I used to think my parents’ generation lived in relative peace and quiet after WWII, compared with what we’re living through now: Ukraine, Gaza, Iran… Sure, there was a bit of fuss with the “commies” and “the bomb”, but that turned out fine, right?

I’m reading The Cold War by Odd Arne Westad, and it turns out that was an innocent child’s recollection, not reality. Turmoil seems constant. I’m a bit overwhelmed by all the narrative arcs, protagonists, and shifting alliances.

Back in 2009, when XKCD’s Lord of the Rings chart came out, I spent hours looking at it, thinking how cool it was and how much work it must have taken.

These days, things like this are “just a prompt away”. I like to think that in 2026 we’re “ambition bound”, so I had Opus create an interactive chart for the book: who stood where, and which leaders met whom.

The Cold War narrative chart, showing countries and leaders moving between alliances over time.

Explore the Cold War visualization. You can switch between countries and leaders, choose the main cast or full cast, and explore the chart by chapter.

I’m off for the rest of the day exploring. PRs welcome if you want to rewrite history ;)