International Bibliographic Index (IBI)

[Wu Han]

Title: Cats and Casino in Dah City
Author(s): Brown, Walter F.

Published: Kaliburg: Riggs Publishing House
Year: 4785
Language(s): Vrassan, Egelian.
Physical Details: 435 pps. xxiv
Subjects: Political theory; economics.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Cats and Casino in Dah City is an extended allegory of the Dual Economy in Kalistan. The book takes the form of a dialogue between "the Philosopher" and the Author, who is a fictionalized version of himself. The Philosopher is unnamed, but he is identified as an out of work theorist. The Author approaches The Philosopher, and challenges him to justify the Dual System in Kalistan. Over the course of an evening, the Philosopher describes a trip taken by a cat on LSD to Dah City. The Cat, who had gained the ability to speak and ostensibly gamble, won a massive sum of money in a casino. While still under the influence of drugs, the cat spends his new money on more drugs and proceeds to binge hard drugs and alcohol. After an unspecified time, he becomes sober enough to learn that he had somehow acquired a controlling interest in a massive corporation, and now has to run it. The Cat, having no idea how to operate an industry, proceeds to enrich himself on the experience and labor of those who still work at the corporation. Meanwhile, the Cat uses his salary and dividends developing a massive cocaine habit. In order to sustain his habit, the Cat must cut costs in his company. After severe mismanagement, the Cat discovers that his addiction has led not only to his own utter impoverishment, as he is stripped of his shares by a hostile board, but also to the death of several of his workers. The allegorical nature of the story is then explained as a justification for the abolition of need under the dual system, while the substance addiction is revealed to be the capitalists' addiction to profits. It is revealed that the Author is on drugs the entire time and, he is revealed to be a faithless narrator, unsure whether the dialogue even happened, or if he simply hallucinated the entire thing.

Notable Quotations:

"We find that addiction to profits and addiction to substances is much the same. You can never get enough, and even if you have more than you need or could use, it is never as good as when you got your first taste." - The Philosopher

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Originally posted by Doc, on Jul 16, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Constitutional Obligations
Author(s): Arakachi, Riza

Published: Kumasaki: Kumasakishoten
Year: 4786
Language(s): Kunikata (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 521 p.
Subjects: Autobiographical; political.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Constitutional Obligations is an autobiographical book written by former-Premier of Seko Arakachi Riza, providing a first-hand account of her administration. The book was written two years after Arakachi was removed from power by her own party in the midst of a dramatic power struggle within the Liberation Movement.

In the book, Arakachi positions herself within a "prudential" faction, stressing careful and delicate implementation of legislation to ensure its constitutionality. Arakachi uses this context to justify the few legislative accomplishments of her 15 years in power, while simultaneously criticizing those who argue for rapid change as threatening the very survival of the Elder Constitution. Throughout the text, Arakachi endeavours to separate her legacy from that of the highly-unpopular President Koga Narumi whom she governed alongside.

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Originally posted by Wu Han on Nov 22, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Return to Tea
Author(s): Taido, Myoshin

Published: Kumasaki: Kumasakishoten
Year: 4775
Language(s): Kunikata (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 521 p.
Subjects: Philosophy.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Return to Tea details the Sekowan tea ceremony from a historical, philosophical and aesthetic sense, expounding upon the meaning of the ceremony and the lessons it offers modern society. The book was (and periodically remains) a bestseller in Seko. Return to Tea made Zenshō priest Taido Myoshin a respected household name throughout Seko; he would eventually be elected president of that country in 4785 as an independent.

Throughout the book, Taido implored those reading to appreciate the precious gift of life; their own, and all that which exists around them. Focusing extensively on themes of natural interdependence, dependent origination and specific conditionality, Taido concluded that the law of nature has a socialistic intention. (source).

Notable Quotations:

If we look into our tea cup deeply, we can see the sunshine which nourished those splendid leaves. If the sun­shine is not there, tea cannot grow. Nothing can grow, not even we. Thus, there is sunshine in our cup of tea.

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Originally posted by Wu Han on Nov 22, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Grand Principles of Popular Serving of the People
Author(s): Zani, Giusto

Published: Genevia: National Popular Student League
Year: 4775
Language(s): Istalian (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 637 p.
Subjects: Political philosophy; Political manifesto.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Grand Principles of Popular Serving of the People, more commonly known as The Zanist Manifesto, is an political documentation of ideas concerning the structure of power and state through a pragmatic perspective within society, written by Istalian military officer, politician and sociopolitical philosopher Giusto Zani.

It presents an analytical approach to Istalia's struggle for self-determination and their position in the world (historical and then-present) and the conflicts of monarchism and republicanism in Istalian society at the time. The Zanist Manifesto summarises Zanis' theories concerning the nature of society and politics. It also features his ideas for how the society and state (specifically Istalia) could be governed through many alternative systems of governance. The Manifesto birthed the ideology that came to be known as Zanism.

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Originally posted by Augustus Germanus on Nov 22, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Endralon, Capitalism and Hedonism: a Metaphysical and Epistemological critique of Anluanism and Materialism
Author(s): Pop, Nataniel

Published: Lodamun: Ludamese Books
Year: 4864
Language(s): Lodamese (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 720 p.
Subjects: Political theory; Philosophy.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Highly complex and dense philosophical treatise on Capitalism and Hedonism, searching to find an alternative, expose the core principles of today's society, reflect over Human Nature, as well in the end craft new key concepts and with the help of dichotomy reach interesting results. The author is part of the new school of Lodamese Idealists.
Notable Quotations:

First of all, Rationality it is not a way of knowing the world, that would imply many other ways of doing it and put it at equality with the rest of human faculties, offering a view from many, being part alongside intuition, instincts, etc, but rather it is a process, process to something, to a better understanding. A simple analogy between senses will explain Rationality better. As humans, we dispose of senses, that extract stimuli from around ourselves and even from our inners, this stimuli thus needing processing, as it is currently standing, their of no use to us, but only after it goes through our brain it is then adapted to a form that we can comprehend and utilize as experience for further actions.

Losing Moderation means that the person in quest is greatly affected. Losing Moderation means losing Stability that is inherent to have Inner Peace, which in terms is true Pleasure. If that happens, then it is clear that the pursuit is no more beneficial to the one in quest for. Although the boundaries between that and Sadness are hardly to clarify fully, Moderation is inherent to Pleasure, and when we observe a lack of Pleasure we can say that Moderation is missing.

Asceticism does not reject Pleasure, does not think that having fun is evil or immoral, or we should live necessarily in a hut with few tools, isolated from the world, lost in the woods, but it offers a new way, a possible better one for people to follow and liberate themselves from the Material yoke, and become Free.

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Originally posted by ChengherRares1 on Dec 22, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Dignity
Author(s): Baar, Justin

Published: Providence: Lodamese Books
Year: 4892
Language(s): Lodamese (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 603 p.
Subjects: Political theory; ethics; philosophy.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Beautifully written essay, another of it's kind from Lodamun, dealing again with achieving happiness, metaphysics and epistemology, but this time critiquing with semiotics and gneosiological arguments against classical metaphysics launched by Nataniel Pop, developing instead a new school called Existentialist School who rejects radical asceticism and finds Values, despite deprived of their peg to the Truth, to be useful still in our fight against the Universe, who is inherently meaningless. The book has already been selling a lot, agitating the waters back home in Lodamun thanks to the bold political theories and clear rejection of Pop's thesis.

Notable Quotations:

This human condition of a desperate, limited and found in an absurd world without Meaning makes humans to fall for depression, sadness and discontent, as well attempt to repair this by offering Meaning to all of these, setting goals, believing in religions and Truths with purpose to offer safety from the Chaotic motion, to find Identity and History as refuge from the meaningless ever changing life and be able to find safety under the World of Ideas, which despite our own creation and their Posteriori status, they offer us more than anything comfort, alongside the physical Objects as reflections of these ideas and values.

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Originally posted by ChengherRares1 on Mar 15, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: Political Life
Author(s): Jafarnejad, Shahram

Published: Aldegaria: Hashempour
Year: 4916
Language(s): Aldegarian (classical and modern); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 478 p.
Subjects: Autobiography; politics.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: Political Life is an autobiographical non-fiction book written by former Aldegarian President Shahram Jafarnejad during his retirement. Through recounting notable episodes in his life and career, he reflects on his political action and outlines in some detail his political philosophy.

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Originally posted by Jamescfm on Nov 22, 2020.

[Wu Han]

Title: The Man Behind the Man: the Dominance of Sigismondo Falzon
Author(s): Scaricordi, Zaru

Published: Qart Qildar: Grupp Editorjali PNFP
Year: 5400
Language(s): Gziri (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 431 p.
Subjects: Biographical; politics.
Wiki Page: N/A.

Summary: In The Man Behind the Man, commercial gym owner, infomercial icon, and acclaimed journalist Zaru Scaricordi sets out to examine the career of iconic Cildanian politician Sigismondo Falzon. Falzon was born sometime between 5369-5370 into difficult circumstances, which Scaricordi claims forced Falzon to learn how to manipulate and control others in order to secure his survival. Like most biographies of Falzon, Scaricordi spends little attention on the politician's pre-political life, acknowledging the "absolute lack of information anywhere about [Falzon] between the approximate period of his birth until his mid-thirties," writing that "Like Eliyahu, certain great men in history are fated to have missing years." Nevertheless, Scaricordi provides some details on Falzon's business career prior to entering politics, during which time he sowed the seeds that would later become the Grupp Falzon. The bulk of Scaricordi's writing, however, focuses on Falzon's political career, until his disappearance in 5348.

Scaricordi's central argument in the book is that Falzon represented the éminence grise of Cildanian politics for the better part of the 52nd century, influencing, coercing, and manipulating prominent figures into advancing his agenda knowingly or unknowingly. Specifically, Scaricordi argues that longtime Cildanian Prime Minister Guiliano Alagona was a puppet of Falzon. "Once Alagona's greed became far too much for his union salary to accomodate, he had no where to turn but to suckle at the teat of Falzon's largesse" writes Scaricordi. "After experiencing life at the top, Alagona never wanted to visit a picket line again."

To support his characterization of Falzon as the 'power behind the throne,' Scaricordi cites Falzon's role in bringing down the government of Franġisku Namur, Falzon's close relationship with the all-powerful tobacco lobby, Falzon's role in negotiating the confidence and supply agreement that kept the OtSB out of power, and the Kesep Agreement which all legal political parties in Cildania ratified on his direction.

Drawing parallels to Falzon’s career, the book garnered a surprisingly large fanbase within Cildania’s LGBTQ+ community.

Notable Quotations:
Scaricordi, on the announcement of the AgK renewal in 5323, wrote:

Guiliano felt the meaty hand of the stronger, older male grip the back of his supple and well-fed neck; his hair standing on end, his knees nearly buckling. Guiliano knew in that moment that his destiny would be determined by this powerful man, so throughly his opposite. However, as they say, opposites attract.

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Originally posted by Wu Han on Jan 15, 2024.

[Wu Han]

Title: Emerge: A History of Beiteynu
Author(s): Shteman, Jacob

Published: Gem Publishing
Year: 5400
Language(s): Yeudish (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 431 p.
Subjects: History (of Beiteynu).
Wiki Page: Click here.

Summary: Emerge attempts to document the spinning tale of Beiteynu's history from 5199 and onwards when Baruch Lea Tzafrir stepped onto the podium as the first Rosh HaMemshala that would lead the country into a never before seen level of international influence, by the merits of rather questionable meddling.

In the first half of the 53rd century, the book centers around the early Hevrat Hashmal Administrations, from an austerity period that crippled an entire generation, to the Equifund, the first scandals of the Terran Remediation Agency, Baruch Lea Tzafrir's staged murder and the onset of the Navy of Beiteynu's buildup.

The second half wraps up with the 13-year recession after going through the "1st ascension" of unchecked economic growth which gave birth to international titans like Hadayim, Ashalon Bank BEIFG and Beir Leshet, ultimately leading to the first pivotal alliances of the age amidst an ongoing exposure of a historically endless line of intelligence and espionage scandals in more than 6 countries.

The first half of the 54th century centers around what the author dubs the "2nd ascension", with the MSCO and the alliance with Eroncourt that would eventually carve the world into a new era; and a endless barrage of shocking intelligence twists that destroyed an entire country.

The second half focuses on the ascension of the Yeudi Monarchy and how the House of Elior and House of Orange-Villayn took the Yeudi Heritage by storm, with Yishelem stepping up its game of intelligence with the infamous Allink, AllComm; while the birth of the Vamaj Network began crippling its influence.

The book concludes with the evident dwindling of Beiteynuese influence across Terra; seemingly as a result of someone having achieved something, heavily hinting at Aristocrat Insurance Group and the fallacies of the controversial book series The Meddling Affairs that has yet to come out.

All in all, painting the term Yeudi Game as the pinnacle of Beiteynu's newfound place as the one and only country in the world that maintains a "double-faced" conduct as an actual foreign policy.

Notable Quotations:
Noah Kadiyot, Head of the Medinat Department, during his visit in Eroncourt (circa 5320) wrote:

Fuck the Dorvish. Excusez moi.

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Originally posted by GreekIdiot on Jan 23, 2024.

[Wu Han]

Title: Azhara: A History of Beiteynu Navy
Author(s): Ishmael, Elias

Published: Gem Publishing
Year: 5430
Language(s): Yeudish (original); multiple translations.
Physical Details: 431 p.
Subjects: History (of Beiteynu).
Wiki Page: Click here.

Summary: Azhara (Warning) Diplomacy chronicles the origins of the Navy of Beiteynu and its peak as a global force in Terra, during the Emergence Era of Beiteynu.

Baruch Lea Tzafrir made it abundantly clear from early on that the Navy of Beiteynu would serve as the Military of Beiteynu's primary arm in exerting the Beiteynuese Government's influence in the international arena.

Subsequent administrations carried on that policy for hundreds of years, marked heavily by distinct events that had absolutely nothing to do with the military and everything to do with the Diplomacy of Beiteynu, the Shipping Industry of Beiteynu and the Equifund.

What is especially interesting is that by the military's advocacy of "defensive deterrents", the navy has mostly done nothing except act as a breaker, amplifier and deterring force in Yishelem's games of influencing interests. With a few exceptions. The first crisis with Malivia in the Migrant's Pass in the 53rd century, then the Third Solentian Civil War and then the Migrant's Pass crisis of the 55th century are 3 out of 3 cases where the Beiteynuese Defence Force decided to break its policy of "aggressive defence", and leaned more on "defensive aggression".

All 3 instances ended in debacles and billions lost.

Proving a point, apparently, that Beiteynu cannot execute "gunboat diplomacy". So it invented its "own thing" of maintaining one of the most expensive navies in the world as the reverse: to thwart and deter "gunboat diplomacy" by others, with the most long-standing cases being represented by the "beef" with Dorvik and the activities of the MSCO, which Beiteynu ended up loaning most of its equipment to enforce regional security in Majatra.

And then it loaned more of it to is allies; the formation of the Zaar Fleets marked the deployments in not 1, but 4 countries across 3 continents. The once notorious "Beikun Fleet" with Kundrati was the biggest thorn in Artania's affairs for more than a century.

Then came the alliance with Eroncourt at the onset of the 54th century, which changed everything.

Bathing the defence industry and the Equifund in an endless cascade of billions in defence contracts, the navy eventually formed the Shahar Fleets, a carrier battle group which, for the first time, rivalled Dorvish hegemony in international waters; poking and retreating in arrogance to screw with the "old" order.

As it seems, despite the latest events painting a picture of "withdrawal" in Beiteynu's 200-year unstoppable expanse in Terra, while the scene stabilises, the navy still remains the Yeudi Game's most whimsical military toy in "aggressive defence"; a more "practical" manifestation in the dance of Yeudish interests.

So, will the might of the Yeudi navy continue to tango?

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Originally posted by GreekIdiot on Jan 27, 2024.