RE: More IC questions

> From: "CS Renegade" <njg@csrenegade.demon.co.uk>
>
>> I did a little scratching around on this, and modern-day
>> Indonesia certainly seems a patchwork.

>> It's possible that in the years before colonisation mass
>> media will have rationalised the number of languages down,
>> possibly to the point where most IC citizens can speak
>> the state language.

> From: ~ On Behalf Of kh.ranitzsch
> Sent: 09 July 2003 12:47
> Subject: Re: More IC questions

> Quite likely that Bahasa Indonesia would be spoken /
> understood at least as a secondary language by most people
> in the IC. The question of colonization is interesting.
> Would colonies be established as ethnically homogeneous
> settlements or as national endeavours, with preference
> given to culturally assimilated Bahasa speakers?
> Even in the latter case, it is quite likely that ethnic
> settlements will develop more or less spontaneously.
> But they would not be distinct politcal units.

If the language issue hasn't been sorted out by the time
of colonisation, the IC have no choice but to reproduce
their patchwork in space or risk diluting their loyal
terrestrial population base. I shan't stir the old hi-
tech / lo-tech colonies debate; what happens next depends
on whether you favour Jerry Pournelle's "ship out your
unwanted masses" CoDominium or expect colonisation efforts
to begin with skilled technicians maintaining atmosphere
processors that are basically giant fusion reactors.

As Glenn has pointed out, even if the Indonesians get their
core territory together they will also have inherited a
large number of other states of varying technical aptitude
(and political reliability). I would also predict a
divisive level of factionalising, especially if the leading
families have expanded their wealth throughout the 21st
century. If these approach the influence of the zaibatsus
of early 20th-century Japan then they will have the wealth,
technology and power to launch their own starships. A
placid population that _can't_ speak the state language
could be an asset. 

> I would assume that there is another tier (at roughly
> the level of your Tier 2) composed of 'Commonwealth'
> forces. Composed of soldiers with Bahasa as their mother
> tongue and closer ethnic ties to the central government
> than to any fraction.

This would be a useful government asset, but the IC navy
is going to hoover up a lot of the more promising recruits
because aptitude, loyalty and a common language are going
to be more important to the navy than to any ground force.
A recruit who speaks the state language has already met one
of the criteria for tier 3 and a candidate from a known
reliable background might be favoured by a politician,
but this misses the core of the tier 3 ideal. A praetor has
seen and fought on a dozen or more worlds, and will
consider himself* first and foremost a citizen of the IC
rather than a member of any ethnic group. These troops have
social status and a strong sense of their own superiority,
even over their own kampongs.

Over time the IC Praetorians may be weakened by the same
forces that degraded the originals. Nepotism, feather-
bedding and enmeshment in factional government politics
may gradually run down the effectiveness of the entire
tier 3 concept and transfer the balance of power to IC
mercenary units with hard-as-nails reputations.

* Don't make me fix the gender this time of night.