United States
At the turn of the century, the United States of America stood alone as the world's sole superpower. The former Soviet Union was in chaos, the European Union indecisive. Nations such as China and India were still regional powers. It was also entering a period of isolationism. By the time the US returned from its self-enforced diplomatic exile in 2009, the world was a very different place.Scrambling to catch up in the second Space Race, the US sought to embrance multilateralism, for a time. The causes of the Third World War are complex and multifaceted, but the immediate crisis was triggered by Preisdent Hayes' appointment of several Supreme Court Justices by decree.
The full story is recounted elsewhere. By the end of the war, the United Nations was dissolved, heavy damage had been done to most of the industralised world, and millions were dead. Thankfully the Nuclear Weapons Prohibiton Treaty remained intact.
By 2038, the first American extrasolar colony, in the Jefferson system, was founded, followed in the 2040s by settlements in Kennedy, Lincoln and Roosevelt.
Relations betweens the States and the Empire remain reasonable, although we are concerned at the level of US/French co-operation.