The elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war - Research Paper Example

?Harris Kamran History and Political Science Conflict Analysis 10 July Analyze the elements of a conflict of the Soviet-Afghan war The Soviet-Afghan war of the 1970’s and the 1980’s was a major set-back and a shock not only to the Afghan population, but the entire Western world as well. It brought with itself a great number of conflicts and complications for the country, the ramifications of which can still be felt today. All types of conflicts, be they political, economical, social or ethical, have stemmed because of the occurrence of the war itself. It would be imperative, therefore, to study the causes of the war so that the basis of the conflicts can be analyzed. The Soviet occupation of the Afghan territory had a myriad of reason, including political as well as economic factors. It started with the Soviet interest in the natural mineral deposits of Afghanistan, including the huge stores of natural gas that were discovered not long before the occupation (Assifi, 1982/83). There were also hopes of finding other minerals like coal, iron, and oil (Assifi, 1982/83). Afghanistan, although a land-locked country, holds a key position geopolitically due to its placement on the map (Assifi, 1982/83). The Soviets could make their way to the Indian Ocean, and into the neighboring territories, such as Pakistan, which many believe to be next on the Soviet’s war list (National Review, 1987). To make matters easier, the Soviets had, two years prior to the official occupation, installed a pro-communist regime in the Afghan government (Assifi, 1982/83). The major players of the war were of course the USSR and the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan (Assifi, 1982/83). USSR, a communist force rising in the world against the capitalist Western giants like the United States posed a serious threat to the Western world (National Review, 1987). Although its Afghan occupation did not directly involve the United States or any other country for that matter, the war agenda was , nevertheless, designed such that the effects would be felt by those countries, so they took a keen interest in the war proceedings (Lamothe, 2004). The Afghan populace was, inherently, anti-communist (Lamothe, 2004). It viewed the Soviets as infidels and atheists who had forcefully made their way into their homeland owing to the cooperation of the pro-communist regime installed in the country a couple of years back (Assifi, 1982/83). The population itself was divided into different sects and groups, which made the freedom fight slightly ineffective (Lamothe, 2004). The major parties that influenced the war were the Jamiat-i-Islami, Hizb-i-Islami, Mujahideen, and the Taliban (Lamothe, 2004). Individuals such as Ahmad Shah Massoud (Lamothe, 2004) also played pivotal role in the Afghan resistance against the Soviet invasion. Apart from the key players of the war, several countries took part in the resistance against the invasion although not directly becoming a part of the war. Such states are said to play a supportive role in the conflict. Pakistan was one of major supporters of the freedom fighters (Chapman, 1982). It couldn’t help getting involved in the war, though, given its geographical closeness to the Afghan territory. Also, it was believed that it was the next target of the Soviets (National Review, 1987), who had apparently greater aims than just occupying Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan fought the invasion politically and with manpower. It provided a constant supply of trained soldiers, called Mujahideen, to the Afghan freedom fighters, most of whom were Pashtun and of Afghan nationality (Lamothe, 2004). These soldiers were trained in military and religious camps all along the border of the two countries, and a huge fraction of these camps were funded by the United States government (Chapman, 1982). Pakistan, suddenly, was very prominent on the world map due to its geopolitical role in the conflict (Assifi, 1982/83). It also provided health care facilities to the wounded soldiers, both on the battlefield and on its own land among the camps and hospitals (Chapman, 1982). This was very helpful to the resistance campaign, as it meant assistance of other international mobile healthcare organizations that were, at that time, operating in the Afghan territory and mostly taking on a pro-Afghan agenda (Chapman, 1982). The other major supporter of the resistance was the United States government (National Review, 1987). Its key role was as the provider of monetary aid to Pakistan which was hosting the military camps of the Afghan soldiers (Chapman, 1982). Also, it was a source of arms and ammunition to the freedom fighters (National Review, 1987), who had to have advanced technological weapons in order to match the superior Soviet ammunition (Lamothe, 2004). The American public also played a commendable role in the support of the freedom fighters by setting up medical camps and revenue collection sights in the U.S., and holding programs such as the Afghan Fair (Chapman, 1982). Apart from these two supporting states, other Muslim states, such as Saudi Arabia, also helped the freedom fighters by sending their troops in for the war; around 35,000 Muslim soldiers from such Muslim countries participated in the freedom fight of the Afghan people (Current Events, 2005). The Soviet occupation of Afghanistan divided the already fractioned Afghan population into military groups that spread all over the country were very hard to control (Lamothe, 2004). The USSR did not really care for any reform or solidarity in the region, though, and it might have actually helped their motives as it reduced the effectiveness of the resistance (Assifi, 1982/83). Pakistan was indirectly threatened by the Soviet presence next door, and so fully involved in the conflict to help to suppress it before the USSR army decided to knock at its door too (National Review, 1987). The united States was determined to curb the situation to thwart the rise of the communist power in the East, as this would have meant a direct challenge to its authority in the world (National Review, 1987). The division of the Pashtun populace was a major conflict caused by this war, and as will be discussed later, it was a long-term effect of the aftermath of this war. The dispute was broiling over the Afghan territory. This made it easier for Pakistan to cooperate without actually incurring any war losses or challenges. The United States functioned through Pakistan and its Inter-Service Intelligence (Lamothe, 2004), again making use of indigenous resources to further its interests. The war went on for ten years, from 1979 to 1989 (Lamothe, 2004). Whether the USSR had planned for such a long strife cannot be determined, but they certainly did not back down soon. Tremendous amounts of resources were lost in the war, be they economic or personal. The Afghans put up a fight for their lives and their freedom, and although it cost them dearly, did not surrender and let the communist forces govern them. Unfortunately though, the inter-sect fight worsened in Afghanistan, to the extent that even the pro-communist groups strove to overthrow each other (Lamothe, 2004). Freedom fighters like Ahmad Shah Massoud (Lamothe, 2004) kept the alien forces at bay for a long time; had it not been for such valiant efforts, the Soviets would have grasped control of the entire country like they did over Kabul (Lamothe, 2004). Eventually, perhaps, the war bled too much of Soviet economy, and it became unfeasible to carry it on much further. Whatever the case, the Soviets pulled forces in 1989 (Assifi, 1982/83). The war gave rise to many disputes and losses over the years. It has been estimated that it resulted in the death of about 10% of the total Afghan population and the immigration of 25% of the remaining populace as refugees (Assifi, 1982/83). Such long-term effects have certainly devastated the economic conditions of the country. The war gave way to a Taliban rule over the region, which was followed by a democratic regime in the 21st century (Lamothe, 2004). It also led to the coalition of some of the factions of the region into the Northern Alliance, which rose against the Taliban, again with support from the U.S. government (Lamothe, 2004). Pakistan was saved from Soviet attack and the United States from a communist threat. However, it has flung the country almost back to the stone ages. The Soviet-Afghan war can best be analyzed as an offensive war (Brown et al, 1998). The Soviets had no reason to justify their presence in the region except to further their own interests and expand their power. It was almost as if they were on a power quest and were ready to devour all the resources in this region. Such offense is against the ethics of war, and cannot be justified. The carnage that followed was gruesome (Chapman, 1982). In a way, though, this conflict cal also be viewed as a diversionary war. Such a conflict is initiated to keep the public’s attention away from the problems and weaknesses at the homeland, and focus it on the ongoing war which is being carried out in some other region (Brown et al, 1998). This can be applied to this conflict as the Soviet government had huge issues of solidarity and control locally, but wanted to be projected as a world power and authority in international affairs (National Review, 1987). The best possible way was to indulge in a conflict so massive that the world’s attention would be entirely diverted to that conflict while the Soviet government would meanwhile try to better the conditions at home using the resources obtained by force from the war. It is another story that such tactics failed to work, and rather caused them further damage. References (1987). 1987: Year eight. National Review, 23. It provides an overview of the war. For the paper, it is used to discuss the supporting states. (2005). The Soviet-Afghan war. Current Events, 2. It provides a brief view of the war. For the paper, it is used to cite information about the Muslim freedom fighters from Muslim states other than Afghanistan. Assifi, Abdul Tawab. (1982/83). The Russian rope: Soviet economic motives and the subversion of Afghanistan. World Affairs, 145 (3), 253-266. It provides a deep analysis of the war and the Soviet motives behind it. Used in the paper to cite Soviet motives and the outcome of the war. Brown, Michael E., Owen R. Cote Jr., Sean M. Lynn-Jones, and Steven E. Miller. (1998). Theories of War and Peace. Cambridge, Mass.: The MIT Press. It analyzes the different theories about war and conflict. Used in the paper to discuss two theories in regard to the pertinent conflict. Chapman, Bruce. (1982). Afghanistan’s forgotten war. National Review, 112. It provides an overview of the relief efforts by supporting countries like Pakistan and the U.S. Used in the paper to cite the same information. Grau, Lester W. (2004). The Soviet-Afghan war: a superpower mired in the mountains. Journal of Slavic military studies, 17, 129-151. It provides an in-depth analysis of the war. Used in the paper to provide background information and statistics on the war. Lamothe, Mathew R. (2004). The ‘Lion of the Panjshir’ inspired dogged Afghan resistance to the Soviets-and the Taliban. Military History, 74-78. It provides an in-depth analysis on the life of Ahmad Shah Massoud and his war struggles. Used in the paper to provide information about Massoud and other political factions in Afghanistan. Read More