Revisionist History.

To give all the credit to either Wilson or Reagan would still be over-simplifying the issue.
As I have said before, this book/movie is not the whole story.
Anyone who does want to know the whole story needs to read, ' Ghost Wars ' by Steve Coll, and then draw your own conclusions.

M

I agree with you that Reagan could have made an impact but he didn't. That's not to say Reagan should not be given some of the credit for what happened. Reagan did not oppose what Charlie Wilson was actively pursuing. Reagan would have been in favor of anything that would have weakened the Soviets. I just think Reagan wasn't overly concerned about Afghanistan and was focusing more on the Soviets directly in Europe and fighting Communism in South America. He took a much more active role in fighting and directing actions against Communism in South America. Since Wilson and the CIA were doing fine in Afghanistan, I think Reagan didn't care. If no one else had stepped up to support Afghanistan, maybe Reagan would have done something but we'll never know. I just think Reagan saw the positive results and the damage it was causing the Soviets and didn't interfer. I'm sure he knew what was going on but Reagan wasn't a detail guy. He saw the bigger picture which was to bring down the Soviets. He knew the Soviets were on their last legs and couldn't compete with the US if the US started out spending them and forcing them to try and keep up. Reagan didn't get involved with details, he left that up to people like Oliver North to put together the actual plan on the ground. Same goes for Afghanistan. He let Wilson oversee the details.

President Carter sharply rebuked the Soviets and boycotted the Olympics (the latter of which I oppose..he screwed our athletes, but did make Russia Squeal) Under Soviet Russia, women in Afghanistan were treated as equals they tried to modernize things, stamp out extremism. There may have been atrocities, but this was mostly against the Taliban fighters it was not Genocide.

Remember that Afghanistan is right on the Soviet border, and, unlike a Poland, say, was willing and able to undermine it. The Caucuses and Chechnya continue to be very dangerous to non-Soviet Russia.

Reagan was an *beep* The movie is better off without him

Reagan was a figurehead he never made a decision of his own while he was in office.

That corrupt piece of shyt Reagan never made a decision in his life. That's why he flipflopped so much. There is no need to include someone so unimportant in the movie.

This guy behind the president had more say than Reagan.
https://youtu.be/QTcL6Xc_eMM

It's revisionist history. Notice no or very little mention of Reagan? He was the PRESIDENT. Come on people smart up. Without Reagan behind it, it never happens, OK? BTW Charlie Wilson was a Democrat so go figure that they make a film about it with zero mention of Reagan. America is really really close to third world status with all the slanted entertainment media. You know what heroic films were made of Reagan's presidency? NONE. Pathetic.

Back in the 1980s, there were still significant numbers of "Blue Dogs" or "Boll Weevils", non-Commiecrat Democrats, in Congress. Reagan had to work with these people to get things done, and he did that all the time.

I get you about Left bias, but here, the role of Rep. Charles Wilson is accurate.

Thank Gawd they left that baffoon out of it. This was about the people who made it happen. It's about Charlie Wilson. I sense you have a problem with C.W. being a Dem? As if that mattered. He was an American patriot who got the job done. Too bad they didn't finish it with schools and education. At that time USA was their collective hero. Maybe with prosperity hope could have been a commodity.