The world of Resistance diverged from the real world during the Spanish-American War. The United States was on the brink of war with Spain following reports of Spanish atrocities in Cuba and the sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. American President William McKinley, a pacifist who was reluctant to get involved and eager to save face, sent an ultimatum to Spain to grant Cuba's independence or face U.S. military action in all Spanish territories. Spain accepted the terms in order to retain what is left of its world empire, and to avoid war with the U.S. This set the course for the United States' favoritism towards isolationism for the next half-century.