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Normally, as some of my viewers know, Saturday is Weekly Power Rankings day!

But, you know, breaking news is important, no?

Romanian-Serbian MPP

The major news of the hour. Long rumored by many players (including some higher-ups that shall remain anonymous), it appears to be official. Romania and Serbia are signing an MPP, the latest and perhaps last major hit to EDEN. Now, this has been a long time coming, and is not a huge surprise, but it does mean a lot for the current events.

Now, Romania is currently fighting Bulgaria, the heart and soul of CoT. However, their move to MPP Serbia was predicted long in the past, as Romania signed a peace deal with Hungary and Serbia. Furthermore, relation issues with Ukraine and Ukraine's refusal to leave EDEN certainly played a role in things as well. Besides, Romania's current position gives them nothing but a losing battle against Bulgaria, and having allies on their borders surely gives them a sense of security.

Of course, this strains the already-frail Cromanian bond between the EDEN powerhouses. In the end, however, it was but inevitable that it would crumble, the only question being who would fire the first shot. It's undeniable that the group of Balkan nations in EDEN were the core of the alliance. Without such a major member, assuming that Romania does indeed leave or gets kicked out, it's hard to see EDEN being nearly as effective as before, it it even survives.

For TWO, this potentially brings a new powerhouse to their side to fight against CoT when the war inevitably happens. For CoT, it's suddenly worrisome that Romania will have Serbian support against Bulgaria, spelling potential danger for the Bulgarians in the Balkans. It may give Romania a path south to battle other nations, including their EDEN pals, whom may not be pals for much longer. And for EDEN and pro-EDEN nations? *gulp*

What's Left for EDEN

Truth be told, EDEN's been losing for months. Shocker, right? The Balkans, at the end of the day, are the ultimate judge of power. And it's been Greece, Turkey, and Romania running around like mad while TWO and CoT chase them in circles and beat them up on a regular basis. Not to mention, there are plenty of other nations in the region that are essentially non-factors, thanks to Serbia. Romania was the first to go, but it could have been any nation.

Is there anything left for EDEN? Well, EDEN can officially give up on the Balkans. Romania, Croatia, Turkey, and Greece together may have been a decent group, especially with Bosnia and American-backed Albania, but even then they were fighting a losing battle against TWO and CoT forces. However, EDEN does have Asia locked up as their last bastion. With Croatia and now Bosnia moving to India, as well as China dominating the vast lands to the Far East, it's undoubted that EDEN's greatest remaining influence is in Asia. However, as secure as it may deceivingly appear, it's only an offensive away from fully falling apart. EDEN is surely on its last limbs, with Romania escaping the bloody carnage before it's too late. It's conceivable that EDEN could survive, but in no way like their historic powerhouse fashion. No, EDEN may have its prestigious name, but it may become something to the style of Asgar😛 a small, streamlined alliance.

Notably, however, there have been a few nations that were put off by EDEN largely thanks to Romania. Of course, Brazil comes to mind. Now with Romania out of the way, at least theoretically it could mean a signal for better relations for the former Terra nation with EDEN, no?

The Imminent Airstrike

Now, remember. Romania aligning itself with TWO is great for them and all, providing security and extra support, but what will they do? Well, there are few moves with a friendly Serbia and Hungary besides battling Bulgaria, and if CoT and TWO go to war, Bulgaria will be a trifle concern. So what could Romania do? What's rumored is the long-awaited siege of America.

This has happened twice in memory. The first is the famed ONE assault on America, when Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Spain, and Sweden invaded America and had the Yanks on their knees. The second, however, is FYROM's assault into North Carolina through Aquitaine, which it controlled at the time. While initially successful, this ended up being a failure. Now, the difference of course is the amount of fronts. Currently America is in a training war with Indonesia (more on that below), but Indonesia is the 'aggressor', not America. America thus has its NE free and would be prepared to battle a front. However, longtime enemies Spain, Poland, and Serbia all border the Americans. If Romania's rumored airstrike on America is accurate (they do have the funds), that would be four fronts for the Americans if they let Romania land. Could they really hold back all four fronts? The world awaits with popcorn. 😛

Either way, America's entry into CoT has both improved their defense against TWO as well as increase the chances of TWO attacking, no? Quite a conundrum...

Pakistan's Trio of Events

As everybody knows, Pakistan is having a babyboom. What? You didn't know? What have you been watching, the rest of the world? *scoffs*

Anyway, Pakistan has suddenly become a lot more active, as more players join the nation in an attempt to bring the Pakistanis back to their former glory (yes, they WERE good at some point). What to do first? How about an MPP with longtime enemy China?

China conquered the three Pakistani regions awhile back. And it makes sense for China to hold onto these regions, as they provide bonuses they just can't find in mainland China. However, this is a breakthrough for Pakistan. Although they previously welcomed invaders hoping to take down China, relations have soured since, particularly with the Macedonians that recurrently occupy Sistan and Baluchistan, the gateway from Iran to Pakistan. With Pakistan declaring that they would no longer welcome guests, they would be caught between a rock and a hard place with two nations that had relatively cool relations, even with the China-Pakistan NAP. This makes perfect sense for Pakistan, and it helps Pakistan find some legitimacy that they've lacked in recent memory. It also helps China as well, giving them a chance to support the Pakistanis fend off any invaders, protecting their border in the process. And with EDEN even shakier than before, it gives China a new set of connections, both with Pakistan and NaN as a whole.

Wait, NaN? Yep, Pakistan is prepared to join the league of small nations that use the 'strength in numbers' tactic. Certainly, Pakistan is a small, growing country, and it's doubtful that they could have any presence in a larger alliance. But with NaN, they get other nations just like them: small nations that know the trials and tribulations of being undersized. Pakistan will frankly take all the help it can get, so to be allowed into an alliance must be good for the population. It allows for a chance to begin anew, and grow alongside other small nations in hopes of working together to achieve major goals. With both an alliance to back it and a friendly China, what could be better for the Pakistanis?

Well, how about regions without enemy borders? In order to support the babyboom (translation: give them something to do), the Pakistanis have decided to use their airstrike to give a direct war. Not as if they're gonna fight Iran or China, right? And who better to attack than India, the airstrike hotspot? Of course, the main purpose is to generate some interest in the population, especially the babies, but if Pakistan desires the regions themselves, they would be a nice chunk of land, as it would be protected by Croatia, and it's assumed that Pakistan and Croatia's relations are alright, and should improve thanks to their new friendship with China. With a new trust with China, a new alliance in NaN, and a new interest in the airstrike, Pakistan is quickly becoming noteworthy once more.

EDIT: One More Friend

Pakistan isn't the only nation going into NaN. Saudi Arabia, long merely a playground for Balkan powers, has joined NaN as well. The Saudis formerly had good relations with ONE back in the day, but has been drifting aimlessly for almost a year. Often occupied by powers such as Bulgaria and Greece, the Saudis had few allies and fewer nations willing to help (at last count, none). This move on the Saudis' part will help secure Saudi Arabia's part as more than just a colony for the taking and actually a country in its own right. Developing relations and a foreign policy have long been forgotten in Saudi Arabia, but hopefully this, along with their continued efforts to grow the country, will pay off, perhaps with independence in the future.

China's Next Move

China's not just securing their western front. They're also having fun on the eastern front. Working with the goal of freeing Colombia, China has infiltrated Mexico after the Mexicans failed to close the border in time. China certainly has a massive advantage, but Mexico has plenty of allied support and extra NEs with neighboring Peru and Venezuela, as well as Brazil theoretically being able to help too. This operates a lot like an airstrike, as if China fails the first war Mexico can quickly seal up the border and end the war there. But if China can secure a landing site, they should be able to at least liberate Colombia, even if Mexico blocks off China's path into their homeland. Plus, while China and USA's relations are fair enough, it still would likely not be in China's best interest to border the Americans, even if the aforementioned blitzkrieg on American soil does take place.

And what's an invasion without a buddy to invade with? Portugal is currently debating attacking Mexico themselves, taking full advantage of the Azores that they've snatched back to support their longtime Chinese ally. Of course, there's a possibility (a rather large one at that) that the proposal doesn't go through. But if it did, Mexico could see the Portuguese invading once again. Unlike the Chinese, however, Portugal has a direct border with Mexican homelands, so no retreating for the Mexicans. A joint Portuguese invasion could spell real trouble for Mexico.

The Waffle-Fries War Continues

While all hell has broke loose elsewhere, France and Belgium are having their own little war, more and more a sideshow to the real charade. What started as a failed French invasion of Flanders turned into an imminent French wipe at the hands of the mighty Belgian army. Of course, the wipe didn't quite work out, as Belgium failed to hold onto their gains. France launched another offensive into Belgium, this time more successful, but Belgium has once again evicted France from its gains.

France has NAPs with UK and Poland, so there's likely no interference to be had in this war. With both sides being relatively small, this war is essentially a battle of whether EDEN or CoT has more spare resources available. It's frankly hard to see Belgium wiping France thanks to France's larger population, especially in the lower divisions, but CoT isn't about to let France wipe one of its member nations, either. Undoubtedly, this will be a close war, but it's hard to see this having large-scale consequences outside of the involved nations. Still, fun to watch.

The Battle of Britain

Argentina's gone. Who's surprised? *looks around* If you raised your hand, I'll forgive you only because it's 4/20. Everyone, including Argentina themselves, knew that they stood no chance of holding down the British if Poland interfered. So they did, and so has Argentina fled. It's frankly a victory for both sides, as Argentina has successfully built upon its massive babyboom, which has made them the most populous nation in the world. The UK, on the other hand, is obviously jubilant over kicking out their invaders. Well, almost. Poland still has to move out of UK, and Ireland still occupies two British regions, and will be reluctant to let go. Argentina in actuality may have been the easier of the two to get rid of.

What was interesting was the Dutch proposal to attack the Brits. While it never panned out, it's interesting to consider whether or not it would have made much of a difference. Certainly, the Polish wouldn't be particularly keen on one of their colonies harming an ally. But it could have made things a little more interesting, even if the Dutch are rather small in size to do much good directly. Either way, it's semantics now. It's the Irish versus the British, and Ireland would surely appreciate a hand.

Better Times for Training Wars

Indonesia and USA are having a training war. Ain't that sweet? Two former enemies having a friendly spar with one another. But couldn't they have picked a better time? For both nations, this training war may be too high maintenance to keep.

America smartly didn't dedicate their natural enemy to this. Of course, only one NE is needed to start the war, and America is on high alert, shoring up the east coast to prevent invaders. But that's just it. Perhaps it's jumping to conclusions and simply the adrenaline (adrenaline from an online game? really?), but it's highly speculated that Romania's initiation into the goodwill of TWO will be with an airstrike on American soil, and Serbia and Poland would surely come along for the party. Even though their NE isn't used up, the extra front still has drain damage, and it could easily be taken to their opponents' advantage. Now, it's likely that even if an airstrike occurred, it would be later, long after the Indo-USA training war ended. But the very possibility of that happening is a little curious on America's part.

Not that Indonesia is having that great of a time either. They simply have too many interests to have a front going, and their NE on top of it. The Philippines and South Africa are longing for a chance to overthrow their occupiers, not to mention the Aussies, who would kill for a chance to kill Indos. Individually these would be trifle concerns, but combined it represents a warranted worry. Perhaps Indonesia doesn't consider the regions all that important, but if they did, it's hard to see Indonesia holding onto all their colonies, if the early battles are any indication. It just seems as if both nations have too much on their plates already, Indonesia with RWs and America with imminent threat, to have a TW.

Well, I think that's about it for now. If there's anything I missed, feel free to lemme know!

Until next time, take care!

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