Politics And Morality

Kingdom of Herringbone was a superpower when Cain came to live in the Land of Nod. (I pulled in the name only because I wanted to show the kingdom was very old). When King Red Ears ruled the land, people knew they had a manifest destiny of sorts. Yes that was what the king boasted at all occasions before he started any war. There was only one king he hated most- King Bear Hug of Sidonia also ruled a land as grand as Herringbone. The king had not an army but still he managed to avoid conflicts. King Red Ears had a large standing army and would have annexed this kingdom had it not been for their common religion. King Bear Hug was a good Barmian like them. The Federation of Barmians covered a large area.
It was a time when League of Baloney was set up by some neighboring states,- and they were all heathen, meaning their gods drank blood sitting down. King Totem of the kingdom of Crazy Quilt declared thought that as very disgusting. ‘We are Barmians and our gods drink standing up, the blood that we bring in from our wars.’
It so happened Ah B. Dull of Exxonia, one of the heathen kings found oil in the middle of his kingdom. It just gushed from a lake as large as fifty football fields laid next to one another. The oil was as smooth as butter and it added flavor to their food as no other. King B. Dull sent some casks of oil to King Red Ears since his kingdom adjoined his. King Red Ears found it flavored the food indeed! Immediately he signed a 100- year non aggression treaty with Exxonia. The Heathen King immediately set out to pillage some villages and towns that were within his reach. They were Barmians in their beliefs but technically heathens since they didn’t have kings to rule over them. King of Herringbone defended King of Exxonia bravely and eloquently.

The Barmians thought that was a stab in their backs. They accused Red Ears of helping their common enemy. King Red Ears took a high ground stating that he only signed a Non-aggression Treaty with Exxonia and not with their gods. You see King Red Ears had pretensions to highest morals,- and destined by some divine right to lay down rules of engagement anywhere within his sphere of control.
At some point of time King Bear Hug had some trouble containing the influx of refugees who had come from the neighboring Kingdom of Bug Bears who were heathens. But their kingdom was devastated by some deluge and all able bodied men took shelter in the kingdom of Sidonia. The King took them all: the women were sent to work in their salt mines and men were enlisted to fight his wars, Overnight among the Barmians, King of Sidonia had become very powerful. King Red Ears protested in the Federation of Barmians but somehow the allies all had their own excuses.
King Red Ears was disgusted.
Now what place morals have in the history of nations? How each play one against the other with his moral superiority as in the case of King Red Ears will not work. When the US declare Russia should not interfere in the Caucuses Russia also will point out America’s interference in Kosovo or in the Middle East. This reminds me of pot calling the kettle black.
benny