Message from @FLanon
Discord ID: 432901512977711114
Yea
Why did the Soviets even invade Afghanistan?
I think just for more clay
They had plenty holdings in central Asia
The Afghans overthrew the socialist government, so they retaliated with an invasion
Maybe they wanted Naval Ports on the Indian Ocean
They wanted more influence in the region
Afghanistan offers a port to South Asia and the Middle East
Wasn’t it because they were afraid of Islamic revolutions in their southern republics because they were Atheist?
They were
If I were them I'd be planning for an eventual railroad/ highway going from Moscow to the Indian Ocean
The islamic governments were anti-communist to a large extent
Like a forced version of their roads to Crimea
Although Iran did have some backhanded cooperation with both sides
Many of the secular MENA governments were socialist systems propped up by Soviets
Libya, Iraq, Syria, etc
Yeah
In the fall of the cold war, those sort of governments are necessary to protect religious minorities
Iraq went somewhat fundamentalist after the first gulf war
And yea mostly
There is a huge problem of Christians getting killed in the Middle East tho
Yeah, of course.
Reason u don't see more Arab Christians or Coptic Christian Egyptians is bc of such atrocities
Yeah, islamic theocracies have a large tendency to force against christians in the ME
That's the reason we need to keep Assad and why we should have kept Hussein and Gaddafi
Even though Tribal religious tendencies are strong in even "monotheistic" African peoples .... a lot of the tension in Africa is Islam vs Christian
Democracy does not work in the ME
Tito helped reign in Yugoslavia, but unlike other socialist dictatorships in fractured regions Tito's regime didn't have a clearly established line of succession
Succession is almost more important in these types of Govts than in Monarchies of old
I hear most people in Saudi Arabia are on the govt dole and only a scarce few natives actually work
Something like a 75% labor non participation rate if u include women iirc
Or 50% if u look at men
I don't think Socialist Monarchies are a long term solution ....
But USA has had reason to be "allied" with several of these "Oil socialist" nations.
Especially after Soviet Union fell
Democracy in ME almost always goes to Islamic Theocracy it's just a fact.
That fear stopped Bush Sr from finishing the job in the first gulf war ...
But that was a huge mistake
He should have kept going in first gulf war and oversaw some sort of power transfer
His withdrawal hurt the Kurdish people, in the tens of thousands iirc