What if the Confederate States broke up?
The CSA had several teething problems when it was being formed, but the threat from the US made it imperative to stay together. What if theyd all tried to fight the civil war on their own, instead of as a group? Or, more interestingly, what if some of the states had declared neutrality, not fighting the north, but refusing to allow military forces to operate across their territories. What if Iran was not invaded during WW2? In WW2, the British and Soviets conspired to invade Iran in order to evict German advisors and secure supply lines. The invasion was fast, decisive and very powerful the Iranian forces were blasted through very quickly. But what if a face saving deal had been made, or perhaps the Shah making a very firm warning, or perhaps the US blocking the invasion plans. This has interesting future effects, Iran may declare war on the axis when the US enters the war and therefore get US lend lease and a guarantee of its territorial integrity. An Iran on the allied side frees up
