In the darker places of the region, you can understand the agnosticism of the cities vis a vis East and West. The point is to get to the light, and the work of the day is to get closer to the light, and transmit more of the light. Faced with a decison between the resources of a distant superpower and the connection to a regional center of civilization and and culture, whatever the political alignment of that city, perhaps part of the deal is that choosing the first option means that spiritually, the place will have to make do for itself. Sufficient is the day. No simple highway.
Taking things on a simple East--West dichotomy in this part of the world is like reading a roadmap when planning a hiking trip. There's also the topological factors to consider. Elevations. De profundis. In situ, these things mean much more than the reality suggested by the simple colored lines.