I like when authors are intentional about their stories like this.

People bring up Tolkien’s “applicability not allegory” or death of the author, or just defend their treats against being apparently politicized. But people politicize, interpret, and re-mythologize things anyways. Tolkien’s stories have been coopted by European nationalists to fight the “orcs” of the “East.”

A similar thing with Dune, people fixate on the environment aspect or exaggerated brutality and oppression by imperialists hence Star Wars, Warhammer, etc. I guess. I find it weird. The point was or should be the struggle for liberation and the power of ideology.

Might as well be on the nose about things as an author IMO, seems annoying to deal with

Also: was Dune about Palestine? I thought it was inspired by Lawrence of Arabia, so the Arab Revolt. Maybe the Great Game