Backstory (The Alternate 1980 Map Game)

As the Soviet empire in early O.T.L./A.T.L. declined, Yuri Andropov was not appointed after Leonid Brezhnev's death, on May 2nd 1980, which was 2 years earlier than in real life. He was replaced by a political hard-liner, who hated N.A.T.O. and despised West Germany in particular.

A massive Soviet crackdown occurred in the G.D.R. and Poland, leading to the deaths of hundreds of pro-democracy rebels in both nations and the breaking of diplomatic relations with the F.R.G., France and Austria. A new and deadlier series of F.A.R.C. attacks then killed several local officials in the rural parts of Colombia. This was countered by increased American arms and communications technology exports to Colombia. Cuba was formally accused of arming the F.A.R.C. by both Colombia and Peru at a summit of the U.N. shortly afterwards.

The members of South America's Operation Condor chose to dump pro-western diplomasy and formed there own miataristic political-defence block, all be it with America's covert assistance and some diplomatic support from Peru on October the 5th, 1980. Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay called this block the "La Alianza Anticomunista y Contra la Insurgencia Intergubernamental de América Latina" or A.A.C.I.I.A.L. for short (English: The Intergovernmental Anti-Communist and Anti-Insurgency Alliance of Latin America). They armed their death squads and killed several left wing Argentine and Chilean journalist in the following few weeks.

The Cubans, N. Koreans and Chinese began to feed arms to the many pseudo-communist criminal gangs of the USA, and especially the Weather Underground Organization (WUO), the Black Liberation Army (BLA), the May 19th Communist Organization (M19CO), the United Freedom Front (UFF). There were many carjackings, drug farms, bank robberies and police station shootings that October, but eventually the F.B.I. and National guard, leading to the capture of Tom Manning and Jaan Laaman in a Ohio farm shoot out. The incarcerated United Federated Forces of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA) member Emily Harris was later strangled to death in her prison cell by a patriotic convict.

Within 6 months East-West relations had collapsed and the Cold War was now 'hot', and world war 3 neared after an American war-ship's crew had panicked and sunk a Cuban fishing boat in international waters and the China had been discovered to be arming the emergent P.K.K. rebels in Turkish Kurdistan. Troop numbers and technical aid poured into both halves of Korea and Germany.

Zimbabwe sold out on the West and became a unofficial Soviet allie, prompting Gabon strengthened already friendly relations with France and gave up it's neutrality to join the Western block. Fiji was a close ally of Australia and also had a reasonably friendly relationship with the UK, so it followed Gabon's lead in joining the West. When Peru became scared of a major occurring with Cuba, it joined the A.A.C.I.I.A.L., who it was already friendly with.

Last minuet diplomacy occurred late that November in the U.N., Arab League, E.E.C. and A.S.E.N. Saddam Hussein then blamed Israle for the looming crises and smirked as Col. Gaddafi gave arms to the P.L.O. Later the Pope, Swiss president, King of Bhutan, secretary general of the Arab League and UN Secretary General all called for peace, but no one listened.

Soon armed border clashes hit the N./S. Korean, N./S. Yemeni, E./W. German and Nicaragua/Costa Rica border occurred. The U.S.A. quickly responded by tightening the blockade on Cuba and sending more anti-Aircraft missiles to the Afghan Mujahideen.

As the world titered on the brink of war famine struck Africa one more. Food shortages become severe in Ethiopia and Sudan, leading to many deadly food riots in Khatoon, Juba, Eritrea and Addis Ababa. A later food riot Bangladesh also killed several people. Finally Race riots also killed dozens in Durban and heavy sectarian riots hit Belfast.

'Can you find a way of saving your nation and making it great? War, trade, sport, tech', space, it's your choice.'