Chapter 3: An Interesting Debate

"Now, I presume everyone has prepared appropriately for the debate. Particularly you, Oliver; last time I gave you a pass, this time... not so much." The professor sternly spoke.

Oliver awkwardly shrugged his shoulders, getting a shake of the head from the lecturer. Continuing to speak, the teacher introduced the topic at hand.

"Alright, to set the groundwork and ensure everyone understands the very basics, I'd like someone to give us a brief overview of the Islamic State of Aaban's formation. Who would like to start us off?"

A few hands went up to get started, two women and a man volunteering to go first, all exuding confidence befitting of students who had revised. The professor chose one of the two women, a short brunette with her hair tied into a bun, Elise, and Mark's girlfriend.

'Same as usual, then. Always ready to give her opinion.'

"Go on then, Elise." The man gestured, "Get us started, and once you're finished, we will get into the wider discussion on today's statement. I fully expect everyone to input their own opinion; there are no wrong or right ones; the past cannot be changed."

The woman hummed before beginning, "To explain the state's formation, we first must understand why the nation was wanted by its citizens. Obviously, with the devastating potential loss of cheap oil, prices were skyrocketing, and the world was at risk of a standstill. Evidently, this led to the ire of both the US in the west and China in the east. Although I will admit that statement does misconstrue the facts, they were not the sole aggressors. With no substitute to oil, alongside no economically viable option in their home states, east and west united to control Africa and the Middle East and relentlessly use the area to drill, despite the consequences."

"And how did that happen, Elise?" The professor interjected, "Would the public not protest? Did they not think of South America? We are talking about the Occupation; brutal doesn't begin to describe it."

"Well, for the East and China, it's... not exactly difficult to see why issues wouldn't be faced. In a mixture of propaganda, blind patriotism, potential racism and an authoritarian regime, they didn't just accept it; they supported it."

Mark assessed her statement, thinking back to the past. A century ago, back in the early 2000s, politics was a relatively calm and subtle affair. However, by the time of the forties, it had turned dangerous and venomous. Russia experienced a civil war; the US turned more isolationist as their power eclipsed every nation with a new leader and focussed more towards space. Africa started to unite, roaming warlords being pulled from their thrones by their own people, corruption rooted out, often more violent than necessary. The world economy suffered, likely due to globalisation and the ease of travel plus interconnectivity. Many sought a peaceful resolution to everything, showing the virtues of harmony and coexistence; Africa slowly shuffled towards that end. That was until they were occupied.

In terms of the east, however, Mark agreed with Elise almost perfectly. Perhaps due to their culture, China's dominance or other lingering issues, the population largely supported the Occupation. It was one of the many dangers of a state so involved in their people's lives, mass producing propaganda to influence and infect their citizens with the state narrative. At least, that was what he thought perhaps, authoritarianism did have good benefits, after all, China had managed for millennia with that ideology.

For both sides of the globe, it also didn't help with the gradually dwindling fuel supply and its effects on the general population. If you were to tell anyone now, more than fifty years in the future that supplies were in short reserve and your luxurious life is going to end, who would take it? Many would turn a blind eye as long as it didn't alter their life in any meaningful way, especially if their lives were getting harder. With that thought in mind, Mark went back to listening.

"In the West, history seems to agree it was generally accepted, just not to the same extent as China. With the world economy crumbling, a deteriorating quality of life, coupled with work becoming scarce, it would not be an exaggeration to suggest they had solid reasoning. But my opinion? Fear mongering! The life of comfort people in the western world lived had warped their views. Many did not want to give up extreme luxury for hardship, so why just... not care? I mean to them, it's halfway around the world or an entire continent away for Europe, so why would they care what happens to those they can't see? To be blunt, the Middle East doesn't exactly have a good reputation; Islam is seen as a terror religion in the polls."

"Ok, ok, Elise. You're getting a bit worked up; everyone knows how strongly you feel, but how about you summarise it?"

She lightly coughed, "Yes, sorry. To summarise, the instability and devastation of the area, even after both sides pulled out with alternative substitutes, left them with nothing. It took a few years but eventually, the populace banded behind the charismatic populist leader, Aaban, who led the charge in creating a nation of peace."

"Thank you, Elise. Overall? It was a relatively good summary. I would have included something about South America and their underground oil alongside the rest of the world's reactions. But, alas, time constraints." He cleared his throat, "The question of the day, quite simple, yet all so controversial: 'The invasion and occupation of the Islamic State of Aaban was a necessity and justified.'" Glancing to his right, "Mark, how about you go first?"

He groaned, thinking of why it was always him. Perhaps it was due to their history, the professor, a lifelong mentor to him, guiding him from when he was a little boy - a family friend.

Mark hummed, "Controversially... I do think it was necessary. Obviously, I am saying this from a point of view that has never experienced the horrors of war and the brutal mistreatment of the citizens, but I do believe it necessary. Without oil, fuel, and everything else it makes, the global economy would shut down. There would be no planes, cars, trains or busses; nothing would allow the world to keep functioning as it had. Without the Occupation, the world economy would factually collapse, leading to more issues than the conflict brought about. Mass starvation, unrest and wars for resources, just to name a few. Eneph and the Fantastic Four hadn't created a substitute at the time, the stronger powers being left with no other choice but to occupy and drill... whether they were right to be as ruthless is a deeply conflicted moral choice."

Someone interjected, "So, what you are saying, is you support the devastation of Africa and the Middle East? You support the destruction of towns and cities? The deaths of 2.8 million people over ten years of forceful, authoritarian occupation?"

"What? No, you are misinterpreting what I'm saying. I'm explicitly stating that I understand why it was done. In hindsight, everyone could say to drill in their home countries, find other reservoirs, or bear with the increasing costs for a decade. Because that is how long it took for the artificial substitute. But, at the time, they had no idea how long it would take to create at an acceptable efficiency. If they knew it was a decade, almost certainly they wouldn't have invaded, the costs unjustified... for the west, anyway."

"That is a very biased and potentially factually incorrect statement, Mark." The professor grunted, "Try not to project a contemptuous bias; your opinion should not be horrible or racist, despite your thoughts on Asia."

"Sorry." Mark uttered, "I retract that statement. I do, however, want to point out that the Occupation played out as both a PR nightmare and a complete disregard for human rights. It was not as clear-cut as either side thought it would be, but... who would try to indict China, the US and most of Europe on warcrimes?"

"I agree with Mark here." Elise inputted, "Hindsight is an... incredibly flawed, but also a useful way of scrutinising history. My only disagreement comes from his point that they had no other alternative, rather that they chose the easiest option. I do agree with the substitute, however. They were trying for decades, back in the 2010s and 2020s before finally completing it in 2068, but it had taken fifty-ish years to do by then. Who is to say they didn't expect another twenty? Eneph spent a decade of his life and free time delaying climate change, and he was perhaps the smartest person in recordable history. A substitute was a far harder task for him."

The debate continued for the next hour, countless conflicting opinions whizzing about, yet the conversation started to be derailed. It was a pervasive issue in society, at least in Mark's mind, that anything where people have a bias or agenda, means civil discussion cannot be achieved. It was one of the primary reasons he chose to learn politics besides interest. Why talk about the nature of the world to a person who screams and shouts when you can have a well-educated, knowledgeable one?

'Well.' He thought, ' Perhaps some discussions do turn out like public ones.'

Glancing at the clock, a friendly smile on the professor's face as he listened, despite the close-to arguments, before he finally ended it.

"It seems time has left us. Well done to most of you, I can tell you have all done your own research. You have all formed your own opinions and have backed them up with information online or... wherever you found it." He looked at Oliver, "Some of you did not participate as much as I would like. I'll be sending those emails shortly. Either way, as an observer, it was thoroughly entertaining to spectate. Next week, perhaps we will continue with a variation of this."

The professor grabbed his bag, checking through it as students picked up their own before leaving the hall. Mark did the same, walking towards his significant other and greeting her with a smile.

"Morning, Elise. You coming to the canteen? Evan and Rob should be there shortly. I think Shaq is already there, too, but I'm not certain."

"Shortly... you mean after they are done fucking? So twenty minutes late?" She huffed, "Sure, I have work to do, but I can't really be bothered."

"Is that a hint of homophobia I detect?" He jokingly tutted, "Shame on you, Elise. But yes, that is exactly what I meant. I'll be outside."

Mark strolled out of the room and into the hallway, waiting a few seconds whilst Elise gathered her million notes. He frowned as a slight headache niggled at the back of his mind, slowly growing and starting to gnaw at his mind.

'Fuck sake.'