Country 'Expert' Needed

First thing that comes to mind is diamonds, from one of the less stable West African countries (e.g. Liberia or Sierra Leone). Frederick Forsyth's thriller The Dogs of War is partially set in a fictional country in the general area. Liberia and Sierra Leone both suffered brutal civil wars about which I'm sure a lot has been written, though I can't offer any personal recommendations. Research 'conflict diamonds'.

One could think that Nickel (NiOH) and Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries are being replaced by a more powerful germanium-based one. Your iPod goes from 8 hours of play to 48! China is by far the largest producer of cadmium and nickel and the US New Mexico germanium reserves are not that great compared to those in Central America. I'm sure China would get pretty pissed at a sudden change in technology (they own the rechargeable battery market, a *must* for anything four-wheeled in the US as it transitions out of the combustion engine era). With a set of countries that have historically oscillated between communism, imperialism, and capitalism, both China and the US have a sudden interest in 'tilting' these governments in the 'right direction'. And the biggest producer of them all: Costa Verde, lodged between Honduras and Nicaragua.

Just a thought.

-cb

My immediate thoughts went more to defense than resources, i.e., the military testing grounds in Nevada or missile silo locations in the Dakotas. There are strategic locations all over the US, mainly in fairly remote places. Puma

quixote100104 said:

Greetings ,
Preferably one with some kind of strategic resource or valuable commodity that might draw the attention of western intelligence or buisness interests.

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Brunei is superbly rich in oil.

I lived there for a couple of years, but that was back in the mid-eighties and it's changed a lot since then. Although I can offer info re climate.

Once you figure out what country or location you want to use, search for travel guides and travel memoirs of the area. That will give you the color that you want.

Flickr and Google's Picassa are another great resource for current photos. People will post them and tag them. Plus, some people are mapping them to specific addresses in the city, so you can actually turn around in a city square without actually being there. Very cool.

Canada’s Northwest Territories is home to many very small little towns, hard to access by highway. Diamonds, gold and petroleum are all found in the area and the land itself is pretty dramatic – barren, cold, etc. There’s also quite a lot of history in the area – the gold rush, tensions between First Nations that continue to today, worries about how climate change will affect the region. It would make a dramatic setting and it is quite far off the beaten path.

cbenoi1 said:

One could think that Nickel (NiOH) and Nickel-Cadmium (NiCad) batteries are being replaced by a more powerful germanium-based one. Your iPod goes from 8 hours of play to 48! China is by far the largest producer of cadmium and nickel and the US New Mexico germanium reserves are not that great compared to those in Central America. I'm sure China would get pretty pissed at a sudden change in technology (they own the rechargeable battery market, a *must* for anything four-wheeled in the US as it transitions out of the combustion engine era). With a set of countries that have historically oscillated between communism, imperialism, and capitalism, both China and the US have a sudden interest in 'tilting' these governments in the 'right direction'. And the biggest producer of them all: Costa Verde, lodged between Honduras and Nicaragua.

Just a thought.

-cb

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I understand your fictional premise, but the largest Nickel producing countries are, in order of production:

Russia
Canada
Indonesia
Australia
New Caledonia
Colombia
China

2. There is no country called Costa Verde. It does sound real, so it's used in precious metals investment scams and Hollywood stories. Hehe

Canada is the largest germanium producer. China is a leading producer and increasing germanium production, but germanium is used as a catalyst in PET production, for substrates in solar cells, fiber and specialized optics, and in a new process for computer memory. Electrical storage batteries for cars? I don't see much real credibility in that storyline.

Why use a fictional premise when the real deal is available? A country with the 2nd largest reserve of oil would be a good target for some form of underhanded intelligence and business interests. Sounds like a good place to invade if you're looking to secure oil supply fifty years down the road. Most people can't find Iraq on a map, either.

Fullback said:

2. There is no country called Costa Verde. It does sound real, so it's used in precious metals investment scams and Hollywood stories. Hehe

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But there is this; I wanna go there.
http://costaverde.us/

> There is no country called Costa Verde.

Isla Nublar and Isla Sorna don't exist either.

> Electrical storage batteries for cars? I don't see much real
> credibility in that storyline.
> {...}
> Why use a fictional premise when the real deal is available?

Oh well... It's just a MacGuffin anyway. Something realistic. Will need more thinking.

> A country with the 2nd largest reserve of oil

Canada? Well, we have an energy agreement with the States. No need to start a war or send spies, please!

-cb

> Canada is the largest germanium producer.

What about Tellurium, then? Semiconductor as well, available in US, Canada and Peru. Very rare, and increasing demand combined with limited supplies makes it highly prized.

http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=31031

Still the same premise: a new and radical technological innovation in need of cheap and abundant raw materials, fueling a boom in mining exploration until someone hits 'the big one'. It could just happens to be located in a place the US has little or no presence, preferably where a bitter civil war is still raging.

-cb

How about Tuvalu? I hear their biggest export is .tv domains

Once you've decided on a country, Google Country Report followed by the country name. the first response will be a US State Department report on that country. The report is extensive, right down to contact names and telephone numbers. It will also tell you how to stay out of jail.