A year passes, and an election comes and goes. Your party make stunning gains throughout Congress buoyed by your popularity and perceived strong decision making skills in uncertain times, and you easily win re election. Meanwhile, the world’s other major power, the People’s Republic of China, has had difficulty establishing a strong relationship with the Xanadu.
Crisis strikes as a small environmental protest in a rural Chinese village goes viral throughout the nation, and as authorities stamp it out explodes into a nationwide conflagration. Hundreds of millions begin protesting in every major city calling for widespread reform, even democracy, and violence flares as authorities clash with protestors. Two months in, it is clear that the Politburo has lost control of the state as the national army splinters into many armed militia groups, fighting for supremacy. The UN and your allies are all ready to intervene to prevent further bloodshed, but your decision will have an outsize impact on the success of any intervention. Asking Xanadu for its military and technical support is also a possibility.
| Do nothing | Risking American lives and wealth to stabilize a geopolitical competitor would be a waste of resources. Furthermore, surely the UN and our allies have enough power on their own to solve the crisis. |
| Intervene with our allies | We must intervene but to add the unknown quantity that Xanadu may is too risky at this delicate time. |
| Intervene and ask for the assistance of Xanadu | This crisis also represents an opportunity to bring the Xanadu into the international order and build our relationship. If they agree to aid in an intervention, their advanced technology will undoubtedly be of enormous utility. |