The Rise Of Australasia
Chapter 1325 - 961: United Nations_2

The power of public opinion hardly needs to be overstated, Whether now or in the next hundred years, whichever country holds the global advantage in public opinion can completely turn black into white, which is quite a terrifying thing.

As for the decision to establish the headquarters of the United Nations in Hawaii, it was the result of Australasia's persistent efforts.

After all, Europe was still engaged in war at the time, and placing the headquarters for an organization seeking world peace in Europe seemed somewhat inappropriate.

Originally, Australasia had requested that the headquarters be located in Australia, but this was met with joint opposition from Britain and France.

After all, establishing the headquarters in the Australian Region would essentially mean handing over this world union organization to Australasia.

After several intense discussions among the three countries, the headquarters was finally placed in the Hawaii Region.

Firstly, the Hawaii Region is situated at the center of the Pacific Ocean. Although it is Australasian land, it is relatively far from the native land of every major power, which is within the acceptable range for Britain and France.

Secondly, placing the headquarters in Hawaii could provoke a conflict between Australasia and Russia.

If Russia wanted to join the United Nations, or establish an organization similar to the United Nations, it would inevitably come into conflict with what appeared to be Australasia controlling the United Nations.

After all, Russia also has harbors in the Far East and is a Pacific coastal country. It's impossible for two Pacific coastal powers not to have conflicts, and this was one of the strategies the British had thought of earlier, to promote a conflict between Russia and Australasia.

It was a necessity, as Europe's area is only so large and already accommodates several powers—avoiding conflict among them is simply not possible.

If the growth of Russia and Australasia were left unchecked, ultimately Britain and France would suffer the consequences.

After all, the native land area of Britain and France is not that large, and compared to the vast territories of Russia and Australasia, they are naturally at a disadvantage in this regard.

If we do not divert Russian attention to the Far East and the Pacific, and instead allow them to continue causing trouble in Europe, it would inevitably lead to a situation like Germany's, where the war spreads to Western Europe, reaching the doorstep of Britain and France.

Though Britain has a wealth of colonies for recovery, a large-scale war consumes a great deal, and even British endurance has limits.

If conflict between Britain and Russia were to erupt after this World War, it's likely not only would Britain's position as world superpower be insecure, but they might even fall out of the world's top three.

This prospect was unimaginable to both the British Government and its people. The British had grown accustomed to their country being the most powerful in the world, having maintained hegemony for far too long.

If they were to suddenly hear that Britain had weakened, or even fallen out of the top three in the world, it would be a massive blow to the national morale.

Arthur understood the British's underlying schemes, but such tactics were no longer important to him.

As long as the United Nations headquarters could be secured in Hawaii, Australasia could ensure a significant voice within the United Nations.

This was greatly beneficial for Australasia's future struggle for world supremacy.

What's more, if Australasia were to vie for the throne of world superpower, then conflict with the Russians would be inevitable.

In that case, whether it happens sooner or later doesn't make much of a difference.

Now that the headquarters of the United Nations was decided to be in Hawaii, the signing of the peace agreement to conclusively end World War II would undoubtedly also take place in Hawaii.

And it's true, both the headquarters of the United Nations and the signing of the World War II peace agreement are enough to turn Hawaii into a world-famous destination.

Moreover, given Hawaii's original seaside scenery, Australasia could completely transform Hawaii into one of the most famous tourist areas in the world; the income from the tourism industry alone would certainly be an astronomical figure.

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In mid-June 1938, Arthur saw his sister Patricia again after many years.

Ever since Patricia married into Sweden and became the Swedish Crown Princess, Arthur had rarely seen her. The last time was during Princess Louise's funeral, and a considerable amount of time had passed since then.

"Patricia!" Arthur's tone had a hint of surprise as he looked at his sister, whose face had changed over the years, and said with much emotion, "It's been such a long time, how are Karl and Ingrid doing?"

Karl and Ingrid were Patricia's children, making them Arthur's nephew and niece by blood relation.

"They are doing well, but His Majesty King Gustaf V is not." Patricia said with a smile, her mood not at all dampened by the fact that Sweden was under German military control.

"He got what he deserved." Arthur chuckled and shook his head disapprovingly as he said, "With the way he cozied up to Germany, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he were purged after the war."

At this point, Arthur understood why his sister Patricia had come to Australasia.

At least the future Gustav VI had seen the issues within the Swedish royal family. To preserve the royal family's status, he must at the very least gain the support of either the United Kingdom or Australasia.

Clearly, Crown Prince Gustav had chosen Australasia, and it was likely that a significant reason was because his wife Patricia was Arthur's biological sister.

"Oscar (Gustav VI) is also having a headache over this." Patricia still wore a smile, understanding that her brother wouldn't neglect her: "Unfortunately, it seems he can't persuade His Majesty Gustaf V."

When it came to King Gustaf V of Sweden, Arthur really didn't have much of a fond impression.

The man was not an enlightened monarch, not even a competent one.

In both world wars, Gustaf V had blatantly chosen to support Germany, which ultimately brought considerable crisis to the Swedish royal family.

Especially this time, his support for Germany not only cost him the power of Commander-in-Chief of the Swedish Armed Forces but also nearly caused the greatest crisis for the royal family.

It was precisely because of the loss of his military authority that King Gustaf of Sweden became a mere figurehead in later generations, unable to engage in any of the Swedish government's decisions.

Of course, such an outcome is fortunate amidst the misfortunes.

At least, in later generations, Sweden still retained its monarchy, and Gustaf V's son, Gustav VI, also got to experience being a king.

It was just that his tenure came quite late.

By the time Gustav VI ascended to the throne in history, it was already several years after the end of World War II, in 1950.

By then, Gustav VI was already 68 years old, an age when even in later generations, one would be retiring, yet Gustav's kingship had just begun.

Of course, perhaps it was the Swedish royal family's longevity gene that allowed Gustav VI to experience 22 years on this hard-won throne, ultimately ending his life at the grand age of 90.

In terms of the length of waiting to be king, Gustav VI certainly had a lot in common with Prince Charles of later generations.

However, at least Queen Elizabeth back then was still the linchpin of the British Royal Family, while at this time, Gustaf V had become the one disrupting the royal order.

But none of this was important to Arthur. As long as Arthur was willing, the position of the Swedish royal family would be very secure, and minor domestic disturbances wouldn't affect the royal family at all.

Patricia and Gustav VI knew this well, which was why they resolutely sought Arthur's support, hoping he would protect the shaky Swedish royal family for the sake of family ties.

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