Dune - Iraq Connections

The wild inhabitants of Planet Arrakis were known as Fremen. Their philosophy was Zensunni. Sunni muslims are the largest perpetrators of violence in Iraq today.

Emperor of the Known Universe in Dune was Shaddam IV. Shaddam is an alternate spelling of Saddam.

The death commandos for Mua'dib, foreign-born messiah of the Fremen, were known as Feydakin. Saddam Hussein's death commandos are known as Feydayeen.

Jihad is used both by Iraqi insurgents and Fremen in Dune.

At the end of Dune, the rulers of Dune who were charged with overseeing mining of the Empire's most precious commodity, spice melange, were bottled up and immobile in bases by the insurgency. In the current guerilla situation in Iraq, the US and new Iraqi government are bottled up in Green Zones and firebases.

Both environments of course are incredibly hot and hostile to life. Summer in Iraq can bring 130 degree temperatures often.

Mua'dib and the Fremen used terror to shock the enemy beyond beheadings. They made war drums out of the skins of enemy casualties.

Dune operates under the concept of Hydraulic Despotism - the theory that someone who controls the destruction of a needed commodity controls it entirely. The Iraqi insurgents perform non-stop attacks on oil infrastructure in Iraq.

The houses of the known universe (synonymous to the world's countries) were addicted to the spice melange, which established their way of life. Similarly, the world is addicted to oil, which is the world's most precious commodity.

The people of the Known Universe considered the Fremen uncivilised and utterly insane. However, viewed from internally their actions and society were logical in context of their environment and history. Similarly, the world views Iraqi suicide attackers and terrorists as uncivilised and insane, but to the Iraqi insurgents their actions are logical and warrented.

What year was Dune Published? Would be interesting to know what was going in the Mid east reigon during that period given the correlations.

Originally posted by twitchy
What year was Dune Published? Would be interesting to know what was going in the Mid east reigon during that period given the correlations.

I think it was published in 1965.