Google 1970s Iran vs now. It’s an interesting contrast of how quickly societies can change; and some would argue, not towards the future but backwards.
Google 1970s Iran vs now. It’s an interesting contrast of how quickly societies can change; and some would argue, not towards the future but backwards.
Afghanistan in the 1970s was similarly culturally ascendent and relatively progressive.
See, e.g.,:
https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/afghanistan-in-the-1970s
And then America Happened
Hey now, that was a cold war two-for-one.
The Soviets moreso than the US in the case of Afghanistan.
The country actually received substantial modernization aid from both, but eventually went through a series of coups that culminated in the Soviet invasion of the country and the rise of the mujaheddin.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Afghanistan#Barakzai_dynasty_and_British_wars
The US isn’t blameless in how the country turned out, but it’s a much less direct line than it is with Iran.
The Sovjets came at the invitation of the current government of that time. Also Afghanistan being pushed towards the Sovjets is a result of the US propping up Pakistan, which was proxy-warring against Afghanistan.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet–Afghan_War
I would argue all colonial powers are of similiar blame in repeatedly fucking Afghanistan over.
“The current government of that time” was a communist regime that seized power after multiple successive coups and was deeply unpopular in much of the country. While your statement is technically true, it leaves out a massive amount of context.
That does get to the underlying point I was hinting at: imperialism is generally net harmful in all its flavors, whether that’s capitalist imperialism or communist imperialism.