Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 5 views

    Lecture No.22-23

    Uploaded by

    imtiazmwt99
    The document discusses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. It provides background on how the KGB infiltrated the Afghan government and installed a puppet leader. It then discusses the ensuing nine-year civil war and how over 1 million civilians died. The invasion severely damaged the Soviet economy and reputation and ultimately contributed to the USSR's collapse.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Lecture No.22-23

    Uploaded by

    imtiazmwt99
    5 views14 pages
    The document discusses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. It provides background on how the KGB infiltrated the Afghan government and installed a puppet leader. It then discusses the ensuing nine-year civil war and how over 1 million civilians died. The invasion severely damaged the Soviet economy and reputation and ultimately contributed to the USSR's collapse.

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. It provides background on how the KGB infiltrated the Afghan government and installed a puppet leader. It then discusses the ensuing nine-year civil war and how over 1 million civilians died. The invasion severely damaged the Soviet economy and reputation and ultimately contributed to the USSR's collapse.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    5 views14 pages

    Lecture No.22-23

    Uploaded by

    imtiazmwt99
    The document discusses the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979. It provides background on how the KGB infiltrated the Afghan government and installed a puppet leader. It then discusses the ensuing nine-year civil war and how over 1 million civilians died. The invasion severely damaged the Soviet economy and reputation and ultimately contributed to the USSR's collapse.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pptx, pdf, or txt
    You are on page 1of 14

    Lecture No.

    22-23 BS – IR

    Course: Modern History of IR


    Instructor: Mr. Imtiaz Khan

    05/22/2024 1
    USSR invasion of Afghanistan

    05/22/2024 2
    The background

    On Christmas Eve, 1979, a chilling surprise


    unfolded in Central Asia. The Soviet Union
    launched a full-scale invasion of its southern
    neighbour, Afghanistan. Elite troops parachuted
    into key Afghan cities, followed swiftly by
    motorized divisions rolling across the border. This
    brazen act, shrouded in secrecy, was a pivotal
    moment in the Cold War.

    05/22/2024 3
    Behind the scenes, the KGB, the Soviet intelligence agency, had
    infiltrated the Afghan presidential palace. In a calculated move, they
    poisoned the president and his ministers, paving the way for a
    Moscow-backed coup. Babrak Karmal, a Soviet puppet leader, was
    swiftly installed. This rapid takeover, however, was just the beginning
    of a brutal nine-year Afghan civil war.

    05/22/2024 4
    By the time the last Soviet soldier retreated across the "Friendship
    Bridge" in early 1989, the irony of the name was deeply etched in the
    blood-soaked soil of Afghanistan. An estimated 1 million civilians and a
    staggering 125,000 Afghan, Soviet, and other combatants lay dead. The
    war's impact extended far beyond Afghanistan's borders. The Soviet
    Union's economy and international reputation were severely damaged.
    This costly misadventure would ultimately contribute significantly to
    the USSR's collapse and breakup.

    05/22/2024 5
    But the question remains: Why did
    Moscow do it?

    05/22/2024 6
    From the early 19th century onward, Afghanistan became a geopolitical
    pawn in what came to be known as “The Great Game”between the
    empires of Tsarist Russia and Great Britain. Fearful that Tsarist Russia’s
    expansion into Central Asia would bring it perilously close to the border
    of India, their imperial jewel, Britain fought three wars in Afghanistan to
    maintain a buffer against Russian encroachment.

    05/22/2024 7
    Neither the Russian Revolution of 1917 nor the end of British colonial
    rule in India altered Afghanistan’s geopolitical significance. In 1919, the
    year Afghans won independence to conduct their own foreign policy,
    the Soviet Union became the first country to establish diplomatic
    relations with Afghanistan—which, in turn, was one of the first to
    formally recognize the Bolshevik government.

    05/22/2024 8
    Over subsequent decades, the USSR offered both economic and
    military aid to a neutral Afghanistan. When the British empire declined
    after World War II and the United States emerged as a dominant world
    power, Afghanistan remained on the Cold War front lines.

    05/22/2024 9
    The Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 fearing a shift in Afghan
    leadership. They worried that Afghan leader Amin might seek US help,
    potentially giving American influence a foothold in their sphere of
    control. Top Soviet officials like Andropov, Gromyko, and Ustinov
    convinced Brezhnev to act preemptively to prevent this possibility.

    05/22/2024 10
    Brezhnev Doctrine
    The Soviet leadership's concerns about Afghanistan aligned with Leonid
    Brezhnev's "Brezhnev Doctrine" established in 1968. This doctrine
    justified military intervention to maintain communist control in
    Eastern Europe, as seen in the 1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia.

    05/22/2024 11
    In a similar vein, the Soviets
    viewed a potentially wavering
    Afghanistan as a threat to their
    dominance within their sphere
    of influence. A failure to act,
    they feared, could weaken their
    image as a resolute defender of
    communist regimes, potentially
    emboldening other allies to
    seek independence from Soviet
    control.
    05/22/2024 12
    05/22/2024 13
    That’s All Folks!

    Any Questions?
    05/22/2024 14

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy