Summary of World Events

Encouraged by their success in Norway and EC support, Russia proceeded to send submarines across the North Atlantic with the intent to bombard US coastal cities with cruise missiles. However, due to sabotage or some sort of collapse in the guidance systems, the Russian missiles did not strike all of their intended targets, hitting instead the eastern coast of Canada. A few missiles did strike US cities, such as Boston and New York, demolishing the former United Nations complex in New York. Whether the destruction of the UN building was intentional or accidental is still open to debate. This pretentious action resulted in two significant changes in the status of the EC alliance. Great Britian, furious at the destruction of Eastern Canadian cities, as well as the ravaged Canada, firmly allied with the US against further EC action.

As the year progressed, the former Iron Curtain countries in Eastern Europe once again turned to genocide and racial dissentition. With pressure from the EC to take a less aggressive stance after the cruise missile debacle, the Russians refused to send troops aid the EC peacekeepers. The situation in several countries, Bosnia-Herzegovia, Serbia, Albania in particular, quickly deteriorated back to open warfare which the EC has been unable the contain. Fighting has spilled over into neighboring countries.

In the Middle East, strongman Saddam Hussein, encouraged by the lack of US forces present to maintain the no-fly zone, the collapse of UNSCOM, the inability of the EC to maintain order in the war torn countries in Eastern Europe and the visible support of other Arab countries revealed biological, chemical and other weapons of mass destruction (though not nuclear) and in October 1997 proceeded to rapidly conquered Iraq and Jordan in a series of swift, decisive battles. The other Arab countries are protesting and asking the EC for protection, but none has been forthcoming. Currently, with control of several seaports, Iraq has turned its attention to bombing Israel where the peacetalks have completely collapsed and a state of martial law exists in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The militant Islamics in several countries have taken this as a sign from Allah and begun suicidal attacks, such as the tourist massacre in Luxor, Egypt.

With the chaotic circumstances in Europe and the Middle East, rebels in Zaire led by Laurent Kabila were able to overthrow the old regime led by Mobuto Sese Seko and establish the Democratic Republic of Congo. It was rumored that the U.S. provided military support in the form of advisors and military armament to the rebels. However, the ethnic turbulence in the area which arose from the 1994 massacre of Tutsis in neighboring Rwanda continued as Hutu refugees from that country were reported to have been massacred in camps in eastern part of the country formerly known as Zaire, in Uganda, and in Burundi. U.S. support for the economically stricken region was evidenced when Clinton paid a formal visit to Africa (the first since the Carter administration).

In Asia, the economy in several countries collapsed due to poor financial management, the pullout of US companies and El Niño. Especially hard hit were South Korea where a bailout from the IMF was necessary to keep the country afloat and Indonesia where riots broke out. Japan was also hit as the collapse of the Asian economy weakened the Yen. Several banks in that country folded followed by the discovery of corruption in its financial institutions which resulted in a wave of mass suicides among its businessmen. During the Nagano Olympics in February 1998, all the Asian countries except China submitted a proposal to the US promising an alliance in exchange for trade and other economic assistance. During these negotiations, it has come to light that an unknown Russian financier had been propping up several countries in exchange for certain rights involving land use. Additionally, the countries receiving aid from this individual had discovered that portions of the citizenry were disappearing.

The Formation of O.W.N.N.

With the collapse of the UN and the movement of Russia toward aggression, a new para-military spy organization was formed by the US governments. Among the agents taken from other organizations to produce the new core of operatives were Raymond Carver, Grace Monroe, Ardent Morris, and Michael Torrence. A year of intense training resulted in new abilities for the intelligence operatives and it was now time for their new mission in Micronesia, one of the countries which had been recieving aid from the mysterious Russian financier.