Looking for advice: Where to go next?

[Monk]

Hey guys!

I'm taking a break from writing Guides, I want to see what the next patch does AI and staregic-wise before I commit to writing another faction walkthrough. If you haven't read any of mine I've written two so far, one for Prussia and one for France. You can also submit your own for whatever faction you'd like in the ETW guides forum!

Okat okay, enough of my little advert, now onto the reason for this thread! Really I'm stumped. Last night I played my first marathon session of ETW. It was the first time the game sucked me in and kept me playing for more than two hours at a time, I was very pleased. I ended up at 1724 after utterly destroying the Ottoman Empire, a task that was more monumental than it was difficult.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Isn't that just beautiful?

Knowing their naval numbers couldn't be matched I didn't try, I took a page from Alexander the Great's strategy book. If you can't fight their navy one on one, take all their harbors! So that's exactly what I did, it was hard going there for a while and I suffered a few losses that really set me back (A full stack was destroyed trying to take Istanbul) But I managed to eventually win out.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

There's something poetic about this, I think. Not an enemy ship for miles.

The only problem is when Western Europe saw how I stomped all over the Ottoman's Empire, they really didn't like that. I think they are afraid I'll come for them next. They're too smart for their own good. The only two allies i have are Austria (who helped me win the war) and Poland (A fair weather friend.) Sweden is getting restless in the north, I've been keeping them happy with State Gifts but I can't keep doing that forever. Persia has also been raiding my eastern borders. They lack the numbers to take any of my power centers but I'm really feeling the squeeze.

Venice and I share Greece, but they hate me. They, like all of western Europe, see my expansion as a serious threat. It's only a matter of time until that distrust turns to hostility.

On the home front, the people are crying out for reform. Both the nobility and the lower classes mutter whispers of discontent. I've been keeping them preoccupied with entertainment but I'm not sure how much longer I can keep the talk from becoming action. I'm making 13k surpluss a turn.

Anyone have advice about where the eyes of Imperial Russia should set upon next?