How not to repeat the soviet defeat in afghanistan books

About real soldiers,who actually had to fight in afghanistan. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. Since the soviet economy could not meet the demand for consumer goods from the rising urban middle class, it began losing their support. These fighters came from saudi arabia, jordan, kuwait. But there is absolutely no guarantee that the united states would have achieved its objectives in afghanistan even if it had been the only war fought during that time. Aug 04, 2014 the ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to shore up the newlyestablished pro soviet regime in kabul. The introduction and background leading up to the war was superb in my opinion.

Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. Sokimson lessons from afghanistan in the fight against isis f or more than a decade, world leaders. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground. Counterinsurgency in afghanistan and pakistan, 20012011, describes the lessons learned after ten years of war in afghanistan. How not to repeat the soviet defeat in afghanistan 0. Feb 15, 2012 comparing the two wars is not limited to taliban hype fears are surfacing amongst afghans and analysts that a repeat of the aftermath could take place. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. There were simply not enough soviet troops to defeat the mujahideen, and when it.

The decision of the soviet bureaucracy, under mikhail gorbachevs leadership, to withdraw its military forces from afghanistan agreed in march 1988 and completed by february 1989 was a major turning point. The war in afghanistan is not over yet, but as the outlines of a potential u. The rest of it is purely about operations and tactics. First and foremost was that domestic issues in soviet union demanded it. The conflict had its origins in the 1978 coup that overthrew afghan president sardar muhammad daud khan, who had come to power by ousting the king in 1973. Us admits total defeat in afghanistan as russian victory. The soviet invasion had enormous implications on the global stage. The 40th army was ushered in by the afghan government and there was not strongarm invasion contrary to what i was taught in school. 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.

History not repeating itself in afghanistan global. For soviet defeat in afghanistan, us helped create a nuclear pakistan. Cant compare it to the others, but it was a fascinating read. Dec 17, 2009 gates confession of abandoning the afghans and, in other contexts, the pakistanis after 1989 is a convenient catchall for a series of policy decisions that helped bring down the soviet union.

Tamarov was a member of the soviet unions airborne assault force and served on the front lines in afghanistan as part of a minesweeping team. A professor at kabul university and scholar of afghanistan affairs at the time of the 1978 coup detat, kakar vividly describes the events surrounding the soviet invasion in 1979 and the encounter between the military superpower and the poorly armed afghans. Oct, 2011 men and women of the american armed forces are on patrol today in the ancient cities of kabul, herat, and throughout afghanistan. The united states appears to be slowly emerging out of the wreckage that it has made of the middle east. For soviet defeat in afghanistan, us helped create a nuclear.

The soviet intervention in afghanistan by alfred l. Mar 19, 2011 t his is the book that every politician, every general, every diplomat contemplating getting into, or out of, afghanistan should be made to read. They repeated these requests and variants to these requests over the. Oct 11, 2001 osama bin laden, who fought shoulder to shoulder with the afghans against the soviet union, found a haven in talibandominated afghanistan. According to this report, the 19791989 sovietafghan war lead to the death of 14,453 russian soldiers and the wounding of 53,753 moreand that by the time this war was ended, due to the disastrous economic costs of this conflict, the death knell of the former soviet union was sounded leading to its collapse two years later in 1991. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Panjshir, with its fierce warriors and natural defences, was largely spared the violence that plagued afghanistan after the soviet expulsion, and remains one of its most peaceful provinces.

The soviet invasion of afghanistan the heritage foundation. Dec 22, 2009 on the 30th anniversary of russias invasion of afghanistan, russian vets talk about losing more than 14,000 lives in their afghanistan war that ended in retreat. On february 15, 1989, the last soviet troops pulled out of afghanistan, nine years after they swept into the country. Few people are more respected or better positioned to speak on the soviet invasion of afghanistan than m. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a neat, surgical intervention to.

Echoes of the afghan soviet struggle have begun to reemerge in syria, challenging the putinassad alliance and the future of syrian. In it, the author discusses three dimensions of the soviet strategy to defeat resistance and consolidate its rule in afghanistan. May 11, 2020 soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. Secretly keeping a detailed journal and photographic record of his combat missions in the mountais, tamarov captured the fear, futility, and violence of an insane war. In addition, antisoviet guerrillas also received political and military support from the west, the islamic world, and other countries in the region. Feb 15, 2012 the taliban used the 23rd anniversary of the humiliating soviet withdrawal from afghanistan on wednesday to taunt the united states that it would suffer the same fate as preparations to hand over. Without longterm foreign support and funding, the afghan military will struggle. The politburo sessions of january 17 and 28, 1980 carried extensive discussions of the situation in afghanistan. Flicking open his phone, he scrolled through grainy photographs of his younger self at a feast with fellow mujahideen after the red armys capitulation.

If nato forces do not heed their warning, they say history will be tragically repeated. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was roundly. Several recurring themes are that the sovietsrussians have not given accurate. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states, saudi arabia, and. Sergei maximov, on the 20th anniversary of the humiliating defeat of the soviet empire twenty years ago today. One would hope that the countrys political, intellectual, and military leaders would use the coming years to think seriously about the lessons to be learned from a lack of understanding that has marked americas strategy over the past half century. Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. A very thorough overview of the soviet presence in afghanistan. In short order, nearly 100,000 soviet soldiers took control of major.

The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. Afghanistan war, 197892, conflict between anticommunist muslim afghan guerrillas mujahidin and afghan government and soviet forces. Of the three books, the soviet afghan war is the most intellectually satisfying. A complete analysis of the soviet intervention in afghanistan in late 1979 must wait until enough time passes for that event to be evaluated in terms of longrange soviet military and political objectives. Our soldiers come in the footsteps of so many other armies. Existing explanations of the soviet unions breakdown.

Lyakhovsky and other authors report that at the same time, the top soviet military and political leadership held secret deliberations on the possibility of early withdrawal of soviet forces from afghanistan. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an. The soviet afghan 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. How not to repeat the soviet defeat in afghanistan. The russian defeat in afghanistan socialist alternative. Along the way, it vividly reveals the increasing disillusionment of soviet soldiers, how that disillusion seeped back into soviet society, and how it contributed to the collapse of the soviet union. The story of the soviet occupation of afghanistan is well known. For soviet defeat in afghanistan, us helped create a. Each story is very nearly a repeat of the previous. Not a lot about politics except for a brief introduction.

Of the ones mentioned, ive only read the soviet afghan war. Will stick to authored books on the subject from here on out, high command reports are not my reading style in the slightest. The soviet vietnam by tamarov is a photographic record of one soldiers tour in the war, mainly personal images but some great pictures of equipment. The translatoreditor established his credentials with his first two books on this. Afghanistan did not fit into the mental maps and ideological constructs of the soviet leaders. History not repeating itself in afghanistan global public. There were also repeated mutinies similar to that which had occurred in. It was a crossroads not only for afghanistan, but for the former soviet union, which was o. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col.

The soviet afghan war helps clarify how such a surprising demise could have materialized in the backyard of the cold wars other great superpower. During the last years of the cold war, the soviet union sent some of its most elite troops to unfamiliar lands in central asia. He explodes the american myth that their supply of stinger missiles helped to defeat the. Us admits total defeat in afghanistan as russian victory in. In the end, ironically, even the soviets could not cope, and the disease. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. The taliban used the 23rd anniversary of the humiliating soviet withdrawal from afghanistan on wednesday to taunt the united states that it would suffer the same fate as preparations to hand over. The war in afghanistan was a secondary priority and an economy of force mission at least until the troop surge of 2009 and 2010. The red army had fought their war to a military draw but that was not enough to stave off political defeat at home. Feb 19, 2014 in addition, while the antisoviet mujahedeen effectively represented all of afghanistans ethnic groups, the taliban insurgency today is largely confined to pockets in the south and east. The overall results of the two books are two questions.

The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. Next, we outline the role of the afghanistan war in the breakdown of the soviet union and provide evidence in support of our contention. Taliban equate planned american exit to soviet defeat the. The soviets viewed the treaty not only as a peace agreement between their. They will need to be ruthlessly and relentlessly objective in assessing their own performance, in order to ensure that they learn the right lessons. The above words of warning to america are attributed by the npr radio to former soviet afghan war veteran, lt. The taliban did not wholly defeat soviet union and their retreat and subsequent withdrawal was caused by multiple factors. Taliban equate planned american exit to soviet defeat. In july 1987, a pakistani, arshad pervez, was arrested by us authorities when he was trying to bribe a customs official to get an export license to buy high strength maraging steel mainly used for building centrifuges to enrich uranium and large amounts of beryllium that could be used. The war began while brezhnev was still in power, continued under adropov and chernenko, but ended under gorbachev. The story has been distorted not only by cold war propaganda but also by the myths of. Army soldiers over zabul province, afghanistan, october 2009. Apr 01, 20 nearly 25 years after soviet troops left afghanistan in defeat, russia may return in order to service the russian equipment that makes up the backbone of the afghan military.

The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups as well as smaller maoist. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. Sadly abit dry, to be expected though since its simply the direct translation of the soviet high commands write up of their participation and the break down of support structures during the soviet afghan war. Although not an afghan, bin laden soon bound the taliban. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a. In 1962, china defeated india in a border war, and as a result, china formed an. How did the taliban defeat russia in the afghanistan war. Realise that i do not know if this is a reliable book, still was the only one ive found about usa intervention on the war. The ussrs intervention in afghanistan not only contributed to the second. It would be great tragedy to see ideological blind spots cause a repeat of the. Jun 14, 2016 the message from veterans of the soviet afghan war is clear. Afghan exmujahideen remember soviet defeat in graveyard. What the soviet defeat in afghanistan tells us about syria.

Im sure there are a lot of books covering the afghanistan war against the soviets in general and with some good topics about usa intervention. The soviet invasion of its neighbour afghanistan in december 1979 sparked a bloody nineyear conflict in that country until soviet forces withdrew in 198889, dooming the communist afghanistan government to defeat at the hands of the mujahideen, the afghan popular resistance backed by the usa and other powers. List of books and articles about soviet invasion of. In gripping detail, he vividly depicts the invasion of a volatile country that no power has ever successfully conquered. The reality is the afghan mujahideen did not defeat the soviets on the. India in afghanistan from the soviet invasion to the us withdrawal. Jan 01, 2009 the soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. The decision to send troops was made after a long deliberation and repeated. The ussr entered neighboring afghanistan in 1979, attempting to. As people do, braithwaite observes, when they set out to repeat the. The lessons are valuable not just for russian officers, but for the tactical training of platoon.