Setting
Ghost in the Shell takes place on the cusp of the mid-21st century. World War III was a nuclear war primarily involving wealthy and powerful developed countries whose destruction resulted in fundamental changes in the global balance of power, as long-established national boundaries and concentrations of population were broken. World War IV was a non-nuclear war (also known as the Second Vietnam War) triggered by the ensuing collapse of many Third World states.
As a result of these wars the global geopolitical landscape has become heavily balkanized, with even formerly strong First World countries like the United States divided into smaller, less stable competitors. Civil wars and non-state revolutionary movements pose a constant security threat worldwide, and the millions of refugees displaced by the global tumult have become a major problem. The continuing advance of technology, particularly cyberization technology and the internet, has also drastically increased the frequency of cyber-terrorism. The island nation of Japan emerged from these conflicts politically intact, and occupies a position of relative privilege.
Read more about this topic: World Of Ghost In The Shell
Famous quotes containing the word setting:
“Many working mothers feel guilty about not being at home. And when they are there, they wish it could be perfect.... This pressure to make every minute happy puts working parents in a bind when it comes to setting limits and modifying behavior.”
—Cathy Rindner Tempelsman (20th century)
“Like plowing, housework makes the ground ready for the germination of family life. The kids will not invite a teacher home if beer cans litter the living room. The family isn’t likely to have breakfast together if somebody didn’t remember to buy eggs, milk, or muffins. Housework maintains an orderly setting in which family life can flourish.”
—Letty Cottin Pogrebin (20th century)
“In my dealing with my child, my Latin and Greek, my accomplishments and my money stead me nothing; but as much soul as I have avails. If I am wilful, he sets his will against mine, one for one, and leaves me, if I please, the degradation of beating him by my superiority of strength. But if I renounce my will, and act for the soul, setting that up as umpire between us two, out of his young eyes looks the same soul; he reveres and loves with me.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)