Idiot Ball: Difference between revisions

** This is actually directly addressed in the novels. The Europeans of the time viewed the Domination as a barbarian (nonwhite) nation with a thin veneer of civilized (white) rulers, certainly not a threat to the masters of the universe in Paris, Berlin, Rome, etc. And hey, who had they conquered up to that point? Some spear-chuckers in Africa, ragheads in the mideast, buncha Chinese out in the Orient, and the Turks? Nobody important or formidable, right? Racist and stupid, sure, but that's not even remotely unusual. Even in the real world, the Nazis and the Japanese military had convinced themselves that a 'mongrel' country like the USA could never be a real threat, despite the reality of the economic, industrial, and military situation.

*** Interestingly enough, the Draka themselves begin to fall victim to this same attitude, referring to the Alliance as "feral humans" even before their genetic engineering programs really got going. {{spoiler|They still won the Final War, but it's clear they weren't expecting to take the casualties they did in the process.}}

*** For the Europeans to view the Draka as harmless requires them to ignore an empire which controls all of Africa and the Middle East, has the world's largest GDP, possesses the most technologically advanced military in the world (as demonstrated in multiple wars Europeans were involved in), and a displays a tendency to kill hundreds of thousands of revolting slaves. Ignoring a entity like that when it's just across the Mediterranean is flat-out insane.

**** They weren't ignoring it. Its just that by the time the Draka were ready to move on Europe, the Alliance's two choices were 'ally with the Draka against the Nazis' or 'ally with the Nazis against the Draka'. In hindsight, it would actually have been less awful for the world to make the second choice, but there is an understandable reluctance to criticize people for not wanting to work with—and ensure the continued reign of—the architects of the Holocaust.