The following is an article published by a student of the Arcanum attempting to explain the natural selection of nations in the pre-Age of Frost and post-Splintering world. It's the point of much debate within the ranks of political scientists.
The world just after The Splintering was chaos. The international order established after the Coalition of Nations was founded was nowhere to be found. The world was divided into dozens of nations, each vying against their neighbors for power. Alliances were short-term, each member of the alliance immediately plotting to betray each other. The economy was also in shambles. Nations that owned one of the three Mints built by The Alammar Empire immediately started pumping out coins like there was no tomorrow, causing rapid inflation and their fragile economy to come crashing down once again. Prices soared, boxes full of coins worth almost nothing. Nations that did have mints were frequently raised and annexed by their stronger neighbors, and the occasional bandit army.
After the chaos and the founding of the Coalition following the Age of Frost, the chaos subsided, and the nations we know now took control of most of the world. What caused them to succeed over the others? What guaranteed their survival over the dozens of other minor states that existed also during this period?
The first thing that caused most of the nations today to survive was a sense of nationalism, of patriotism and loyalty to the country. This technique came straight from the Alammar Empire. With such a diverse and large nation, small revolts could easily grow into large rebellions that could destroy the country. They eventually did, but the Alammar Empire survived for about two thousand years, and extremely long time for an empire that was basically doused in oil and frolicking about in a fire. The thing that caused this long-term survival was the sense of nationalism that the empire inspired. Many were fierce patriots of the nation, willing to die for it. Soldiers weren't conscripted or drafted against their will, they volunteered. This is the reason the Alammar Empire lasted so long, they all believed in the spirit of Alammar. Even during the days of the Splintering, when many talked of rebellion, many were devout patriots who fought against the rebelling nations. The only reason the rebels succeeded was due to the incompetency of the current High King, Victor the Fourth, and the existing unrest from the previous reign.
The second thing was that each held a distinctive advantage over other nations. To say that each had a massive military force would be disingenuous. Uthan certainly didn't, and they managed to succeed over other, much more massive countries. They each had their own specialty that they did better than the others. Valdar had it's technology which it used to gain an edge over stronger and bigger armies, Uthan it's wealth which it used to bribe and pay off the leaders of bigger nations, and Falglor with it's military and industrial complex.
Conclusion. Can I pass now? Please?
The essay was given a failing grade.