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i got the soviet-afghan war and wow did that recontextualize a lot of things about the modern world
Such as?
bear in mind i was 10 during 9/11 so a lot of it was just upending things i had taken for granted. but like, how the US was pretty much allied with the taliban throughout the 80s, giving them training and weapons to fight against the soviet-friendly progressive, secular government of afghanistan.
The Soviet-friendly Afghan government wasn't a) progressive and b) wasn't secular. The government is explicitly Marxist-Leninist who oppressed and forced people to drop their religion as part of state atheism.
The progressivism and secularism you refer to was during the kingdom era before being overthrown by the communist Afghan military. The more liberal attitude is only contained in a bubble in the capital city of Kabul. The rest of 80% of Afghans are still religious conservatives living rural and in poverty. An Afghan female former politician lamented not seeing this because she grew up in liberal Kabul.
Also more importantly, it's a misconception that the US helped the Taliban. The mujahideen was composed of various factions, some are secular, some are conservative, while some are more Islamists. But, the ultraconservative elements only came later in more definite form under the Taliban, which defeated both the secular and conservative forces.
forced people to drop their religion as part of state atheism.
Sounds like
progressivism and secularism
To me
Forcing someone to change their beliefs is considered progressivism and secularism? I did not get the memo that progressives are authoritarians. What were the Afghans resisting the Soviets for then?
Getting rid of religion would be a major leap forward for humanity.
As much as I want religion to be gone, you can't force people to change their beliefs overnight. We frown upon forced conversion by one religion on another; why can't atheist apply the same standard to theists? That was the mistake of communist Afghans and it only led to a severe backlash of inducing the mostly conservative Afghans to become ultra-consenservative Islamists. Every reaction has an opposite but equal reaction. Social changes has to be organic.
ah yes, Islamists, the group of people well known to be religiously open and totally not forcing their shit on everyone else.
It is well known communists cracked down on religion because they are staunchly atheists.
Same as always
People that make those decisions want to continue to make those decisions
Charlie Wilson's War is a pretty great movie about that, starring Tom Hanks, directed by Mike Nichols and written by Aaron Sorkin, although it's more of a political satire and plays it fast and loose with the historical details.