Soviet Invasion of Afghanistan, 1979
- Soviets wanted to influence region and fit their southern expansion policy
- Sept 1979, Soviets invaded and installed Babrak Karmal as a puppet President
- The West, China and India were alarmed and many boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of it
- The invasion and Reagan being elected are seen as the ends of detente
- Soviets opposed by rebels called the Mujahiddin
- By 1985 Soviets had 100,000 troops here
- 1978 Karmal replaced by Mohammed Najibullah who was even more of a puppet
- Soviets accused of practicing inhumane types of warfare (i.e. Chemical)
- Soviets eventually withdrew
- Many parallels to the U.S. in Vietnam
Interesting Fact
The war destroyed much of the country's infrastructure. It became one of the poorest nations in the world after the war was over.
Quote
"There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.... The United States does not concede that those countries are under the domination of the Soviet Union."
-Gerald Ford
-Gerald Ford
Subjunctive Question
What would the relationship between Russia and Afghanistan be like today if 1979 never happened?
Summary
In 1979, the Soviets invaded afghanistan and installed Babrak Karmal as a puppet president. As a result, the West, India and China boycotted the Moscow Olympics. The Soveits were opposed by rebels called the Mujahiddin. Following in 1978, the Soviets repalced Karmal with Mohammed Najibullah who was even more of a puppet. During this the Soviets were said to be practicing inhumane types of warfare. Eventually the Soviets withdrew. Many people see this as the parallel of the US in Vietnam.