...the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in an effort to preserve the communist government and ensure its own security, but it failed due to the superior tactics of guerilla fighters in a unique landscape and the United States’ support of the Afghan rebels. This war between Soviet forces and Afghan rebels was a struggle between the communist government and its opposition. The Soviet Union was unable to adjust to the terrain and battle space and was forced to withdrawal. This struggle highlights the strategic game that the United States and the Soviet Union played to prevent control by one another during the Cold War. According to Joseph Collins’ analysis of the Soviet invasion, the motives for the Soviets to invade Afghanistan...
Words: 2089 - Pages: 9
...During the history of the Soviet Union, which is dominated by its traditions of various foreign military interventions. The Soviet invasion of, and subsequent war with Afghanistan (1979-1989) stands out, as a lasting legacy of the Cold War. Worldwide, the outcome of this invasion continues to plague the international scene, as the world struggles between a Western democratic order and Islamic extremism not only in Afghanistan, but region wide. The invasion of Afghanistan by Russia was an attempt to stabilize a communist regime backed by them, while also trying to remove a current government at the same time. On 27 April 1978, the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA), a Marxist organization led by Nur Mohammed Taraki, seized control of the country. Soon after seizing power, the Taraki regime announced a traditional Marxist-Leninist reform program, including the establishment of full women's rights and the implementation of land reform. Although the reforms threatened to undermine Afghan cultural traditions, widespread resistance did not begin until the summer of 1978 when revolts spread throughout Afghanistan's provinces and cities....
Words: 991 - Pages: 4
...The Carter Doctrine and the Effects in Afghanistan POL 300 July 28, 2013 Professor Koltochnik Adreion Rice Assignment 2 As recorded, The Carter Doctrine was a policy proclaimed by the president of the United States Jimmy Carter in his State of the Union address on January 23, 1980, which stated that United States would use military force if necessary to defend its national interest in the Persian Gulf region. The doctrine was a response to the 1979 invasion of Afghanistan by Soviet Union, and was intended to deter the Soviet Union-the Cold war adversary of the United States-from seeking hegemony in the Gulf. After stating that Soviet troops in Afghanistan posed “a grave threat to the free movement of middle east oil,” Carter proclaimed: The region which is now threatened by Soviet troops in Afghanistan is of great strategic importance: It contains more than two-thirds of the world's exportable oil. The Soviet effort to dominate Afghanistan has brought Soviet military forces to within 300 miles of the Indian Ocean and close to the Straits of Hormuz, a waterway through which most of the world's oil must flow. The Soviet Union is now attempting to consolidate a strategic position, therefore, that poses a grave threat to the free movement of Middle East oil. When Carter assumed office in 1977, he was a tabula rasa, the perfect American innocent in a world set in its ways. Predictions of how he would behave were few, and those that were attempted were based on Carter’s...
Words: 1194 - Pages: 5
...Vietnam/Afghanistan According to KULAKOV the Vietnam-Afghanistan war erupted because the Soviet leadership was informed about the deployment of an American medium range missiles in Europe by the North Atlantic Council. The leaders of the Soviet Union sent troops to Afghanistan and tried to support the national security interests. Major cities and centers of power were seized as a result of sending Soviet troops to Afghanistan. Other causes of the war were: betrayal of Ancient relationship, instability of Afghanistan, ethnic divisions within Afghanistan, perception of Muslim Regimes and US-Soviet competition during the cold war. The two wars were important because, they facilitated innovations. When it became clear that other tactics failed, innovations based on military expeditions were tested and put into use. Some of the innovations include new ways of using the air assault tactics, enveloping detachments, the armed group concept and helicopter gunship tactics. The role of the two superpowers in the two conflicts is that they supported war rationale, provided that the two countries supported their interests. The two superpowers also maintained domestic and international support in the two countries. The United States at one point tried to convince Afghanistan to be under the Western influence by donating money to support Afghanistan projects, for instance the Helmand Valley project. The Soviet Union also supported Afghanistan when they...
Words: 584 - Pages: 3
...occupy Afghanistan in December 1979 in order to support the Soviet backed People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) was largely influenced by the Brezhnev Doctrine. The anti-government uprisings that took place in 1979 were seen by the USSR as “hostile to socialism” [1]. The USSR’s reasons for invading were based mainly on the Brezhnev Doctrine (SOURCE 6), thus showing that Soviet foreign policy contributed to the occupation to a large extent. The USSR saw military intervention as necessary to keep Afghanistan in their sphere of influence and therefore supported the under-threat communist government, (SOURCE 6). The USSR saw this as a more direct way of keeping their PDPA allies in power. However, some argue...
Words: 719 - Pages: 3
...Syrian President Bashar Assad warned against Western intervention in his country's 7-month-old uprising, saying such action would trigger an "earthquake" that "would burn the whole region." Assad comments were made against a backdrop of growing calls from anti-regime protesters for a no-fly zone over Syria and increasingly frequent clashes between government troops and army deserters, the most recent of which left at least 30 troops dead Saturday. I still think Western intervention will be appropriate if civilians continue to be hurt in the region. Syria has gone through drastic changes recently. The Arab League foreign ministers meeting approved sanctions against Syria on Nov. 27, the US Navy has dispatched an aircraft carrier for Syrian coastal waters, and the United States, Turkey and other countries have started evacuating nationals from Syria. These concerns have become the focus of world attention. Western intervention in the Syrian situation is a strategic consideration that has to do with reshaping the regional order, while the intensity of intervention mainly depends on the development and evolution of the state of affairs. The Western countries, represented by the United States, have increasingly intensified regional intervention to avoid becoming the biggest loser in the wave of the Middle East, and taken different treatments and multiple standards among the Middle Eastern countries according to their needs. The situations inside and outside Syria have undergone...
Words: 1183 - Pages: 5
...By Uma Kanjinghat AFGHANISTAN Introduction Afghanistan is a landlocked country in central Asia. The full name of the country is Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. Afghanistan has a population of 33.4 million (UN, 2012). The capital of the country is Kabul which is also the largest one. The major religion in Afghanistan is Islam. The main exports that support the economy of Afghanistan are fruit and nuts, carpets, wool and opium. According to World Bank the Gross National Income per capita is US $470 (Afghanistan profile, 2014). Afghanistan has abundant natural resources. Afghanistan has abundant of coal, iron, chrome, copper and salt deposits. It has also have small deposits of uranium, silver and gold. Natural gas is the richest source of hydrocarbon in Afghanistan. Considerable amount of oil deposits are documented but not yet evaluated (Library of Congress , 2008). Afghanistan has experienced serious instability and turbulence in the modern era which is ruining the economy and infrastructure. This instability has pushed majority of population into refugees (Afghanistan profile, 2014). Afghanistan was the 6th largest receiver of official humanitarian aid in 2012. The total aid received by Afghanistan came around 32% of Gross National Income. The vulnerability index score in 2012-13 in Afghanistan is high (Global Humanitarian Assistance, n.d.). Underlying factors of the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan The humanitarian crisis affected in Afghanistan are armed conflicts...
Words: 1778 - Pages: 8
...must not break faith with those who are risking their lives--on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua--to defy Soviet aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth. Support for freedom fighters is self-defense.” (Reagan, 1985, Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents 21, no. 6). This theme was expanded upon afterwards by then Secretary of State George Shultz, and picked up by journalists, most notably Charles Krauthammer who was first to give the Reagan Doctrine its name in his column in the April 1, 1985 issue of Time magazine. The Reagan Doctrine contended that the United States had a duty to oppose the spread of communist dictatorships and to support the freedom fighters that were part of insurgencies defying Soviet aggression. Its policies were rooted in the 1950s anti-communist doctrines long supported by Americans; however it differed in that “containment” was no longer its only goal. Under the Reagan doctrinal policy it was now permissible to support freedom fighters seeking to throw off governments in counties suffering under communist domination. The rhetorical outpouring of the Reagan Doctrine was much more universal than its actual enactment of policy. This was attributed largely to the impact on U.S. interests, and the theorized effects of intervention on the stability of the overall region. The Reagan Doctrine was actually exercised in Afghanistan over three presidential administrations, since aid began in the Carter Administration...
Words: 1068 - Pages: 5
...and the American people to stand up to the Soviet Union, what he had previously called the “Evil Empire”. From this State of the Union came the well-known Reagan Doctrine of 1985. This doctrine defined American interests around the globe and its determination of preventing communism from expanding. “The Reagan Doctrine proclaims overt and unashamed American support for anti-Communist revolution. It is intended to establish a new, firmer--a doctrinal--foundation for such support by declaring equally worthy all armed resistance to communism, whether foreign or indigenously imposed.” (Krauthammer, 1985). A situation that required the United States diplomatic efforts during President Reagan’s time in office was the rapidly growing expansion of the Soviet Union in East Asia, Indies and the Middle East. Another situation was the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan which had begun in 1979. Previously, the Carter administration had little hesitation in coming to the aid of Afghanistan after the invasion. At the time, the United States had the understanding that the Soviet Union would eventually become Middle East and would be able to gain control of the oil fields. Two events increased U.S.-Soviet tensions: the suppression of the Solidarity labor movement in Poland in December 1981, and the destruction of an off-course civilian airliner by a Soviet jet fighter in 1983. The United States also condemned the continuing Soviet occupation of Afghanistan and provided aid to the mujahidin resistance...
Words: 1191 - Pages: 5
... Tear down this wall!” That was his challenge to the Soviet leader. Like presidents before him present Reagan had established a doctrine to eradicate the Soviet influence on the world. Ronald Reagan was not the first to propose a doctrine to fight the Soviet nation. In fact, he was just following in the footsteps of his predecessors. The Reagan doctrine was similar to of Truman, Eisenhower, Nixon and Carter in that they all wanted containment of the Soviet Union, but were as they used a more defensive method Reagan deployed a more Offensive style to dealing communist-controlled countries. Reagan laid out his interpretation of his doctrine at his State of the Union Address on February 6, 1985. "We must not break faith with those who are risking their lives on every continent from Afghanistan to Nicaragua to defy Soviet-supported aggression and secure rights which have been ours from birth . . . Support for freedom fighters is self-defense." He went on to explain how he thought that Truman’s version of containment, originally designed to halt Stalin in Europe was now obsolete. President Reagan’s doctrine facilitated the use of US involvement in places like Angola where the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) fought against the Soviet and Cuban backed Angolan government. US involvement was also present in Afghanistan when in December 1979 the USSR invaded. At the request of the Afghan Government the Soviet army crossed Afghan’s northern borders to assist the pro-communisis...
Words: 937 - Pages: 4
...Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan The Invasion of Afghanistan marked the beginning one of the darkest decades in Soviet political action. One of the most decisive event in the latter half of the Cold War, it raised tensions once again and put the two superpowers butting heads once again. A 10 year war that pitted the Soviets against the Mujahedeen backed by many western and fellow Arab nations. Countries had different reasons to support the fight against the Soviets such as the Americans who saw it as another Cold War struggle, to Egypt and other fellow Muslim nations it was to assist a fellow Muslim population fight back against the atheist invaders. This invasion of Afghanistan was met with a worldwide outcry for the USSR to immediately pull out and stop the fighting. The Soviet equivalent of Vietnam, this was a conflict that they realized was unwinnable far too late into the endeavor. This event brought the world to the end of Détente and created high tensions through much of the 1980’s. When the Soviet paratroopers landed over Kabul on Christmas of 1979 the time for current Prime Minister Hazifullah Amin was quickly running out. He was a very unpopular leader with many ideals that did line up with Moscow, however they decided that his time leading the nation was up. On December 27th Soviet troops stormed his palace and murdered him with most of his family. He was almost immediately replaced by Babrak Kamal, a politician who depended very heavily on the Soviet forces to stay...
Words: 2127 - Pages: 9
...At the beginning of the Soviet Union, all things that were seen as tools of capitalism were disavowed, this included competitive games. Therefore, the Soviet Union denied to take an interest in the international Olympic Games. However, by the 1930s the Soviet Union started to take an alternate position concerning competitive game. The USSR saw the Olympics as a way to show the Soviet power. The Games gave a chance to demonstrate the predominance of the Soviet Union to the world, and to their own kin. Because of World War II. The Soviet Union did not join the Olympic Games until 1952.The Olympic Games are not only a progression of rivalries that bring the countries of the world together, there is more goes into the Games. For instance, legislative and political issues play a persuasive factor with regards to the Olympics. Subsequently, the developing political scene in the Soviet Union from the 1950s to the fall of the USSR can be followed through the Olympics. The Olympics not just show the political setting inside the Soviet Union, additionally how foreign relations developed between the USSR and other countries of the world. The Russians entered the Olympics without precedent for 1952 . In 1972,...
Words: 1639 - Pages: 7
...University Rockville Campus Sociology of Undeveloped Country SOC 300 First Movie Evaluation OSAMA Submitted to: Dr. M. Nazer Saba Kewani 05/01/2013 The Women of Afghanistan: Culture and Educational Suppression In many parts of the world, the laws of a country are dictated by traditional customary practices and religious influence. Religion can heavily influence cultural practices, laws and in particular the extent of rights bestowed upon its citizenry. In Afghanistan religious beliefs dictate the way and the type of laws enforced upon men and women differently. Men are afforded a number of rights denied to women who include voting, driving, style of dress and education to name a few. The movie, Osama, describes how women are treated and what they go through to provide food, shelter and cloth for their family. The movie shows how the women of Afghanistan protests and try to fight for their right to work and be able to survive. Osama is a girl whose father died in war and was forced to change her identity in order to provide for her family. The movie Osama shows the obstacle a nine years old girl goes through and when she’s caught, the punishment is to either kill her or wed her to one of the oldest guy who already has three wives. In regards to education, Afghanistan legal stance has shifted over the last one hundred years. Subsequent to Afghanistan’s independence from Great Britain, King Amanullah in 1919 adopted reforms to enhance...
Words: 517 - Pages: 3
...In April of 1978, a military coup brought a leftwing “PDPA” (People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan) to power. After some convincing by Afghanistan's President Taraki, Moscow sent hundreds of advisers to advance socialism. The USSR ensured its position as a major power broker and influential mentor in the newly socialist Afghan political system, ranging from involvement in the civil-military infrastructure to changes in Afghan society. And, at first, socialism agreed with Afghanistan. The newly implemented left-wing regime handed land from large owners to peasants who worked it. Women were encouraged to stop wearing veils, and were put in literacy classes with men. However, the reforms were seen as challenges to Islamic fundamentalists,...
Words: 2249 - Pages: 9
...office in the US. The margin was 297 to 240 Electoral votes (American Experience, 2006). Carter’s State of the Union was focused on oil since we were coming out of an oil shortage in the early 70’s. His speech sent a strong message to the Soviet’s the US was going to protect the Persian Gulf region by any means necessary (2006). In 1947 President Truman made a similar declaration to protect Greece and Turkey from being controlled by outside forces such as Russia, this is why the Cold War has been in existence. The Soviet started taking over smaller vulnerable countries after WWII. The Carter Doctrine provided in some ways many foreign diplomatic affair episodes involving the use of force by the United States. The first Afghanistan War was a result of protecting the interest of the Persian Gulf region. The US had to use military force to prevent the Soviets from taking over the smaller area in and around Afghanistan. This was lasted from 1979-1989 (Bacevich, 2010).The Soviet was successful in hanging around for a while but the most memorable cold war involved Iran. Carter cooperated in the overthrow of the modern government of Iran that had been originally supported by Eisenhower. In its place, Iran installed a tyranny of fanatical Moslem Ayatollahs. The new government seized the American...
Words: 1094 - Pages: 5
