Daenerys Targaryen should win the IRON THRONE

Thanks for the debate. [Introductory statement] Stannis is a good choice. Without a doubt, Stannis has the most military experience and is probably the only claimant to be on the front lines leading troops rather than from the rear (i.e. Battle of the Blackwater ground invasion). Since this debate is Daenerys versus Stannis, I will focus primarily on Daenerys in this round but will compare Daenerys’ advantages compared to Stannis. I will address Stannis in more detail in the 3rd round based on the arguments put forward by Con. [Thesis, on how power functions in GAME OF THRONES universe]: If Game of Thrones is anything, it is a struggle for power. The primary currency in this world is force and military might. Superior force, winning wars, making your enemies fear your presence and power is how the Iron Throne is won. [If you accept this, then]: Daenerys is the safest bet to take the throne, and unquestionably, a more secure investment than Stannis whose entire army is stationed at the Wall alongside the Night’s Watch, just as winter begins in the background. [Part I: Central Arguments] Argument 1 Reasons for Daenerys (1) Drogon, Rhaegal, Viserion—WHY DRAGONS MATTER "Dragons are fire made flesh. And fire is power." R13;Quaithe Stannis may be a tested battle commander with experience but…no one army has seen dragons for a century and a half. Whatever methods, strategies, or military solutions devised to combat full-grown dragons will come from trial and a lot of error. Reality of Dragons: Dragons can demolish entire cities, quash entire armies, and historically[1] (see citation) enabled the House Targaryen to keep control over the Seven Kingdoms with three dragons, the same number as Daenerys has now. (1a) Dragon argument continued: quick history to demonstrate their power: “Five thousand years ago, men of the Valyrian…dominat[ed] almost half of the Known World. Four hundred years before the War of the Five Kings, the entire Valyrian Empire and almost all of its dragons were destroyed in a single day, during a cataclysmic volcanic eruption known as the Doom of Valyria. One Valyrian noble family, the Targaryens, survived the Doom on the distant island outpost of Dragonstone in the Narrow Sea - along with the last surviving Valyrian dragons.”[2] In the Game of Thrones universe it would be an historically anomaly if Daenerys did not use the dragons to gain power and the Iron Throne. (1c) Dragon Argument continued: [Analogy of dragons to military technology in real world: Dragons are the Nuclear Weapons of Westeros] Dragons are the nuclear weapons of Westeros. If properly procured and controlled it makes one side virtually untouchable until other powers figure out countermeasures. Like nuclear weapons, their very existence poses a threat both power in possession of them as well as for others powers competing for supremacy. However, even a momentary advantage is enough to vanquish opponents and consolidate power. Argument Two: (2) SIZE ISSUES: Daenerys has a bigger! (2a): Raw Numbers Daenerys army is according to estimates at 10,000.[3] Stannis has roughly 5,000 according to Dance with Dragons.[4] Size has to be considered in considering who is the more likely to take the Iron Throne. However, I’m sure my opponent will say it is only one factor to consider, and I agree on this point. (2b) Skill of Forces Unsullied "The Unsullied are not men. Death means nothing to them." R13;Missandei to Daenerys The unsullied are born to fight, are raised to fight, “death means nothing.” Here is a brief overview of their training: [“They begin their training at five years old, when their genitals are fully removed. They are also given a puppy to look after, and at the end of the first year they must strangle the puppy to death. If they refuse, they are culled from the trainees and killed. They train from dawn to dusk until they have mastered the shortsword, shield, and three lengths of spear. Only one in three survives the training regime. Upon being given the spiked cap which is the symbol of their rank, they must go to the slave market, kill an infant slave before its mother and pay the slave owner for his loss.”] [character limit] [1] Martin, George R.R., The World of Ice & Fire: The Untold History of Westeros and the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire) (New York: Random House Publishing Group.) (Kindle Location 677). Kindle Edition. Also available on the site hyperlinked below [2] http://gameofthrones.wikia.com... also in The World of Ice & Fire [3] http://gameofthrones.wikia.com... [the figures are provided on the right-hand side] [4] George R.R. Martin, A Dance with Dragons (New York: Random House 2011), on page 517 of 2011 Kindle Edition which is also chapter 36 at the very end. The relevant quote comes from correspondence Jon receives about Stannis’ progressive in the North. Here is the relevant quote regarding hard number: “We are five thousand strong as I write, our numbers swelling every day.”