This chapter exemplifies the "Game." A Merseian force could either have conquered Gorrazan or have overthrown the Folkmoot and installed the Liberation Council as a pro-Roidhunate power on the Sector Alpha Crucis flank of the Terran Empire. Instead, the Merseians weakened the Folkmoot by destroying its main command centre but otherwise allowed the civil war to continue, thus prolonging the suffering of the Gorrazanian population. Therefore, the Terrans disagree among themselves. Some say that it is necessary to invest naval forces in mounting guard over Gorrazan whereas others reply that the Liberation Council has not won yet and in any case would represent progress. There is no need to keep provoking the Roidhunate. Meanwhile, the Imperial pretender, Magnusson, who has the prestige of having defeated the Merseians in battle, also claims that, once in power, he will make a lasting peace with the Roidhunate. And that will solve any problems regarding Gorrazan.
My question is: how often do Great Powers now engage in proxy wars in order not to help our contemporary equivalents of "Liberation Councils" but instead to confuse or weaken their own real enemies? Future history continues to resonate with current affairs.
3 comments:
Yeah, it's a standard technique. Often it ends up biting the recipient on the ass -- our backing of anti-Russian groups in Afghanistan did, for example.
Kaor, Mr. Stirling!
But it can be tempting or necessary for great power A to subsidize rebels fighting great power B, if B was A's enemy.
I sure as heck don't weep for the monstrous USSR!
Ad astra! Sean
I won't weep for any massive armed, and nuclear armed, state.
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