From the introduction :

"The world in which we live is a far cry from that into which our great-grandparents were born. What was once a world held in an uneasy detente by the threat of annihilation, has now become a world at war. Nations seek to expand their power and influence, attempting to gain dominance over their neighbors, militarily, socially, or economically.

Europe has coalesced into a super-state. The European Federation incorporates all of Western Europe and is now the world’s richest and most powerful nation, exerting influence across the globe. It is not, however, without its problems, notably frictions between its member-states, and civil war in one - the United Kingdom - regarding continued membership of the alliance.

The United States has remained strong, but it also has its difficulties. After decades of aggressive actions against worldwide threats driven by the so-called Bush Doctrine, it is diplomatically and politically isolated. It has also come under the dominance of corporate interests who have little interest in the wider world. This introspection has caused America to underestimate the political complexity of the situation in Europe and elsewhere. Myopic vision has led to a series of overreactions and poor decisions, which have triggered a major confrontation with the Europeans called the Armageddon War. Playing Europe and America off against each other in this conflict is the Tiger Combine, an association of nine Southeast Asian nations. The Combine is the world’s second most powerful economic force and home to the latest military invention, the WarMek. These walking tanks have revolutionized warfare, allowing the combatants to wage a very mobile and technological war, usually with the aid of Combine pilots and technicians. To the Tigers, war is business, and business is good.