Chamblee54

The Russian Federation recently Putin put in some tasteless regulations about homosexuals. The knee jerk reaction of some is to boycott something Russian. The 2014 Winter Olympics are scheduled to be held in Russia. Some say there should be a rainbow hued boycott. A look at recent history makes one wonder if this is really a good idea.
In 1979, Russia was the dominant republic in the Soviet Union. On December 24, 1979, with possible provocation from the United States, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. A war ensued, with many women and children killed by the invading army.
The 1980 Olympics were held in Moscow, the Soviet Capitol. The United States decided to protest the invasion of Afghanistan by boycotting the Moscow Olympics. To get even, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles.
The American boycott had little impact on the war in Afghanistan. American arms shipments to the rebel forces did have an impact on the war. The Soviet army was defeated, and the Soviet Union collapsed soon afterwards.
After the Soviets left, the rebels had weapons left over. The rebels became the Taliban, and Al Queda. The result was 911, ruinous wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and economic hardship. Is this what happens when you boycott Russia? Pictures from The Library of Congress.