A spectacular but failed attempt on your life made national news today. Interrogation of captured suspects has pinned the blame on agents of the nation of Blackacre, with which Maroza has notoriously chilly relations.
Your cabinet is divided as to how to respond.
The Debate
1. "Assassins, huh? Well, two can play at that game!" says Warren McCue, your chief military adviser. "An eye for an eye! A tooth for a tooth! An assassination for a... missed shot, I suppose. Never mind that, think of the possibilities! Not only can we strike back at the scumbags who sent this assassin after you, we can turn our attention to... 'manipulating' the positions of foreign leaders and political rivals that stand in the way of Maroza's glory." He then points two fingers at the wall and mouths 'bang bang' noises.
2. "Sending assassins to avenge you isn't enough!" argues hawkish talk-show host, Fleur Hendrikson. "The fact that Blackacre is this bold means we haven’t made them fear us yet - and a nation that isn’t feared isn’t respected. We need to do the only thing we CAN do: bomb their cities! Raise a revolution! Salt their fields! It may cost money, but our nation’s honor is priceless."
This is the position your government is preparing to adopt.
3. "I can't believe what I'm hearing!" says the muffled voice of Roxanne Hanover, an anti-violence protestor who was, until now, hiding in your air vents. "By building up our military-industrial complex, WE have become the aggressor. WE are giving nations like Blackacre good reasons to hate us! No wonder they tried to kill you - we aren't giving them enough breathing room. If we cut back our military a bit and sent them a fruit basket now and then these problems would never happen."
This is the issue I got this morning and I was wondering what the effects of each option were. Right now I'm going with number two.
