"Later today I'm going to go up on the eighth floor and send a clear message to the world," Biden said. "America is back. Diplomacy is back."

Diplomacy.

The word echoed in Alfred's mind about a thousand times.

It'd been a while since he'd heard it. After all, the previous administration had a clear 'America First' policy in place. However, the same could not be said about the current administration.

A roar of applause could be heard after that remark. Alfred even noticed those sitting next to him (though that term should be used rather loosely considering the strict social distancing rules enforced) cheering a little.

A lot had happened since Inauguration day.

Many of the former president's policies were being rolled back— like the issue of asylum and regional migration, for example. On February 2nd, Biden had issued three executive orders dealing with asylum at the U.S-Mexico border, legal immigration, and reuniting families.

Alfred tended to stay neutral when it came to his bosses— his people didn't share a common and consistent political belief, so neither did he. (Frankly, he'd never found himself growing attached to any of the previous forty-five presidents that had graced the Oval Office.)

Well, maybe Washington.

A fond smile found its way onto his face at the recollection of his very first boss, though no one could see it under his mask.

Though, despite it all, Alfred couldn't help but appreciate the prioritization of immigration reform. His relationship with Mexico was precarious, at best.

And downright bitter, at worst.

We really 'ought to patch things up with Mexico, huh?

Hopefully, the suspension of the construction of a border wall along the Rio Grande would help with that.

But besides Mexico, Alfred was interested to know how Biden was going to handle foreign affairs.

Tactfully, I hope.

Alfred knew better than to hope for a miracle— as much as it'd be nice to have an Era of Good Feelings 2.0, the idea seemed more than just a little unrealistic, especially with so much divide.

Diversity, equity, and inclusion— all things Biden stated he wanted to promote.

Though, as the United States of America, Alfred knew firsthand that it would take work.

And a shit-ton of it.

Unfortunately enough, most of that work fell onto Alfred's shoulders.

Besides being literal personifications of countries, they were really just diplomats. Alfred, Arthur, Francis, Matthew, Ivan, Yao, Kiku, Ludwig, Feliciano— all of them.

Because, apparently, 'country' doesn't count as a legitimate occupation.

"When we strengthen our alliances, we amplify our power as well as our ability to disrupt threats before they reach our shores," Biden stated. "America cannot afford to be absent any longer on the world stage."

This is gonna need a lot of negotiation, Alfred thought as he drummed his fingers against the armrest. The rest of Biden's speech was just playing in the background, save for a few bolder assertions, and the realization that ' oh god Britain's totally going to lecture me about not paying attention later' didn't faze him as much as it should have.

I mean… this is a pretty important speech…

Alfred recalled Arthur's long-winded ramble about Brexit over the phone from the previous week.

But Artie's got his own shit to deal with, too.

Well… I'm glad I don't have to worry about getting nuked…

For now, anyway.

The S.T.A.R.T. treaty made between the U.S. and Russia restricting the use of nuclear weapons would've expired by now, but it was renewed just in time.

That's a relief.

Alfred leaned back in his seat, trying his best to listen to the rest of the speech.

Still, his mind wandered.

He thought about America.

He thought about the world.

He thought about every single alliance that was just itching to be made— every single problem that was just aching to be resolved—

But, how was he supposed to resolve them?

Easy!

Alfred smiled to himself once more.

Diplomacy.


Matthew Williams wanted to hit himself over the head with a hockey stick.

Or, perhaps, drown himself in maple syrup.

Either works.

Diplomacy, eh?

At this point, the entire world's just one huge game of apocalypse bingo, he mused. And we're being forced to play.

His iPhone screen dimmed, threatening to lock. Matthew tapped twice, not about to let that happen.

Sometimes he wished he was just a normal human— an ordinary young man unburdened with hundreds of years' worth of stress.

Maybe if I wasn't Canada, I wouldn't have to be so diplomatic all the time.

Matthew continued to stare at the screen, his violet eyes squinting behind prescription lenses.

"In the wake of Alexei Navalny's arrest, Russian opposition politician vkaramurza says it's time for countries like Canada to use targeted sanctions against those surrounding Vladimir Putin, by using the Magnitsky law."

He didn't know that a single tweet could hold such weight. Not until now, that is.

It's a call to action.

Matthew was aware of the situation happening in Russia with Navalny's detainment and subsequent protests.

It'd been a while since he'd talked with Ivan ever since the start of the pandemic.

With all the chaos in America, Matthew hoped that there wouldn't be any more to worry about.

Apparently not.

A small headache was beginning to form right above his left eyebrow.

Sanctions.

The word felt like poison.

Matthew—Canada—was no stranger to the use of embargos. He'd used them against Belarus, Iran, Iraq, Libya…

But somehow, Matthew felt a strong aversion to the idea of having to add another country to that list.

Even if it is necessary, I…

I really wish there was a better way.

A more… peaceful way.

He sighed.

But that's not really how the world works.

He rubbed his temples, hoping to get some relief from all the constant stress.

I could use a break, right about now.

Matthew got up from his office chair, making his way to the living room. He wanted nothing more than to flop onto the couch and take a long nap.

And then, his phone rang, throwing a wrench in his plans.

Matthew grumbled to himself, mumbling swears in French that he wouldn't dare use in public. He checked the caller ID.

France…?

He pressed 'accept call.'

"Francis?"

"Ecoutez."

"...what?"

"Poison," France said, his voice almost a whisper. "He was poisoned."

"Who? What do you—"

"Navalny."

Matthew blinked, still in confusion.

"But I thought he was just being detained…"

"Non. They put poison in his tea, Mathieu. Germany said so."

Resistance, poison, protests…

Matthew felt a little nauseous.

Mon Dieu.

A/N:

Here you see me dipping my toe into the ocean of foreign affairs. So, how did I do?

You can watch/read about Biden's address here: .

(By the way, I actually pulled some lines from Biden's speech and put them in this chapter. I tried to make it as accurate as possible.)

As for the whole situation in Russia, well...

You may be able to tell where I stand.

Still, I implore you to learn about this case for yourself: .ca/news/world/russia-navalny-court-1.5897347

The whole purpose of this fic is basically to inform people of current events and POVs in the best way I know how. I don't have any malicious intent, I don't intend to make everything about politics or persuade certain beliefs, I'm just trying to use this outlet to re-tell these occurrences from different points of view.

Anyway, thank you so much for reading! Please review/comment, it really helps!

Also, if you'd like me to do a continuation of any of the events discussed in this chapter as more information is released, please let me know!