1988

*U.S.-Soviet detente. INF Treaty signed. Peace among the "advanced nations". (As part of the defense strategy, the steadily weakening sign a treaty eliminating four percent of all medium range nuclear missiles. The irony of superpower collapse = peace. General Henry Christo goes all out to build up conventional forces.

*In Asia, North and South Korea are peacefully united.

*The Soviet Unoin's policies of peace diplomacy and perestroika continue (while ethnic and economic problems snowball).

*The war between Iran and Iraq finally ends, for economic reasons. This fierce battle between Arabs and Persians lasted eight years.

*U.S.S.R. and U.S. = foundation laid for imperial Americana = U.S. - Soviet Alliance.

*Publication of volume 4 of Applseed is delayed. Author apologizes.

1989

*China - Tiananmen Square massacre. Japan - democratization movement begins. Both trends reveal how backward Asia is, and disappoint and anger the rest of the world.

1990

*Alsace summit held in France. First E.C. newspaper - THE EUROPEAN - formed.

 1991

*Soviet Union returns the disputed four northern islands to Japan. Huge gap between standard of living and politics revealed. (Development of Siberia begins, just as the U.S. and Japan had once made a deal on Hawaii and Okinawa. On two of the northern islands, an agreement is made regarding Soviet bases. Locals are angered. Problems remain).

*Autonav system "Chaorn" introduced and put into operation in twelve nations around the world.

1992

*E.C. unification occurs. World enters era of four huge economic blocks. Asia bashing and "peace" (or what some call quasi-war) continue.

*Nuclear rocket "Centaurus" announced.

*True production of master-slave armor begins. Prosthetic technology advances.

*Olympics held in Barcelona Spain. Seville Adventure Fair.

*Advances made in muscle power with actuators of advanced molecular gel. Which yield ample speed and power while requiring only low voltage for operation.

1993

*East and West Germany are reunified.

1994

*April: the three Baltic states, Poland, Czechoslovakia, and Hungary join the E.C.

1995

*September: War breaks out between Israel and its Arab neighbors (the 5th Middle East War). November: Israel uses nuclear weapons. Southern Syria disappears. Cracks appear in the Nexus Alliance. World trembles in fear. Ebit Co. & Tadilan Co. are the instigators.

*Iran takes advantage of the situation and invades Iraq. Internal split in Iran causes hard-liners to take power. Islamic world is thrown into confusion.

*Galileo 2000 project fails.

*U.S. - Soviet alliance unravels. Intervening militarily, the Soviet Union sends troops to the Middle East. It suppresses Israel and moves into the Mediterranean, where it clashes with E.C. forces. Headquarters set up in Rome.

*Japan - HDTV viewing fees are reduced to 250,000 yen, but the Ministry of Posts and Communication asks for 300,000.

1996

*February: World War III turns nuclear. Nuclear winter and "black rain" result. Demoralization sets in. U.S. retaliates. Soviet Union incurs huge damage. Heavy use of nuclear weapons results in victory for U.S. and E.C. Inflated missile counts, improper maintenance, and other unexplainable factors result in a high percentage of misfires and mislaunches. The planet survives, but the damage is greater than before experienced from war. Finally the war ends.

*Around this time the West Umeda area of Osaka is turned into a super-skyscraper zone.

*Bangladesh suffers massive flooding.

1997

*Munma Holy Republic founded. Bloody incidents take place around the world with those involved.

*England - Terrorist use of botulinus bacteria causes massive deaths.

*Hong Kong reverts to Chinese rule. Demands for democratization begin again.

*General Henry Christo becomes Chairman of the E.C.

*Appleseed volume 5 is still not out. A young man addicted to Appleseed becomes impatient and cries softly.

1999

*Friction between EC and Asia. General Henry, taking a hard-line approach, takes repressive actions around the world. Asia (China, Japan, Korea,) is distressed. Friction results between Asia and the rest of the world because of the contrast between war damage and Asia's wealth. Orion Group and some representatives of the EC, U.S., and U.S.S.R. visit Japan in August. (First Urban Planning Group Conference held - ends in failure.)

*The Fourth World WAR. The nations of Asia go to war with the E.C.-U.S. Alliance (Henry). (By this time there are almost no nuclear weapons in existence so it's a drawn out bloody, dirty old war with conventional weapons - nuclear weapons began and ended in Japan)

*Macao is returned to China. A giant meteor falls on Beijing (and is mistaken for a nuclear detonation).

*A revolution occurs in computer brain technology. Bio-computers put onto clinical operation. The Second Urban Planning Group Conference is held and a deal is made for a radiation filter and the Appleseed plan.

*Democratization takes place in China. (Return of the true messiah)

2000

*Construction of Olympus begins (unofficially - destruction of information network).

*Critical shortage of food binds Japan and the rest of Asia together - Seoul Summit.

2001

*America's NASA begins operating its space-station-based plant/vegetable factory. Orion Group gives all-out assistance.

*Data from Voyager 1 stops arriving.

2002

*Construction of Poseidon floating city begins (starting with the spaceport).