The World Today is a Direct Result of the Summer War(1991-1993)
In 1989, in what historians call the 'Year of Disappointment', the Soviet Union and her Warsaw Pact allies infuriated Western nations by crushing East German attempts to bring down the Berlin Wall, and by violently interfering in several democratization efforts and Independence protests in Eastern Europe.
Vladimir Kryuchkov - 'Butcher of the People'
Some have speculated that, had Vladimir Kryuchkov not been elected to power in 1988, then the world have wound up a very different place. He and his 'Group of Eight' effectively crushed and butchered any form of resistance to his rule within the 4 years he was in power.
Following the failure of negotiation in resolving the crisis - France, West Germany, and several other European nations pushed for a military intervention in East Germany, despite uncertainty over the military strength of the USSR. These states, without the knowledge of other NATO members also entered secret negotiations with China about a joint Invasion of the USSR. Given the severity of the Sino-Soviet Split in 1989, only heightened by skirmishes along the Mongolian border in 1985 and again in 1988, the People's Republic of China agreed to consider the proposal and entered into a reclusive period of contemplation.
NATO became heavily fractured over debates of military intervention into the USSR.
Within NATO, the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Greece and several other nations refused to consider a war with the USSR given their large nuclear deterrence and the number of units they had stationed in Eastern Germany. They advocated simply waiting out the Soviets until their economy collapsed and domestic revolution and opposition forced their total collapse.
In 1990, as American diplomats tried to pressure the USSR into allowing East Germany to fold, conflict erupted in South America between Brazil and the Southern Alliance, ending high level talks between the countries as tensions rose.
The distraction of South America and the increase in tensions lead to the Western European Pro-War block to begin planning their invasion of East Germany, and of Eastern Europe entirely. It would take a year as logistics and personnel were raised for what was hoped would be a short conflict, that would precede American intervention in favour of the Pro-War block and the collapse of the USSR.
To counter the nuclear threat of the Soviet Union, France began increased production of nuclear ordnance and spread nuclear missile launch sites into Germany, Spain, and Holland. Throughout the remainder of the year, military co-operation between the nations increased and NATO talks became increasingly heated. Eventually, the Pro-War states had effectively rendered NATO inept to deal with any conflict.
Saddam Hussein announcing the Invasion of Kuwait. It went unnoticed by the outside world.
As 1990 came to a close, Iraq invaded Kuwait and was mostly unnoticed by a world focused on the tensions in South America, even as China surpassed the USSR for support of Brazil, and the USSR suffered ever increasing civil unrest.
In 1991, on the 13 of February, the Pro-War block launched their Invasion of Eastern Europe, collectively known as Operation Malignant. Initially supported by the Norway and acting in concert with various separatist and insurgent groups in Eastern Europe, the Pro-War block made initial gains in East Germany, and pushed into Yugoslavia as Italy reluctantly committed itself to combat operations. Finland, while not involved in Operation Malignant soon declared war on the USSR in an attempt to seize Karelia and the Kola Peninsula while the world went to hell.
French troops taking up positions in Eastern Germany - Biological and Chemical Warfare was an unrealized fear in the war.
American Commanders, unsure of their governments position and unaware of their course of action were divided and many acted on their own discretion, some marching alongside the Pro-War block and others refraining from advance and notifying their superiors.
Almost immediately, NATO collapsed as Britain, Ireland and the North American states declared neutrality and booted the nations now engaged against the Soviet Union. The USSR, plagued by economic catastrophe and a critical supply deficiency managed to put up a hard fight, but was steadily pushed back. As the hard line leaders of the USSR expressed defiant optimism, states within the Warsaw Pact split, declared neutrality, or joined with the Pro-War block. Chief among them, Poland and Czechoslovakia declared open hostility against the USSR, as Hungary declared neutrality. Fighting soon erupted within these states as Soviet Forces began fighting against their former comrades, or surrendered. In East Germany however, cut off and outnumbered, Soviet Forces conceded defeat and surrendered.
The Mi-24 Hind proved to be a vital aid to the Soviet Army, launching support operations and raids into enemy territory. It could not however, stave off the Coalition armies forever.
As they began to do so, the Russian Army prepared a major counterattack. Their forces first struck Poland, who was only just receiving reinforcements from the Pro-War block, and the Scandinavian States. Despite contradictory expectations, the Finnish Army collapsed in the face of the Russian onslaught, and the European Coalition barely held the Norwegian border, as Sweden flew into a diplomatic rage over the situation.
As America prepared to take sides in the conflict, China entered the fray in a secret agreement with the European Coalition and launched an invasion of Central Asia, Mongolia, and the Vladivostok area. Overwhelmed, Vladivostok and Mongolia fell quickly. America, preferring a moderate Communist state in conflict with another Communist state, over a single powerful communist state, prepared plans to intervene.
Chinese Forces quickly overran the Vladivostok Oblast and began bitter fighting that pushed the Soviets out of Mongolia.
1992 began with the American Intervention in Asia, as American warships took to the Chinese Seas and American Marines launched the Liberation of Vladivostok and the Invasion of Coastal China, namely, Shanghai and Hong Kong. Southern China was also host to a small diversionary invasion force.
The world now seemed committed to a Third World War, with America having navigated an avoidance of being a major nuclear target. Within the USSR and all over the world, in Europe, China and America, citizens took the streets and protested the war, and the perceived impending doom.
Either way, the sides of the conflict were set, with Canada, America, Ireland, Britain, and the Soviet Union forming the United Nations forces, and the Pro-War block of Europe and China taking the stance of the First International Coalition,
Europe too became host to a play of minor aerial skirmishes between Coalition and United Nations forces, with several conflicts coming to play at sea between Britain and France as well. West Germany had also become the target of the British Navy, though they managed to skirt any naval conflict to avoid comparisons to World War II.
An unidentified British Ship, crippled and sinking.
By the start of the Summer, what had originated as conflicts between former allies spiraled out of control as Spanish and French naval forces, reluctantly accompanied by German forces battled the British and American Navies in the North Sea, in a campaign of superiority that culminated in the Battle of Devil’s Hole where the British and American Naval forces suffered a stinging defeat that saw many ships knocked out of action, if not altogether destroyed. Chief among the casualties was the HMS Illustrious.
A Coup within Russia however, by Mikhail Gorbachev in August and public outrage over the war in America, Britain, and Eastern Europe forced the key players to the table, even as European Coalition forces consolidated their hold in Poland and East Germany and as American-Russian forces fought against the Chinese.
Much of the remainder of the year was spotted with major offensives that failed, followed by calls for diplomacy, followed by skirmishes that lead to major campaigns - such as the British Cloud Campaign that destroyed much of the European Air Forces.
Taiwan almost joined the conflict in late 1992, offering bases to American and United Nations forces before being struck in a Chinese air bombardment of its naval bases. The ensuing row and the revelation to the public of the Presidents actions, lead to his resignation after numerous protests.
Pakistani intervention in Afghanistan brought wide spread destruction to an already battered nation - and is argued to have prevented a conflict with India.
Despite lingering hatreds between Pakistan and India, and on the Korean Peninsula, conflict in these areas was averted as neither side wished to take on the allies of the other. As well, North Korea was stuck between her loyalties to the Soviet Union and to the People's Republic of China - while Pakistan was largely occupied by ongoing negotiations with the Afghan Taliban, and fighting in the Afghan Civil War.
1993 began a wave of diplomatic summits to peacefully resolve the conflict, and save the world from Nuclear Holocaust. Within the first meeting, the sides of the war had agreed to hold a ceasefire as the USSR threatened WMD usage against China, followed by similar warnings from France against Russia and so on. For a year afterwards, peace talks were ongoing and held in neutral nations, from Switzerland to Sweden, to Japan, and to Israel though they were often plagued by skirmishes and efforts by Gorbachev to keep the Soviet Union alive until he could reform the system in place.
As the conflict threatened to expand into South America, and with the Iranian Invasion of the Caucasus in 1993, the world held it’s breath, expecting nothing short of nuclear annihilation. The events at the talks and in the skies and seas of Europe and Asia kept the world’s attention away from the Middle East long enough, that Saddam Hussein and his allies in Yemen brought together the states of Arabia, to form the Republic of the Crescent in a bloody Coup that saw the Royal Families and Sheiks, slaughtered.
Numerous diplomatic meetings helped to stabilize the situation and bring about a peace agreement. It has been called one of the few, and by some the only, victory of the United Nations Organization. (Partly to play off public support, the United Nations Alliance formed by US, UK, and the USSR was named for the United Nations Organization but had no ties with the organization itself.)
In late 1993, the world had witnessed the greatest diplomatic feat in history, as Gorbachev, newly elected President Bill Clinton and the leaders of all the powers involved came together to resolve the conflict. It was called the Treaty of Jerusalem.
Knowing that Russia could not keep all her territories from the war, it was decided that Russia would surrender her control of the Eastern European states and allow them self-government unimpeded by Moscow, while they would also grant sovereignty a group of states along its border with Iran and it’s ally Pakistan to defuse tension, and because of local independence movements. Mongolia would also be surrendered to China, while China would surrender claims and war gains in Siberia and Primorsk. Russia however was allowed to keep occupation of Finland and her pre-war territory.
In return for these concessions, Poland and Eastern European states would be kept out of the Coalition’s sphere of influence to provide a buffer zone between the states. Italy, would turn against her former allies in negotiations, and Norway would also turn against them after their abandonment of Finland.
The European faction of the Coalition was however allowed a leading role in the diplomatic break up of Yugoslavia, given her occupation of half of that nation, and was given total lead in the integration of East Germany into a solid Germany nation.
Iran however was generally excluded from these talks save for a brief invitation to the talks held in Sweden. After their refusal and continuation of their campaign in the Caucasus, they settled on a separate treaty with the Soviets that let them emerge as the victor.
The peace agreement also confirmed the end of the Soviet Union, and the birth of the Russian Federation under the Presidency of Mikhail Gorbachev. Though he would resign within two years, he was still hailed for his leadership during the Summer War.
The agreement also included numerous provisions for nuclear arms reductions, and for general reductions in troop levels. Most of these recommendations however, were never followed by any party. This agreement, was followed soon afterwards by the Treaty of Miami that ended the War in South America and brought the world to an uneasy peace that has generally persisted.
Russia continued to collapse after the Peace Treaty.
Independence for countries such as Belarus and the Ukraine would come in 1995, after Gorbachev's successor held referendums that lead to their split from the Russian Federation. The Baltic countries, and Finland however, remained under military occupation and were never granted such referendums.
Since then, resentment for her Western Allies grew again in Russia and the alliance between the European Coalition and China gradually fizzled out as Europe united, forming what many are calling one of the most powerful nations to have ever existed - the European Union
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OOC : A long update and explanation to be sure, and that will hopefully clear up some uncertainties about the alternate timeline we have here.
Any further questions will be answered as best as possible - though many questions such as 'This is impossible' or 'They could never defeat the USSR' are explained through the obvious 'This is an Alternate Timeline filled with subtle changes that lead to increased military power amongst many nations.'
Still though, I will help out as best I can with understanding.