Understanding the war in afghan books about russian

The name of the socalled sovietafghan war implies that the conflict had a twosided character, i. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the opposition,called the mujahedeen, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. Also important is milt beardens two books on the war, the main enemy. Understanding war in afghanistan ndu press national defense. For all their courage, though, the soviets were adrift.

And so the question itself is crucial to the survival of the state. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has striking lessons for the twentyfirst century. This knowledgetransfer can help the iranian military advance its understanding of conventional war far more rapidly than it might otherwise be able to do. The war in afghanistan became a quagmire for what by the late 1980s was a disintegrating soviet union. Cassidy, author of the new, critically acclaimed book, war, will, and warlords. Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned dave shunk. The afghanrussian war may not be one of those glamorous wars that hollywood has made popular, but for the young men fighting in it, it was as brutal and senseless as any other. Afghanistan has been an enigma and without understanding will be destined to. In this second part of a twopart interview by government book talk blog editor michele bartram, col. The war in afghanistan and its effects on the soviet economy.

More recent works, however, especially by the russian general staff, indicate that almost twice that number perished in the war. Then as now, war remains the ultimate arbiter of human affairs, an awful and everpresent reminder of humanitys failure to escape its wrathful roots. Event summary although the longawaited end to the war in afghanistan might still be far off, u. The hidden war by borovik is a very good account of experiences and morale or lack of units during the war, written by what would now be called an embedded. Oct 14, 2014 the war in afghanistan should be studied in relation to political culture, political economy and broader national and regional history. It was a neutral, developing state on the periphery of the ussr, beholden to moscow for economic and military aid which was generously applied, especially in the early 1970s. The extraordinary story of the largest covert operation in history by crile, george. Mar 24, 2018 a deserter from the 1980s soviet war in afghanistan dreamed for decades of going home, but he has lived long enough to see russian influence return to northern afghanistan. Reading this book may help us avoid the costly mistakes made by the soviets. Sep 04, 2015 id highly recommend the following books descent into chaos ahmed rashid if you only read one thing about american policy in afghanistan and pakistan, let it be this book. Mujahideen rebels stand on top of a downed soviet helicopter. The war in afghanistan should be studied in relation to political culture, political economy and broader national and regional history. The soviet underestimation of ethnic tensions within afghan society was one of the reasons of the unsuccessful policy of national reconciliation. The very first misconception about the conflict lies in its name, the general says.

They hoped to pass on the hard won lessons of their war onto a new generation of russian officers who are currently engaged in guerilla wars in the caucusus and central asia. Baumann when on 2425 december 1979 soviet forces invaded afghanistan, they intended to conduct a neat, surgical intervention to. In the middle of the 20th century afghanistan was a relatively stable and prosperous country under the monarchy of mohammed zahir shah. The afghanistan war and the breakdown of the soviet union. Afghan war 197892, internal conflict between the afghan communist government, initially aided by soviet troops, and anticommunist islamic guerrillas known collectively as mujahideen.

The soviet war in afghanistan lasted nine years from december 1979 to february 1989. The soviet war in afghanistan in pictures, 19791989. The three misunderstandings of soviet counterinsurgency in afghanistan. Soviet combat tactics in afghanistan had help deciphering the russian general staff papers from gress, a soviet migr who served in the soviet army. May 26, 1988 the soviet union, ending a long silence about the exact number of its casualties in the war in afghanistan, said today that,310 soldiers had been killed, 35,478 wounded and 311 are missing. Authors of articles on the issue mentioned that australians lose faith in afghan war effort and cruel human toll of fight to win afghan peace. Andrew exum recommends the best books for understanding the war in afghanistan.

The kremlin began calling for sanctions relief over covid19 in midmarch. Without proper equipment and training, the afghanistan government was unable to resist the foreign mercenaries, eventually seeking the aid of the soviet union. As scores of diplomats seek to navigate a peaceful resolution to the current instability in afghanistan, it is the proper time to reassess the major effort of. What is most important to the history of the world. It was only in this second phase of the afghan war, a phase that developed beyond much of the western worlds notice, that afghan arabs first became a significant political, if not military, force in afghanistan. Soviet invasion of afghanistan, military action carried out in late december 1979 by soviet troops. A formidable contribution to our understanding of this war. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan civil war and maintain a. The russian foreign ministry called on the united states to lift all sanctions on iran on march 24. The sovietafghan war was a conflict wherein insurgent groups known collectively as the mujahideen, as well as smaller maoist groups, fought a guerrilla war. But who exactly are the taliban, and what are they looking to gain from such negotiations.

Discover delightful childrens books with prime book box, a subscription that delivers. The soviet war in afghanistan was a grueling debacle that has stri. It was an intervention at the behest of the government of afghanistan at that time that morphed into a full blown counterinsurgency operation lasting more than nine years. How a superpower fought and lost paperback 5 feb 2002. How iran is learning from russia in syria institute for the. Ali ahmad jalali has now written the most comprehensive englishlanguage study of afghan military history. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict that pitted soviet regulars against a relentless, elusive, and ultimately unbeatable afghan guerrilla force the mujahideen. Apr 21, 2017 hello and welcome to feature history, featuring the fall of yugoslavia, only half of a video, and hopefully some good quality shitposting in the comments. Afghanistan 1979 the war that changed the world youtube. Boozing through the sovietafghan war was more horrifying. This article is a compilation of lessons learned from the russian afghan war 1979. Afghanistan was much more important for the soviet union. In the sovietafghan war the russian general staff takes a close critical look at the soviet militarys disappointing performance in that war in an effort to better understand what happened and why and what lessons should be taken from it. As it should now be clear to you, dear reader, soviet soldiers were not that discriminating when sourcing their sauce.

Primer on russian afghan war, 19791989, lessons learned. The war in afghanistan helped bring about that collapse, not because it bankrupted the soviet regimethat was an effect of the break in the price of oil after 1985but because it forced a. The soviet invasion of afghanistan in december 1979 was roundly denounced by. Ali and les conducted indepth interviews of mujahideen commanders in order to gain their tactical insights. The war in afghanistan 19791989 has been called the soviet unions vietnam war, a conflict. The secret history of the cia, afghanistan, and bin laden from the soviet invasion to september 10, 2001 by. So, how was the life of a russian mine sweeper in 1984. What are some good books to read about afghan history. The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the presence of foreign involvement. Sep 09, 2019 a chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day. In the great gamble, gregory feifer examines the conflict from the perspective of the soldiers on the ground.

In that time, the people have endured a brutal civil war, the rise of the taliban. The soviet union, ending a long silence about the exact number of its casualties in the war in afghanistan, said today that,310 soldiers had been. The kremlin has also called for sanctions relief for its allies. How iran is learning from russia in syria institute for.

This is the story of russian soldier vladislav tamarov during his 2year war tour as a mine sweeper. They were outsiders, fighting outsiders, in a third country and they didnt really understand. The war created a cleavage between the party and the military in the soviet union where the efficacy of using the soviet military to maintain the ussrs overseas interests was now put in doubt. A treaty gives britain control of afghan foreign affairs. How a superpower fought and lost modern war studies by the russian general staff, lester w.

Soviet war in afghanistan simple english wikipedia, the. Special envoy zalmay khalilzad described the latest round of afghan peace talks between the united states and the taliban as the most productive yet. Myths about soviet war in afghanistan through eyes of. These concepts are the fruit of almost a century of advanced soviet and russian thought and hardwon experience in conventional military operations. He follows this account with a firsthand report of the 1979 invasion, and analyzes the intervention from political, military, and economic perspectives. The 3 grau books listed are the best on the military aspects of the war, each chapter a perfect scenario. Collins understanding war in afghanistan is an excellent primer on a hugely complex conflict. He accepts, without reservation, russian estimates of more than 15,000 killed in afghanistan. This is not a history of the soviet afghan war, although enough history is included to place the events by time and external factors. What books to read to better understand what is going on there. In his enlightening and refreshing book, largely based on russian sources. 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.

Mar 05, 2020 afghanistan war, international conflict beginning in 2001 that was triggered by the september 11 attacks. Hikmaytar had started much earlier to collaborate with iran. The three misunderstandings of soviet counterinsurgency in. Ali is famous throughout the afghan community and had amazing entre with all factions. The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan. It was one of the key factors in the delegitimization of communist party rule. Seemingly inescapable, war is supremely important because it is the great destroyer of states and populations and whole cultures. Best iraq and afghanistan war books some of the best books out there about the wars in iraq and afghanistan. After the formation of the modern nationstate between 18801929, afghanistan has witnessed at least seven major conflicts. Jan 24, 2017 in 38 years, afghanistan has gone from being the downfall of the soviet union to the longest war in us history.

The entry of the soviet union into the country caused an immediate increase in the. America, the taliban, and the war through afghan eyes by. A firsthand account of the most extraordinary battle in the afghan war by. So, before we get into the films i will first remind you of a brief bit of history, to give some context for understanding the cinema of the soviet afghan war. This event began a brutal, decadelong attempt by moscow to subdue the afghan. This is a great book with some very interesting information. A deserter from the 1980s soviet war in afghanistan dreamed for decades of going home, but he has lived long enough to see russian influence return to northern afghanistan.

The best books on understanding the war in afghanistan five. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The peshawar seven insurgents received military training in neighboring pakistan and china, as well as. The war in afghanistan had a major impact on domestic politics in the soviet union. Clandestime 086 the cinema of the sovietafghan war spy. When i was interviewing veterans of the sovietafghan war for my doctorate, many and horrifying were the accounts of parties fueled by aftershave, rosewater, and rubbing alcohol. At the end of december 1979, the soviet union sent thousands of troops into afghanistan and immediately assumed complete military and political control of kabul and large portions of the country. Are there any good books about the sovietafghan war. A chronology of key events in the history of afghanistan, from the mid1800s to the present day. The soviets suffered some 15,000 dead and many more injured. 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 soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and afghan assistance fighters, supporter from abroad. Unfortunately the author tends to lean toward russian interpretation of events at the cost of scholarly balance. The us has repeatedly misdiagnosed the war in afghanistan.

Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two alliances the peshawar seven and the tehran eight. Lester grau and michael gresss expert english translation of the general staffs study offers the very. Bearden was the cia chief of station in islamabad at the end. Part of the cold war, it was fought between sovietled afghan forces against multinational insurgent groups called the mujahideen, mostly composed of two.

In the sovietafghan war the russian general staff takes a close critical look at the soviet militarys disappointing performance in that war in an. Of the seven nato countries in the survey, not one showed a majority in favor of keeping nato troops in afghanistan one, the us, came close to a majority 50%. Why did the soviet union go to war with afghanistan. This is not a history of the sovietafghan war, although enough history is included to place the events by time and external factors.

The soviet war in afghanistan was a war initially fought between the forces of the afghanistan government and foreign mercenaries. In 38 years, afghanistan has gone from being the downfall of the soviet union to the longest war in us history. The government fell in 1992, but the coalition of mujahideen fragmented and continued to fight one another in the years that followed. Following the afghan war, a small group of senior officers gathered together to publish a history of the soviet war experience in afghanistan. The soviet war in afghanistan, 1979 1989 the atlantic. Russia and afghanistan institute for the study of war. The soviet union intervened in support of the afghan communist government in its conflict with anticommunist muslim guerrillas during the. The forever war is one of the books about the war in afghanistan and iraq that gives a detailed account of how america deals with the challenges faced during the wars. Former soldier, andrew exum, tells us about flawed policy, unhappy outcomes and what could and should have been different. 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 peoples democratic party of afghanistan pdpa against a growing insurgency. Jan 03, 2019 the war in afghanistan helped bring about that collapse, not because it bankrupted the soviet regimethat was an effect of the break in the price of oil after 1985but because it forced a. Despite having failed to implement a sympathetic regime in afghanistan, in 1988 the soviet union signed an accord with the united states, pakistan. Feb 03, 2017 these concepts are the fruit of almost a century of advanced soviet and russian thought and hardwon experience in conventional military operations. The main body of the book is about soviet army and air force tactics, operations, and armaments.

Russianbuilt afghan mig17 jet fighters lined up at an airport in kandahar, southwestern afghanistan, on february 5, 1980. Special envoy zalmay khalilzad described the latest round of afghan peace talks between the united states and the taliban as the most productive. Richard nortontaylor relives russias illfated afghan adventure. As scores of diplomats seek to navigate a peaceful resolution to the current instability in afghanistan, it is the proper time to reassess the major effort of the conflict. Joseph collinsa veteran afghan watcher, national war college professor, and respected strategistguides the reader expertly through the geography, history, and recent dynamics. In 1842 the russian border was on the other side of the aral sea from afghanistan.

The inside story of the cias final showdown with the kgb and the black tulip. Ali and les conducted in depth interviews of mujahideen commanders in order to gain their tactical insights. Granted, while the break was sudden, the relationship with tehran was not. The author was a foreign correspondent for the new york times, and gives a historical account of afghanistan and the taliban as it rose to power in the 90s.