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Tom Clancy wrote most of his books (arguably the better ones) before 9/11. The Jack Ryan series started before the Berlin Wall fell and didn't deal with Al Qaeda until 2006 with the Teeth of the Tiger. While U.S./Russia relations have changed dramatically in the last two decades, I wouldn't exactly call them allies. There is still significant Russian longing for the Good Old Days of the U.S.S.R.; and will be around for at least another generation.
That is all true, but the movie is not based on a book, and appears to be set in the present day, not during the Cold War.
That is all true, but the movie is not based on a book, and appears to be set in the present day, not during the Cold War.
So, why modern day Russia?
Like I said, there's a significant minority in Russia that wished to return to the past (not unlike U.S. conservatives that long for the 1950's). Perhaps a small cabal of them gain some traction in the Putin administration and launch a plan to destabilize the U.S. for the Glory of Mother Russia. Not too far fetched to imagine. Now imagine if they managed to manipulate Chechen Muslim seperatists to attack the U.S.; deflecting blame from the true perpretrators. Ponder that for a second...
Does Harrier not know that the Clancy novels were all written when the USSR was the enemy? Does Harrier think someone should rewrite Clancy to substitute Muslims? Would Harrier like to suggest same to Mr. Clancy?
Harrier thinks that JMQueen ought to research Tom Clancy better.
If we take the year 1992 as the date which Russia was no longer our enemy(noting that the SU collapsed in late 1991), then we can list the novels written by Mr. Clancy prior to that year. They include The Hunt for Red October - 1984), Red Storm Rising - 1986, Patriot Games - 1987, Cardinal of the Kremlin - 1988, Clear and Present Danger - 1989, and Sum of All Fears - 1991.
Of those six novels, only three revolve around a plot that pits the U.S.A and the S.U. against each other. The Sum of all Fears does feature armed conflict between the two, but that is engineered by the story's main bad guys(Muslim terrorists). The other two that don't have the Soviet Union as a main enemy are Clear and Present Danger(drug cartels) and Patriot Games(IRA).
Since 1991 - Mr. Clancy has written 10 more novels in the Jack Ryan vein(plus two others that are unrelated), most of which reflect the reality of the changing world and portray the Soviet Union as our ally. The exception would be Without Remorse, which is set during the Vietnam War.
So, it appears that you are wrong that all of TC books were written when Russia was the enemy, unless you still consider them to be our enemy.
Anyone with the teensiest bit of internet savvy would be able to go to their webs and check to see when, in the illustrious career of Mr. Ryan, this new movie takes place.
As it takes place very early in his career, ie. BEFORE "The Hunt for Red October," it makes all kinds of sense that Russians would still be the major global bad guys. It would also serve to explain how Mr. Ryan became the expert on the USSR that he is clearly portrayed as in that same story.
The expectation is that this is just the first of a new series of movies with that same character that will follow his career from its beginnings.
Hardly matters in any event, as it is FICTION, and not a current affairs documentary.
Like I said, there's a significant minority in Russia that wished to return to the past (not unlike U.S. conservatives that long for the 1950's). Perhaps a small cabal of them gain some traction in the Putin administration and launch a plan to destabilize the U.S. for the Glory of Mother Russia. Not too far fetched to imagine. Now imagine if they managed to manipulate Chechen Muslim seperatists to attack the U.S.; deflecting blame from the true perpretrators. Ponder that for a second...
How would destabilizing the U.S. economy further an objective of reinstating Soviet Russia?
As it takes place very early in his career, ie. BEFORE "The Hunt for Red October," it makes all kinds of sense that Russians would still be the major global bad guys. It would also serve to explain how Mr. Ryan became the expert on the USSR that he is clearly portrayed as in that same story.
That could be accomplished by making a movie based on Red Rabbit.
The events in that book take place in between the events of Patriot Games and The Hunt for Red October, involve Ryan being intimately involved in Russian intelligence analysis and a covert operation involving a KGB agent, and also explain how he came to be stationed in England during the events of The Hunt for Red October.
Besides, has there ever been a major movie made about the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II?
Better to build a story around what the Russians may have done, rather then what some screenwriter imagines that they might do.
I just looked up details on the movie, and it's a prequel. The movie is about Jack Ryan BEFORE he joins the CIA, which would be well before 9/11 and during the time Russians were the bad guys...it wouldn't even make sense to have the protagonists made Middle Eastern in this case.
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