Summary
In December 1979, in the midst of the Cold War, the Soviet 40th Army invaded Afghanistan in order to prop up the communist government of the People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan against a growing insurgency. At the time, the United States had been making headway in the Middle East at Moscow’s expense, successfully courting Egypt, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. The Soviet Union feared the loss of its communist proxy in Afghanistan. Thus, over the course of the 1980's, the Soviet Union spent billions of dollars into the war in Afghanistan, and at its peak, more than 100,000 Soviet soldiers were fighting in Afghanistan. However, the Afghan resistance, the mujahideen, was heavily supported by a wide variety of international actors, including the US, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, China, and Egypt. In the end, the mujahideen prevailed and the Soviet Army was forced to withdraw from Afghanistan in February 1989, having lost tens of thousands killed and wounded.
Tony Liu
Global Study
Mr. Clancy
December 12, 2014
Global Study
Mr. Clancy
December 12, 2014