Post-Shiganshina: "I love how Armin was blabbering about being able to get along with the volunteers while the volunteers were busy importing Zeke infected wine.. LOL. Discussing their nation's problems in front of a foreign visitor (Kiyomi) who is drooling over their resources. The only way Hange uses to resolve issue nowadays is by locking people up. Four Survey Corps even beat Hange at logic in their small debate, lock them up. And the so-called smartest Armin couldn't see all this and predict where it's going. Instead they just follow orders like slaves."
Survey Corps Commanders #1-13 had to fight tooth and nail to keep the Survey Corps from being disbanded by the corrupt government; they endured being jailed and tortured, did legworks behind-the-scene to gain more money and resources for the Corps,... all the while received nothing but resentment from the misinformed people.
Things were completely different when Hange took office: the Survey Corps has gained massive popularity and trust among the people. The reclaim of Wall Maria has secured them a special funding from the government. Plus, they've gained the Colossal Titan, along with a fully-realized Founding Titan. YET Hange and Armin still managed to achieve nothing in 4 years and relied on Hizuru to act on their behalf. Not only they trust foreigners blindly, they allow them to drive Paradis politics.
Paradisians want a strong leader who can stand up to Marley. They're finding themselves in a situation as complicated as the Uprising Arc, but without a leader who can play the game as well as the last time.
Leadership isn't just a role; it's a mindset. A mindset that Hange and Armin can't fit into.
Frankly, the political incompetence on all sides is what tanks Season 4. I miss when tactics and great thinking were employed. Now it's just going in blind and hoping for the best. This Season's protagonists aren't clever or charismatic; they just spout endless platitudes while being surrounded by utterly moronic friends and enemies, who reach even deeper levels of mental retardation when the plot demands it.
The military turn against Eren as they plan to have another soldier steal his Founding Titan. Back then, when the government wanted to kill him, Erwin protected him and utilized his power for the greater good. Now, Hange's long-term imprisonment of Eren is the cause of commotion that splits the Eldians into different fractions.
Unfortunately, a lot of AOT fans believe the narrative of "nothing could have been done" - which is a simple cop-out of the situation. A LOT could have been done that the characters did not do. The political landscape presented in the manga isn't an impasse, which is the convenient narrative that Isayama wanted us to believe. Considering how quickly and easily the Marleyans cooperated with the Walldians in the final chapters, that "impasse" narrative wasn't accurate. Even a hard-headed leader like Magath bonded with Shadis and admitted he was wrong. So imagine Paradis could make friends with several countries if Marley wasn't interfering.
Hange is kinda dumb when it comes to people and speaking to adversaries. She shows it in the prison scene with Eren, and she shows it in the capture of the Marleyan ship. She isn't great at making plans or taking calculated risks of her own creation. Hange's manner does not command respect from the foreigners. This isn't about being masculine or fearsome. Take Daenerys from GOT for example: That 155cm-tall woman commands a queenly aura.
Another instance: he was able to predict the enemy's moves in Shiganshina and devised a countermeasure within 2 minutes.
Hange: looks at cars and thinks they can eat carrots. How can you expect her to "read" the enemies?! By locking up dissenters, she makes enemies of her soldiers. She admits in hindsight that bad leadership has brought a civil war upon the land.
Erwin would've gathered way more intel than Eren and co managed before Willy's speech. He would've used any opportunity to send a message to the world. His power was his words and in real world, we know that words are stronger than swords.
Hange's leadership sharply contrasts Erwin's: Remember when Eren shouted in Court and horrified everyone? Remember when he was brought back from the courtroom, Erwin sat down, shook his hand and said, "You have my respect. Let's work together, shall we?"
[ Erwin was able to use people to the best of their abilities. He respected Armin's intellect and told his soldiers to listen to Armin while no one else would. He was also able to "read" Levi and completely "reformed" him from a thug to a hero. Although he had never met Levi before, he was able to "read" him correctly and used his emotions for Farlan and Isabel to capture them. And when Levi broke down after they died, he knew that Levi was about to regret it and thus he gave him a "no regrets" speech.
He never spoke to Zackley and Nile about overthrowing the government. The only one he spoke to was Pixis, who frankly told him that he refused to take sides. But he knew that when push came to shove, most people would prioritize their families over everything else, so rather than asking Nile to take his side, he told him to "protect your family, not your job". Second, he knew exactly what Pixis needed in order to join him: proof that the gov cared nothing about humanity. ]
He's the mastermind of >90% of the strategies in Seasons 1-3. He is the kind of man who won't force anyone into obedience but gives them options. He knows how to gain trust and use people. He overthrew the government with minimal resources and allies. Those skills would be invaluable when dealing with other nations.
Another argument I see in the fandom is "Erwin sacrificed too many soldiers so he wouldn't hesitate to go for a FULL Rumble". Ok, back then, those sacrifices were
necessary to win against the Titans and they really had no other way because of the huge differences in powers between Titans and humans. But now the landscape is different: Paradis is pretty strong compared to Marley. Considering that
Erwin always took the least costly route first and believes that
violence is human nature and that there's no such thing as "a war to end to all wars", he wouldn't do a full Rumble.
He's a long-term visionary. He would most likely do a partial Rumble + diplomacy.
he would make agreements of peaceful resolution with the world. There is a reason he's been removed from the story just before the Basement Reveal just like there is a reason Levi was removed just before the finale: These guys excel at their respective strengths way too much.
He is proactive, not reactive. He has always operated with minimum information and resources, but he has never stood still doing nothing.
You could simply use normal diplomacy with the Rumble as a negotiation chip, exploit the hatred that other nations have for Marley to
shift the global hostility from Paradis to Marley, offer trade using Paradis-exclusive exports like iceburst stones which are an essential energy source as important as gas and oil. As long as Paradis crafted a careful public reputation as a nation that could end the world anytime, no nation would attack them because no nation is stupid enough to tackle someone with "nuclear weapons" and whose economy is so intertwined with the world. Also remember: Marley's true objective is Paradis' resources and the Founding Titan; fear and history are just a propaganda to pull the word to its side. Aggressive negotiations and manipulations from Paradis will absolutely fracture this "common hatred" that the world has for Paradis because
GREED drives world politics.
I am not so naive as to suggest that somebody can miraculously make their enemies turn over new leaves and live in harmony. IF you think that's what I've been saying, you're missing the point:
The reason we don't have WW3 is because war is too costly, not because we like one another or we are a peaceful species. Diplomacy isn't genuine friendship; it is negotiation-manipulation.
Paradis would ask other countries for cooperation under the premise of mutual economic development and cultural exchange. Again, Greed drives the world. Also, I imagine that Paradis would be able to make allies with several countries that are Marley's enemies by simply helping them win the war against Marley. Losing the 4-year war also means Marley wouldn't be able to expand their influence.
[ I do not believe that everlasting peace can ever be achieved UNLESS humans have advanced to a higher state of mind capable of achieving Utopia, which requires us to be free of greed, materialism and prejudices - which is a very distant dream. As Erwin said, humans will always find something to fight over. But I digress... ]
Paradis' goal shouldn't be "everlasting peace" because I doubt humanity can ever achieve that. Their priority would be to destroy the enemies' military forces, and at the same time, interweave their economy and technology with the rest of the world. The goal is to become a superpower and remain as such, which they can totally do without a full Rumble.
Paradis would do extensive research and spywork on the nations that declared war and tried to figure out their strengths and weaknesses. They could also infiltrate Marley and caused an Uprising against the warmongering government. Within Marley, Magath and other officers were already having a conflict in which Magath was more than willing to send all of them to death (which he did in Liberio). With the radical officers out of the picture, it wouldn't be too hard to shape Marley's new government. Erwin would facilitate this process; much less blood would be spilled.
Erwin would speak with other countries' leaders, and things would turn out very differently. If any Paradisian can earn respect from their enemies, it is Erwin. His persuasion skills would come into play; he'd likely succeed in making many nations go along with his plans. Let's not forget that Marley has lots of enemies around the world, too.
Paradis would appear worldwide as the liberator of the peoples oppressed by Marley and leader of the free world.
"I guess Isyama had to nerf Paradis before the Marley Arc so they wouldn't immediately curb stomp the shit out of Marley. Imagine Paradis with a Colossal Erwin, a fully-realized Founding Titan, a not-so-depressed Levi, Mikasa, Hange, the list goes on."
Eventually, as Titan powers disappear or become obsolete, no one would continue fearing Eldians. Marley will no longer be able to use Titans as war weapons so they'll no longer have a reason to invade. Paradis would
at least be on equal footing with the world now. Years of mutual, interdependent developments will erase that hatred/fear. Real-life politics is proof that a foreign power's
treatment of the people will determine whether that power will be liked or disliked.
Internal affairs:
Erwin once again would be reforming the Paradis government, as Zachary became more like the monarchs they had deposed of.
He would be the one who would actually listen and talk to Eren.
Eren believed that none of his friends could handle the truth so he kept all information to himself. However, it's different with Erwin because he could handle the truth and would go about it in a different way; he would have made rapid decisions that would satisfy him.
Eren and Floch would remain loyal to Erwin. There would be no Jaegerists.
Dealing with hostility isn't something new to him as for more than half of his life, he was part of the hated Survey Corps.
He would 100% prevent the wine poisoning.
He would raise the soldiers' morale and unite the military under one goal.
If Erwin was alive, you would see his amazing interactions with the outside world that was full of philosophical nuances, along with decisive "battle of minds" political games.
It is said that "the truth might be completely different from what Kruger, Grisha and everyone know". Given his curiosity, Erwin would definitely continue to get to the bottom of this truth.
Watching Paradis dealing with the outside world without a full Rumble would have been incredibly interesting. Isayama could have woven a really intriguing, difficult story out of that concept.
