Declare it new Byzantium.
1920: Byzantium works with Greece, France, Italy, and Armenia to carve up Turkey. Northern Turkey annexed.
1921: Byzantine annexes Armenia when Armenians fear Soviet conquest. Soviets back off. Armenians idolize new Emperor.
1935: Bulgaria remilitarizes due to immense fear of Byzantine.
1941: Germany wipes out Bulgaria that tries to stand with Britain, Greece, and Yugoslavia while Byzantine laughs and annexes Greek share of Turkey.
1944: Britain offers Byzantine entire French and British Middle East Mandate and all of Italian Turkey and Libya to get Byzantine’s potent military on the Allies side. Byzantine utilizes Jets, Helicopters, Rockets, and Ak-47 style guns as their fully motorized army blitzes through Europe. Devastated by German occupation and fearing the Soviets, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, and Yugoslavia welcome Byzantine annexation.
1945: Syria, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, and the rest of Turkey are annexed. Jews understand they will not get their own country, but move to Israel anyway after watching Emperor of Byzantine speak.
1950: Public schools mandatory nation wide and require Greek as language.
1955: All tropical disease in empire eliminated with Byzantine science and widespread public campaign.
1956: Egypt acts out in Suez Crisis, gets annexed by Byzantine as punishment.
1960: Widespread Western immigration to Byzantine, widespread Orthodox and Coptic refuge populations move to Byzantine.
1961: Byzantine King starts affair with Jackie Kennedy.
1965: Wall built to keep Persians out
1973: Byzantine starts oil shock crisis over a soccer game. Hold global economy hostage for years.
1990: Cold War over, Byzantine among the victors.
2000: Byzantine base on moon
2005: In new age of communication and the internet, Byzantine’s superior aesthetics enable them to overtake the US as dominant country in global pop culture and media.
2010: Byzantine sends men to Mars
2019: Byzantine has population fully fluent in Greek and almost all speaking it as language of the home. Byzantine’s King has a 97% approval rating, and is widely regarded as the most respected head of state in the world. GDP per capita is $100,000. The EU, Russia, Persia, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and Algeria live in constant fear of Byzantine, while secretly wanting to get invaded, captured, and taken to Byzantine. The United States has a treaty with Byzantine allowing Byzantine military access throughout the US as a sign of good faith.