launched by the Kazakh forces on the border between Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, with later ESF military operations shifting towards Kyrgyzstan. Like their Kazakh counterparts, the Uzbek military's issues stem from the lack of replaceable parts, as well as lack of weapons for most of its infantry forces. However, an additional problem also arose that has become common within all of the Central Asian nations' military forces, namely the gradual shifting of the ethnic compositions within the military leadership, as predominantly Slavic officers have also been among the non-Turkic peoples of European origin that have been expelled from Central Asia as a result of Operation: Batyr, and the lack of a proper military manuals that are written in the native languages of the Central Asian nations.

"Much of our troops have suffered from casualties being inflicted by not only Al-Qaeda fighters, but they have also come under attack by non-sectarian militias that have emerged in response to Al-Qaeda's conquest of Uzbekistan," says Uzbek officer Tulkun Kasimov, whose role in the Uzbek counteroffensive against various Islamist organizations had been pivotal. "However, we're also dealing with various local Islamist movements that have sprung up and acted as Al-Qaeda's collaborators in our nation, so we're in need of help in dealing with the external enemies, while we deal with the internal enemies."

The growth of the local Islamist branches had its roots in the Soviet War in Afghanistan, when a former Soviet soldier had deserted to join the Mujahideen resistance fighters who arrived in Afghanistan to fight the occupying Red Army. Tohir Yoldosh and Juma Namagani were the key leaders of the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, but Namagani held actual military command. They were instrumental in the Al-Qaeda invasion of Central Asia, in which many Islamist accomplices were recruited by Namagani for the movement to expand beyond Uzbekistan's borders, to Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, as well as Tajikistan. Yoldosh on the other hand, wielded some political power within Uzbekistan, but his movement was challenged by various communist remnants who remained loyal to the Soviet government until the USSR was formally dissolved in 1995, leaving them vulnerable to Chinese influence. Yet, their movement gradually became more popular as the Uzbek government had struggled to maintain its authority and credibility, leading to the increased popularity for the Islamist movements, who often preached for Uzbekistan to be governed by Sharia law, rather than secular law. Unfortunately, the Uzbek economy had gone on a slight downward spiral, as the Uzbek som had suffered from inflation.

"We had to rely on our relatives who worked overseas, especially in Turkey, Iran, and even in China, to send money back home to Tashkent," comments one Uzbek mother, whose sister and brother were working in China as factory workers. "The foreign currency is extremely hard to come by, so the Uzbek government is immensely grateful to some of us who have to work overseas."

The Uzbek workers who often moved to foreign nations in search of work also had to contend with local discrimination from the residents who lived in those nations. This is especially true in the wealthier Gulf Arab nations, which had not been prepared for the influx of Uzbek temporary workers seeking to earn some foreign cash to send back home. With Filipino overseas workers choosing to immigrate to the West and parts of the Balkans after the rise of the Artemio Tadiar dictatorship, there was a sudden shortage of workers. Uzbeks and other Central Asians began to move to the UAE, Qatar, and Bahrain for jobs in the oil industry when the Second Russian Civil War broke out. Fortunately for those Uzbeks who worked overseas between the time period in which the civil war in the former Soviet Union broke out and the rise of Al-Qaeda and their expansion into Central Asia, many Central Asian migrant workers had started to apply for permanent residence visas, but the Gulf Arab states did not have the infrastructure to take them in. Luckily, Turkey was opening its doors to Central Asian migrant workers, and Mesut Yilmaz at that time, had streamlined the process in which the applications for permanent residency would make it easier for Central Asian migrant workers to gain the legal right to reside in Turkey. However, the increased influx of the Central Asian workers had also raised alarms within the Turkish public, as they complained that more of their compatriots are choosing to work in the ECA member states because of higher salary. The Yilmaz government had taken the issue of educated Turks seeking to immigrate to other nations in search for a better life, and began to invest heavily in infrastructure projects that created enough jobs for the Turkish temporary workers residing in the ECA to return to Turkey.

Meanwhile, with Bukhara being liberated from Al-Qaeda's control, Uzbekistan is also poised to accept some investments from Turkey in areas of infrastructure repairs, although the ESF has a larger amount of cash that can be used to repair key infrastructures, as well as to rebuild homes that were destroyed in the fighting. Unlike the other parts of Central Asia, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan do not share a border with China, but they share a border with Iran, which makes Iranian investment in their economy a bit more appealing. Additionally, the ESF and Iran are set to renew their trade agreement, which would also include certain clauses on trade with third party nations.

"We had to take a look at ourselves, and see where we went wrong with the way we governed our nation," says Uzbek president Muhammad Salih, during an interview with ESF state media in Moscow, as part of his state visit to the ESF. "It is obvious that while we remained loyal to the old Soviet government, we did not pay attention to the demands that our people were calling for, namely political reforms that bordered on the desire to have democracy in the Uzbek Republic."

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AUSTRALIA ANNOUNCES NEW TRADE DEAL WITH INDIA AND THE EAST SLAVIC FEDERATION IN A DIPLOMATIC SUMMIT IN PERTH, USES SUMMIT TO PUBLICLY CALL FOR PHILIPPINES TO END SELF-IMPOSED DIPLOMATIC ISOLATION
The West Australian
March 9, 2002

(Perth, WESTERN AUSTRALIA) - The inaugural Indo-Pacific Summit has started off in Perth as Australian Prime Minister John Howard has played host to delegates from India and the East Slavic Federation, in what is the first multilateral meeting with the two nations in a long time. The summit also marks the first time that Australia hosts a top delegation from the East Slavic Federation, since the Second Russian Civil War, with President Mykola Azarov visiting Australia for the first time, and the diplomatic team is led by Foreign Minister Natalia Zarudna. The ESF delegation arrived in Australia on March 6, after the Indian delegation arrived the previous day, in time to prepare for the very first diplomatic summit that Australia organized on its own initiative. The summit also comes at a time when Australia's economy is facing new challenges from its neighbors, and the growth of India's economy had resulted in increased demands for Australian gold, coal, and iron, while simultaneously, Indian exports to Australia mainly consisted of refined petroleum, medicines, and business services. Additionally, Australia also exports vegetables, wheat, inulin, and aluminum to the East Slavic Federation, while in turn the ESF exports crude petroleum, fertilisers, and wood manufacturing products, although the free trade deals that will be negotiated would eventually include the exports and imports of automobiles, heavy machinery, and even possibly military weapons as well.

"This summit is an important event in Australian history, as we are positioning ourselves to become a regional player in the Indo-Pacific region. Our ties with India will improve, as a result of the summit, while ties with the East Slavic Federation will also improve," says Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer, during a press summit in Perth. "In addition, we are also taking steps to recognize the validity of the merger between the Russian Federation and the Union State of Ukraine and Belarus, and that the presence of the ESF delegates is a sign that we're prepared to take the necessary steps to consolidate closer ties between the two nations."

Australia's decision to invite the ESF delegates was controversial, given that most of the international community refused to recognize the results of the referendum held back in 1999, on the proposed merger between the three ex-Soviet republics. In addition, several other nations had recognized the merger, such as Indonesia, India, Iran, China, Turkey, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania, the Netherlands, and Germany, with the rest of the world following in the United States' footsteps of refusing to recognize the results of the referendum. It is the relations with the East Slavic Federation that has caused the Australian government to re-examine its foreign policy relations with the United States, although there is no sign of breaking diplomatic ties between Australia and the United States.

"Our position in the world requires us to be more flexible with our diplomatic relations. Ignoring the ESF would be a big mistake, especially since we need additional allies that can contain China's rise," says Prime Minister Howard, during an interview with the ABC. "President Kemp is a great leader, don't get me wrong. However, even he must realize that the Cold War is shifting from the confrontation with the old Soviet Union to China, and as a result, we cannot simply follow America's lead."

The summit was also used to send a clear message to Philippine military dictator Artemio Tadiar, who had shown signs of easing up his country's self-imposed diplomatic isolation from the world, with the re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Mexico and Argentina back in 2001.

"Although we are seeing positive developments in the Tadiar regime's decision to slowly open itself up to the world after the 1995 Spratlys conflict, we continue to encourage Artemio Tadiar to continue developing its diplomatic ties with other nations that would respect its national interest," says Prime Minister Howard. "If Major General Tadiar is ready to enact political reforms that would allow Philippine democracy to be re-established, which can lead to his eventual stepping down from political office, then Australia is more than happy to help."

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CHACIN-ALIGNED EX-FARC SOLDIERS INVADE EASTERN COLOMBIA, LAUNCHES SURPRISE ATTACK ON REMAINING FARC FORCES OPERATING IN THE BORDERLANDS, IN SURPRISE COOPERATION WITH COLOMBIAN MILITARY
Los Angeles Times
April 3, 2002

(Guayabos, COLOMBIA) - Adding to the growing ideological split within the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, numerous former members who aligned with radical Venezuelan social nationalist icon Ramon Rodriguez Chacin have launched an attack on the FARC strongholds in the border between Colombia and Venezuela. A spokesperson representing the Colombian military had confirmed reports of ex-FARC soldiers engaging their former comrades in a pitch battle to take control of Guayabos. Guayabos is a known stronghold of the FARC terror group, but ideological divisions within the FARC organization had been a chronic issue that is facing the FARC leadership. The split within FARC has also complicated the peace process that is taking place between FARC and the Colombian government, with the latter becoming more hesitant to resume the peace talks, as President Andres Pastrana had clearly intended to allow FARC to fracture from further additional infighting.

"Ramon Rodriguez Chacin has ironically gifted the Colombian government with such a great gift, which is to incite a split within the FARC terror group. At this point, we might be eager to let them fight themselves to the point of exhaustion, which will allow us to resolve this long running conflict by military force," President Pastrana said during a session in the Colombian Congress. "Their attack on various FARC bases has greatly helped the Colombian military in that they're getting crucial intel on other FARC operations around the borderlands with Venezuela.

FARC's split was mainly due to Chacin's rise to prominence as the main left-wing rebel icon that is engaged in the Venezuelan Civil War against the American-backed government of Rafael Caldera, but the Caldera government has faced challenges from within, as the civilians still living north of the Orinoco River started to suffer from food shortages, as well as currency inflation and a decrease in economic productivity. In addition, the civil war within FARC has resulted in the split between three main factions: Ivan Rios, who would command the orthodox Marxist-Leninist faction and is based in the border between Colombia and Ecuador, Victor Julio Suarez Rojas, who commanded the pro-Chacinist/Bolivarian faction, and is leading the invasion from rebel-held southern Venezuela, and Pablo Catatumbo, who commanded the Guevarist-Castroist faction of FARC, and is based in the Colombian hinterlands. Out of these factions, Victor Julio Suarez Rojas, who also goes by the name of Mono Jojoy, has adopted Chacin's zero tolerance policy towards the drug cartels, and has reportedly targeted cocaine fields for punitive raids. The other two factions still held nominal ties to the drug cartels, although one of the cartels had been revealed to have ties to far-right death squads that were operated by the joint leadership of Fidel Castano and Pablo Escobar. The two men had ran their own death squad, until 1993, when they traveled to the United States to attend various courses run by the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, despite not being a part of any military formation. However, the rise of Jack Kemp as President of the United States had resulted in the reorganization of the loose collections of Colombian death squads into a paramilitary unit called the United Self-Defenses of Colombia, resulting in Castano and Escobar being admitted as full fledged paramilitary leaders. In addition, while Castano would lead half of the AUC in battles against FARC, Pablo Escobar was revealed to have traveled to the Philippines, where his lessons in forming AUC had attracted the attention of Philippine dictator Artemio Tadiar, and Escobar's experiences had led to the formation of the Territorial Defense Guard, a Philippine counterpart to the AUC. As of today, the AUC has continued to fight all three factions of FARC, often in cooperation with the Colombian military.

The presence of far-right wealthy landowners in Colombia, many of whom had connections to the drug cartels, had also been a problem for the Colombian government, whose pledge to fight drug trafficking had been hindered by the cartels' growing influence in forming the paramilitary AUC. Half of the landowners in Colombia had also moved to the Philippines, often through the covert networks that were established by Castano and Escobar, in search of better opportunities to expand their narcotics empire. Moreover, their narcotics trade was something that the Tadiar regime had been interested in, as a way of earning much needed foreign currency for a nation that has undergone a massive Chinese bombing campaign that nearly wiped out most of its agricultural production. In addition, various members of Philippine intelligence had been sent to Colombia, as early as 1998, to gather intelligence on various drug cartels and to help organize the war against left-wing organizations. In fact, half of AUC's rank and file paramilitary members were given some specialized training by the Philippine NICA agents, especially in areas of hand to hand combat and explosives production. Other AUC paramilitary personnel were also given lessons in the usage of chemical weapons, which would presumably be used to smoke out hidden FARC guerrillas in the jungles, but fear of environmental damage and ecological disasters had prevented its use.

"What we are seeing right now is an invasion by a communist-like organization that is hell bent on turning Colombia into another failed Marxist state," says Castano, while addressing his paramilitary troops within the jungles of northern Colombia. "We will eliminate them, like any other ideological pest that dares to challenge our right to prosperity!"

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Portions from the Interview with Former Armed Forces of the Philippines General Hermogenes Esperon
Sky News AU
April 27, 2019

Discussing the Role of Drug Cartels in Tadiar's Philippines

Interviewer: You've repeatedly said that the main reason for your defection to what was then the Union State of Ukraine and Belarus was because of Tadiar's insanity, but I believe that there is more to the Tadiar story than this. What was the real reason why you've defected?

Esperon: Until now, I had to conceal the real reason why I defected, because had I revealed it back then, I would have been killed by either Tadiar's agents, or the drug cartels themselves.

Interviewer: I'm sorry, but did you honestly say that the cartels were going to kill you?

Esperon: Yes, and now that Tadiar is on trial and the cartel members are in the process of being extradited to Colombia, I can reveal the true details behind my defection.

Interviewer: All right, go head.

Esperon: Drug cartels started to arrive in the Philippines as early as 1994, which was insanity, considering that we were at war with China. However, it was Edgardo Doromal who told Tadiar that the drug cartels would be of great help to the regime, as they can provide the necessary amount of foreign currency for the Philippines, as a way of recovering from the devastation of the war against China. It was through Mexican General Mario Chaparro who told Doromal about a man named Joaquin Guzman, who was known as 'El Chapo'. El Chapo had traveled to the Philippines on a tourist visa, but he left a few weeks before the previous Mexican government had issued an international arrest warrant through Interpol. By the time it was formally issued, El Chapo was already in the Philippines, and the Tadiar regime kept him in a safe house, just outside Tacloban City.

Interviewer: So practically, the Tadiar regime had aided an abetted a known international fugitive. Is that correct?

Esperon: (nods) Correct. By the time El Chapo had settled in the Philippines, the war against China was over, and the country was thoroughly devastated. Now, the arrival of Pablo Escobar and Felix Gallardo in 1998 was a bigger surprise, because at that time, Colombia was in a state of conflict between the AUC and FARC, as well as FARC's war against the Colombian government. By the time the rest of the South American drug cartels learned of a great way they can profit from cheaper land in the Philippines, some of them started to move there. Of course, Tadiar's land reform also made room for these men to purchase some land where they can grow narcotics, though Tadiar insisted that they also cultivate some crops to feed the entire nation, in addition to the narcotics. I can say for certain, that Tadiar had earned over $29 million US dollars in profits from the illegal sale of certain narcotics, such as marijuana, cocaine, opium, and many others. Even Saulito Aromin and Edgardo Doromal had profited as well, and various military governors of the regions were profiting from the drug trade. That is also why a majority of the Philippine military officers are also on trial at the Hague, for drug trafficking charges and other criminal charges that were appalling for the international community to hear.

Interviewer: What was the role of the Prefectural Governors in all of this?

Esperon: They didn't play any role in the emerging Filipino drug trade, because they were trying to impede on the trade. In fact, I lost count at how many Prefectural Governors were killed in cold blood by Territorial Defense Guards that were used by the corrupt generals, but the constant killings of Prefectural Governors is what made Tadiar's tricameral legislature experiment a complete disaster. Eventually, the new Prefectural Governors would be selected by Tadiar himself, instead of allowing new elections to be held, which theoretically violated the 1998 constitution that he himself had presided over in its creation.

Interviewer: I'm not surprised that Tadiar could easily violate certain aspects of his own constitution, but did he have any excuse for going around it?

Esperon: He did have some flimsy excuse of 'the Prefectural governors were foreign spies', usually accusing them of working for Chinese intelligence. The bogus charges would have remained bogus, if it wasn't for the fact that one of the Prefectural Governors of Pangasinan was caught by the NICA agents with passing information to a Chinese intelligence agent. That unfortunately played into Tadiar's growing Sinophobia.

Interviewer: And the other charges?

Esperon: Fighting corruption was one of the main tasks that the surviving Prefectural Governors had been doing, even after Tadiar's resignation, although before that, when the Prefectural Governor is caught trying to do the right thing, Tadiar's judicial system would accuse the governor in question of engaging in acts of corruption. Completely hypocritical.

Interviewer: The growth of new cartels in the Philippines had also been a factor in the UN report, which was published by a Venezuelan whistle blower who fledf from Venezuela after Chacin's rise to power in 2002, in which the Henrietta de Guzman Report has stated, and I quote, 'that the Tadiar regime had accumulated over $300 million US dollars between 1998 and 2006, mainly from the sales of illegal narcotics. The reaction to the growth of these cartels were the formation of anti-narcotic vigilante groups, of which the former leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Philippines named Rodrigo Duterte, had been its chief commander. To date, Rodrigo Duterte is the only known Filipino anti-narcotics vigilante leader who managed to escape from Artemio Tadiar's death squads by smuggling himself from Davao to Indonesia, and from there, he went to the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.' Is this true?

Esperon: Yes, and Duterte's insurgency in Mindanao was done in cooperation with the New People's Army, who had by now been revived by former AFP soldiers who were disgusted with Artemio Tadiar on two areas: the narcotics trade, and his rehabilitation of the pro-Japanese Filipino collaborators who worked for Japan during WWII. Unfortunately, Duterte is also wanted by the Hague on charges of ethnic cleansing when his vigilante group had massacred over 400 Japanese immigrants in the outskirts of Davao City, on the pretext that they were acting as Tadiar's spies, and the dead Japanese were not even working for Tadiar. They were there to help reinvigorate the Japanese community in Davao City.

Interviewer: Did the Chinese government extradite Duterte to the Hague for his role in the Panabo Massacre?

Esperon: They only did, after the international community placed enormous pressure on Chairman Bo Xilai. Keep in mind that Duterte agreed to turn himself in, just so he can plead his case, but there were calls for his death in Japan when news of the Panabo Massacre had broken out, mainly because the immigrants that arrived in Davao came from the Tohoku region and Hokkaido. They were asking if the Tadiar regime had failed to protect the Japanese in the Philippines, to which Tadiar himself said that his military was negligent, and that he will send most of his agents to kill Duterte. Of course, the assassination attempts failed, but they were successful in torturing Paolo Duterte, his son, before he and Sara Duterte were sent to Dondonay Island, the same place that Imelda Marcos was once incarcerated in.

Interviewer: And what happened to the cartels when President Loren Legarda rose to power in 2016?

Esperon: That was easy: she called on the surviving members of Reform the Armed Forces who were living in exile to return to the Philippines, where we managed to replace the officers who were being sent to the Hague. I took part in the anti-cartel operations by arresting the Filipino collaborators who worked for the South American cartels, and hunting down the likes of Pablo Escobar and El Chapo. The last time I saw those two, their remains were found, just outside Kabankalan. Apparently, it was El Chapo who came across a single gold bullion, and didn't want to tell Escobar. The two had gotten into a fight, and killed each other inside a cave, where we not only found their corpses, but also the other part of Yamashita's treasure. Of course, we had to lie to the international community about how they died, because had we told them the truth, that the cartel leaders came across a treasure belonging to the late Tomoyuki Yamashita, we would have caused another economic recession over the drop in prices for gold, and that all of Asia would unite under China's banner in a crusade against us, over the gold. They were still furious about Japan's role during WWII, and the massive looting that occurred, and we had to keep it a secret, so we wouldn't face another bombing, or worse, a Chinese nuclear attack on the Philippines.

If you could recall, the large influx of Japanese immigrants to the Philippines is what's causing the growing anti-Japanese sentiment. At this point, TTL's Duterte is starting to see Tadiar as someone worse than Jose P. Laurel and Marcos combined. 

The Indo-Pacific Forum is basically TTL's version of APEC, but China is obviously not invited, and they won't be invited to join anytime soon. It's more of an informal club between India, Australia, and Japan, with the ESF being an honorary member at this point.

I would address the Islamist uprising at some point, but Janjalani will have a major role to play in the upcoming Patani conflict.

Well, as far as drug lords goes, their greed would also extend to trying to secure the loot for themselves. There's absolutely no way that El Chapo and Pablo Escobar would share the loot.

And now, we have another OMAKE, which I forgot to address in the last update:

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OMAKE Eighteen: The 2002 US Midterm Elections

States in Which the Electoral Ridings had Changed Leaders:

ALABAMA:

Alabama 3: Joe Turnham (Democratic) 51.7%, Mike D. Rogers (Republican) 45.4%, George Crispin (Libertarian) 2.9%

ARIZONA:

Arizona 1 (Newly created district): George Cordova (Democratic) 50.2%, Rick Renzi (Republican) 47.6%, Edward Carlson (Libertarian) 2.2%

Arizona 7 (Newly created district): Raul Grijalva (Democratic) 61.3%, Ross Hieb (Republican) 33.9%, John Nemeth (Libertarian) 4.8%

ARKANSAS:

Arkansas 4: Hillary Clinton (Democratic) 63.2%, Jay Dickey (Republican) 31.3%, Mike Ross (Libertarian) 5.5%*

Prior to 1996, Mike Ross was a part of the Democratic Party, and eventually switched to the Libertarian Party in February 9, 1997

CALIFORNIA:

California 21 (Newly created district): David LaPere (Democratic) 58.4%, Devin Nunes (Republican) 29.5%, Jonathan Richter (Libertarian) 12.1%

California 49: Susan Davis (Democrat) 53.8%, Darrel Issa (Republican) 24.3%, Karl Dietrich (Libertarian) 21.9%

COLORADO:

Colorado 7 (Newly created district): Mike Feeley (Democratic) 49.4%, Mike Feeley (Republican) 32.2%, Victor Good (NRP) 8.5%, G.T. Martin (Libertarian) 5.7%, Dave Chandler (Green) 4.2%

CONNECTICUT:

Connecticut 2: Joe Courtney (Democratic) 53.1%, Rob Simmons (Republican) 41.4%, Write-in - 5.5%

FLORIDA:

Florida 11: Mel Martinez (Republican) 62.4%, Jim Davis (Democratic) 37.6%

Florida 17: Al Cardenas (Republican) 72.3%, Carrie Meek (Democratic) 27.7%

GEORGIA:

Georgia 10: Mary Margaret Oliver (Democratic) 53.6%, Nathan Deal (Republican) 46.4%

Georgia 11 (Newly created district): Roger Kahn (Democratic) 55.7%, Phil Gingrey (Republican) 44.3%

Georgia 12 (Newly created district): Charles Walker (Democratic) 51.2%, Max Burns (Republican) 48.8%

ILLINOIS:

Illinois 8: Melissa Bean (Democratic) 50.8%, Phil Crane (Republican) 49.2%

Illinois 18: Eddie Lee Jackson (Democratic) 51.6%, Ray LaHood (Republican) 48.4%

INDIANA:

Indiana 8: Bryan Hartke (Democratic) 53.24%, John Hostettler (Republican) 41.68%, Pam Williams (Libertarian) 5.08%

IOWA:

Iowa 1: Ann Hutchinson (Democratic) 58.43%, Jim Nussle (Republican) 41.57%

Iowa 2: Julie Thomas (Democratic) 51.9%, Jim Leach (Republican) 39.27%, Kevin Litten (Libertarian) 8.83%

Iowa 4: John Norris (Democratic) 51.4%, Tom Latham (Republican) 37.2%, Terry Wilson (Libertarian) 6.2%, Jim Hennager (Social Progressives) 2.2%

KENTUCKY:

Kentucky 3: Jack Conway (Democratic) 53.7%, Anne Northup (Republican) 46.3%

Kentucky 6: Gatewood Galbraith (Democrat) 64.3%, Ernie Fletcher (Republican) 33.8%, Mark Gailey (Libertarian) 1.9%

MICHIGAN:

Michigan 7: Mike Simpson (Democratic) 56.3%, Nick Smith (Republican) 39.8%, Ken Proctor (Libertarian) 3.9%

Michigan 11 (Newly created district): Kevin Kelley (Democratic) 49.8%, Thad McCotter (Republican) 38.5%, Dan Malone (NRP) 7.2%, William Boyd (Green) 4.5%

MISSOURI:

Missouri 6: Cathy Rinehart (Democratic) 59.4%, Sam Graves (Republican) 33.18%, Erik Buck (Libertarian) 7.42%

NEVADA:

Nevada 3: Dario Herrera (Democratic) 48.6%, Jon Porter (Republican) 39.41%, Pete O'Neil (NRP) 8.13%, Neil Scott (Libertarian) 3.86%

NEW MEXICO:

New Mexico 1: Richard Romero (Democratic) 52.36%, Heather Wilson (Republican) 47.64%

New Mexico 2: John Arthur Smith (Democratic) 50.92%, Steve Pearce (Republican) 49.08%

OHIO:

Ohio 17: James Traficant (NRP) 50.2%, Tim Ryan (Democratic) 39.44%, Ann Benjamin (Republican) 10.36%

OKLAHOMA:

Oklahoma 4: Darryl Roberts (Democratic) 53.94%, Tom Cole (Republican) 46.06%

OREGON:

Oregon 3: Walt Brown (Social Progressives) 47.21%, Earl Blumenauer (Democratic) 33.42%, Sarah Seale (Republican) 19.37%

PENNSYLVANIA:

Pennsylvania 6 (Newly created district): Dan Wofford (Democratic) 57.66%, Jim Gerlach (Republican) 42.34%

Pennsylvania 15: Ed O'Brien (Democratic) 49.87%, Pat Toomey (Republican) 44.29%, Write-in - 5.84%

TEXAS:

Texas 5 (Newly created district): Dan Michalski (Libertarian) 47.6%, Ron Chapman (Democratic) 36.21%, Jeb Hensarling (Republican) 16.19%

Texas 16: Mary Ruwart (Libertarian) 50.8%, Silvestre Reyes (Democratic) 49.2%

Texas 20: Michael Badnarik (Libertarian) 56.6%, Charlie Gonzalez (Democratic) 43.4%

VERMONT:

Bernie Sanders is elected as a Social Progressive Party House of Representative Member

VIRGNIA:

Virginia 5: Virgil Goode is elected as a National Progressive Party House of Representative Member

2002 UNITED STATES SENATE ELECTIONS:

States Which Changed Senators:

ILLINOIS:

Democratic hold, but Dick Durbin was elected as the new Senator from Illinois, following Carol Moseley-Braun's decision to not run for Senate re-election, instead preparing for her 2004 US Presidential Election campaign.

MINNESOTA:

Walter Mondale (Democratic) 50.46%, defeats Norm Coleman (Republican) 49.54%

NEW HAMPSHIRE:

Jeanne Shaheen (Democratic) 53.78%, defeats John Sununu (Republican) 46.22%

NORTH CAROLINA:

Erskin Bowles (Democratic) 63.85%, defeats Elizabeth Dole (Republican) 36.15%. (A good part of the former Republican voters who switched to Democrat were former US military veterans of the Cuba and Nicaragua military operation, who were disillusioned with the Kemp administration)

TENNESSEE:

Bob Clement (Democratic) 54.29%, defeats Ed Bryant (Republican) 45.71%

(Basil Marceaux had joined the National Revival Party, while John Jay Hooker has also joined the National Revival Party)

2002 US Gubernatorial Election:

TEXAS:

Note: Following the impeachment of Governor Ross Perot due to events of ConfessionGate, Ted Cruz temporarily took over as Acting Governor of Texas while keeping his official position as Lieutenant Governor. Subsequently, Clayton Williams would eventually win the 2002 Texas Gubernatorial election, and would rule the state of Texas until Kinky Friedman was elected in 2010 as the first Libertarian Governor of Texas, having been exposed to the growing influence of the Texas Libertarian Party, which future 2012 US Senator-elect Alex Jones would eventually rise to prominence.

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"The 2002 US midterms was the basis in which the end of the Kemp administration had begun, and the slow decline of the Republican Party would also have its origins in the 2002 midterms as well. As the pundits predicted, several electoral districts had flipped on the Blue side, while the Libertarians had slightly increased their share of the popular vote by a few thousand votes. However, James Traficant's National Revival Party had gained its only seat in the House of Representatives, with its incumbent leader being re-elected as Congressman for Ohio Electoral District 17, while also increasing its popular vote by a few thousand votes as well. However, the real danger to the traditional dominance of the Republican and Democratic parties came from the Libertarians and Social Progressives, who had also seen a slight rise in popularity for its party policies. Both Walt Brown and Bernie Sanders would emerge as the icons of the Social Progressives, and it was not by accident that the Pacific Northwest and the Northeast would become centers of progressivism in the United States. However, even with the fall of the Republican Party in 2004, the Democrats had failed to get the seats they needed to acquire an Electoral College victory, which triggered the scenario leading to the passing of the 28th amendment. Texas would become hotly contested, with the shaky support for the Republicans faltering after Clayton Williams's ascension as Governor of Texas, and the growing distrust towards the Democratic Party as a result of the previous Democrat administration of Jesse Jackson's decision to scale down the production of refined petroleum had resulted in various oil and gas companies facing bankruptcy. The Libertarian Party of Texas garnered more support because of its big business-friendly policies, but also because of social policies that upheld the Non-Aggression Principle, which would also attract the visible minorities to join the Libertarians. Hispanic supporters of the Libertarian Party would come from disillusioned ex-Republican Party members of Hispanic heritage when ConfessionGate was first broadcasted, in that former Governor Perot had colluded with the Mexican dictator in Mario Chaparro, for a variety of reasons. What was important however, was that the Social Progressives had begun to challenge the traditional domination of the two powerful American political parties, and even managed to win a few Electoral College votes, although the 28th Amendment would also move towards the possibility of abolishing the Electoral College vote altogether, which the Republicans vehemently opposed. Ultimately, the Electoral College would be kept intact, but the Popular Vote would be held twice: in the first round, it will determine the two candidates that will face off against each other, and the second round will determine the Presidency. Political pundits also looked at the possibility of reforming the Electoral College system to reflect the growing popularity of various minor parties. Ultimately, the 28th Amendment was truly about the adoption of the Run-off election, though mixed in with the current system that they have that kept the electoral college. Even if the winning candidate had won over 50% of the vote in the first round, it would not mean that the winning candidate in question would gain the Presidency. He or she would have to compete against the runner up for the Presidency, but in this case, the Electoral College wouldn't have to become a factor. The 28th Amendment would be exploited by the minor parties to get a bigger chance at using their voice to promote their ideals, and Ron Paul, who would eventually become the head of the Libertarian Party in 2016, had expressed his joy at the American people being allowed to choose more than two parties to address their concerns. However, the Republican Party was the biggest loser of the 28th Amendment, as the legacy of the Kemp presidency would be forever tied to the Republican Party." From 'The 28th Amendment', released by 'The American Cause'.

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"The unexpected defeat by Jacques Parizeau's Parti Quebecois in the 1994 Quebec general election had been a surprise in the Francophone province, which had a high expectation on a PQ victory, which would have allowed them to hold a referendum on whether or not Quebec should unilaterally declare its independence from Canada. At the same time, waiting in the wings is the obscure new party called the Acqtion Democratique du Quebec, which was recently formed a few months before the 1994 Quebec election. Mario Dumont, who led the ADQ, had only won one seat, but his ability to point out the failings of the PQ had been a factor in gaining support from federalists and Quebecois nationalists, who saw his pragmatic approach to Quebec autonomism as a way of balancing the interests of various parties within Quebec. In addition, the shocking defeat had also set back the planned referendum for the next ten to fifteen years, in which the ADQ had a plan of gaining more support from all over Quebec's society. What was the reason for the PQ's defeat? The growing recession in Quebec had been the main culprit behind the PQ's defeat, but that recession had also been the result of a gradual shift in economic activity from natural resources to that of manufacturing, and it didn't help that young Quebecois have moved to parts of the United States where jobs are being created at a rapid pace. California and Texas would see over 5,000 educated Quebecois arrive to take up jobs that the local Californians and Texans couldn't take, due to the time needed to get reskilled. Yet, surprisingly enough, Louisiana has emerged as another popular destination for young Quebecois, due to its French cultural heritage, and the city of New Orleans has also emerged as a hub for technology, rivaling that of various Texan cities. The Quebecois who lived in the United States saw a different cultural and societal norm that was much different from that of their parents' generation, and they were also exposed to progressive and libertarian ideologies. After 2005, Quebecois nationalism would shift away from separatism to autonomism, sovereigntism, and libertarianism, with the ADQ gradually rebranding themselves as the Libertarian Party of Quebec, which now consisted of the same Quebecois who worked in the United States and returned to Quebec in 2008, after the election of John Edwards as President of the United States. Quebec as a result, eventually moved away from the idea of separating from Canada, to acquiring sovereignty within Canada, an idea that various other provinces had proposed to adopt.

Alberta was another example of a province that originally wanted to separate from Canada, but unlike Quebec, Alberta's situation was more economic in nature, having been reliant on agriculture, before the discovery of oil had shifted towards being focused on resource extraction. In addition, Alberta's trade was mainly focused on the United States, and its position on the map could theoretically make things difficult, should Alberta separate from the rest of Canada. While there isn't a formal annexationist movement within Alberta, there was a historical movement within Alberta's western neighbor in British Columbia, which held a referendum on either joining Canada, remaining a British colony, or joining the United States in 1871. Yet, annexationist movements in recent years had been powered by the increase in its trade with the United States from British Columbia, as a result of former President Bob Dole's pledge to reinvigorate America's rail transport, which had gained an unexpected boost in the aftermath of the Loma Prieta Earthquake. Amtrak was the main beneficiary of former President Dole's initiative, which originally wanted to extend its rail service to Whistler, but there was no line that could connect between the American Pacific coast, and Whistler, without having to build a new rail line. Eventually, an agreement was made between the Canadian and American governments, as well as the provincial and state governments of British Columbia and Washington State, on building a new railway station in North Vancouver, on the site of the former BC Rail station. Starting in 2004, the new North Vancouver-Cascade Station started its construction, and was not complete until 2011. The sole reason for such a lengthy amount of time to build the station was due to the rail extension that eventually connected the Amtrak lines in the south to the BC Rails in the north. British Columbia's economic reorientation was gradually shifted from being dominated by the lumber industry to transportation, with air and sea travel being centered in Vancouver as a whole. While British Columbia had an easier time shifting its economic activity, Alberta had a more difficult time diversifying its economic production. Far from it, its attempts at attracting high tech companies to invest in developing the Albertan equivalent of Silicon Valley had been met with great difficulty, as Texas emerged as a more appealing alternative. Fearing its potential economic irrelevance, Alberta would join British Columbia in accepting transportation as another area of economic activity, which not only suited the landlocked province just fine, but opened up a new network of logistics between the Canadian Prairies and the American Midwest. In another unexpected twist, the US state of Montana would become the hub of logistics on the American side, with much of its railway traffic going to Alberta until 2014, when BNSF had announced that it obtained enough investment from the US government on building a rail extension directly to Saskatchewan, with the extension going through the border crossing at Regway, Saskatchewan, before ending up in Saskatoon, through Regina.

Various Canadian governments, from the Jean Chretien years, to the brief years of Paul Martin as Prime Minister, to the controversial years of Stephen Harper, and finally, the rise of former perennial candidate in John Turmel as the Prime Minister of Canada, representing the People's Solidarity Party, had witnessed Canada's increasing reliance on trade with the United States, at the expense of its other traditional trading partners. Initially former Prime Ministers Jean Chretien and Paul Martin were okay with the reliance on the larger American market for much of its trade, but Stephen Harper did not want Canada to be tied to the United States, in the same way that Australia was tied to the US and especially the Kemp administration. Thus, the Harper years was dominated by a more Western Canadian political influence in Ottawa, as the interests of the Western Canadian provinces was taken seriously by Prime Minister Harper, and that trade with both the ECA and the Pacific nations had started to slightly increase. In August of 2007, Prime Minister Harper would become the first Canadian head of state to travel to the Philippines, for the 2007 Indo-Pacific Summit in which Artemio Tadiar's regime had the undeserved honor of hosting. While both Prime Minister Harper and his Australian counterpart in Mark Vaile (John Howard's decision to not seek re-election and to give additional political power to his coalition partners in the National Party of Australia proved to be a smart decision, in order to block the Australian Labour Party from re-emerging on Australia's political scene) had stressed the importance of the Philippines' decision to end its self-imposed diplomatic isolation, there were some concerns about the rampant corruption of the Philippine legal system, as well as the Tadiar regime's penchant for murdering Prefectural governors who stodd in their way. Canadian trade to the Philippines started to kick off in 2008, and the local Filipino community in Canada had become a surprisingly strong voting bloc that ended up as cheerleaders for the Conservative Party of Canada, before the rise of the People's Solidarity Party. British Columbia by then, had surpassed Alberta in its economic output, and there were also talks of extending its transportation lines into both Yukon Territory and the American state of Alaska. Finally, Canada's complicated relationship with the East Slavic Federation was rather uneasy; much of Canada's Eastern European population consisted of Ukrainians who arrived in Canada between the early 1900s and the 1990s, and many of them were virulently anti-communist and anti-Russian to begin with. To date, Canada is the only nation that refused to recognize the merger between the Union State of Ukraine and Belarus with the Russian Federation, and would not drop its hardline stance until 2014, well after the 2008 US recognition of the ESF." From 'Canada in the Post-Cold War Years', released by CBC Documentaries on July 19, 2019.

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FRASER ANNING CRITICIZED BY AUSTRALIAN PARLIAMENT FOR INFLAMMATORY COMMENTS ON RACE, ESF EMBASSY CONDEMNS COMMENTS AS WELL
Sydney Herald
March 19, 2002

(Canberra, AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY) - The Australian government has moved to condemn MP Fraser Anning for the comments he made, during a parliamentary session in which he had made comments regarding the continued Asian immigration to Australia, before pointing to Artemio Tadiar's Philippines as a faithful ally that kept its own people from moving to other, primarily Western, nations. Much of the other MPs had also made comments, condemning Anning's comments as well. However, one of his other comments made during the very same parliamentary session had raised the fury of the East Slavic Federation, especially through its ambassador in Australia. The comments that attracted ESF outrage was when Anning had gleefully pointed out Alexander Lebed's role in ending communism in the former Soviet Union, and had even taken pictures with Australian volunteers who fought in the Second Russian Civil War. The pictures themselves had raised the specter that the neo-Nazi movements around the world had increasingly gravitated towards the East Slavic Federation as a fertile background for their nefarious activities.

"The white Anglo-Saxons and Celts in the south, together with the Slavs in the north, have so far kept the Asiatic barbarians from overruning both Australia and the ESF's region of Siberia, all at the same time they've kept their demographic majority," says Anning, when one of the Labour MPs had criticized his comments on immigration. "It is in our interest to ensure that our relations with the East Slavic Federation does not come undone by various subversives."

The ESF ambassador to Australia, Aleksander Blokhin, had raised his own concerns regarding the comments made by Anning.

"We are well aware of various neo-fascist movements, whose members had traveled to the former Soviet Union to fight alongside the National Redemption Army against the Soviet loyalist governments. The comments made by Mr. Anning is clearly a verbal attack on the multi-racial solidarity of the East Slavic Federation, and I implore the Australian government to make sure that the idiot does not use us as a rubber stamp for his own neo-fascist activities," said Blokhin sternly in an interview with an ABC reporter.

Anning's comments had coincided with the rise of racist attacks against Australia's growing Asian minority population, who felt unsafe with the riots that have occurred. The 2000 riots in Kareela and Cronulla were the main examples of the race related incidents that have arisen, in response to the infamous Kareela Thirteen rape case, when thirteen men of Middle Eastern origin had been arrested for a series of rapes aimed at Australian women. Moreover, the Australian National Action had also taken a bold step in launching a series of petrol bomb attacks aimed at various anti-fascist gatherings, with the sole aim of killing more anti-fascist counter-demonstrators who showed up at far-right rallies, often waving swastikas and various WWII era collaborationist regime flags, but also British Union of Fascist flags were also flown. The Australian National Action, which was disbanded after the Kareela and Cronulla Riots of 2000, had returned to the political scene under the name of the Australian National Liberation Front, which had now consisted almost entirely of members who fought in the former Soviet Union. Like most Western countries, the fear from the far-right has now increased, as a result of more of its members traveling to the East Slavic Federation to meet up with the local far-right members within the ESF. Equally worrying is that there are also Australian far-left activists who also fought in the former Soviet Union, albeit fighting for the Soviet loyalist side. Australian intelligence agents had kept an eye on all of the known members of both the far-left and the far-right who traveled to the former Soviet Union, for signs of radicalization. Fraser Anning's incendiary comments in Parliament had unfortunately been supported by the far-right extremists, who clamored to reverse the tide of Asian immigration, in their failed attempt to preserve the toxic legacy of the White Australia policy.

"The White Australia Policy has been a disaster for the Australian nation, especially since this country was built on the bones of the Aborigines who were the first inhabitants of this continent," says Aborigine activist Alinta Balbuk, who is among the counter-demonstrators that fought the far-right extremists. "We will be in a much deeper trouble if these extremists aren't stopped."

Not exactly, although the Islamist insurgency in the Philippines may play out differently. It is also far more divided, thanks to Tadiar's constitution that gave the Bangsamoro entity more powers than they could achieve IOTL.

The hunt for the lost gold may be more prevalent here, but keep in mind that it may also cause the international gold market to suffer if there were more reports of the treasure hunt being publicized.

The lost Nazi gold might be a bit harder to find, although there is a third candidate that might also want to secure the Nazi gold as well: Israel, primarily because of the Holocaust.

I could also see a civil war within Bangsamoro, between Nur Misuari and Janjalani, primarily because the latter would have seen the former as a dog of Tadiar, while the former would see the latter as a dangerous fool. Keep in mind that TTL's Bangsamoro has more powers than its OTL counterpart, in that it is free to elect its own Prefectural Governor and govern itself according to Sharia Law. It would also mean that non-Muslim minorities within TTL Bangsamoro might be pressured to move elsewhere. 

The next update will probably take a while to complete, due to it being focused on Africa. We will revisit Zaire, cover the civil wars in Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, and take a look at Congo and Zaire as well.

JFK Jr. could run for President in 2020, although since I left that candidacy open, we wouldn't know what will happen in 2020 as well.