Re: [GZG] Troop potential

On 7/28/08, John Tailby <john_tailby@xtra.co.nz> wrote:

> Even without the use of transhuman genetics, is a clone soldier grown
in a
> lab a human member of society or are they a smart bio weapon? What
happens
> to such weapons when you are not at war, do you just pop them in a
suspended
> animation bunker and thaw them out the next time you need them?

More importantly, as an issue of long-term stability, what do you do
when your military is composed of clone soldiers grown in labs, and
they tell you to go fuck yourself, not only are they NOT climbing back
in the suspended animation bunker, they are going to take over your
country, so you'd better hop to and bring them some good whiskey, a
bevy of concubines, and a microphone so they can inform the populace
of the change in political administrations?

Any group without the requisite intelligence, imagination, and
aggressiveness to stage an effective coup does not have the requisite
traits to be an effective military force.  The question of how society
controls the armed elements thereof has been a long-standing issue in
human history.	In general terms, the more an armed force feels that
it is a valued part of society, the better off all parties are.  It
helps if said armed force has a strong code of self-enforced
professional ethics--which implies a degree of professionalism among
the officers and senior NCOs (many African dictators started out as
sergeants, Idi Amin being one of them).  Otherwise, your Yeni-ceri or
Mamlukes or whatever you end up calling them end up running your
country as they please until someone invites some new mercenaries to
slaughter them all, and the cycle starts over again.  Or you can
demobilize them and kick them out on the street like dogs, but then
they all buy color-coordinated shirts (brown, black, whatever) or red
armbands, and that never turns out well.

John
-- 
"Thousands of Sarmatians, Thousands of Franks, we've slain them again
and again.  We're looking for thousands of Persians."
--Vita Aureliani

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