So... I've just watched the first 3 seasons of TCW.

And I am so confused.

To break things down first of all:

The Republic. Each Member world, was represented in the Republic Senate, by a Senator. (In some cases, one Senator represented multiple races: the Gran Senator for Malastare represented the world, including the Dugs, as both came from the same world)

(Correct?)

Not ALL worlds in the Galaxy were members of the Republic, Mandalore being one who was 'Independent and Neutral'

(Correct?)

The Trade Federation was just an organisation, but was mostly made up of Neimodians, who were a Republic Member... but the Trade Federation was alined with the Separatists.

(Correct?)

The Intergalactic Banking Clan was allied with the Separatists, but they loaned money to the Republic (Correct? And if correct, WHY?)

Rush Clovis was a Senator for Scipio, a Republic Member world, but also a Chairman of the IGBC (A Separatist ally). How does that work??

Toydaria was Neutral, and supported neither side, and was NOT a Republic Member world, thus had no Senator or Representation in the Senate (Correct?) (Although I am SURE I saw Toydarians in the Senate in of the prequel trilogy... but I could be wrong)

I guess I may be confusing myself, thinking that member worlds would be the equivalent of American States, but that is probably inaccurate, as these are worlds with their own laws and customs... so how exactly does the Republic work? (Ideally, clearly it doesn't work very well)

So... help me out please! How do all these pieces fall into place? How does the Trade Federation have any sway in the Republic? Surely any world is free to trade with any other world? How do they get involved? Why would they blockade a world?

How does the Banking Clans come into things? How can a Bank loan money to their allies enemies? Thats like the Bank of England, lending Nazi Germany cash to pay for landing craft... right?

How do the Corporate Guilds differ from the Trade Federation?

How does the Trade Federation, which appears to be a Neimodian organisation, work when Neimodia is a Republic member world? Surely thats working at cross purposes?

Maybe I am just being thick! But help me out here! Pweeese!

RD

First, I wouldn't expect too much explanation...they never finished telling the tales, and the politics was always a bit of a sidebar. Definitely people are playing on both sides, which is the core of the corruption Palpatine counts on and fosters.

I think the Republic is more like the UN (with more oversight), not like the USA, and it wasn't a 1:1 Senator:planet distribution. Some planets had their own Senator, some Senators represented bigger regions.

The Banking Clans fill the role of the IMF, but have developed such widespread power and oversight they have their fingers in all pies. It's not that far from reality: from Napoleon to WW2 through to today, banks played with and financed all sides of conflict and crime. War is great for profits, after all, and they don't really care who wins because whoever does will need them. The recent spate of bank "fines" for money-laundering for drug lords and financing terror groups should be indicative.

How does the Trade Federation, which appears to be a Neimodian organisation, work when Neimodia is a Republic member world? Surely thats working at cross purposes?

You're assuming some kind of allegiance to a "planet" or "species". But the only allegiance is to money. Hands are washing each other, in private.

I guess I may be confusing myself, thinking that member worlds would be the equivalent of American States, but that is probably inaccurate, as these are worlds with their own laws and customs... so how exactly does the Republic work? (Ideally, clearly it doesn't work very well)

I imagine when it *was* working well there were regulations and more oversight to prevent the kind of corruption prevalent towards the end. No doubt there were rules about who could be in the Republic and what kind of social and economic standards planetary or regional governments had to adhere to to belong. No doubt these rules were relaxed or overturned in time, and doubtless the master/apprentice Sith through the long history were at the heart of this corruption.

Nothing political in the prequels makes any sense at all. It's a stupid, incoherent mess. You might as well just make it up as you go along, regardless of how illogical, just as George Lucas did.

"Wait, why am I taking orders from you, again?"

Rush Clovis was a Senator for Scipio, a Republic Member world, but also a Chairman of the IGBC (A Separatist ally). How does that work??

He was *originally* a Republic Senator for Scipio- but when it seceded from the Republic, he was a senator in the Separatist Senate. They set up parallel institutions.

The Banking Clans were sort of independent in that they didn't officially support either side (originally), so dealt with both. I think they did pick a side by RotS, though.

So... I've just watched the first 3 seasons of TCW.

Great.

And I am so confused.

Partially fixable.

The Republic. Each Member world, was represented in the Republic Senate, by a Senator. (In some cases, one Senator represented multiple races: the Gran Senator for Malastare represented the world, including the Dugs, as both came from the same world)

(Correct?)

Correct. There might be strange and occasional exceptions such as a binary system that shares a government and things like that, but you've got it.

Not ALL worlds in the Galaxy were members of the Republic, Mandalore being one who was 'Independent and Neutral'

(Correct?)

It is certainly the case that not all worlds are members of the Republic. There are many out on the Rim that never were and even ones closer in. But generally most of "civilization" was. Mandalore is probably something of a special case as they were at war with the Republic in their past so may have settled down to be a kind of independent planet rather than actually join. However, it's equally possible that they were a member but left when the war broke out, but simply refused to join the Separatists either - just wanting to be their own world entirely and renouncing both sides. Unfortunately it's not stated.

The Trade Federation was just an organisation, but was mostly made up of Neimodians, who were a Republic Member... but the Trade Federation was alined with the Separatists.

(Correct?)

Correct. But they were "just" an organization the same way that Goldman-Sachs is "just" a finance company. They had wealth and contacts far above most worlds. Dangerous and powerful. They were mostly Nemoidans like the leadership of some international corporations is mostly Americans, even though officially international.

The Intergalactic Banking Clan was allied with the Separatists, but they loaned money to the Republic (Correct? And if correct, WHY?)

Incorrect. The Banking Clan was an independent entity in its own right and cheerfully extended credit to both sides of the conflict. There is more on this in upcoming seasons. It gets a little grey with the dividing lines of independence, btw. The Banking Clan were not fully open with either group about their dealings with the other. Though obviously not completely hidden, either. They were playing a dangerous game and you find out how dangerous later in the series.

Rush Clovis was a Senator for Scipio, a Republic Member world, but also a Chairman of the IGBC (A Separatist ally). How does that work??

See previous answer. He also has a tendency to lie a lot - which helps with such conflicts of interest.

Toydaria was Neutral, and supported neither side, and was NOT a Republic Member world, thus had no Senator or Representation in the Senate (Correct?) (Although I am SURE I saw Toydarians in the Senate in of the prequel trilogy... but I could be wrong)

I think they were eventually lured over to the Republic side. They were neutral at the start of Season 1.

EDIT: Continuing in next post as I've hit the quote limit!

I guess I may be confusing myself, thinking that member worlds would be the equivalent of American States, but that is probably inaccurate, as these are worlds with their own laws and customs... so how exactly does the Republic work? (Ideally, clearly it doesn't work very well)

Well... That is a large question. They are certainly independent. They include monarchies, democracies, hive worlds... There's no unity of government across all the worlds. Comparing them to US states isn't perfect. The European Union is probably a closer parallel. These are independent governments but sharing a common trade area (with legal niceties and complexities to that, but there in principle) and appoint members to the European Parliament. We share some policing resources and have working agreements between various agencies (law enforcement, border patrols), but we still manage our own affairs. There is an entire separate layer of law which member nations have signed up to. So consider the Republic to be something akin to that if it helps. They have the common currency and representation in the Senate, but are still sovreign nations. Keep in mind that up until the Clone Wars, the Republic didn't even have a proper standing army. That should give you a good feel for the degree of integration (or lack of) between the member worlds. It's not a perfect analogy, but it is a great deal closer to that than it is to US states.

So... help me out please! How do all these pieces fall into place? How does the Trade Federation have any sway in the Republic? Surely any world is free to trade with any other world? How do they get involved? Why would they blockade a world?

Anti-trust. When a player in the market becomes big enough, there are all sorts of ways they can exploit that. You ask isn't any world free to trade with any other world. Well yes. But then what happened with Naboo? They put a blockade there. And the Republic, which was on the wane, had to negotiate with the Trade Federation to try and end it. They thought the negotiations would be short (they didn't know it was going to be used to start a war) and the Trade Federation were very uneasy about if they had gone too far. But they would have had some legalistic justification for their action. Naboo was probably contravening some trade agreement by going direct. The real world is riddled with such things. One major controversy in Europe right now is TTIP (https://stop-ttip.org/) which is a trade agreement between Europe and the USA which would give companies the right to sue European governments over laws that harmed their business amongst other things. If it passes (people are fighting it pretty hard), then you would get that sort of situation where corporations were bypassing governments. Real world trade agreements are full of all sorts of things like this. If you sign up to NAFTA that comes with obligations as well as benefits. I think the Naboo situation was someone doing exactly what you suggest - trying to act independently of the Trade Federation. The flashpoint was that the Trade Federation (who obviously have ships and forces because Space is a dangerous place and because they must secure a lot of trade) decided that if the Republic wouldn't enfore trade rules (the Republic was so bureaucratic that they took years to accomplish anything), then the Trade Federation would do it themselves. Of course some of the highest members of the Trade Federation were already in league with Count Dooku by that point and expected to make out like bandits during the war. Which they did. But I suspect they had no idea the scale of what would happen.

How does the Banking Clans come into things? How can a Bank loan money to their allies enemies? Thats like the Bank of England, lending Nazi Germany cash to pay for landing craft... right?

It's not. It's more like the WTO lending money to both sides. The Republic had long since ceded most of their financial systems to the banking clans. Remember all those times when Hondo tells Obi-Wan "so long as it's not in Republic Credits" ? The Republic was in terrible financial shape by the time of the war. About six or seven years ago, the UK actually made the Bank of England independent in 1998. It's true! The banking clans having this sort of independence is actually kind of realistic given the state of the Republic by that point. But don't assume the Banking Clan was entirely open about everything. Anyway, what could the Republic do? They had chosen to fight a war, they urgently needed money. They're not negotiating from a position of strength. Though you see Palpatine dealing with that situation in later episodes.

How do the Corporate Guilds differ from the Trade Federation?

They're more of a production alliance than a trade alliance.

How does the Trade Federation, which appears to be a Neimodian organisation, work when Neimodia is a Republic member world? Surely thats working at cross purposes?

It's called Conflict of Interest and it's only a problem if (a) you get caught and (b) the people who catch you can do anything without eight years of arguing in the senate about it when a third of the people there are financially in your pocket in the first place. Also, remember - not everyone is as well informed as the viewer. There was a lot of political gamesmanship going on.

Maybe I am just being thick! But help me out here! Pweeese!

You're not being thick at all. These are great questions. If there's a common theme in them all, it's that you think conflict of interest or outright lying isn't going on. Introduce both these concepts and a lot more starts to make sense.

I hope all this has been of interest.

Oh, dont get me wrong, I get that some were playing each side against the other, but an organisation as Big as the Trade Federation, and as deeply rooted to be almost entirely Neimodian (Ive never seen any other species involved in it), being allied with the CIS, while Neimodia itself was a Republic world seems odd.

Even thought it season 2, the Neimodian Senator describes Nute Gunray as an extremist, the Republic KNOW the Trade Federation is involved with the CIS... they attacked the Trade Fed ships on Geonosis, they KNOW the Trade Fed armies are fighting for the CIS... but the people running things, the Neimodians, are still powerful members of the Senate...

It just doesnt seem sensible... but then I am not a Political Student, and politics in AGFFA must be on a scale several thousand times larger and more complex, since we are dealing with thousands of WORLDS, not hundreds of countries.

Am I looking for logic and sense where there is none (due to bad writing?) or is there an incredibly complex explanation to how this all works?

I am sure in AOTC they say the Banking Clans are backing the CIS (Obi Wan overhears them, doesnt he? Or do I need to go back and watch it again?).

Of course, the "banking clans" may not mean the IterGalactic Banking Clan but... ugh, I dunno... im confused!

Oh, dont get me wrong, I get that some were playing each side against the other, but an organisation as Big as the Trade Federation, and as deeply rooted to be almost entirely Neimodian (Ive never seen any other species involved in it), being allied with the CIS, while Neimodia itself was a Republic world seems odd.

Well we only see small parts of the Trade Federation. It's quite possible that only the top-level are primarily Nemoidian. But that doesn't impact your point about Nemoidia being a Republic world. But then I don't see it as a difficult problem to overcome. I understand what you're saying and see what you're getting at. But they're only allied with the Separatists behind the scenes for a good long while. And they have substantial military power all of their own. Put yourself in the Republic's shoes. Many of the senators are on the take anyway, so they will side with Nemoidia. That alone makes throwing them out immensely difficult. It's probably been tried, even. But the Trade Federation isn't a branch of the Nemoidian people. Indeed, it's a federation which I take to mean many worlds are involved. Undoubtedly the Jedi find out the Trade Federation is up to no good but it's a big leap from that to tracing it back to the Nemoidian government. Or proving it.

Even thought it season 2, the Neimodian Senator describes Nute Gunray as an extremist, the Republic KNOW the Trade Federation is involved with the CIS... they attacked the Trade Fed ships on Geonosis, they KNOW the Trade Fed armies are fighting for the CIS... but the people running things, the Neimodians, are still powerful members of the Senate...

Well that's it - they have a public face. And they are powerful in their own right. Does the Republic even want to push them into outright siding with the Separatists and attack Federation ships? Ships that are currently managing half the trade in the Republic. I think perhaps you don't see the Republic as weak as it really was. A lot of your comments have this theme of 'why would the Republic allow this?'. The Republic is not that strong. Their currency is propped up by runaway debt, militarily they are dependent on an army owned by the Jedi (which Palpatine slowly brings under his control and you see this progress as the seasons go on), they're hedged in by powerful banking, trade and industrial interests and their senate is a swamp of infighting. This only changes with time as the seasons go on. Much of what you want is simply lack of patience on your part. Palpatine slowly does do the things you want - reigning in the banks, dealing with the Trade Federation, etc... You see this as things progress and the nascent Empire begins to take form.

It just doesnt seem sensible... but then I am not a Political Student, and politics in AGFFA must be on a scale several thousand times larger and more complex, since we are dealing with thousands of WORLDS, not hundreds of countries.

Read enough history and politics, and the Republic starts to look very plausible, trust me.

Am I looking for logic and sense where there is none (due to bad writing?) or is there an incredibly complex explanation to how this all works?

I kind of feel I've just given you explanations for much of this that aren't incredibly complex. There are a lot of real world parallels for this stuff.

I am sure in AOTC they say the Banking Clans are backing the CIS (Obi Wan overhears them, doesnt he? Or do I need to go back and watch it again?).

Of course, the "banking clans" may not mean the IterGalactic Banking Clan but... ugh, I dunno... im confused!

He may do, I don't recall that. I think you may be thinking of the Techno Union. But even if he did, is it proof? Can they wriggle out of it? If they can't maybe they get fined and promise not to do it again.

Anyway, I've offered what I can. I think it hangs together very well, imo and I don't see anything in there that is difficult to fill in myself and still have it match what I see on screen. I hope this has helped.

Oh all explanations help, thank you very much

I'm just trying to get my head around what appears to be people within the Republic, outright fighting against them at the same time, and noone seems to be saying anything about this elephant in the room... but that could simply be me not seeing the 'bigger picture' kinda thing.

I am still not ENTIRELY sure how it all ended up in a straight out war either... still fuzzy on it all, I get that a number of systems (possibly coerced, possibly inspired, possibly pushed/nudged by Dooku (on behalf of Sidious)) wanted to leave the Republic, becuase they felt they would be better off NOT part of it.

(Much like Britain leaving the EU).

I get that the Republic wouldnt want this, as they would loose trade/finance/power/influence if it happened (Much like Germany DONT want the UK to leave).

But I dont quite understand how this ended up as a full on War.

Yes I know it was all engineered specifically by Sidious to turn the Galaxy into a total and utter mess, so he could gain more power, paint the Jedi as evil, then "defeat" the CIS, and be lauded as the Saviour of the Galaxy, and make his ascension to Emperor palitable (Palpatinable?) to the people.

Bah... brain hurts!!!

(Much like Britain leaving the EU).

Well, with the difference being that the EU is actually LESS corrupt than our own government. It's not for nothing that the UK wants to withdraw from the Human Rights Act. I mean what sort of government sees that as a bad thing? Though Cameron as a Sith apprentice, yes - I can kind of see that.

I am still not ENTIRELY sure how it all ended up in a straight out war either... still fuzzy on it all, I get that a number of systems (possibly coerced, possibly inspired, possibly pushed/nudged by Dooku (on behalf of Sidious)) wanted to leave the Republic, becuase they felt they would be better off NOT part of it.

Two phrases are key here: "Pre-emptive strike" and "Escalation". The Separatists knew that they would not be allowed to simply say "we're off, good bye" - for a variety of reasons legitimate and not. But they figured with military power they could secure their independence. And so they start secretly building a force. They may never have intended to actually attack the Republic, just defend their independence. Remember that they did not know about the clone army and none of their intelligence (some of which would have been highly placed) would have known because no-one did! So they weren't expecting a war. However, getting wind of the Separatist army, the Republic make a pre-emptive strike. It was still avoidable at this point but with the Jedi trying to rescue two of their number it kicked off the violence. I don't think that was even the original plan. Probably something else was planned to trigger it, but that has always been Palpatine's modus operandi: stack things up in such a way that there's really only ever one path the river flows, even if the details change around a bit. All that is necessary for war to happen, is for people to believe that it is inevitable. Once they do, someone makes a pre-emptive strike and it begins.

But there's also the aspect of escalation. Very few would have realized the extent of the coming war. You may have heard the phrase "it'll all be over by Christmas". That's what people genuinely thought at the start of World War I. Or more modern, that people thought the US invasion of Iraq would be a quick overthrow and execution of Saddam Hussein, a bit of rejoicing by a grateful Iraqi population to their American saviours and home again with some medals and a lucrative oil agreement. What did Obi Wan report back to the Jedi council? That some people were building a droid army on Geonosis. Well the Republic (Jedi) don't want people building private armies - that has to be nipped in the bud. And look - we've got this fantastic and amazing new army that's really impressive. Let's quickly bring down this threat and put a stop to this rebellion. And they did. The initial battle was something of a rout with the Clone army driving back or destroying the droid army there and the geonsians. But in doing so they had occupied a world that was trying to secede from the Republic and that pushed other worlds in that direction rapidly. You can see how quickly it builds. A few fleeing Separatist forces seek shelter at various separatist / sympathetic worlds. The Clone forces come after them. Because after all, it's just cleaning up and it's best to nip this in the bud. But now you're occupying multiple worlds and things are taking longer than you thought they would. And the Separatists are now public and starting to ally with each other and build up or deploy their own forces. So you need to keep bolstering your forces, but the longer this goes on the bigger it is getting and then somewhere along the way you actually lose some battles and now you're no longer putting down a rebel planet but fighting a full on war that is drawing in more systems every week. So you have to approve more armed forces for yourself. And they're doing the same. And it's getting worse.

Oh, dont get me wrong, I get that some were playing each side against the other, but an organisation as Big as the Trade Federation, and as deeply rooted to be almost entirely Neimodian (Ive never seen any other species involved in it), being allied with the CIS, while Neimodia itself was a Republic world seems odd.

Even thought it season 2, the Neimodian Senator describes Nute Gunray as an extremist, the Republic KNOW the Trade Federation is involved with the CIS... they attacked the Trade Fed ships on Geonosis, they KNOW the Trade Fed armies are fighting for the CIS... but the people running things, the Neimodians, are still powerful members of the Senate...

It just doesnt seem sensible... but then I am not a Political Student, and politics in AGFFA must be on a scale several thousand times larger and more complex, since we are dealing with thousands of WORLDS, not hundreds of countries.

Am I looking for logic and sense where there is none (due to bad writing?) or is there an incredibly complex explanation to how this all works?

I am sure in AOTC they say the Banking Clans are backing the CIS (Obi Wan overhears them, doesnt he? Or do I need to go back and watch it again?).

Of course, the "banking clans" may not mean the IterGalactic Banking Clan but... ugh, I dunno... im confused!

According to Wookiepedia, Neimodia did join the Seperatists (so it was a Republic world originally, then seceded)- it was just recaptured during the war.

There's an instance where a Trade Federation senator explains that they've officially labeled Nute Gunray an extremist and not representative of the Federation (Supply Lines, Season 3 I think?), and are officially neutral, but it's shown that this is basically a lie that everyone accepts because they need the Trade Federation to keep trade flowing and they keep weaseling out of situations that would expose the fact that they're answering to Dooku (Spheres of Influence, Season 3 or 4 I think).

Ah, more confusion.

How can they be a member of the Republic, AND Neutral?

Surely, being a Member would would require providing aid and support to the Republic War effort?

Or am I trying to see things in Black and White?

Ah, more confusion.

How can they be a member of the Republic, AND Neutral?

Surely, being a Member would would require providing aid and support to the Republic War effort?

Or am I trying to see things in Black and White?

Because Nemoidia and the Trade Federation are not the same thing, as already stated at least a couple of times already. It's really quite easy to fill in some of this stuff. It's not half as bizarre or implausible as you make it out to be.

Ah, no, my confusion on this new point is where Rortharr said a Trade federation Senator... which I assume he means a Neimodian Senator... why would the Trade Fed have a Senator?

If he mean a Neimodian Senator, how can then be Neutral AND have a Senator... if you only have a Senator if you are a Member of the Republic?

Im not saying its implausible, I am simply confused.

In Supply Lines Dooku clearly says "get me the Senator from the Trade Federation" and Lott Dod shows up on Toydaria to argue against the Republic not as a pro-Separatist, but that involving Toydaria in the Clone Wars would open Trade Federation ships going to and from Toydaria to Separatist attack. In Spheres of Influence, they're blockading a Republic world to try and get it to switch sides, but ostensibly it's about repayment of trade debts and the CIS publicly offers its assistance against the Trade Federation. So it seems they're putting on a face of pro-Republic, anti-Separatist sentiment, but it's a facade that most characters recognize.

According to Wookieepedia's Canon page on the Trade Federation: "A decade after the war on Naboo, the Trade Federation pledged support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, becoming its military benefactor during the Clone Wars. Publicly, however, the Federation denied all links to the Separatist Alliance, while maintaining a seat in the Republic Senate."

In Supply Lines Dooku clearly says "get me the Senator from the Trade Federation" and Lott Dod shows up on Toydaria to argue against the Republic not as a pro-Separatist, but that involving Toydaria in the Clone Wars would open Trade Federation ships going to and from Toydaria to Separatist attack. In Spheres of Influence, they're blockading a Republic world to try and get it to switch sides, but ostensibly it's about repayment of trade debts and the CIS publicly offers its assistance against the Trade Federation. So it seems they're putting on a face of pro-Republic, anti-Separatist sentiment, but it's a facade that most characters recognize.

According to Wookieepedia's Canon page on the Trade Federation: "A decade after the war on Naboo, the Trade Federation pledged support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, becoming its military benefactor during the Clone Wars. Publicly, however, the Federation denied all links to the Separatist Alliance, while maintaining a seat in the Republic Senate."

Right... weird.

Thats like giving BP or Microsoft a seat at the UN, isnt it?

I guess it seemed like a good idea at the time? The Legends material that mentions it seems to agree that they got the seats by exploiting loopholes and other underhanded means. (the Essential Chronology, Essential Atlas, and Essential Guide to Warfare are my main sources on this besides TCW)

In Supply Lines Dooku clearly says "get me the Senator from the Trade Federation" and Lott Dod shows up on Toydaria to argue against the Republic not as a pro-Separatist, but that involving Toydaria in the Clone Wars would open Trade Federation ships going to and from Toydaria to Separatist attack. In Spheres of Influence, they're blockading a Republic world to try and get it to switch sides, but ostensibly it's about repayment of trade debts and the CIS publicly offers its assistance against the Trade Federation. So it seems they're putting on a face of pro-Republic, anti-Separatist sentiment, but it's a facade that most characters recognize.

According to Wookieepedia's Canon page on the Trade Federation: "A decade after the war on Naboo, the Trade Federation pledged support to the Confederacy of Independent Systems, becoming its military benefactor during the Clone Wars. Publicly, however, the Federation denied all links to the Separatist Alliance, while maintaining a seat in the Republic Senate."

Right... weird.

Thats like giving BP or Microsoft a seat at the UN, isnt it?

Not really, these are massive galaxy-spanning companies that wield huge political and economic power. If anything, it's weird that our current political system pretends that companies are entirely *apolitical*. Just look up the East India Company or the United Fruit Company, both of which essentially ran countries by virtue of their economic power. Whilst modern companies aren't quite as overt, they do insist on things like Special Economic Zones in developing countries where many of the local laws and rights are pared back and special corporate-friendly rules (often written by or in conjunction with corporate lawyers) run instead.

Even thought it season 2, the Neimodian Senator describes Nute Gunray as an extremist, the Republic KNOW the Trade Federation is involved with the CIS... they attacked the Trade Fed ships on Geonosis, they KNOW the Trade Fed armies are fighting for the CIS... but the people running things, the Neimodians, are still powerful members of the Senate...

It just doesnt seem sensible... but then I am not a Political Student, and politics in AGFFA must be on a scale several thousand times larger and more complex, since we are dealing with thousands of WORLDS, not hundreds of countries.

I don’t see a significant difference here from Osama Bin Laden being a member of the Saudi Royal Family. A “black sheep” member, sure. But the Saudis would never tolerate him being extremist in his own country, so they were happy to have him export his extremism elsewhere.

Change “Saudi” to “Nemoidian”, and what’s the real difference?

I am sure in AOTC they say the Banking Clans are backing the CIS (Obi Wan overhears them, doesnt he? Or do I need to go back and watch it again?).

Of course, the "banking clans" may not mean the IterGalactic Banking Clan but... ugh, I dunno... im confused!

Once the former Senator from Scipio is appointed as the leader of the IGC, he gets a call from Dooku saying that he has to loan them money with no interest and double the interest to the Republic, otherwise Dooku will expose the fact that he had provided information that wound up with this guy getting appointed.

Thats like giving BP or Microsoft a seat at the UN, isnt it?

They don’t want or need their own seat. They’ve bought off (or blackmailed) enough governments around the world that have their own seats, that they are perfectly happy to be pulling the strings from behind the scenes — and without getting any blood on their hands.

Im not saying its implausible, I am simply confused.

Also keep in mind that the stories-within-stories in TCW play out over years, and what you find in Wookieepedia tends to be a snapshot-in-time.

So, if you’re only part-way through TCW at this stage, there’s a lot of stuff that has happened in the storyline that you have not yet seen, and which will fill in a lot of blank spaces in the puzzle as you go through the various episodes.

The us civil war is a good exams of how a matter of cessation can turn into a civil war.

The Trade Federation effectively bought their seat on the Senate. When hundreds of worlds depend on you to survive, they'll often be willing to cede their votes to you. Votes are useless without the necessities of life.

Politics in Star Wars are just as messed up as in the real world.