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Probably neither. Rather, he's a poor student of history.
The USSR had been, after WWII, building a set of "buffer states" around itself: Hungary (USSR invaded in 1956), Czechoslovakia (USSR invaded in 1968), East Germany (USSR held it since 1945), and so on with other states (Poland and Yugoslavia, for example); all independent countries, but all one-party states and all loyal to Moscow (though Yugoslavia under Tito was always questionable). The USSR shared a border with Afghanistan, and as such, Afghanistan qualified as a buffer state, and as the USSR had done in Europe, it set its sights on Afghanistan. The USSR invaded Afghanistan in 1979, and it became a proxy war between the USSR and the US-backed rebels (mujahadeen). Having been thrashed in Vietnam in 1975, the US was having no part of this, but it did back the rebels.
I don't recall terrorism entering the picture. It was the USSR invading a peaceful country with the intent to make it part of the Soviet empire, and a buffer state. The Afghanis didn't like that idea. But the USSR's invasion was nothing more than that.
Afghanistan was not a buffer state. The intervention was due to the doctrine the USSR operated under at the time, which deemed it needed to intervene where capitalism was threatening socialist states. Afghanistan had a communist government after the 1978 coup, which replaced the communist friendly government that came to power after the 1973 coup.
Afghanistan was anything but peaceful. There was constant Islamic insurgencies and tribal conflicts taking place throughout the 70's, the place was a disaster. Material support for these insurgencies came from the West, mainly the US, via Pakistan.
Afghanistan had a deep relationship with the USSR going back to the early 1900's, it is not like they just started to know each other. The USSR basically built that country, dumping billions of dollars into it. The USSR was not not about to let that invest go.
The current Afghan government request the Soviets help in repelling the Islamic insurgency. The USSR sent troops, the Afghan government actually had a treaty in that they could request troops.
Of course things went down hill from there...but that is a lot to write, lol.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hellion1999
peaceful nation? LMAO If Afghanistan was on the U.S. Border and you had extremists taking over the country and a foreign power supplying them with weapons WE WOULD INVADE THEM on security reasons, so stop with the B.S. history and double standards.
We invaded and bombed countries for much less than that.
you know the hypocrisy of all this is that we are in Afghanistan for 17 years doing the same thing and for the same reasons the Soviets used in 1978.
So if you call B.S. the Soviets reasons to be in Afghanistan for 10 years then you have to call B.S. the U.S. reasons to be in Afghanistan for 17 years and counting.
Lol, yea, I mean we backed coups of elected presidents, invaded countries that do not even border us for false reasons, etc. But hey, the Soviets intervened in a border country at the request of the government, that had a decades long Islamic insurgency occurring.
Read about it. There was more than one reason the USSR went into Afghanistan. Security and stability were the main reasons. Secondary to that was politics and spreading influence.
Does America want conflict in Mexico? Does America want the Taliban in Quebec? Hell no.
The USSR was fighting terrorism in Afghanistan. America was supporting it and it came back to bite us in the arse.
Sadly we never learn apparently.
No, the USSR went into Afghanistan under the doctrine the USSR operated under. "Terrorism" was not a reason at all. The Afghan government had a treaty with the USSR where they could request Soviet troops, and they ended up doing so.
It has always been disingenuous to call it an "invasion".
If there was an Islamic insurgency in Mexico, guarantee the US would send troops,e specially if the current Mexican government requested them.
US started supporting the Islamic groups in the mid-70's.
Dude, you obviously have never read a history book. The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan to foment Communist revolution, its policy since 1917. So this is how it works? The Kremlin crafts a plausible sounding lie the history ignorant will swallow hook, line, and sinker, Individual 1 repeats it, and his minions follow suit. Jesus. Staggering, simply staggering.
The Afghan government was communist when the Soviets entered the country, communist government took power in 1978. Before that, a Soviet friendly socialist government was in place, installed after the 1973 coup. Before that, Afghanistan and the USSR had good relations going back to the early 1900's. The USSR dumped billions of dollars into Afghanistan over the decades. Every building, road, infrastructure there was built with Soviet money.
It was not an invasion, Soviet troops entered the country under a treaty the Afghan government had with the USSR. Afghanistan requested Soviet troops to assist against the Islamic insurgency.
Boxus, your informative summary almost makes it seem like terrorism had absolutely nothing to do with it.
It did not, that is why.
The USSR had a decades long relations with Afghanistan, the country received billions of dollars of Soviet aid. The Soviets basically built the country. The king was disposed in a 1973 coup and a socialist style, still Soviet friendly government was installed. Numerous groups hated the new government because it was pushing things that to this day the people there hate, like education, immunization, women's rights, etc, but the new government was brutal in doing it. Relations went downhill a bit with the Soviets, and communist coup took place in 1978. By then though, there was a full blown Islamic insurgency taking place, using material support from the US via Pakistan.
The Afghan government request Soviet troops to help defeat the insurgencies. The Afghan government had a treaty with the USSR to request troops.
Trumpies consider the Wall Street Journal "fake news".
Those would be very ignorant Trumpies. What is getting my attention with this story is the Source of the criticism...The Wall Street Journal Editorial page leans right to far right in their opinions. The Wall Street Journal is owned by the same person who owns Fox News...Rupert Murdoch. Much of their editorials have been pro-Trump and anti-Mueller, calling for an end to the investigation. And now they just slammed him on this...appropriately I might add. I guess they sense Reagan is simply rolling and rolling and rolling in his grave right now. Interesting they are taking this posture a couple of days after the departure of Mattis.
Indulge yourself. There's lots more out there. You really need to know the history of Central Asia going back centuries to get the entire picture of what was going on and why.
Indulge yourself. There's lots more out there. You really need to know the history of Central Asia going back centuries to get the entire picture of what was going on and why.
Hmmm. Your link came up as "not secure" and with a warning that I should close the site immediately. What are you trying to pull here?
Soviets were in Afghanistan since the 50's. They invaded to prop up a pro-soviet communist Afghan regime and to protect there assets in Afghanistan. Their opponents consisted of both Islamic and pro-western forces.
Moreover, why would a U.S. Potus find the need to provide cover for the Russians?
The Soviets and Afghanistan have relations going back to the early 1900's. The USSR provided the largest source of aid to Afghanistan, dumping billions of dollars into the country. Every road, toilet, water line, building, etc, was built using Soviet money, material, and expertise.
There was no "pro-western" forces in the country. There was only "I will receive arms from you to fight who I do not like" forces.
The Afghan king was always Soviet friendly. When the 1973 coup ousted the kingdom, a Soviet friendly gov was installed, but that is when relations started to go downhill, and also when the Islamic insurgencies started, and when the USSR became more involved in the internal politics of the country, which led to the 1978 coup that installed a communist government.
The Soviet-Afghan War is not thought well of at all in Russia, worse thought of than even Vietnam is here. It was a subject of debate during the USSR, and it was a key talking point of Gorbachev in that he advocated for ending the war with a full troop withdrawal which started shortly after he came to power.
The Soviets actually never intended to get that involved as they did, the mission drift came sudden and in full force. As early as two years in, they were already looking at an exit strategy. This strategy did not come until 1985, and the withdrawal started right away, with troops fully leaving the country early 1989.
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