The Forgotten War

2007-04-13

The forgotten chapters of the Last War were written in the deserts of the Central Front. From the Moroccan Coast to the Persian Gulf, small but fierce battles raged. Many simply overflowed from other battlegrounds, ignoring both Arab protests and Arab boundaries. The Pan-Islamic League was a reluctant participant in the Paneuropean-Combine conflict. Rising from the older Organization of the Islamic Conference, the League was a loose union of the Islamic states. Included within its bounds were Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, Persia and the Moslem republics of Uzbek, Turkmen and Kazakh. Each member retained its own national identity and independence, the League serving only to manage international trade and to present a unified front in foreign negotiations. Thus, it was a patchwork of nations, from sheikhdom to religious dictatorships to young democracies.

The Pan-Islamic League tried to remain neutral during the Last War. However, as the conflict grew, member states found themselves fighting both the Combine and the Paneuropeans, many times simply being overrun while trying to protect their own territory. Often rivalries within the League itself hindered their cooperation, making foreign intrusions all the easier. Throughout the 21st Century, both the Combine and the Paneuropean Federation offered alliances with the League's individual members. However, no treaty was kept very well or lasted very long.

Two other powers heavily influenced the Pan-Islamic League. To the east loomed China. Having already swallowed Kirghiz and Tajik, the Chinese sought to add the remainder of the old Asian Soviet republics. Though no war was ever declared, border clashes were common.

To the west was the fortress of Israel. Withstanding both military and political onslaught, Israel still maintained its hold on the Mediterranean coast. Its military districts included much of Lebanon and parts of old Jordan. Heavily bolstered by Combine aid, Israel still had the most advanced military in the Middle East. By 2075, the Israelis had fielded their own cybertank, the GOLEM...