Re: Merc Guild - Not Really

Glenn M Wilson wrote:

>Well, there are at least two Canon Arab/Islamic powers - The IF and The
>SK - Plus the Turks

Just a note on the Turks  -- Turks are not Arabs, and while they are 
Muslims, modern Turkey is a secular state.

(Yes, to a much lesser degree - I have read about
>their skill in Korea)

Don Maddox sent me a URL for an article written by someone in a western 
military who encountered Turks as part of the UN forces in the Balkans,
and 
spoke quite highly of the professionalism of the Turkish unit.

that either carry the past practices

An interesting book, translated from Turkish to English, about the Army
is 
"The Iron Shirts", I forget the author.  The Turkish army ingrains
deeply in 
it's officer corps a sense of professionalism and loyalty to democracy. 

Attaturk, who founded toe republic and the modern army, was staunchly 
anti-communist and equally opposed to Islmaic theocracy.

>In the Tuffleyverse I assume that they have overcome illiteracy
(enough,)
>lack of training (enough,) and rotten doctrine (enough,) to be second
or
>third tier players in the 'Game of Star Empires' in the games [FT, DS2,
>SG2].

If the Turks continue the professionalist attitude, they may be, though 
non-canon, equal to the task of standing up to geographically larger
powers 
such as the IF ans FSE.

I mean if the IC can do it with the (form or lack of a) government
>given then why not the Islamic/Arab powers?  We need to keep 'current
>real world Arab' and 'GZG future Arab' nations as separate.  Ditto the
>Thousand Nations and my NPC from "Native American" cultures today.  And
>also the PRC and the PHR of my little block of insanity...
>
>And OT *and just to push John A's buttons*  <grin> - while I haven't
read
>all of Clancy's books I did note that the only 'good guy'
>Arabs/Islamicists seem to be the mole/assassin who tries to off Ryan
and
>some 'enlightened royalty'  in the books...  So Atkinson and Clancy
>agree?
>
>Stereotypes usually have some experiential seed of truth in the
>experience of the holder of the stereotype.  It's frequently the
>exception that becomes the perceived norm...

Depends on the source of the stereotype... "Perception" is a more
commonly 
operative term than Experience regarding stereotypes.  Mr. Atkinson may
have 
a notion of what Arabs or Zulus or Martians are like from his own 
experience, but I may have one based solely on what he has told me.  And
his 
observation may in turn be influenced by his own preferences and biases.
 
And when talking about an entire population, or the individuals within
it, 
there's always the danger of averages.	Certain individuals within a
group 
are going to be better or worse than the perceived norm for that group,
and 
our perception of the norm is based on the individuals we encounter.  In
the 
end, the phrase "I could be wrong" is a handy one for ALL of us to
retain 
within our vocabulary.

Brian B2

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