Note: This timeline wasn't formalised during the game. Bits and bobs evolved as the campaign progressed, but the world was presented to the players as a 'this is the way it is, don't worry how it got this way' background. What follows has been 'reverse engineered' from the things that evolved. Also while I've tried to be historically accurate, the timeline diverges from our reality just after the Gulf War.
1990 The League of Communists of Yugoslavia agrees to surrender its monopoly on political power. Nationalist and conservative groups received strong support in elections in the spring of 1990. East and West Germany reunite under a democratic government. Iraq occupies neighbouring Kuwait, instigating a build up of multi-national coalition forces in Saudi Arabia. Earthquakes in NW Iran claim 40,000 lives.
1991 Coalition forces attack Iraqi military positions in Iraq and Kuwait. Iraq is defeated. In the United Kingdom, a political battle for power sees John Major ousted, and an emergency general election is called. Thomas Cranwell is elected Prime Minister. In August, KGB forces stage an attempted coup d'etat which results in the fall of Mikael Gorbachev and the rise of Boris Yeltsin. The Soviet Union is dissolved and replaced with the new Confederation of Independant States. The parliaments of Croatia and Slovenia passed declarations of independence from Yugoslavia on June 25. The Federal governments send the Serb dominated army in to crush the rebels. This leads to a long and bloody war on two fronts. When Macedonia declares independence as well, the government is unable to respond, and it is only a row between Macedonia and Greece which prevents the new republic from gaining formal recognition in the UN.
1992 A series of sex scandals shakes the reputation of the British monarchy. Public opinion of the Royal Family reaches an all time low. A ceasefire is called in Croatia in January, but breaks down almost immediately. Bosnia Hercegovina breaks from Yugoslavia, and a bitter civil war erupts.
1993 In almost a complete reversal of the events of the 1991 coup, Boris Yeltsin loses power in Russia as the Russian Parliament building is occupied by his opponents. Troops sent in to force them out are met by troops loyal to the old Communist apparat, and a stalemate ensues. A compromise is reached, and a series of elections are held, in which Yeltsin is voted out and Alexsandr Rutskoy and Ruslan Khasbulatov are elevated to the roles of President and Vice President. Vladimir Groschenko is appointed Prime Minister. A rift between Serbia and Montenegro sees the last two Yugoslav republics at war with each other. Law and order breaks down, and the military of the former Yugoslav nations operate on their own without government control. A fresh round hostilities on all fronts leads to an almost total breakdown of the region's infrastructure. The European Union is formed by the signing of the Maastricht Treaty. There are 11 signatories, Prime Minister Thomas Cranwell refuses to sign and Great Britain withdraws from all European initiatives effectively severing links with Europe.
1995 By taking a fiercely republican stance, Thomas Cranwell wins his second general election in May. By the end of the year, the British Monarchy is dissolved and the country's constitution renames the country "The United Republic of Great Britain". Cranwell is named President, and devolution is promised for Scotland and Wales. Worldwide UFO activity increases. Pundits put this down to the popularity of various Science Fiction TV shows such as "The Why Files" and "Cloudy Skies" inspiring the gullible to flights of fantasy.
1996 All foreign nationals are withdrawn from the Former Yugoslavia with the exception of some aid workers who refuse to leave. By the end of the year, UN observers have reported widespread banditry and the almost total destruction of the region's technological and industrial base. Yugoslavia is now operating as a pre-industrial state, with the exception of the region's military forces who fight over the scarce resources. One observer states that Yugoslavia has "bombed itself back into the middle ages." The violence of UFO activity increases, and mutilations and abductions become far more commonplace. Dr Norman Johnson submits the paper "Strategies for Interaction and Containment Regarding Extra-Terrestrial Incidents".
1997 Martial Law is declared in Britain. President Cranwell declares that representatives of the former Royal Family are planning a coup to retake the country. Massive purges take place in the armed forces and government. For a while it looks like the allegations may become self fulfilling, as the disenfranchised begin to gather serious opposition to Cranwell, however the nascent rebellion is stamped on before it can really get going. The promised independance for Scotland and Wales is put on hold "for the duration of the emergency" much to the disgust of the nationalists in both countries. The United Nations Declaration 117 recognises the existance of the Yugoslav Black Zone, and aid shipments recommence to the few areas deemed safe. US Forces are deployed to Columbia to bring down a corrupt government which is largely under the sway of the drug cartels. In a year long campaign, they manage to depose the existing government, and a lot of the cartels' resources are destroyed as 'collateral damage'. However fearing extended involvement may lead to another Vietnam, the troops are pulled out before the region has properly stabilised.
1998 Troubled by UFO raids, Japan forms the Kiryu-Kai, equipped with the latest technology fighter aircraft available to Japan. During an initial six month trial, however, the squadron fails to down a single UFO. Venezuela invades Columbia in a blatant land-grabbing exercise. American troops are called in, and the US steels itself for a long term, peace-keeping role. In December, representatives of nine of the world's most powerful countries meet secretly in Geneva to agree on the formation of a secret force to deal with the UFO menace. Each country promises what it can supply. Japan provides hi-tech electronics, USA supplies experimental aircraft. Great Britain also agrees, but expresses reservations about the organisation suggested.
1999 Disputes over the setup and initial location of the new anti-alien force hold up the XCom project for much of the year. In July, the Helsinki Protocols are signed by all nine funding nations and the organisation's operating parameters set. Almost immediately, construction is started in Switzerland on the first XCom base. By December, it is just about operational, when a UFO incident takes place in Yorkshire, England. Although not officially operational, XCom military commander Lt Natalya Dinova scrambles a small force to deal with the incident. The alien forces are routed, with only two casualties. The Littledale incident is the first operational deployment of XCom forces.
Jan 4, 2000 A medium saucer crashes on Harper Island, in the North Atlantic. Correctly believing XCom to be not fully operational yet, the US sends in a platoon of Marines to secure the site...
Go to Series 1: The Enemy Unknown
SOURCES
Microsoft Encarta (C) The Microsoft Corporation
Central Casting (tm) Heroes Now! by Task Force Games