Is it just me, or are the politics of Legend of Korra more interesting than the actual story?

The United Republic is basically what would happen if the UN was given the Isle of Manhattan and most of Long Island and New Jersey so it could form its own sovereign state.

Oh, man, I was thinking along much the same lines.

Is it just me or is Republic City's politics a giant amalgamation of all of the biggest mistakes the world has made in recent history?

Less of a theory and more of a topic of interest: the Avatar has a mission, but what is their mandate? To what degree can they operate within the borders of the various nations and smaller states? Are they fully accountable for their actions or do they have some form of diplomatic immunity? Could the mandate be altered or revoked by a unanimous vote by the nations? Come to think of it, who actually funds the White Lotus and through them the Avatar? Is there some kind of high-up conspiracy of the world's elite to influence the Avatar into doing what they want the Avatar to do? Does the Avatar really serve the world or do they serve the White Lotus' interests? And just how many times has the Avatar altered world affairs to serve their own interests?

5 people disliked this? Must've been the United Republic Council

Seriously, Avatar borrows so much of ancient and contemporary politics in East Asia. I think the United Republic is supposed to symbolise Hong Kong (very prosperous nation formed on the land of an enormous empire by a more industrialiazed ennemy with huge naval power and the people who live in that said empire think that this nation is just part of their empire) and the Earth Kingdom is Qing dynasty China (a country who is on the fringe of collapse, falls into anarchy just like the Chinese revolution of 1911 and is reunited by a dictarioral leader like Mao)

I have a counterargument against the Earth Kingdom's claim to the united republic. First, the Earth Kingdom was barely a unified country to begin with. People were never shown getting regular communication with the capital or representatives of the national government. The only forms of national integration the Earth Kingdom had were currency, a unified military, open internal borders, and a head of state. There are issues with this.

Wow. I never thought of LoK like this. You guys just got another sub. Keep up the good work!

I personally never got into korra like I did the original avatar show. However as far as the council goes I would have it set up so that there is one member from each nation, a member of the United Republic, and a member of the lotus group, as well as a honorary seat for the Avatar, whomever that may be. I think that the Avatar should be allowed to speak but get no vote as the Avatar is not supposed to be overly political. This would govern the larger concerns of the UR while a separate council should handle the criminal systems and judging people, however as with the first the Avatar should be allowed to sit in, offer advice and possible forms of punishment, but in the end not be allowed a final say.

That is the reason I think the villians in Legend of Kora are simply amazing.

i really liked kuvira....she was good even when the cartoon show her as a vilian and evil...i really see her as a good person that want to restore balance to earth kingdom..

I want to make a correction. Yu Dao is not Republic City. Republic City evolved from Cranefish town show in Imbalance.

For my point of view, Raiko should have retire after his first mistakes. but the try of varrick to force him to fight unalak only give Raiko much Power. Raiko acts as Palpatine in Star Wars : using the other's acts to make him stronger...

Remembered that before the UR, the nations had King with totalitarian powers, there is no separation of powers and the council represented the other nations but not the people of the UR (maybe the air nation representative also represented the UR people but it was for the better of the reforming air nation not the UR), it was basically a nation that had the same function of the avatar keep peace in the world control by all the other nations.

You should do a discussion on the connection between the air nation and the other nations before they were destroyed. Aang had visited many of the other nations because he knew Bumi and some other people. I would like to see how the world was different politically before and after they were destroyed.