Attaining the Throne: Ascend

It has been more than a month since Attaining the Throne began, with a random and superficial piece of writing, and today, it is time to end it.

Attaining the Throne (I): Growing the Nation

Attaining the Throne (II): Ruthless

Attaining the Throne (III): Blood, Sweat, and Tears

Attaining the Throne (IV): Rise

A Word:

My editor told me the other day, just after publishing Rise, that this should end in almost an epic showdown of sorts, because that made sense.

No.

In an epic showdown, there will be flashes of light and flame, shattering our buildings and our bodies; there will be knives, sticking out from our chests, plunged into them with hands of other humans, and our blood will mix; there will be ash falling from the sky, the ash of civilization, burnt away with the click of a button.

Step eleven is to stop that from happening.

Your country, and any other one out there has survived and prospered for this long in this competitive and hostile world because of one thing: humanity. We do not ruin things, whether it is the livelihoods of people or the booming growth of nations, for fun, and because of that, no war will be fought today.

Aforementioned, in the case of a war between you and Country X, the entire world will face economic collapse, as well as destruction in levels never-before-seen.

I don’t know what weapons WWIII will be fought with, but I know that WWIV will be fought with sticks and stones.

-- Albert Einstein

By challenging Country X to war, you are effectively triggering WWIII, setting back humanity by centuries. Is that what your nation wants? No. What use is it to attain a throne when the very ground it sits on is, as per Kurt Vonnegut on the destruction of Dresden, moonscape?

Now, here is the challenge: how do we attain the throne without triggering a war which would be the world’s demise? In other words, how do we avoid Thucydides’ trap?

Step Eleven: International Unity & Understanding

At this point in time, Country X may choose or may have already chosen to put you in a state of disrepute. It would be in their best interest for any and all other nations (besides your allies) to hate you. They would want to have divides between you and them, because that way, without the collaboration of the international community, your status will quickly fall. In this time period, it is quintessential for your nation to show that you are behind the international order’s back, and that you want a better world. This can be in the form of massive support during crises such as natural disasters, or economic liaisons to share technology and build infrastructure. Your goal here is to be the better nation, the better leader where Country X is not, aiding the third world, collaborating with the first, and supporting the second. Your current economic and social prowess is enough to achieve that, with a strong grip of international trade routes and mature domestic markets reaching outwards. In doing all of this, you are showing that you care about the world and its improvement, and that you care about not only your own, but the international community as a whole.

This will make it much harder for Country X to attack you from an ethical standpoint and on the international stage, but we are not done yet.

Just now, you diplomatically strengthened your image as a nation, now it is time to show the world, individually and personally, that you are truly great.

Invest heavily into international schools and globalisation, popularise the concept of “global citizenship” for the new generations. Focus on creating change-makers, willing and capable of making the world a better place and sending them abroad, or, even better, attract the youth of other countries to study in your country for its international diversity. By doing this, you are directly changing how the people, not just the governments of other countries view you, full of aspiring individuals proud of their rising nation and motivated to create a greater world. If you successfully make this the status-quo, then you will have truly transformed your nation’s place in the world.

In a nutshell, now that you're strong enough, you can begin to undo all of the corrupt actions that you did from the previous steps, and dedicate your intentions as a leader and a nation towards a sustainable society and better future.

You have shaped your nation and its people to be the bringers of a new world, one where we are together, one where there is unity, one where there is peace and prosperity. You have shaped yourself to be a leader of that world.

Step Twelve: Ascend

Ascend the throne with pride, grace, and humility, and you can keep it as long as you adhere to what has brought you to this day, this place.

The promise that always, you will care for the entire people, and you will take action to give them the life they want to have, the future they hope of, and the world they deserve.