Quote:
Originally Posted by unipus
This is definitely a part of the 4e timeline that takes some chewing to swallow. Why would any nation be eager to get into bed with the Soviet Union? It can't be doing all that much better than historically, economically. The Warsaw Pact has collapsed. The USSR itself can be seen as an illegitimate state since it has only been preserved by an armed coup. It's hard to see anyone who has a choice in the matter seeing the Soviets as a good one.
What's missing, I think, is a demonstration of power from the Soviet Union that could convince others that they're the winning side.
Today, you have countries siding with Russia because they have fears about over-expansion from the West. But that's taken 30 years to develop.
|
Here's what I have from the Ref Manual so far:
1994 - Spike in global oil prices and economic reform leads to economic prosperity and reformation of the Red Army begins. The USSR closes the troop technology quality gap with the US over the next couple of years.
1995 - Kryuchkov says the Baltic states leaving the USSR was due to a CIA plot.
May 9 1996 - USSR invades Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and brings them under Soviet rule within a week. US response is tepid. Soviet forces move to the borders of Poland and Finland.
1997 - West takes office and the US bolsters troops in Europe. Kryuchkov sees it as an existential threat, and orders a false flag, followed by an invasion of Poland. This triggers the US to start a bombing campaign against Soviet forces in Poland. The USSR responds in kind by striking US bases in the UK, Germany, and Turkey. The USSR advance approaches the Polish border, and NATO/US forces are sent to the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania. The USSR responds by invading much of eastern Europe.
Options developed from canon for why some of the nations jumped in bed with the USSR:
- I can't see Iran and Syria being overly dependent on Russian oil, but perhaps they're so eager to get at Israel that they join the US's enemy?
- Maybe the Baltic states leaving really was a CIA plot. Or at least Russia was able to convince a few nations of such.
- The show of force against the Baltic states is powerful enough to convince some nations.
- Some nations believe Russia's false flag against Poland, and see the US as the aggressor?