1940s: The United States and much of the rest of the world attempt to re-adjust to life after the horrors of World War II. While the Allies's victory is militarily decisive, the fallout from the war creates new political tensions between certain countries, most notably the United States and the Soviet Union.

Today: The United States and many other countries are mired in an ongoing conflict in Iraq and other regions of the Middle East. Due to the guerrilla and terrorist tactics used by insurgents, some wonder if the war can ever be decisively won. Tensions between the United States and some of its allies increase when a Bush administration report indicates that America will only award Iraq reconstruction contracts to allies that supported the United States's largely unilateral decision to go to war.

1940s: Following the American decision to drop atomic bombs on...