When a major power guarantees a small nation, is it worth trying to invest in that country to gain leverage (if it doesn't have a power bloc, I suppose, that wouldn't work) and thus prevent it from aligning with other nations?
What I'm referring to is how do I prevent a major power from getting in the way when I try to conquer a small nation in Africa, or how do I prevent them from guaranteeing it?Generating leverage over independent powers will make it harder for a different Great Power to add them into a Power Bloc, as it decreases their relative leverage over them. If you play as a small country it's also good to sign deals with several great powers to avoid one gaining the upper hand.
You wait until they are in another war, and join them. They can't join a diplo play against you while you're in a diplo play/war together with them.What I'm referring to is how do I prevent a major power from getting in the way when I try to conquer a small nation in Africa, or how do I prevent them from guaranteeing it?