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I read a piece in The Nation about Subic Bay in the Philippines and the problems that have existed there over the years as a result of the U.S. military presence—particularly prostitution and the shocking trade in Filipino brides. Shortly after that I saw a documentary on Douglas MacArthur that detailed the U.S. relationship to the Philippines during World War II.

That led me to wonder how we would react, as a nation and on a more personal level, if some greater power established a military outpost here the way we have done in many places around the world. It’s a topic I’ve found myself writing about in several stories in magazines like Analog and Isaac Asimov’s.

In this particular case, I also wondered how we would react if that greater power abandoned us to the enemy the way we abandoned the Filipinos.

There is a narrow brutality to that sort of imperialist thinking—we seem so willing to sacrifice others for our welfare—how would we handle the reverse of that? How would the great power’s arrival corrupt us? And what might be the final outcome of that corruption? “War Bride” tries to speak to these questions.

Harlan Ellison’s published works include over 1,700 short stories, novellas, screenplays, teleplays, essays, and a wide range of criticism covering literature, film, television, and print media. He was editor and anthologist for two groundbreaking science fiction anthologies, Dangerous Visions (1967) and Again, Dangerous Visions (1972). Ellison has won several awards, including the World Fantasy Award and multiple Hugo, Nebula, and Edgar prizes. Visit http://harlanellison.com for more information.