Soviet Interests in Afghanistan and Implications upon Withdrawal

Abstract

This study discusses the geo-strategic importance of Afghanistan in the context of overall Soviet strategy in Southwest Asia. Afghanistan sprang to the limelight in 1979 following the Soviet invasion. After nearly a decade of occupation, the Soviet Union withdrew its military forces from Afghanistan. This action confounded the world with regards to the actual motive. The Soviet policy in Afghanistan has received a setback, but it cannot be termed as fatal. The Soviets tend to gain rather than lose in Afghanistan and in the Southwest Asian region as a whole. This thesis seeks to determine the course of the future Soviet strategy in Afghanistan and to examine the impact of the withdrawal on Pakistan and Iran. The study concludes that the Soviets have not abandoned their interests in Afghanistan but will, pursue the same goals and objectives through a more discrete, cost effective and indirect approach. Soviet hostility towards Pakistan could assume dangerous proportions and Soviet influence in Iran is expected to receive a boost. Keywords: Theses; Military strategy; Limited warfare/attack; Geopolitics; Persian gulf/resources.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1990
Accession Number
ADA229568

Entities

People

  • Khalid N. Khan

Organizations

  • United States Army Command and General Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Central Asia
  • Civil War
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Economic Systems
  • Employment
  • Geography
  • Governments
  • Military Organizations
  • National Governments
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrain
  • Terrorists
  • Treaties
  • Ussr
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union