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Re: [fh ot] Re: [GZG][FH] Planet types (was Re: Locations of Stars)

From: "John M. Atkinson" <john.m.atkinson@e...>
Date: Wed, 02 Dec 1998 23:51:32 -0800
Subject: Re: [fh ot] Re: [GZG][FH] Planet types (was Re: Locations of Stars)

Thomas Anderson wrote:

> oh, the NRE could trade internally, just as the USA or EU could trade
> internally, but the volume and profitability is far less than is
available
> from galactic / global trading respectively. the USA and EU are not
even
> good examples, as they are the two largest trading blocs on earth by a

Very bad ones--EU _does_ trade internally as a significant percenatage
of their various GNPs.

> it does seem that the NRE is trying to be totally economically and
> industrially autonomous, and to be able to deal with all external
problems
> by force rather than diplomacy. i suppose this is a valid style
choice,
> but it strikes me as a little unlikely. countries like that tend to
start
> world wars and get stamped on. still, perfect background for a wargame
> (just you wait until GZG Diplomacy comes out ...).

Not necessarily.  It does tend to resort to force rather blatantly when
it does resort to force, but subtly bribing opponents works as
well--it's just not likely to show up in chronologies of major events. 
I mean, who will put up in their official histories things like, 2151:
Heavy disbursments of bribes to local senior officers in Islamic
Federation prepares way for next year's offensive onto New Levant. 
2103: In coordination with Imperial offensive onto Garibaldi, the Master
of Offices begins paying off certain senior FSE parlimentarians in order
to permit a cease-fire.  Or how about: 2151: Imperial Naval Intelligence
provides munitions and intelligence to Israelis, permitting two
Interface Brigades to mount a raid on a major IF shipyard, distracting
IF attention, and forcing them to pull line squadrons back to guard
their rear areas.

Not something you brag about.  Ideal way to handle publicity is to let
your opponent spend his budget accusing you of these actions, then
blandly neither confirm nor deny, allowing potential enemies (and
potential allies) to draw their own conclusions.  

The NRE does get away with being more forceful in it's responses to it's
various enemies because they aren't the only ones tweaking them.  The
FSE can't pull in enough resources to crush them entirely because that
would leave them vulnerable to the NSL ending their rivalry on a
permenant basis.  The Islamic Federation also has the New Israelis to
deal with.  The Romanovs are locked in a death-struggle with the ESU,
and will be until one or the other prevails.  So when the FSE is the
victim of an NRE 'stunt', the NSL leaps to the NRE's defense.  When they
smash the Romanovs, the ESU blocks any decisive UN action.  The IF has
managed to piss off every single other power, so the NRE could infect 2
year olds with the bubonic plague and no one would care except maybe the
FSE, if they've kept the traditional French cozy relations with Arab
nutcase dictators.

The historical Byzantines were masters of playing off one side against
the other, and making it all look easy.  This knack has survived.

As a final note:  There have been no less than three superpower
conflicts ("Solar Wars") between the NAC and ESU which have dragged in
every other major and most minor powers in the past century.  The NRE is
just taking advantage of the chaos to grab all it can any time it can.

John M. Atkinson


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