The Soviet-Afghanistan War

Paper Summary:

The paper discusses and analyzes the topic of the Soviet-Afghanistan War. Specifically it analyzes the Afghan resistance in the Soviet-Afghanistan War, including the factions, leaders, and external connections. The paper states that throughout the war, the mujahidin rebel forces repeatedly outfoxed the Soviet troops, leading to a war that dragged on for ten years, which many call "Russia's Vietnam." More than 25,000 Soviet troops were killed during the war, and the loss to guerilla fighters undermined the Soviet military and public opinion.

Outline:
Origins of the War
The War Itself
The Players
The Aftermath of the War

From the Paper:

"In the 1970s, Afghanistan was still a monarchy, and many of its leaders, who followed Marxism and Maoism instead, did not support Islam. However, of the approximately 12 million people living in the country, 90 percent claimed alliance to the Sunni Muslim sect. In addition, the country relied heavily on the Soviet Union for survival. However, all that would begin to change in 1973, when the monarchy toppled and a new leader took power. One historian writes, "In July 1973 Prince Muhammad Daud, a former prime minister and cousin of the Afghan King Zahir Shah, overthrew the government, abolished the monarchy, and proclaimed himself president of Afghanistan." Daud ruled for five years, until he was overthrown by a coup operated by the very small People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA). Many people felt the coup was at least partly supported by the Soviet Union. Ultimately, the group created so many reforms that chipped away at long-held Afghan social and cultural traditions that anarchy spread throughout the country."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Editors. 2007. The Soviet-Afghan War. Lawrence, KS: University of Kansas Press. Online. Available from Internet: http://www.kansaspress.ku.edu/grasov.html, accessed 11 June 2007.
• Esposito, John L. 2003. Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam. New York: Oxford University Press.
• Joes, Anthony James. 1996. Guerrilla Warfare: A Historical, Biographical, and Bibliographical Sourcebook. Edited by Robin Higham. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press.
• Strmecki, Marin. 1986. Can the Afghan Rebels Win?. National Review, 4 July, 32+.

More papers on The Soviet-Afghanistan War:

• Analytical Essay # 144902 : "Counterinsurgency in the Soviet-Afghan War"
• Analytical Essay # 148982 : "Soviet-Afghan War: Conflict Analysis"
• Essay # 34637 : "Russian Afghanistan War"

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