My WIP is set 35 years after World War III (and 90 years from now). The nations of Earth are still fractured into three major groups: the Neutrals, the Allies (who form the Earth Alliance), and the Axis. Shortly after the War, the Allies made contact with an alien race, the Peridjinn, who help the Humans develop warp drive on the condition that the Axis Nations are allowed equal share of the knowledge and are able to put two representatives aboard the Allies' first warp-capable ship for the maiden voyage, to which the Allies reluctantly agreed. So right now, a cold war exists between the two factions. I'm trying to think of an alternative to Axis, which sounds too WWII. Eastern Coalition is the first thing that comes to mind, but that sounds too vague. Any ideas? The nations included are Russia, Japan, Korea (by this time North has swallowed up South), and I'm thinking of adding China and the rest of southeast Asia. Also, Norway, Iceland, Brazil, and Peru. I'm recycling the war backstory from a book I wrote 15 years ago. In that book, the cause of the war is rather lame--the main character and his friends violently intervene in a whaling operation, and that sparks the war. The whole point of the story was the end of whaling. For the revised version, I would have the main character's goal and the war not so connected, but still take place concurrently. Perhaps I could have the Allied Nations trying to enforce certain changes for better environmental management, and the Axis Nations feeling that such enforcement would undermine their rights.
The terms the Axis, the East, and so forth are the creations of the so called "Western" nations, UK, US, and Western Europe. The countries outside of that group do not see themselves in those terms. For instance an alliance formed around a core of Russia and China that is already forming has set up organisations such as the Shanghai Cooperative Organisation, and the BRICS. Similarly an alliance of South American and African nations would have a similarly unexpected name.
Yeah, I think it'd work better to do away with the term Axis. You're 90 years in the future, so alliances may have shifted some. I think you could just come up with some acronym à la NATO or something and not use the word "eastern" there. I'm curious of the two Scandinavian countries siding with the "Axis."
The European Union originally used to be an assembly of different miner's factions. All sharing one associated goal, but countries with very different backgrounds. In that tradition I like to propose the Colonial Union Each participant completely accepts the fact they are a mere colony of the collectively assembled union. Each colony keeps their inherited culture and so on, but they share a goal with each other colony. The term "colony" is more ideological then literal in use here, because maybe there is much more emphasis and leverage behind morality in the future.
Well what is the outlook of this international alliance? Think about most names of such groupings, European Union, United Nations, NATO etc. They catch the spirit of the organisation and condense it to the size of a name. The International Democratic Peoples Alliance perhaps? IDPA is an abbreviation that would not be annoying for readers, and they could also be known as the Alliance. To me, the sound of that name whispers North Korea/Russia/China.
For now, I've decided to call them the Eurasian Confederation. And, I can have characters nickname them "Euries" and "Eeks".
Federation of Eastern States United People of the East United Eastern Coalition Just throwing ideas out. Mix and match, you will find something that fits what you are looking for.
I agree with throwing out "Axis" but I like the one-word simplicity of that term. So maybe: The Pact The United The Dominion (stealing from Star Trek but it's cool) The Strong The Coalition The Empires
