Chapter 195: The Twilight of Britain

A group of rascals cursed the Oscar judges, using all sorts of foul language that was hard to read.

William White's classmates, of course, hoped he would win an award, at least as something to boast about.

Still, hanging out and complaining with America's richest man was pretty good too. It's not something just anyone gets to do.

While William White was cursing here, the Falklands dispute escalated again. Looking at the current situation, war seemed unavoidable.

On April 2nd, a few British soldiers on the Falklands, after minimal resistance, swiftly announced their surrender.

Don't be surprised. The so-called minor resistance was roughly a few slaps in the face, with the ones doing the slapping ending up with swollen hands.

Well, that counted as resistance.

Even though there were no casualties, this incident clearly got blown up. Though the negotiations weren't pleasant, the British still made concessions.

With the current situation, continuing negotiations was the best course, especially since the British didn't have much of a case. It's important to remember this is a remote territory over 10,000 kilometers from the European continent, and it's not of great value.

The British are skilled at scheming, but unfortunately, just like their calculations concerning the French, they figured it was fine to leave them with an opponent. They never expected the opponent to be a lunatic.

Even though this situation was somewhat different, they'd calculated everything except the national emotions of the other side.

William White noticed while making films that economic downturns, combined with numerous opponents, would lead to domestic turmoil if those in power couldn't redirect attention.

Naturally, the British were an easy target. Their weakness was evident to anyone, and bullying them a bit wouldn't matter as long as it didn't result in fatalities.

The soldier's handbook clearly stated to surrender gracefully without fear of repercussions, and you'd be treated as a hero back home.

This isn't just idle talk. To date, the Falklands had completely fallen, and a military operation involving over ten thousand people resulted in zero casualties.

Isn't that peculiar? The Falklands is a military stronghold. Resolving an issue with zero casualties is confusing --what kind of war is this?

Maybe, similar to World War II, the French and Germans were in a standoff, with no signs of conflict.

...

"master, has the fighting started?"

"Uh, Fulton, has gold moved much?"

"Not really. Although there was a bit of a surge, it quickly stopped, as large amounts of profit-taking occurred."

"See, the futures market already told you there's no real war. Even if it starts, both sides would be very restrained. Look, they're surrendering across the board. If a few had died, you could at least call it real resistance."

William White chuckled at their misfortune, but the British were infuriated. Not reclaiming their pride would soon demote them to a second-rate nation.

In truth, many countries already regarded Britain as a second-rate nation; they just didn't realize it themselves.

The British docks were bustling. Assembling a computer was easy, but assembling a fleet was genuinely difficult.

It was unfortunate that the former world power couldn't even muster an expedition fleet.

Everyone worldwide was laughing at them; no country thought Britain could do much about it, and it would eventually be resolved through the international community. In essence, they had to rely on their little cousin for a solution.

A full-scale confrontation wasn't likely, just some economic sanctions. The Americans weren't going to go to war either -- they'd already lost twice in a row and there was no need for a third.

Most people didn't know this history or how the Iron Lady resolved the crisis. William White did, however, and he knew she managed to preserve Britain's dignity.

You could say this particular resilience was admirable. Surrounded by Hitler's forces at Dunkirk, Britain was nearly conquered, yet they still persevered under such dire circumstances.

Dominant nations are never simple, and the British Isles were united in their resolve to regain respect.

Yes, the Americans were starting to take sides, and as for the Europeans, even more so.

No supplying weapons to the warring parties?

Transport might be okay, right?

Radar could work too?

The so-called international treaties were merely toys for the great powers. How can you all provide aid to the British yet not treat everyone equally?

NBC News became the focus once again, as everyone realized the necessity of having a segment dedicated to it. Barry Diller was thrilled since it had been years since so many TV stations retransmitted NBC's news.

...

With high ratings, the advertising effect wasn't bad either. Spielberg couldn't ignore it any longer and decided to reschedule the film's promotion. The current posters were indeed pitifully modest.

"So, did they agree?"

"Yeah, they agreed -- those cunning, stingy folks."

"Haha, your movie wasn't supposed to be with them in the first place."

"Ah, Lucas, I had no choice. I've been thinking, we should partner and start a company to avoid being held back by them."

William White didn't know that, because of his meddling, DreamWorks would be birthed sooner than planned. Lucas and Spielberg had been observing his path to success closely. They were well aware of how White Films rose to fame, especially with the rise of video games.

...

The British sought revenge and naturally needed allies. Europe was a given; after all, the EU was created for times like this.

At this point, you couldn't ignore the French. Aside from them, only the British had military power in Europe, and the Germans were still divided, with their military strictly controlled.

If you formed the EU, then sending troops was straightforward; after all, that's what alliances are for, as you should clearly understand.

The reason the British later turned traitor was simple: the EU didn't treat them as one of their own. Since a trustworthy ally was needed, the little cousin across the pond seemed more reliable.

As for the Americans, they were steadfastly supporting their little cousin, with domestic media starting to stir things up, talking nonsense about provocations and the like.

The only exception was NBC, labeled as the peace network, which continued to push both sides to remain calm.

William White had no stance regarding the British. He would only consider his own gains and losses, and since no one had approached him, it wasn't his problem.

At that time in America, the mainstream was anti-war, regardless of how weak the opponent appeared. Americans were deeply afraid of conflict.

*****

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