afghanistan

• Flashpoints in superpower relations


  Significant events in the Cold War that had consequences in several different areas
• Shah


  King or emperor of Iran, ruled until the 1979 revolution
• Afghanistan was viewed by the Soviet Union as an important neighbour
• In 1979, a revolution in Iran deposed the Shah and replaced him with a Muslim fundamentalist government
• Afghanistan now formed an important buffer between Iran and the Soviet Union
• The Soviet Union was determined not to let Muslim fundamentalism spread across its borders as it had many Muslim citizens
• To protect Soviet interests, it was important to ensure that there was a pro-Soviet government in Afghanistan
• Events leading up to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

  1. Pre-Soviet government took control in Afghanistan and launched a popular coup

  2. Government became increasingly unpopular as rival factions tried to overthrow it

  3. Brezhnev heard Amin was talking to the USA about possible American support

  4. Soviet forces invaded Afghanistan in October 1979 claiming they had been invited by Amin to support his government
• Amin was assassinated on 27 December (almost certainly by Soviet commandos) and replaced by the pro-Soviet Babrak Karmal
• The Soviets remained in Afghanistan for almost ten years, fighting opponents of the Karmal government
• Mujahideen


  • Muslim guerrilla fighters who fought against the government of Amin and then the government of Babrak Karmal and the Soviet invasion force
• The USA supplied the mujahideen with weapons and billions of dollars
• For the Soviet Union, the financial cost was approximately $8 billion a year and some 15,000 Soviet troops were killed
• Civilian casualties were enormous, with some estimates suggesting as many as 1.5 million deaths
• Economic sanctions


  Measures taken to damage a country's economy, usually involving a trade ban
• The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan led to the end of détente between the USA and Soviet Union
• In the 1980 presidential election in the USA, the Republican candidate Ronald Reagan ridiculed President Carter as weak and argued that the time had come for America to reclaim its position on the world stage and stand up to communism
• Reagan's victory helped bring about a Second Cold War between the USA and Soviet Union
• The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

  Had far-reaching consequences in international relations, government, economy, and society
• Consequences of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan

  • Second Cold War began
  • Afghan government replaced
  • War in Afghanistan lasted ten years
  • USA supplied mujahideen with money and weapons
  • Soviet boycott of Los Angeles Olympics
  • Carter Doctrine announced
  • Economic sanctions imposed on Soviet Union by USA
  • SALT 2 abandoned
  • Significant financial and human costs for Soviet Union