[World Building] A Future History of Space Force

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Donny Brook

I don't expect the United States will be a serious contender in solar system space by the time it's relevant. The state of affairs after the paradigm shift is unpredictable, so it the field is wide open to imagine what follows.

While it's extremely likely that the global balance of power will be different in important ways by the time a space force becomes relevant, it's a big jump to assume that existing powers will become obsolete. The reality is, if a competent observer were picking the likely global powers for 2023 in 1823, they'd probably do an okay job. They'd certainly get some wrong, such as the disappearance of Austro-Hungarian Empire, but China, England, France, and Russia are easy, and the US is at least a plausible bet.