World War III (Malformedmule)

World War III (abreviated WWIII or WW3) was a global war that took place between April 3, 2069 and July 17, 2077. Many of the world's nations, including all great powers, participated in the war and eventually split into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Eastern powers. The conflict began when the government of the North American Union ordered an invasion and regime change in Cuba, which was supported by Russia and China. This was due to the Cuban government's violent crackdown on anti-government protests. It caused more casualties than any other conflict in history. The war ended in an armistice on July 17, 2077.

Background
Although tensions between Russia and the western world date back to the mid 20th century, relations had briefly warmed up with the creation of the superstates of the European Union in 2057 and the North American Union in 2064. This however changed in 2068 when the North American Union elected its new president Tim Ross. Ross had repeatedly called the Russian Federation and its strong ally, the People's Republic of China "beacons of tyranny" and closed off relations with both nations. By the beginning of 2069, it became apparent that a tragic conflict was approaching.

North American invasion of Cuba
As tensions rose between the west and Russia, an anti-communist pro-Western sentiment grew in Cuba against the country's century-old communist government ruled by Alejandro Castro, grandson of revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. Cuba had been for a long time a strategic ally of Russia and later China as well. By March 2069, a mass movement in Cuba called United Cuba had rallied all over the streets of Havana, prompting a violent response by the Cuban military. Russia warned the NAU of harsh consequenses if it got involved in Cuba militarily, however NAU leaders did not listen and North American president Tim Ross ordered military intervention on April 3, beginning the armed conflict.

The war becomes global
The Russian Federation officially declared war on the North American Union on April 11, saying that it intended on "defending the sovereignty of the Republic of Cuba". As a global crisis seemed imminent, North American allies the European Union, Japan, the Baltic Union, Turkey and Israel entered the war later that month, naming themselves the "allies" meanwhile the South American nations of Venezuela and Bolivia defended Cuba. Russian allies Iran and Afghanistan also entered the conflict in May, however many believe that these nations were pressured to enter by the Russian Federation. Fighting left Cuban borders on May 30 when Turkish and Israeli air forces launched a series of airstrikes on Iran, thus beginning the war in Asia.