SM Stirling's Draka are an evil empire in an alternative twentieth century. (They are "evil" in my judgement and in that of some other readers. The author will remind us of the view that all such judgements are subjective.)
The Antonine Roman Empire in Stirling's Make The Darkness Light series is a benign empire in an alternative second century. Thus, the Antonines present a formidable antithesis to the Draka.
Poul Anderson's Terran Empire is just another empire in a fictional future. It is perceived as benign or oppressive depending on the viewpoint of any particular character. Certainly, "The Game of Glory" shows the intelligence officer, Dominic Flandry, routinely participating in the conquest and oppression of the sovereign planet, Brae.
The arrival of two books interrupted our (editorially speaking) rereading of Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates. Again, the two time travel options: the past can be changed in Make The Darkness Light but not in The Anubis Gates. Poul Anderson is distinguished by the facts that he (i) addressed both options and (ii) addressed both well.
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