Checks and balances is the answer.
In "the rockpile" by James Baldwin, the rockpile is both a setting and a symbol. What represents the rockpile is that it tags with freedom and danger that comes along with a price that must be paid. The rockpile is a foundation that keeps many people safe but also dangerous if tampered.
I'm pretty sure its the 'Warsaw Pact'
Hot dry climates can dry out the crops that the farmers plant
