Gender words apply only to a specific leader. When talking about a nation, remember that the proper term is nation-state. Nation or country is used commonly to mean nation-state. State is use for a nation's government. Be sure that you know what you mean when you use these terms.
Country is a less formal term for nation-state.
Assume the reader is in a hurry and may be speed-reading. To make your paper flow and, hence, to convince the reader, you should write from an outline and keep your hypothesis in mind while you are writing. If a sentence does not follow from the sentence above and if it does not help prove your hypothesis, it should be eliminated. Organization will probably be facilitated by writing from a detailed outline and putting your sub heads from the outline in the paper.