Backstory (World War III: East vs West Map Game)

2012

 * Tensions rise in the Middle East as Iran threatens to close the very important Strait of Hormuz. The US also threatens Iran, and Israel is thinking of bombing the Iranian nuclear facilities in order to prevent them from developing nuclear weapons.
 * Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia have all formed Islamic governments.

2013

 * North Korea is developing nuclear weapons and long-distance rockets, and they threaten to destroy the US. They also close an important trade zone with South Korea, while Japan prepares itself for a potential attack on Tokyo. The US promises it will retaliate if North Korea attacks.
 * A civil rights activist called Edward Snowden leaks information about American surveillance on its own citizens and in Europe. Many European countries get angry at the US for this, and the relations between the two worsen. Snowden seeks assylum in many countries, including Russia, several European countries and several Latin American countries. Because of this, the US forces the Bolivian president to land in Austria because they think Snowden is on board. This worsens relations with Latin America.
 * Russia grants Snowden permanent asylum in their nation, which angers the US, but strengthens the solidarity of Russian nationalism.
 * Syrian president Bashar al-Assad is captured and killed by the rebels, who then take control of the rest of the country. Syria follows in the footsteps of Egypt, Libya and Tunisia and is overtaken by an Islamic government. Russia refuses to recognize the new government, and sponsors an Alawite rebellion in the country together with Iran.

2014

 * As Western troops leave Afghanistan, the country is once again overtaken by the Taliban, threatening the stability in the region and once again starting speculation over whether or not Pakistan is allied with the terror groups.
 * Iran announces that it now possesses nuclear weapons, spreading fear across the Middle East. As a reaction, Saudi Arabia launches its own nuclear program, and with foreign help they acquire nuclear weapons. Israel, Saudi Arabia and Iran now have nuclear weapons, and everyone fears a new world war.
 * Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz, causing oil prices to rise, and the US immediately takes action and sends a hangar to the strait. A bloody battle takes place between the US and Iran over the strait, but at last the strait is reopened and the Hormozgan province is occupied by the US.
 * During the temporary oil crises, nations like Russia, Nigeria, and Venezuela have profitted immensely.
 * Due to the trouble in the Middle East, the financial crisis starts over, causing the economic collapse of Greece, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Italy. As a result, the Euro currency collapses and so does the European Union, though France and Germany are fighting to keep it intact. All European countries become more nationalist, especially the Southern European ones, and Turkey ends up in a war with Greece over control of Cyprus and the Aegean Sea.
 * North Korea tests its long-distance rockets and makes several nuclear tests, once again starting the fears of a new war in Korea. By this time, South Korea and Japan are in a hurry to acquire nuclear weapons themselves, as they want protection against North Korea. China states that it will not tolerate Western attacks on North Korea, further causing the tensions to rise.
 * Russia begins to campaign in Belarus and Ukraine to rejoin Russia, with all of their oblasts becoming integrated in the country. Referendums are planned for 2015.

2015

 * China occupies the oil-rich islands of the South China Sea, causing massive protests in and from countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Taiwan. China claims that the islands rightfully belongs to them, and many naval confrontations and border skirmishes occur in the months that follow. At the same time, the countries of the ASEAN are brought closer together against China.
 * China and Japan confront each other in the sea surrounding the Senkaku Islands, and the situation in Asia is generally high-tensioned and dangerous. As a result of China's recent actions, the US increases military spending, earns money by selling weapons to all of its Asian and Pacific allies, and establishes many new bases in the region.
 * Israel is attacked by Hamas, and as result occupies the Gaza Strip. They are condemned by the entire Islamic world, but Israel claims that the land is rightfully theirs and that they were just defending themselves. Syria goes as far as declaring war on Israel, and together with Jordan, Hamas, Hezbollah and Egypt, they start invading Israel. Jordan takes the West Bank, Egypt the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza, and Syria the Golan Heights. But Israel has a strong army and the war will last for a long time, and especially fighting with Egypt is a harsh affair.
 * Facing many threats, the NATO finally creates a common missile shield to protect against nuclear weapons from Iran, North Korea and other countries that might have nuclear weapons. This is despite the worsened relations between the countries.
 * A large bomb explodes in Mumbai, killing more than 300 people, and an Islamic terror group takes responsibility. Pakistan denies having anything to do with it, but India is furious and the war over Kashmir intensifies. As India overtake all of Kashmir, the UN condemnation of the conflict goes unheeded.
 * Belarus votes to join Russia, and so does Ukraine. The Ukrainian leader, however, refuses to honor the terms of the plebiscite, causing widespread rioting in Ukraine.

2016

 * Ukrainian protesters are aided by the Russian military which attacks the Ukrainian president for not honoring the plebiscite. A similiar plebiscite is scheduled for Kazakhstan.
 * North Korea launches nuclear misssiles towards Seoul, Incheon, Busan, Tokyo, Honolulu and Seattle. Seoul is completely destroyed, while a defense system shoots down the rest. South Korea, Japan and the US immediately retaliate, launching many nuclear weapons towards North Korea, almost annihilating the entire country. Western forces then invade the country, and the United Korean Republic is formed.
 * China, furious at the Western World, occupies the Japanese Senkaku Islands, ending up in a naval war with Japan and a land war with Taiwan. Taiwan is bombed by the Chinese, and is forcibly annexed despite many losses in the process. Japanese, Korean and US forces retake the island after a bloody battle with the Chinese, but because Taiwan is so destroyed, it joins Japan.
 * Following in the example of North Korea, Iran launches multiple nuclear missiles towards cities in Israel, and as Israel and Saudi Arabia quickly retaliate, the Middle East is thrown into an all-out nuclear war. Almost no Middle Eastern countries are able to escape combat, and cities such as Cairo, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Damascus, Baghdad, Riyadh and Tehran are completely destroyed. Pakistan also joins the war and declares war on Israel, causing India to get involved as well, though not directly as India fears to be annihilated like the Middle East is starting to be. In the end, almost the entire Middle East is annihilated, and civilization only remains in small pockets. As a result, oil prices skyrocket and the financial crisis worsens and becomes known as the Second Great Depression. At the same time, Africa is thrown into chaos and civil wars and wars are just around the corner.

2017

 * The Middle East is now annihilated, tensions in Asia are higher than ever before, Africa is in chaos, and the relations between many of the world's countries are strained. World War 3 is just around the corner, and the world's nation must now decide what to do, who to trust and most of all, how to protect itself and its own interests.