OK - Democracy/Fascism/Communism/Islamism
WWII goes like this: POD comes in April of 1941 when Hitler dies from tripping over a rug and splitting open his head.
There is a mini-power struggle with Hess taking over over nominal control, but with Himmler and Goering as advisors.
Barbarossa is cancelled. Much greater German effort against the British in North Africa (handwaving the port capacity issue) results in grinding battles through Egypt, Palestine and the Mid-east. Many Muslim civilian deaths to Hobbesian lanscape.
Japan goes in the Dec as OTL, but Hess et al decline to DOW America. Butterflies cause a worse Pearl (the IJN gets YORKTOWN), and despite British entreaties, US declines to go to war against EuroAxis.
In 1944, USN wins several smashing victories against IJN. Writing on wall as US productivity buries Japanese productivity. Stalin DOWs Japan, grabbing Manchuria, and linking up with Mao. Japan sues for peace after US (Very leery of Soviet advances, and wanting this Pacific thing wrapped up quickly) guarantees Emperor's position.
Also in 1944 Churchill government falls. New UK government sues for peace. Result is Status Quo Ante with Brits conceding Crete to Italy and the Germans allowing Vichy to govern all of France (sans Alsace-Lorraine which goes to the Reich.
Battles in Mid East were so devastating that a shared identity is developed amoung Sunnis. With the British and French exhausted, revolts spring up spurred by a charimatic Egyptian calling himself the new Mahdi. Formation of the Dar al-Islam state, a fundemantlist Sunni Calpihate. Includes OTL Turkey, the Sunni MidEast, Israel (never formed in this TL), the Arabian Peninisula and the Magreb of North Africa - all the way to and including Morocco. The Dar is propped up at various times by the other power as a counterweight to the others.
By 1960, there are four atomic superpowers - the USA (allied with the UK), the Fascists (Germany and Italy), the Communists (USSR and Commie China - whatever that turns out to be) and the Dar, rich on oil revenues, and with a shared memory of WWII.
Mike Turcotte