Paper Summary:

This paper discusses how the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 was the culmination of years of Soviet policy and thrust that country into the maelstrom of the Cold War. It looks at how covert aid to those Afghanis resisting first the Communist takeover of the government and then the Soviet military began in the months before the invasion and continued until the end of the Cold War with the break up of the Soviet Union. It also examines how this support of the indigenous resistance by the United States first frustrated Soviet geopolitical aims in the region and then contributed to and exposed the weakness of the Soviet system. The paper includes an annotated bibliography.

From the Paper:

"Soviet control of Afghanistan, aside from issues of perceived global dominance, concerned the Americans as they viewed Afghanistan as a stepping-stone to Pakistan. This perception was shared by the Pakistanis. In a geopolitical sense, the control of Pakistan equalled control of the Straits of Hormuz, which control the Persian Gulf. Soviet control of Persian Gulf sea lanes meant a possible disruption of oil supplies, which meant control of Afghanistan was of key strategic importance to the US. Recognition of this concern was reflected in the covert aid supplied to the resistance even before the invasion, which is discussed below."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Bodansky, Yossef. "Soviet Military Involvement in Afghanistan." Afghanistan: The Great Game Revisited. ed. Rosanne Klass. New York, NY: Freedom House, 1990.
• Brzezinski, Zbigniew. "Reflections on Soviet intervention in Afghanistan. Memo to President from Zbigniew Brzezinski." CNN Cold War - Historical Documents: U.S. Memos on Afghanistan, December 26, 1979. CNN.com.http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/cold.war/episodes/20/documents/brez.carter/
• Coll, Steve. Ghost Wars: The Secret History of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet Invasion to September 10, 2001. Penguin: New York, 2004.
• Gates, Robert M. From the Shadows: The Ultimate Insider's Story of Five Presidents and How They Won the Cold War. New York: Simon & Shuster, 1996.
• Hughes, Geraint. "The Soviet-Afghan War, 1978-1989: An Overview." Defence Studies, Vol. 8, September 1, 2008. 326 - 350. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/title~content=t713720481. Accessed 11 October 2008.

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