On Fri, Feb 11, 2005 at 08:58:38AM -0800, Scott Schultz wrote: > >Do Dragaera and the East compete economically? What kind of relationship > >do they have with each other economically? > > The question isn't entirely valid because "the East" doesn't really exist. > The Dragaeran Empire is a large cohesive nation similar to the U.S. or > perhaps Great Britain of 200 years ago or so ago. The East appears to be a > conglomerate of smaller nations that are loosely aligned with each other > when it's convenient or when a strong leader appears (e.g. Fenar), akin to > Europe or the Middle East. (We actually know precious little about The East > beyond what we learn in Brokedown Palace, and that story is as much fairy > tale/allegory as it is factual reporting.) A nice writeup, tho I disagree on one point. IMHO The Dragaeran Empire more closely resembles historical China, where boundaries between the provinces vary as local nobles slug it out beneath the notice of the emperor. As long as the taxes get paid and the inter-tribe strife doesn't get too awful, the emperor lets provinces do as they will and settle their own disputes. In the US, Morrolans little tiff with Barrit wouldn't be allowed to happen. If we follow along with this analogy, then the East is more like India, and your comments about contact and trade still apply. Any analogy is weak, of course - ancient Chinese warlords tended to have more power and autonomy, and rebel much more often. Clearly Adrons revolt was an exception to normal conduct of the Dragaeran empire. Steve -- "In my darker moments I consider creating the eeyore fan club with a theme song by Leonard Cohen, logo by Edvard Munch and costumes by Tim Burton." -- anonymous, forwarded by Ellen.