Afghan political factions, leaders, the human rights and. America and russia have both had their turns in seeking their interests in the region. Soviet interests in a fghanistan and implications upon withdrawal a thesis presented to the faculty of the u. Despite its deep historical and cultural ties to its eastern neighbor, iran has struggled for decades to assert its interests in afghanistan.
The real threat to us interests in afghanistan fair observer. Russia russia is worried that terrorists could be fleeing from syria to afghanistan and is moving. Russia has few interests in mexico center for strategic. The soviet war in afghanistan reprint by gregory feifer isbn. Allegations of moscows meddling in the country, particularly its aid to the taliban, raise questions over russias geopolitical interests in afghanistan, with the kremlins mixed strategy reflecting how it is also precariously balanced.
The russian interest in the region continued on through the soviet era, with billions in economic and military aid sent to afghanistan between 1955 and 1978. The 2014 report noted a surplus of more than 80,000 ak47s on the afghan security forces books. As the longest war in us history rumbles on, moscow looks at the afghanistan conflict with interest. However, time is so far not ripe for moscow to take the. Russias return to afghanistan jamestown foundation jamestown occasional paper august 2009. How iran found its feet in afghanistan foreign affairs. Enduring interests domestic challenges and regional strategies in snetkov aglaya aris stephen eds. Johannes linn discusses chinas and russias growing support for economic integration in central asia, specifically in kazahkstah, which is seen as a potential driver of regional and global. As americas 16year war in afghanistan drags on, russia is resurrecting its own interest in. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war against the soviet army and the democratic republic of afghanistan government for over nine years, throughout the 1980s, mostly in the afghan countryside. Pdf russias concerns relating to afghanistan and the broader. But many of the russian weapons in the hands of the taliban date back to russias own misadventure in afghanistan in the 1980s, according to one small arms expert interviewed by.
Underpinning this greater assertiveness is a growing consensus among. Despite regular diplomatic and commercial relations since 1945, punctuated by periods of shared antipathy toward the united states, the two countries have not developed strong commercial or cultural ties. General confirms, the washington post, 24 april 2017, russia supports the taliban. Trumps crude hostility is pushing pakistan toward america. The jockeying includes engaging the taliban and leading a new diplomatic effort to tackle afghanistans future, with or without u. Russias foreign policy has in recent years become more assertive than it had been in the first two decades since independence. Obama must keep us military in afghanistan to counter china, russia the obama administration must recognize that a total military withdrawal would have effects beyond afghanistans borders. No state has been as supportive of islamist terrorism as the united states and its governments, from president jimmy carter onwards. John nicholson has reiterated charges that the kremlin is providing. At stake is the success of president ghanis government and the infant democratic institutions in kabul. Russia may have been chased out of afghanistan several decades ago, but now it appears keen to reenter the scene in a big way, michael kugelman, an expert at the washingtonbased woodrow wilson. But beneath the surface, there are important differences.
Experts share the books that shaped their understanding of russia. Blaming the afghan war failure on russia consortiumnews. That same month, montenegro became natos newest member state, after a tumultuous accession process that lasted nearly a decade. As the trump administration weighs whether to send more troops to. The russians in afghanistan, 197989 by sir rodric braithwaite. On 28 february 1921, afghanistan and soviet russia signed a friendship treaty. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments. Russia hopes infrastructure projects will build bridges in. Best books about the soviet invasion of afghanistan. The drivers for such an action are currently absent.
The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the afghan war 197892 and remained in afghanistan until midfebruary 1989. Like vietnam, russia was dealing with an unseen enemy and unclear objectives. Conflicting interests in afghanistan veterans today. Like russia, iran views afghanistan as within its sphere of influence, as the washington post s erin cunningham characterized it earlier this year. These foundational documents reveal that russias relations with the. Adjacent central asia is openly proclaimed a zone of russian strategic interest.
The wars of afghanistan is a richly detailed account that places current u. As americas effort to end 16 years of war in afghanistan yields little progress, russia is resurrecting its own interest in the graveyard of empires. Shared challenges and common opportunities russias fragmented south asia policy russia has adopted several doctrinal documents that devote a great deal of attention to the south asian countriesprimarily afghanistan, india, and pakistan. More than two decades after the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan, moscow is once again seeking to play a major. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our favorite reads in. The kremlin surprised many with its 2008 war in georgia, its 2014 seizure of crimea and intervention in eastern ukraine, and its 2015 deployment of forces in the syrian civil war. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. Tamarovs book is startling in its detail and vivid in its description of young russian men at war. The mujahideen were backed primarily by the united states. Its newfound willingness to accommodate the talibanan erstwhile foesuggests that tehrans decisionmakers are finally righting the course. Afghanistan was a safe haven for al qaeda and would have become a safe haven for other such groups in the future, if left unchecked. His book about the taliban came to prominence after 911. War in afghanistan 2001present part of the larger afghanistan conflict, and the global war on terrorism. This was indeed true and was one of the reasonsrationalization for the invasion.
In turn, russia has historical interests in afghanistan and middle east region as a whole. Russian interests and policies in central and south asia and its overall. Three countries undermining afghanistan progress that. Thirty years on, soviet war in afghanistan continues to. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, invasion of afghanistan in late december 1979 by troops from the soviet union.
According to history both russia and britain had historical interest in afghanistan so, how a country like soviet union claim that unwanted invade to afghanistan. These relations are independent of the great game which consists of russianbritish confrontations over afghanistan since 1840. Washington ap as americas effort to end 16 years of war in afghanistan yields little progress, russia is resurrecting its own interest in the graveyard of empires. Russia provided logistical support and supply routes for the u. Russia hopes infrastructure projects will build bridges in afghanistan this article is more than 6 years old vladimir putin hopes to promote kremlins interests as revival of. The agreement was negotiated by prince alexander gorchakov, the lands of badakhshan and wakhan were accepted by russia as part of afghanistan, russia accepted all of britains proposals on afghanistans northern borders and expected that britain would keep afghanistan from committing any aggression.
Why is russia so interested in afghanistan all of a. The united states cannot afford to have economic, social and political development in afghanistan derailed by the rapacity of russia and china. That convergence has allowed the two countries to work together. Making sense of russias policy in afghanistan ifri. Russias 21st century interests in afghanistan asian survey. Russia, chastened by the damage done to the soviet union during its occupation of afghanistan, has shown no interest in getting involved militarily again, at least not directly. He is currently executive director of the institute of. Gregory feifer is an author whose books include the great gamble. The broadcasts began in 2014 but cohen had long argued that a new. The story of the soviet occupation of afghanistan is well known. We share some interests with russia in afghanistan. In this march 27, 2017, file photo, men sit on the nadir khan hilltop overlooking kabul, afghanistan.
As war in afghanistan drags on, russia resurrects interest. The united states and the failure of nation building in pakistan, afghanistan, and central asia by ahmed rashid, is also looking at afghanistans international relationships, but this time in the modern day. On august 15, 2017, russian president vladimir putins special envoy to afghanistan, zamir kabulov, urged the united states to withdraw its military presence from afghanistan and end its 16year campaign to stabilize the wartorn country. The soviet withdrawal from afghanistan kalinovsky, artemy m. What was the real reason the us invaded afghanistan. The thaw in pakistanrussia relations comes on the heels of deterioration in pakistanus ties, concerning the issue of afghanistan and growing. The international information agency rossiya segodnya hosted a press conference entitled afghanistans future and russian interests. Kalinovsky has provided the only comprehensive and uptodate discussion of the process leading to the soviet withdrawal from afghanistan. The russian government under vladimir putin has longterm geostrategic. Russia has had a long but superficial relationship with mexico. This book is based on a series of weekly radio broadcasts made by cohen under the rubric the new usrussian cold war. Russia is desirous of restoring its lost influence in afghanistan and must be looking forward to afghanistan becoming a graveyard for the us occupying forces to avenge its humiliation in 1989.
Of the three books, the soviet afghan war is the most intellectually satisfying. Trumps south asia policy, and singling out of islamabad as the problem in the region, has played its part in bringing the trio of china, russia and pakistan together over a wide array of mutual interests in the region, including afghanistan. Afghanistans future and russian interests valdai club. The book is full of details, names, and shocking stories about rape, torture, and so on during war and traumas after war that unfortunately happen in every war. Commander in afghanistan accuses russia of aiding taliban. Trump was wrong about the soviet war in afghanistan the. Russia has reinforced its largest foreign military base in tajikistan, along the border with afghanistan, and the russian military has held regular exercises with tajik soldiers. Afghanistans significance for russia in the 21st century. Obama must keep us military in afghanistan to counter. Afghanistan has been a place of turmoil for decades. In 1947, prime minister of afghanistan, mohammed daoud khan, had rejected the durrand line, which was accepted as international border by successive afghan governments for over a half a century. Hamid karzai emphasized that russia played a crucial role in maintaining stability in afghanistan. The problem of terrorism from the south has always worried russia.
The events in afghanistan affect russia and, vice versa, russian events affect afghanistan. Publicly, russian president vladimir putin claims that his interest in afghanistan is based on selfdefense, because russia wants to prevent afghanistan from turning into a staging ground for is expansion. Russia is unlikely to intervene on a scale comparable to the 2015 action in syria in any of the other three countries examined in this reportlibya, yemen, and afghanistan. For the last decade and a half, russia and the united states have had largely similar aims in afghanistan. In the spirit of the new academic year, cgi asked experts to name the books that were most influential to their own thinking on russia, or that current policymakers should read to better understand russian society, politics, culture, and foreign policy. If russia and china make progress in afghanistan, they will be emboldened elsewhere. Although of some historical interest, this book is ponderous with details and is. Army command and general staff college in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree master of military art and science by khalid nawaz khan, major, pakistan army b. After two years of crisis, macedonia finally formed a new government in june, installing a reformist, centerleft coalition committed to rebooting the countrys stalled integration into the eu and nato. This clearly written book will be useful not only to historians, but to anyone who wants to understand the ongoing developments in afghanistan and the issues surrounding western disengagement.