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NOTE: Apologies to newer Patreon backers, this video was made a while ago and so the list at the end is not up to date! Missing is: Andy Garcia.
2015's METAL GEAR SOLID V: THE PHANTOM PAIN opens in Cyprus, where a conflict has continued to smolder since 1974. In this video, as part two of my analysis of the importance of setting to MGSV at large, we take a deep dive into the history of Cyprus, mainly focusing on the 20th Century, in order to examine how the island, with its unique blend of cultures and long history, fits into MGSV's wider themes.
Along the way, we also wind up discussing the Greek Civil War that followed World War 2, and how the Truman Doctrine was issued in response. As a result, a 'new kind of war' was born - one that was waged in respect to the new threat provided by nuclear weapons, and one that paved the way, to some degree, for the 21st Century's War on Terror.
Lastly, we also discuss Anglo-American internationalism, the empty promise of the Soviet system, and other 'groups above nations' like NATO and the United Nations. I put forward the controversial idea that such bodies are arguably, the direct descendants of colonialism, and use Mark Mazower's 'No Enchanted Palace' to speculate whether, specifically, the 'special relationship' created between America and the UK in the early 20th Century did not perpetuate a system of continued racial dominion.
As a last note, I did my best researching a lot of controversial and sensitive subjects here. I'm bound to get at least a few things slightly wrong, so please let me know in the comments if you notice anything amiss. The reason I call what I do 'essays' is because I don't consider myself a historian: this is my best attempt at interpreting history, totally subjectively, through the lens of MGSV.