What are the motifs in The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin?

Politics is a recurring idea in the story. Because Genly Ai is a stranger, he does not know the cultural expectations in Karhide or Orgoreyn, but as a diplomat he is required to live among the highest levels of government and therefore experiences concentrated forms of each culture's thought patterns. In Karhide, where the government is a monarchy, people are more direct about what they think. It is the Karhide government that allows Ai to live openly as an alien from another planet, that broadcasts news about his arrival on the radio.