Saturday, October 9, 2004

A theocracy faces growing problems. Its youth is restless under its moralistic, small-minded, joy-destroying domestic policies. Its secret, treaty-busting nuclear program is about to become public because a nuclear technology smuggling ring has been discovered. The dictator of its neighboring rival is still in power after several major miscalculations, including a bloody war with the theocracy, and he oppresses his country's majority, who follow the theocracy's religion. The theocracy's main opponent in the world stage, an overseas superpower, voted in an aggressive new administration who make no secret of their interest in pressing ever harder on the theocracy. What's a theocracy in such a pickle to do? The theocracy's intelligence chief hits upon a twisted plot. Through a double agent who claims to be a pro-democracy opponent of the neighboring dictator, they plant fake intelligence implying that the dictator is trying to reconstitute its weapons of mass destruction (which, in fact, is what the theocracy is busy doing). That fake intelligence is passed to the overseas superpower, which, in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack, is spoiling for a fight. Against most of its allies, the superpower goes to war against the dictator to eradicate his alleged weapons. The theocracy wins on five fronts: its neighborhood enemy is ousted from power; its overseas enemy becomes bogged down in the occupation of its neighbor; its co-religionists in the neighboring country, being the majority, will be likely to run the neighbor in the theocracy's image; the split between the superpower and its allies removes the leverage they can exert on the theocracy to stop its nuclear program; the occupation by foreigners of the neighboring country enhances nationalistic feeling among the theocracy's youth, decreasing their attraction for overseas culture and goods. Too outlandish to be a good, realistic plot in the John le Carré mold, for sure. Update: reality touches fantasy. 9:15:12 PM