Afghanistan in the face of the Soviet invasion 1979–1989

Abstract

Afghanistan’s history is an unbroken series of tensions and conflicts that have shaped the region. Afghanistan has been a place of deep internal political instability as a result of its ethno-religious heterogeneity, as well as regional and international geopolitical confrontations within its territories. Prominent among these is the USSR’s invasion of Afghan territory between 1979 and 1989; the following discussion is devoted to this problem, addressing the historical and geopolitical conditions of the conflict. The causes, course and significance of the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan are analysed. The author concludes that the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan was a complex and multifaceted event influenced by historical, geopolitical and ideological factors. Afghanistan became a battleground in the wider Cold War struggle between the USSR and the US. Soviet intervention was challenged by a range of interrelated forces – local Afghan, regional and international including the US, which funded billions of dollars in aid, weapons and training for the mujahideen, effectively turning the conflict in Afghanistan into a proxy war between the superpowers. The conflict has contributed to the destruction of the country’s infrastructure and increased poverty levels. Moreover, the war in Afghanistan has served as a launching pad for the strengthening of Islamic fundamentalism.