What worked well at the end of the Second World War on Earth was to remove the (formerly) enemy governments and replace them with something more to our liking while still remaining acceptable to the conquered - in Japan the US imposed a new constitution which reduced the Emperor to a figurehead, but kept him in place that the Japanese might save face in defeat, while the German government (in the west, of course) was reconstituted along the lines it had been before the war, but with assurances in place that the Hitler debacle could not easily be reproduced. We then assisted our former enemies in economic recovery, thus ensuring that the common folk had a stake in keeping the peace (it may be true that no one has ever gone over the parapets screaming, "Full bellies and hot showers!!", but it is equally true that a populace well-supplied with the necessities of life is a populace that is reluctant to rock the proverbial boat).
In other words, pretty much what is depicted as happening at the end of the Dominion War, with regards to Cardassia Prime.
But the Federation learned that their actions at the DMZ caused a portion of their population to rebel.
Which raises an interesting question: Was the treaty the right thing for the Federation to do? Clearly the politicians thought so. But the Cardassian and Federation citizens living along the border disagreed. Which side was right? That's a hard question because there are so many variables. The purpose of the treaty seems to have been a way of making the border an easy to define line. Prior to the treaty, Fed and Card territories formed what probably looked like blue and brown paint splattered on a wall. But is redrawing the border the best solution? Hard to say. You could setup a DMZ-style arrangement where it's essentially shared space, but only in deep space. But that is not what they chose to do.
While it was at least somewhat to the benefit of the Cardassians on the Fed side--they gained freedom, though at the likely price of isolation from friends and family not on that particular colony, there was nothing acceptable IMO about the Feds selling their citizens down the river for purposes of appeasement. Not only is appeasement cowardly and the wrong thing to do with the Cardassians because the Cardassians rightly recognize that it is weakness of political will, the Feds HAD to know what they were condemning their people to be, that it could have even gone as far as enslavement had the Cardassians been of a mind to do so. I am a fan of the Cardassians but I would be a fool not to admit they could have gone that route depending on their politicians in power.
Well, in theory, all the people were supposed to relocate rather than changing allegiance. So it's not as if all the people on those planets were being given to the Cardassians. Just the planets.
But the Federation learned that their actions at the DMZ caused a portion of their population to rebel.
Which raises an interesting question: Was the treaty the right thing for the Federation to do? Clearly the politicians thought so. But the Cardassian and Federation citizens living along the border disagreed. Which side was right? That's a hard question because there are so many variables. The purpose of the treaty seems to have been a way of making the border an easy to define line. Prior to the treaty, Fed and Card territories formed what probably looked like blue and brown paint splattered on a wall. But is redrawing the border the best solution? Hard to say. You could setup a DMZ-style arrangement where it's essentially shared space, but only in deep space. But that is not what they chose to do.
While it was at least somewhat to the benefit of the Cardassians on the Fed side--they gained freedom, though at the likely price of isolation from friends and family not on that particular colony, there was nothing acceptable IMO about the Feds selling their citizens down the river for purposes of appeasement. Not only is appeasement cowardly and the wrong thing to do with the Cardassians because the Cardassians rightly recognize that it is weakness of political will, the Feds HAD to know what they were condemning their people to be, that it could have even gone as far as enslavement had the Cardassians been of a mind to do so. I am a fan of the Cardassians but I would be a fool not to admit they could have gone that route depending on their politicians in power.
Well, in theory, all the people were supposed to relocate rather than changing allegiance. So it's not as if all the people on those planets were being given to the Cardassians. Just the planets.
Personally, I have a problem with putting those people in the situation of ever having to choose between their homes or having hellish lives. Plus like I said, that would read to the Cardassians as weakness on the Feds' part, to ever put their own people in that kind of positions instead of defending their rights tooth and nail.
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But the Federation learned that their actions at the DMZ caused a portion of their population to rebel.
Which raises an interesting question: Was the treaty the right thing for the Federation to do? Clearly the politicians thought so. But the Cardassian and Federation citizens living along the border disagreed. Which side was right? That's a hard question because there are so many variables. The purpose of the treaty seems to have been a way of making the border an easy to define line. Prior to the treaty, Fed and Card territories formed what probably looked like blue and brown paint splattered on a wall. But is redrawing the border the best solution? Hard to say. You could setup a DMZ-style arrangement where it's essentially shared space, but only in deep space. But that is not what they chose to do.
While it was at least somewhat to the benefit of the Cardassians on the Fed side--they gained freedom, though at the likely price of isolation from friends and family not on that particular colony, there was nothing acceptable IMO about the Feds selling their citizens down the river for purposes of appeasement. Not only is appeasement cowardly and the wrong thing to do with the Cardassians because the Cardassians rightly recognize that it is weakness of political will, the Feds HAD to know what they were condemning their people to be, that it could have even gone as far as enslavement had the Cardassians been of a mind to do so. I am a fan of the Cardassians but I would be a fool not to admit they could have gone that route depending on their politicians in power.
Well, in theory, all the people were supposed to relocate rather than changing allegiance. So it's not as if all the people on those planets were being given to the Cardassians. Just the planets.
Personally, I have a problem with putting those people in the situation of ever having to choose between their homes or having hellish lives. Plus like I said, that would read to the Cardassians as weakness on the Feds' part, to ever put their own people in that kind of positions instead of defending their rights tooth and nail.
I agree, it's why I mentioned it actually. But.. it was an equal-ish territory exchange apparently, so it's not like the Cards gained overall. which is probably why the diplomats thought it was a good idea...
Well...here's how it would have read from the Cardassian perspective, even as an "equal exchange" IMO. Not only is it weakness to not defend the property and livelihoods of those who staked their claims on those worlds, the fact that they gave such favorable terms to the Cardassians when they are militarily the stronger power would have suggested--especially in the wake of Wolf 359--that their will was weak. Now, I don't think the ships we saw in "The Wounded" are fully indicative of the Union as a whole (note that the ships during the Dominion War held up better even though they tended to be outgunned), but the Cardassians had to know they were behind technologically and that the Feds could in theory field a larger military. But when you combine that with the fact that the Feds a) don't draft and b) don't even understand that Starfleet is and should be first a military, anything else second, then there is an enormous gain for the Cardassians that isn't material.
(Note: this is not intended to argue with you, but rather to supplement what you have already contributed. )
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In other words, pretty much what is depicted as happening at the end of the Dominion War, with regards to Cardassia Prime.
My character Tsin'xing
Personally, I have a problem with putting those people in the situation of ever having to choose between their homes or having hellish lives.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
My character Tsin'xing
(Note: this is not intended to argue with you, but rather to supplement what you have already contributed.
Christian Gaming Community Fleets--Faith, Fun, and Fellowship! See the website and PM for more. :-)
Proudly F2P. Signature image by gulberat. Avatar image by balsavor.deviantart.com.
But anyways, that's correct. The Cardassians saw the Federation being appeasing. The Feds had to know that it doesn't work. It never had.