I’ve always read it as at least a little bit a comment on the Iraq war, but what’s it’s deal? It’s the only anime I can think of that climaxes with a military coup, and its cool that mustang wants to put people on trial for war crimes, but then he gets in power and doesn’t do it.
It’s also just got a whole plotline about racism, but it feels slightly off? Like minorities are okay if they save your life.
The government is indeed pretty fascist. It’s a state military dictatorship headed by Führer Bradley. It appears to be a meritocracy based in individual prowess at alchemy, which fits in nicely with the power fantasy of fascist societies. I think there could have been a very pointed critique here given that the brothers are furiously opposed to the state despite participating in it. But the political intrigue angle on the corruption and the kind of hard magic stuff muddled that