"The threat of nuclear confrontation in South Africa escalated today when the ruling white military government of that besieged city-state unveiled a French-made neutron bomb and affirmed its willingness to use the three-megaton device as the city's last line of defense."

This is the news report in the actual first minute of RoboCop. Apartheid had fallen, the last retreat of capital is considering nuclear annihilation with the help of Europe. Reminder, RoboCop was made in '87, written before. If anyone has read some of the shadier history of apartheid SA at the time (bio-weapons, UK/western involvement etc) this is more of an oversimplification than something actually far-fetched.

Paul Verhoeven gets a lot of praise for big, bold, anti-capitalist and anti-fash themes. He should get more praise for the details.