Okay, more OOC details!<br/><br/><br/>On the major powers:<br/><br/>In the post Second Impact world, there has been some consolidation of national powers, and increasing international cooperation.  As a result, the world has become divided between a series of power Blocs:<br/><br/><br/>United States: The American continent was absolutely decimated by the Second Impact, thanks to the detonation of the Yellowstone Caldera.  By some miracle, a fraction of the population not only survived, but made great use of the resources available to them, ensuring the survival of humanity on the American continent against nuclear winter, and the disaster caused by the Third World War.  As a result, the governments of Canada and Mexico joined into a federal republic with a radically decentralized government, which expanded over the next five years to encompass the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, Liberia, Argentina, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and the Philippines.  Today, the United States is a formidable international force, though its GDP is fairly low, due to consisting almost entirely of the nations hardest hit by the Second Impact.  The primary contribution of the US to NERV is the Evangelion construction facility in Gotham, New York.<br/><br/>Celestial Republic of China: After the Second Impact, China was thrown into chaos, only for Chairman Yang of the communist part to manage a restoration of many of the traditions of the Chinese Empire, founding the Yang dynasty.  The Celestial Republic is about as democratic as the People's Republic of China, but suffers from an absolutely crippled economy thanks to desertification and damage sustained during World War 4.  The country is run from Shanghai-4, and builds many of the lower priority Evangelion parts, though the United States and Germany are the preferred suppliers.  Despite this, the CRC takes more pride in the Evangelions than any other nation participating in the Evangelion project.<br/><br/>African People's Cooperative: Africa was, predictably, torn to peices by the Second Impact, and nobody was particularly interested in helping.  Luckily, nobody was particularly interested in dropping atomic bombs on the region either, which helped prevent massive loss of life.  The charismatic leader known as Brother Gabriel lead a series of socialist revolutions across the continent, saving millions of lives through carefully arranged reforms, and more egalitarian societies, though the Africa of today is generally little more than a source of skilled emigrants to other regions, and reasonably good at not suffering famines regularly.  Africa isn't making any major contribution to the Evangelion project, aside from providing a small portion of the labor force for Babylon.<br/><br/>United Nations Administered Territories: The United Nations Administered Territories consist principally of South America, Russia, India, South Africa, and Indonesia.  These nations have given up their soveirgnity in exchange for massive support from the United Nations.  The UNAT form the core of the Global Defense Initiative and the UN Strategic Defense force, though they are largely a drain on the resources of the UN, and a major competitor with NERV for UN funding.<br/><br/>Japan: Japan is lucky not to be in an area severely affected by the Second Impact, and the Japanese people recovered much more quickly than any other society from the trauma of the Second Impact.  The Japanese people don't trust the United Nations, and give only token support.  Japan is putting much of its efforts into the JSSDF, and their super-weapon, Jet Alone.  Yui Ikari is the most respected and well known of all people aong the Japanese, thanks to her role in the MAGI program.<br/><br/>Germany: Germany was one of the best positioned nations to survive the Second Impact, and expanded territorially to encompass a slightly embarrasing part of Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a section of the Balkans.  Under the direction of Keel Lorenz, Germany has become the greatest of the world's economic powers, as well as the greatest financial backer of NERV.  Notably, the von Zeppelin family has made a practice of adopting promising orphans from economically depressed regions that seem to have an uncanny knack for showing up in the Marduke report.<br/><br/>European Union: The European Union consists largely of the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, and several nations in the Balkans, who have banded together for mutual cooperation.  The EU supports NERV, but provides little aside from money.  Notably, Babylon is an independent jurisdiction from the EU, technically under the legal authority of the UN.  In practical terms, of course, NERV is an independent nation of its own, which essentially tramples the authority of any legal body caught in its path when involved in its mission of stopping the Angels.<br/><br/>Nova Imperium: The middle east was essentially transformed into a glass parking lot by the Second Impact, and the region fell into an almost constant war, fueled by powerful regional warlords.  Somehow, one warlord known only as the "Nova Empress" managed to get the upper hand, and carved out an Empire that extended from Gibraltar to eastern Persia.  The Nova Imperium isn't really a traditional Empire, but a political region run by a massive army/trade caravan that marches directly into local crisises to pacify the area.  The Nova Empress is brutal, but she technically does not violate the UN charter, and so far, she has managed to keep any extended wars, human rights abuses, or famines from taking place in her empire.  The nominal capital of the Nova Imperium is Mecca, where the Nova Empress holds court for around two months out of the year before starting her next major inquisition.