ADAHGA 19 - AD / Governing Council for Earth and Space

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Cord Hurn
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ADAHGA 19 - AD / Governing Council for Earth and Space

Post by Cord Hurn »

A Dark and Hungry God Arises 19
Ancillary Documentation
Governing Council for Earth and Space

I'm amused reading SRD's opening analogy about the Governing Council for Earth and Space (GCES), because he compares its evolution to graftings on a weed to make the weed produce apples. He makes sure to note that the GCES took itself quite seriously as an apple-bearer, being certain that its decisions determined humanity's course and fate.

The nations of Earth saw a need for an agency to control where space platforms could be built and orbits be delineated to keep space stations from interfering with each other's work and from colliding with each other. This agency soon became an institution for settling disagreements among the space stations and their associated corporations.
As the competition for Earth's last great resource--space--grew more and more desperate, the Agency came to be seen as increasingly vital: sometimes as a means to prevent the opposition from gaining advantage. There began what might be called the hybridizing process. Sovereign nations and commercial enterprises alike began to insist on "representation": they wished to have their own people assigned to the Agency so that their interests would be protected.
The Agency then was given some right to choose its own Members, and became known as the Governing Council for Space (GCS). Earth had become dependent on space for resources, however, and this GCES found it couldn't really regulate space without also regulating the nations of Earth. Earth's national leaders protested little about now having Members on the GCS to determine their disputed situations, as they saw the GCS as another avenue to exert their authorities and realize their wishes.
As a practical matter, however, relatively few of Earth's nations and corporations were literally represented on the Council. Their numbers would have been too large to be effective. For that reason, the council spawned its own subdivisions, on Earth as well as in space. Earth's nations were somewhat artificially combined to form six distinct bodies: the United Western Bloc, the Eastern Union, the Pacific Rim Conglomerate, the Combined Asian Islands and Peninsulas, Continental Africa, and one quaintly named Old Europe. In contrast, each space station outside Earth's solar system represented itself: Valdor Industrial, Sagittarius Unlimited, Com-Mine, Terminus, Betelgeuse Primary, SpaceLab Annexe, New Outreach, Aleph Green, and Orion's Reach. However, in recognition of Earth's vastly greater population, each of the planet's six units was authorized to supply the Council with two Members; the stations seated only one apiece.

By accretion rather than by public choice or policy the Council became the Governing Council for Earth and Space.
A corporate leader like Holt Fasner of Space Mines, Inc could see he wanted space activity severed from Earth's control to pursue his dreams of wealth and power. Holt supported all legislation giving the GCES control over Earth, but at the same time looked to have more control over the GCES by limiting its Member numbers and by controlling the way the Members voted, by outright buying the votes if necessary. SRD mysteriously concludes Holt's strength is also his weakness.

To me, one of Stephen R. Donaldson's strengths as a writer is his ability to realize paradoxes in many of his character's situations, which to me shows a potent imagination on his part. That the Council's seriousness about itself can hinder as well as promote Holt's ambitions piques my interest as to how the Council will stymie Holt as the story goes along.
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Post by Cord Hurn »

The Governing Council for Earth and Space at least has the potential to create a truly representative democracy, if it can be made to more strongly resist being bought off by the corporations, if it can be made legally more strong and independent.
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