The year is 49BC. Gaius Julius Caesar leads the 8th Legion and is marching towards the greatest city in the know world Rome.

Caesar is approaching the end of his term as Governor of a large Roman province stretching from the south of France to the Balkan Peninsula. 

The position has been very lucrative and has allowed him to raise a strong and loyal army and expand his power base. However his enemies in the Senate have ordered him to disband his army and return home to Rome.

Caesar has not been granted Imperium, the ancient right to command troops within the city of Rome. Crossing the boundary of Rome (marked by a river called the Rubicon) while leading troops without Imperium is illegal and carry’s the punishment of death.

The 8th Legion now approaches the Rubicon and Caesar has a choice to make.

On 20 February 1947, British Prime Minister Clement Attlee announced that Britain would withdraw from India by June 1948, giving up to 16 months before the final withdrawal. Subsequently, Lord Mountbatten was appointed as the final Viceroy of India, arriving in New Delhi on 22 March 1947. However, after just two months of talks, Lord Mountbatten judged that communal tensions were worsening and that political negotiations between the Indian National Congress and the Muslim League were breaking down. On 3 June 1947, he announced the “Mountbatten Plan,” which accelerated the British departure from India by ten months. The Indian Independence Act received Royal Assent on 18 July, and independence and partition between India and Pakistan followed less than a month later on 14–15 August 1947.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is made up of 193 member states and is responsible for voting on major global issues. It currently follows a “one country, one vote” system in which every state has an equal vote. Most resolutions are passed by a simple majority, while matters such as the admission of new UN members and important international peace and security issues require a two-thirds majority. Under a “contribution-weighted voting” system, each country’s voting power would be proportional to its relative contributions to tackling global challenges. For example, if Country A contributes £5 billion, which is 5% of its GDP, and Country B contributes £10 billion, which is 1% of its GDP, then Country A would have greater voting power than Country B. Contributions can be monetary or non-monetary, for example providing soldiers for peacekeeping missions or agricultural donations.

Negative liberty, is freedom from interference in your life by other people. This means that you are free from crime, free to speak your mind, practice your religion, free from discrimination etc.

Positive liberty, is the possession of the power and resources to act in the context of broader society. This means having access to healthcare, education and the economic means to pursue your goals