Avatar:Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator's government
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Imported: 2025-12-22
"The Administrator has been acting as the Earth Kingdom representative, the one signing off on all the changes within Ba Sing Se and acting as the mouthpiece for the Fire Nation."
<infobox theme-source="nation"> <image source="image" /> <title source="name"><default>Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator's government</default></title> <group> <header>Physical information</header> <label>Location</label> </group> <group> <header>Government</header> <label>Position</label> <label>Capital</label> <label>Form of government</label> <label>Head of state</label> <label>Religious authority</label> <label>Currency</label> <label>Ruler</label> <label>Owner</label> <label>Leader</label> <label>Administrator</label> <label>First appearance</label> <label>Last appearance</label> </group> <group> <header>Location on map</header> </group> <header></header> </infobox> The government of the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator was a short-lived puppet regime of the Fire Nation that was established to govern Ba Sing Se. Publicly led by the so-called "Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator", it also included a council and oversaw a bureaucratic system inherited from the Earth Kingdom.[1][2][3]
Set up after the Coup of Ba Sing Se in spring 100 AG,[4] the regime ostensibly functioned as a sovereign technocracy which administered the Fire Nation-occupied Earth Kingdom on behalf of a new worldwide empire under the Fire Lord Ozai.[1][5] In reality, its public leadership was largely ceremonial and powerless, being controlled by a shared dictatorship of the Dai Li and Fire Nation military. Most notably, the "Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator" was actually a group of brainwashed "Joo Dees" who sanctioned everything their overseers demanded.[1][2] The entire regime had almost no control over territories outside Ba Sing Se. It was widely deemed illegitimate by Earth Kingdom citizens and faced considerable open as well as covert resistance.[3][6] The Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator's government was abolished as a result of the Liberation of Ba Sing Se in summer 100 AG.[7][8]
History
Foundation
In spring 100 AG, the Conspiracy of Ba Sing Se was exposed by Team Avatar. This led to the arrest of Grand Secretariat Long Feng, who had used his position as head of the Dai Li secret police to establish a dictatorship. Earth King Kuei subsequently assumed state power and the military of the Earth Kingdom began to prepare for a major operation against the Fire Nation on the upcoming Day of Black Sun. Yet the Dai Li covertly retained loyalty to Long Feng and sought to regain control of the government, leading the secret police to ally with Princess Azula, who had infiltrated Ba Sing Se. Over time, Azula gained the loyalty of the Dai Li and eventually organized a successful coup d'Γ©tat.[9][10]
Afterward, Azula betrayed Long Feng and convinced the Dai Li to assist the Fire Army in occupying Ba Sing Se.[10][11] Though elements of the Dai Li opposed the Fire Nation takeover,[3] most of the secret police defected and crippled the Earth Kingdom capital's defenses and infrastructure.[10][5][12] After suppressing disorganized resistance across the city within two days,[13][12] the Dai Li and Fire Army jointly assumed control of Ba Sing Se.[4]
As Azula intended to quickly return to the Fire Nation, she sought a way to control Ba Sing Se in her absence. The princess thus chose to elevate Joo Dee to "Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator" to publicly head a collaborationist regime.[4] "Joo Dee" was actually a name given to women brainwashed by the Dai Li to serve as pliable agents.[14] The princess deemed these brainwashed individuals to be well suited to "execut[ing] the Fire Lord's will mercilessly and without question",[4] as they would be presentable faces who were firmly controlled by the Dai Li and Fire Nation.[1]
Rule and demise
The new government under Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator Joo Dee was announced to Ba Sing Se's public a few days after the beginning of the Fire Nation occupation.[4][15] Afterward, the Fire Army and Dai Li sought to stabilize their rule over the vast city,[15] although low-level clashes continued and violent punitive measures remained common.[15][3] The streets and monorail became subject to repeated, random searches by Fire Nation troops.[15] Fire Nation banners were put up at monorail stations and at the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace.[15][7]
On the Day of Black Sun, two revolutionaries βXuan and Jinβ broke into the quarters of the Joo Dees to rescue one of them, namely Jin's friend Suyin Wen.[1] This operation was foiled, as the local Dai Li guards under Inspector Heng had been forewarned.[16][17] Regardless, the incident damaged the trust of the secret police in the Joo Dees. A few days later, double agents freed Xuan and Jin from the palace prison, allowing them to escape and rescue Suyin after all.[6][18] As the latter's brainwashing had also worn off during these events, it furthered undermined the regime's regard of the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators.[18][2]
Over the following time, the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators officially continued to operate, but they were reportedly being replaced by an Earth Kingdom noble who was ready to voluntarily head the collaborator regime. This change was never publicly implemented,[2] as Fire Lord Ozai had already decided to destroy Ba Sing Se upon the arrival of Sozin's Comet and thus an adjustment of the collaborator regime became unnecessary.[2][19][20] In the weeks before the comet, Ba Sing Se's garrison was reinforced by additional Fire Army contingents. Yet at the same time, the revolutionary Silver Fangs also prepared for a full-scale insurgency in the city.[3][6][2]
When Sozin's Comet appeared over Ba Sing Se in summer 100 AG, the Order of the White Lotus and Silver Fangs together liberated Ba Sing Se, toppling the Fire Nation occupation and the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators' government.[7][20][8]
Politics and organization
Officially, there was just one Supreme Bureaucratic Administrator named Joo Dee,[15][1] but in reality the position was shared by an entire group of brainwashed Joo Dees who lived in a tightly-controlled section of the Earth Kingdom Royal Palace.[1][17] The group pretended to be one person and acted as the occupation's public representative, wearing expensive and regal clothing as they smiled and signed off all decrees drafted by the Fire Nation and Dai Li.[1][6] As a result of the destruction of the Lake Laogai base, the Dai Li were forced to regularly recalibrate the Joo Dees' brainwashing at a repurposed spa.[1][6]
Following the escape of Suyin Wen, the reliability of the remaining Joo Dees was questioned, whereupon a reorganization of the regime was implemented. To replace the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators, a voluntary collaborator of noble background was offered the head of government position; yet this change was not officially announced before the Liberation of Ba Sing Se.[2] In addition, the collaborator regime included a council to replace the previous Advisory Council of the Earth Monarchs.[2][21]
Policies
The Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators' government inherited the old bureaucracy of the Earth Kingdom, and sought to keep its system running to the Fire Nation's benefit. Notably, the judicial system was largely maintained under the occupation, and captured rebels in as well as outside Ba Sing Se were sent for judgement to the capital. However, corruption and non-compliance reduced the effectiveness of the regime.[15][3][6]
Furthermore, the regime signed and enacted many decrees which were designed to better control Ba Sing Se, for example through restrictions on movement as well as repeated inspections for contraband. The regime's policies and operations were announced through flyers.[15] The enforcement of the regime's policies was mainly entrusted to the local Fire Army garrison and Dai Li agents, with many new infractions being punishable by imprisonment.[15][3] In contrast to the relatively lenient and inclusive laws in older Fire Nation colonies,[22][23] the Fire Nation mainly relied on force and terror to cement the rule of the Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators.[15][2] The Dai Li also tried to blackmail people in working for them by threatening their family members.[14]
The Fire Nation and Dai Li used propaganda in an effort to reduce resistance with little success.[5][1][3] The government justified its own existence as being part of a movement toward the "grand joining of nations to become one".[5]
Reception
The Supreme Bureaucratic Administrators' government was fairly unpopular among Ba Sing Se's citizens. As the Fire Nation made few genuine efforts to win hearts and minds in the city, its local puppet regime was widely considered to be illegitimate and encountered much overt as well as covert resistance.[15][3] Many Earth Kingdom officials were willing to accept bribes by the Fire Nation to declare loyalty to the collaborator regime, yet still continued to secretly sabotage it.[6] Even some high-level figures within the government, such as Sumi, were actually double agents who worked for the Silver Fangs.[3]
Regardless, there were some actual supporters of the regime, though these were generally motivated by a chance to profit as well as increase their standing in the Fire Nation's "new world order".[18][2]
References
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