On the far-flung frontier of a benevolent and great-souled empire there arises a near-despotic ruler — or, at least, he is said to be such. A crusty old bastard with fanatical religious beliefs, this ruler refuses to negotiate in good faith with the empire’s representatives, no matter how many times they move the goal posts. They get very tired from changing the rules and shifting the goal posts, and consequently become very cross. This ancient fanatic and his people have already defeated the good purposes of the empire a decade earlier. But even that was not the beginning of their wrongdoing. … Continue reading The Joys and Sorrows of Empire Revisited