A friend of mine and I have speculated on this from time to time. One obvious first thing that will happen, is when the US government goes belly-up, the individual states will pretty much revert to their own soverign nations.
The US military based over in other countries will continue for a bit, say two or three years, but most forces will be cut back due to not being able to affor to pay for them. Give that situation about five years tops before the countries they're based in kicks them out. Most career military will either go mercenary or come home, depending on how they will pay to get there. The common enlisted will bail pretty quick.
One thing I forgot to consider is the conferate south. Those states might or might not form their own union. But one scenario I see is the Atlantic reagion will pretty much revert to its original thirteen colony/states, with the midwest reverting to Louisiana Purchase status. Alaska and Hawaii will definately go independent, choosing alignments on a business standpoint. Sometimes Russia, sometimes Canada, specifically Yukon, and British Colombia for AL, and pick any Asian nation for Hawaii as needed. The irony would be to align itself with Japan.
TX, NM, AZ, amd SoCal have no choice but to at least deal with Mexico. Don't forget that Venezuela and Chavez are just itching to stick it to the US, so the collapse will motivate him to invade Mexico with Russia's help. Brazil will probably not stand in the way of that, and the other countries like Panama will simply give in without a fight.
And I'm in agreement that the great lakes reigon would align itself with Canada, specifically Ontario, as in the old fur trader days of the 1600s.
Don't think that the EU is not a contender as an outside influence. These days, the world is watching the US like a hawk. The US will fail, and the world will dance in the streets, a modern version of the fall of Rome.
The US military based over in other countries will continue for a bit, say two or three years, but most forces will be cut back due to not being able to affor to pay for them. Give that situation about five years tops before the countries they're based in kicks them out. Most career military will either go mercenary or come home, depending on how they will pay to get there.
The common enlisted will bail pretty quick.
One thing I forgot to consider is the conferate south. Those states might or might not form their own union. But one scenario I see is the Atlantic reagion will pretty much revert to its original thirteen colony/states, with the midwest reverting to Louisiana Purchase status. Alaska and Hawaii will definately go independent, choosing alignments on a business standpoint. Sometimes Russia, sometimes Canada, specifically Yukon, and British Colombia for AL, and pick any Asian nation for Hawaii as needed. The irony would be to align itself with Japan.
TX, NM, AZ, amd SoCal have no choice but to at least deal with Mexico. Don't forget that Venezuela and Chavez are just itching to stick it to the US, so the collapse will motivate him to invade Mexico with Russia's help. Brazil will probably not stand in the way of that, and the other countries like Panama will simply give in without a fight.
And I'm in agreement that the great lakes reigon would align itself with Canada, specifically Ontario, as in the old fur trader days of the 1600s.
Don't think that the EU is not a contender as an outside influence. These days, the world is watching the US like a hawk. The US will fail, and the world will dance in the streets, a modern version of the fall of Rome.