Afghanistan: The decline of Soviet military strategy and political status

Abstract

Afghanistan is a tribal, religious and traditional country and has always resisted foreign domination. The Soviet Union's invasion of Afghanistan provoked the Afghans to liberate the country from Soviet occupation. They have proved themselves a hard nut to crack. The ‘Evil Empire’ proved unable to snuff out the flame of freedom and stifle the indomitable courtage of the Afghan warriors. Thus, Afghanistan was an unachievable political and military target for the Soviets. Strategically, the Soviet tactics failed and their performance was incompetent and ineffective. The war also proved the competency and credibility of Western weapons over Soviet military technology. Consequently, the Soviets learned a hard lesson. The war was surely an unwanted drain on the Soviet budget. It became a ‘bleeding wound’ which eventually contributed to the collapse of the empire and its ideology.