equestria has knocked out a major geopolitical rival and now they're trying to spread forigen influence to their recently conqured territores. what if I'm next?

I'm not sure what you mean?

"what if I'm next"?

heck if I was an outside nation, I'd pull an imperial japan

I'm taking the position as if I'm the queen of one of equestria's stronger rivals

Figure out what equestria is doing and figure out how to beat them at their game

I mean clearly what equestria is doing is making it successful

because that's likely what a maceovelian monarch is likely thinking after watching the storm king get beaten up

they've also flipped a lot of major enemies into what could easily be described as vassals

And being competative doesn't mean being aggressive

or saber rattling.

Well seeing as you're the only one crying about it, how about you go there instead?

It'll be okay

I mean Japan only became unreasonably violent to other western nations after a while

I take a mild interest in real politik kind of things and that's what my main point is. I'd be preparing an invasion. and if celestia has any sense of the matter she'd make absolutly sure to try and keep the exact details of the storm king's defeat under wraps

Well you could do what switzerland did

just make invasion such a nasty prospect that there's no reason to invade.

and then make trade and co-operation too profitable

if it were a weaker nation maybe but a nation of comparible military power on the other hand. and based on the goverments around equestria I have my doubts her biggest geopolitcal rival is a liberal democracy

Well again

Liberalism is probably what is making equestria great

make your country great

Like Meiji japan

if it were me personaly probably but I doubt a emperor or empress would be so willing to give up too much control

Well honestly I think a saber ratling dictator like that would deserve a bit of humbling

I'm honestly of the opinion that equestria is pretty much the miltary power in that world

Even without the WMDs that are luna and celestia

I disagree I think equestria was the main military power of the world but their military seems to be collapsing. canterlot has been taken a few too many times

storm king almost won same with the changelings before they effectivly enginered a coup to put a puppet into power there

I suspect most of these successes are mainly through surprise attacks, catching equestria off guard

I think at worst, equestria might have grown fat and lazy

but so was pre ww1 and ww2 america.

which for a strong aggressor might be a sign that equestria is ready to be conqured.

of course, but I reckon that strong aggressor would only have so long before equestria gets it's act together.

You'd probably have to strike while all the princesses are in the same place, os you can take them out

because if you take out celly and luna, you've got twi and cadence to deal with.

probably a big enough crisis might get equestria's military reinveigorated no offense to shiny but he's a pretty incompetent head of the army to allow canterlot to be taken twice.

perhaps

I think Tirek is a special case

sorry my bad three times

he seemed pretty invulnerable to anything ponies threw at him