Comment by cogman10

I agree. A foreign powered civil war is worse than that.

Thriving in a dictatorship, even not as an enforcer, is possible. It's a worse life in general but still a life you can live.

Generally speaking, the only life that truly sucks in a dictatorship is if you become an enemy of the state. That doesn't generally apply to all citizens because, if it did, a dicatorship would quickly end in revolt. That is the theory behind strong sanctions. It's believed that if you starve a nation eventually the citizens revolt. The problem is it takes little resources to keep people happy, ultimately.