Notes
Soviets wanted to influence region and fit their southern expansion policy
Sept. 1979, Soviets invaded and installed Babrak Karmal as a puppet President
The West, China and India were alarmed and many boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of it
The invasion and Reagan being elected are seen as the ends of détente
Soviets opposed by rebels called the Mujaheddin
By 1985 Soviets had 100,000 troops here
1987 Karmal replaced by Mohammed Najibullah who was even more of a puppet
Soviets accused of practicing inhumane types of warfare (ie. Chemical)
Soviets eventually withdrew
Many parallels to the U.S. in Vietnam
Sept. 1979, Soviets invaded and installed Babrak Karmal as a puppet President
The West, China and India were alarmed and many boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of it
The invasion and Reagan being elected are seen as the ends of détente
Soviets opposed by rebels called the Mujaheddin
By 1985 Soviets had 100,000 troops here
1987 Karmal replaced by Mohammed Najibullah who was even more of a puppet
Soviets accused of practicing inhumane types of warfare (ie. Chemical)
Soviets eventually withdrew
Many parallels to the U.S. in Vietnam
Summary
The Soviets invaded and installed In Babrak Karmal. Because of this many western countries boycotted the 1980 olympics in Moscow. By 1985, the soviets had 100 000 troops in Afghanistan to fight the rebel force called Mujaheddin. The Soviets were then accused of using in humane tactics such as chemicals and eventually pulled out.
Quote
We didn't push the Russians to intervene, but we knowingly increased the probability that they would...That secret operation was an excellent idea. It had the effect of drawing the Soviets into the Afghan trap ... The day that the Soviets officially crossed the border, I wrote to President Carter "We now have the opportunity of giving to the Soviet Union its Vietnam War."
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Zbigniew Brzezinski
Subjunctive Question
Did the boycott of the olympics really influence anything that had been done? Were there more effective ways to influence the other countries without war?