Klingon Empire

The Klingon Empire was an interstellar governmental power located in the Beta Quadrant, composed and run primarily by Klingons.

Background
The Klingon Empire had long been hostile to the United Federation of Planets, with long periods of cold war punctuated by intermittent open hostilities. In 2293, the Klingon moon of Praxis exploded, decimating the Klingon's ability to maintain an interstellar fleet, as Praxis was the Empire's key source of dilithium. As a result, the Klingons agreed to an extended peace agreement with the United Federation of Planets for the first time. (STVI: The Undiscovered Country)

However, this agreement came at a profound moment of weakness for Klingon culture, and while the Federation viewed it as a first step towards a lasting peace, Klingons largely viewed it as a necessary evil to be temporarily endured while they focused on regaining their self sufficiency. The original peace treaty, known as the Khitomer Accords, were set to expire in 2343 after 50 Earth years, after which they could be renegotiated or left to expire.

The Khitomer Accords also included provisions for supplying the Klingon Empire with refined dilithium and other humanitarian aide, a step which Federation officials hoped would demonstrate good will and the sincere desire for peace. However, the diplomats at the time failed to account for Klingon cultural attitudes, not realizing that actively helping an enemy in a moment of humiliating weakness was considered a profound act of disrespect. Though the Klingons accepted the aide, they did so out of pure pragmatic necessity and far from having the intended effect of strengthening relations, it made Klingons and Klingon society in general deeply suspicious and resentful of Federation motives.

Present Day
In the 46 years between 2293 and 2339, Federation diplomats and organizations made many attempts at building upon the foundation of peace started with the Khitomer Accords. But nearly all efforts were rebuffed and dismissed by both the Klingon government and Klingon society at large as insincere attempts meant to only further humiliate the Empire and destroy the Klingon way of life.

From almost the moment the Khitomer Accords were signed, the Empire began a concerted effort at finding new natural resources to regain their self sufficiency. Most important of all of these efforts were the various attempts to replace the dilithium ore lost from the Praxis explosion. By 2339, the dilithium ore available to Klingon miners had nearly returned to pre-Praxis levels, though the Klingon cultural psyche had yet to recover as well. The memory of the Empire's weakness and reliance on help from an enemy was still a fresh wound. As a result, it remained an open question as to whether or not the Federation would be able to sustain the peace or whether the Klingons would once again become the Federation's chief adversary.