How many empires exist on Earth at present?

[Doctor Cringelord]

Yes, technically there are no empires left, but we know that’s not really true.

The three most influential and powerful current empires:

-Federation of Columbia (continental USA, US “overseas” territories, Hawaii and Alaska, any bases on foreign soil)
-Eurasian Empire (Russian Federation and multiple satellite and/or buffer states such as Georgia, Belarus, et al)
-Red Dominion (People’s Republic of China)


lesser, “rump” empires/empires in decline:

-Anglo League (UK and the commonwealth nations)
-Franco Empire (France and her few remaining overseas territories)

Worth noting that the 3 empires and 2 fading rump empires happen to be the UN permanent security council members.

Potential to become empires (again), but not quite there:

-India
-Iran
-Germany



Thoughts? Any you’d add or remove from the above lists?

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

That sounds about right. If Mole were here he might object to your classification of the Anglo League though. He seemed to believe Boris Johnson was poised to return it to it's former glory through CANZUK.

 

[Virtual ghost]

It depends on how you define an empire but in general it should be.


US + the rest of the Anglosphere
EU
Russian Federation + satellites
China
India


Perhaps Brazil, Japan and Iran can pass.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Give them more fun names though, like the Empire of Braziliana or something

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

Give them more fun names though, like the Empire of Braziliana or something

I think one of them should be called the Scroton Empire.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

It depends on how you define an empire but in general it should be.


US + the rest of the Anglosphere
EU
Russian Federation + satellites
China
India


Perhaps Brazil, Japan and Iran can pass.

so you lump the commonwealth nations in with the US? Despite close economic and cultural ties, I think of these as two distinct imperial entities. Meanwhjile, I feel the EU doesn't quite have the military edge to yet be considered an Empire. It's on the way, but not quite there yet. Though with recent Russian actions as a catalyst, perhaps we will see the EU get there quicker now as a reaction to Russian expansionism.

 

[Virtual ghost]

so you lump the commonwealth nations in with the US? Despite close economic and cultural ties, I think of these as two distinct imperial entities. Meanwhjile, I feel the EU doesn't quite have the military edge to yet be considered an Empire. It's on the way, but not quite there yet. Though with recent Russian actions as a catalyst, perhaps we will see the EU get there quicker now as a reaction to Russian expansionism.

Just for the record: EU as a block has the second/third largest military budget in the world that is somewhere around China. Therefore if that doesn't count then many countries you have named empires are not one. EU likes to present friendly image and some people in US want that EU spends a trillion on defense every year (therefore they trash). But even without that EU military isn't irrelevant and now due to recent events we will see further surge in spending. What should make EU clean number two after US in spending on security. However even without that EU has it's own aircraft carriers, nukes, tanks, weapon factories, weapons designs, satellites.... etc. Plus the program of fully merging national militaries has already begun. However due to German shame and similar stuff EU doesn't want to project this image. Fourth Reich and all that Jazz.


But yes, I put English speaking world into one pile. With new military alliance between US,UK and Australia it is obvious that the future will go somewhere in that direction. Interests, similarities and situation in the world just make all of this into a natural block.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

Just for the record: EU as a block has the second/third largest military budget in the world that is somewhere around China. Therefore if that doesn't count then many countries you have named empires are not one. EU likes to present friendly image and some people in US want that EU spends a trillion on defense every year (therefore they trash). But even without that EU military isn't irrelevant and now due to recent events we will see further surge in spending. What should make EU clean number two after US in spending on security. However even without that EU has it's own aircraft carriers, nukes, tanks, weapon factories, weapons designs, satellites.... etc. Plus the program of fully merging national militaries has already begun. However due to German shame and similar stuff EU doesn't want to project this image. Fourth Reich and all that Jazz.


But yes, I put English speaking world into one pile. With new military alliance between US,UK and Australia it is obvious that the future will go somewhere in that direction. Interests, similarities and situation in the world just make all of this into a natural block.

Then it is essentially the Holy Roman Empire version 3 or 4 at this point.

How do NATO relationships factor into all of this? Or is NATO an outdated relic of the last century?

 

[Virtual ghost]

Then it is essentially the Holy Roman Empire version 3 or 4 at this point.

How do NATO relationships factor into all of this? Or is NATO an outdated relic of the last century?

That is the big question. Especially since both sides of the Atlantic greatly profit due to "attack on one is attack on all" paragraph (what is the core of NATO, everything else are just details). Therefore it seems you will probably get one large block of states on one side of the ocean and one large block of states on the other (plus UK and Canada as some kind of add ones). However the more the time is going it seems that NATO is actually a very good idea, because China is forming into a large expansionist power. Plus with the current mess in Ukraine I really really doubt that the alliance will fall apart now. If it didn't in much prettier decades I doubt that it will in much more dangerous ones. However both sides of the Northern Atlantic will probably have some kinds of their own pet projects and different policies on various development issues.

 

[Doctor Cringelord]

I think Africa holds great potential, at least in the long term