# Dune and the Gulf War

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-and-the-gulf-war/162264>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 18, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-and-the-gulf-war/162264 "2003-03-18T14:31:42Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-and-the-gulf-war/162264/21 "2003-03-19T14:53:49Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> Arakis=Middle East  
> Spice=Oil  
> House Attraidies=Western nations  
> House Harkonan=Soviets (remember Dune was written a while ago)  
> Fremen=All the middle easteners running around the desert  
> Spacing Guild=Big Oil/corporations  
> Benehana Sisters (or whatever they are called)=Western religeon

Harkonnen as Soviets – makes sense, considering they were the baddies at the time, and the Baron’s first name is _Vladimir_  
I like “Benehana Sisters”, but, to nitpick, it’s _Bene Gesserit_. I’ve heard other explanations, from the Herberts even, but I can’t help noticing that this is Latin. My rusty schoolboy Latin tells me that it means something like “they will have done well”.

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**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-and-the-gulf-war/162264/22 "2003-03-19T15:43:22Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by CalMeacham \*  
> \*\*  
> \*\*Bush
> 
> Bush Messiah  
> Children of Bush\*\* (The girls are released upon the helpless Republican Guard) \*\*

I guess that Laura Bush isn’t the heretic that Jessica was. If Laura was doing her part to keep this analogy going, one of the twins should have been a boy.

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**Author:** ![Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7cd45c/32.png) [@Misery\_Loves\_Co](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misery_Loves_Co)\
**Post date:** [March 19, 2003, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dune-and-the-gulf-war/162264/23 "2003-03-19T18:20:37Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by BMalion \*  
> \*\*The Iraqis the _Fremen_ ? Don’t make me laugh, they’re not even the Lishash Confederacy. \*\*

and **HPL**

Naturally, naturally! The iraqi army certainly is NOT comparable to the fremen, in terms of skill. BUT: if the US is supposed to represent the Imperium and our forces the Sardaurkar (as you postulated) then the indigenous fighting force (the Iraqi army) represents the fremen. Unless you want to argue that the Kurds are a better fit as “The oppressed minority whose strength is unknown”.

Obviously, the parallels aren’t perfect!

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