He particularly addresses the argument that the war in afghanistan was central to the fall of the soviet union. Trump was wrong about the soviet war in afghanistan the. Jan 29, 2019 president trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists. When the soviet union shocked the world by sending troops into afghanistan 40 years ago this december, few western observers guessed it was more thanks to. In his enlightening and refreshing book, largely based on russian. This is a provocative and important book, telling us what the soviet military was thinking and feeling as it lost its war in afghanistan. But a newly published cable underscores moscows fear that afghanistan would switch loyalties to the west.
Nominally a union of multiple national soviet republics, e in practice its government and economy were highly centralized. He analyzes the pdpas development through 1982 and closes with speculation on the degree of soviet commitment to communism in afghanistan. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Existing explanations of the soviet unions breakdown. The soviet withdrawal from afghanistan 1989 national. The soviet union, china and angloamerican intelligence in the afghan war library of middle east history only 1 left in stock more on the way. Within weeks, however, the majority khalqi faction had driven out the rival parchamis, only to. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, invasion of afghanistan in late december 1979 by troops from the soviet union. President trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle. The increased soviet defense spending and the war in afghanistan combined with a moribund economy forced the soviets to make difficult decisions.
The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. In warfare and more importantly its planning a question has always arisen since the failed the invasion of north india and by effect afghanistan by alexander of macedon. The book speaks of the illusion the soviet union created, the indoctrination the youth and the people were subjected to and the one can write about the beautiful things about this life with a certain ease, but to sit face to face with. By spring 1980, there were 81,000 soviet soldiers in afghanistan. The scene sums up much of the folly of the soviet war in afghanistan.
In pursuing this argument, a detailed and compelling analysis of the effects of the war upon the soviet union is provided. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was roundly. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan. Part of the cold war and the continuous afghanistan conflict. Afghanistan, the soviet unions last war book, 1995. Dec 20, 2019 on december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the soviet afghan friendship treaty of 1978 as midnight approached, the soviets organized a massive. This is a book afghanistan is ache in my soul in russian with illustrations and hard cover. Russian soviet book photo propaganda war afghanistan ussr. The soviet unions almost accidental war in afghanistan. During world war ii, joseph stalin was forced to move his biological warfare bw operations out of the path of advancing german forces and may have used tularemia against german troops in 1942 near stalingrad by 1960, numerous bw research facilities existed throughout the soviet union.
Jan 12, 2017 in 1979, soviet troops entered afghanistan and for the next decade the ussr was mired in a conflict that eventually caused the country to unravel. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. The soviet defeat changed the course of world politics. Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the 20th. The soviets recognized this, perhaps a little too late for it to really do them again good, but at least they learned from their mistakes in afghanistan and this book is a product of that learning. Oct 10, 2006 the first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Russian soviet book photo army propaganda war afghanistan.
One of those legacies will surely be architectural. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished prosoviet regime in kabul. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords.
Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. Dec 25, 2019 by spring 1980, there were 81,000 soviet soldiers in afghanistan. Millennium this book is a masterly account not only of the soviet union s last war, but of the last days of the ussr itself. On december 27, 1979, the ussr invaded afghanistan to save an endangered communist regime. The book contains information on the soviet forces, the army of the democratic republic of afghanistan dra and the many mujahideen groups. It was a oneparty state governed by the communist party, with moscow as its. The newsbreaking book that has sent shockwaves through the bush white house, ghost wars is the most accurate and revealing account yet of the cias secret involvement in alqaedas evolution. Russia will be bogged down into syrian quagmire just like soviet union did in afghanistan.
By far the most useful portions of the book are ha r ri s o ns ch a p ters, a l t h o u g h the autobi o gra p hical su pp l em e nts by cordovez provide supporting detail. Next, we outline the role of the afghanistan war in the breakdown of the soviet union and provide evidence in support of our contention. Though the soviet union departed afghanistan 25 years ago, its decadelong presence left the countrys capital, kabul, with an abundance of yellow sovietmade volga cabs, a spate of new industrial enterprises, and an increase in the number of medical clinics, academic institutions, and urban transportation infrastructure. That government collapsed only when the soviet union collapsed, and gorbachevs successor, boris yeltsin, decided to end all russian aid, in money and kind, to afghanistan. Soviet and mujahideen uniforms, clothing, and equipment in the sovietafghan war, 19791989. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, pakistan. Soviet failure to quell the afghan mujahideen insurgency. Therefore details of the conflict, the build up to it, and the aftermath were very sketchy due to the secretive soviet regime at the time. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Jan 04, 2019 when the soviet union shocked the world by sending troops into afghanistan 40 years ago this december, few western observers guessed it was more thanks to accident and blunder than a conscious.
Sovietafghanistan war overview history of war in the. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a friendly and socialist. Though the soviet union departed afghanistan 25 years ago, its decadelong presence left the countrys capital, kabul, with an abundance. The soviet union, worried about losing face and global power moved quickly to protect their interests in afghanistan and the region as a whole, on december 12 th, 1979 soviet forces first moved into afghanistan for what they thought would be would be a quick fought war. Afghanistan, the soviet unions last war book, 2001. Feb 23, 2004 ghost wars relays the trials and tribulations that befell the cia spanning the years from the soviet invasion of afghanistan and the bombing of the american embassy in islamabad, pakistan in 1979, straight through to the assassination of ahmed shah massoud, the courageous tajik guerrilla leader and leader of the anti soviet and antitaliban. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. Apr 17, 2019 former congressman charlie wilson helped fund afghanistan s resistance to the soviet union. Apr 12, 2019 mohammad zahir shah of afghanistan overthrown in 1973. Insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government, mostly in the rural countryside.
President trump claimed the soviet union went to war in 1979 to battle terrorists. The group assessed that the deteriorating situation in afghanistan threatened the security of the soviet unions southern borders, which the united states and other countries could take advantage of by aiding the afghan regime. The major problem with the book is that at times it feels spotty. The soviets were unforgiving and used indiscriminate firepower in. Why was the war in afghanistan so difficult for the soviet. National security archive electronic briefing book no. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. The soviet union began a biological weapons program in the 1920s. Prizewinning journalist steve coll has spent years reporting from the middle east, accessed previously classified government files and interviewed.
His story was told in the book and film charlie wilsons war. War between the soviet union and afghan insurgents, 197989. The book was published in 1991 in the soviet union in moscow. In 1986 this number had grown to 120,000 and, finally, there were around 100,000 troops before withdrawals started in mid1988, according to rodric braithwaite in his 2011 book, afganzy pp122, 283. Former congressman charlie wilson helped fund afghanistans resistance to the soviet union. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. Written in a lively, penetrating style, yet with a wealth of detail and analysis, arnolds book reflects the intimate feel for the country that he acquired while serving there. Afghan political factions, leaders, the human rights and refugee problems, diplomatic efforts to settle conlict, and soviet measures to. In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major. The soviet union, officially the union of soviet socialist republics ussr, was a federal socialist state in northern eurasia that existed from 1922 to 1991 and was the largest country in the world. It is a glimpse into the tactical side of soviet operations, what worked, what didnt, and the importance of communicating those lessons to the frontline leaders. Many historians believe that in the end, the soviet war in afghanistan was key in destroying one of the cold war worlds two superpowers.
This is the unique story of gennadynikmamat, a former soviet soldier who was captured by the mujahideen during the soviet war in afghanistan. At the end of december 1979, the soviet union sent thousands of troops into afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of kabul and large portions of the country. This is the first book to study the impact of the war on russian politics and society. The soviet ussr intervention in afghanistan from 19791989 was a long drawn out conflict that bled supposedly unending soviet resources, and ultimately helped lead to a global shift in power.
Nominally a union of multiple national soviet republics, in practice its government and economy were highly centralized. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in. Zeckhauser, derek leebaert duke university press, 1983 political science 324 pages. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has stri. Mujahideen fighters in the kunar province of afghanistan in 1987. Mark galeotti the last war of the soviet superpower was played out against the backdrop of dramatic change within the ussr. A major theme of out of afghanistan is that both the soviet union and the united. The soviet unions last war was played out against the backdrop of dramatic change within the ussr. Short summary of the soviet war in afghanistan synonym. Oct, 2012 washington, dc, october, 2012 contrary to u. The soviet union s last war was played out against the backdrop of dramatic change within the ussr.
Russia and former soviet union national security archive. When the soviet union invaded afghanistan in 1979, the cold war was still well and truly in progress. He discusses the soviet unions involvement in the war and its effects on that country. The life of both sides were mainly miserable and the fighting was ruthless. The peoples democratic party of afghanistan, founded in 1965 but almost immediately riven into two hostile wings, had been induced by moscow into unifying in 1977 in order to seize power the following year. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. On december 24, 1979, the soviet union invades afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the sovietafghan friendship treaty of 1978 as midnight approached, the soviets organized a. This study is the first to adopt a broad perspective to identify the impact and. Sometimes referred to as the soviets version of the vietnam war, the soviet war in afghanistan ended up being a losing battle for the soviet union, and in many ways, accelerated the dissolution of communism in the east.
Mohammad zahir shah of afghanistan overthrown in 1973. Based on extensive use of soviet official and unofficial sources, as well as work with afghan veterans, it. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. As the united states haltingly finishes up its long presence in afghanistan, there is much to learn from the soviet experience about the type of legacy that the u. The russians held off the attackers and got the road open. The book tells the stories of soviet soldiers who took part in the soviet war and occupation of afghanistan. How did the soviet invasion of afghanistan impact the cold. He has produced a balanced, oftensympathetic work on the soviet unions long war in afghanistan that. The first official deployment of the soviet army into the kingdom of afghanistan began dec. Based on extensive use of soviet official and unofficial sources, as well as work with afghan veterans, it illustrates the way the war fed into a wide range of other processes, from the the soviet union s last war was played out against the backdrop of. Throughout the cold war, the united states and the soviet union competed for power and influence in different areas of the world. The sovietafghan war lasted over nine years, from december 1979 to february 1989. The soviet union began trying to build its influence in afghanistan.
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