Reflections on the Soviet Experience in Afghanistan

Two articles have caught my attention over the past few days in relation to the Red Army in Afghanistan. The first one comes from Danger Room as a crosspost from russian navy blog. It's an old Red Army document given to soldiers to better understand the Afghan culture in an attempt to keep the soldiers from crossing cultural lines. It comes across as pretty well thought out and seems similiar to another document that the US Army put out in WWII for US soldiers operating in Iraq.

The second was a Radio Free Europe news story via Dave Johnson's Reading List (awesome reading list BTW!!) that looks back at the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan 30 years ago. While the article is generally good in its arguments, one part stands out. Gregory Feifer, the author makes a somewhat flawed conclusion at the end of the article, italics added:

"Vostrotin and other veterans predict that the United States is doomed to the same fate the Soviet forces met in Afghanistan. But despite their obvious similarities, the conflicts differ in fundamental ways. U.S. and NATO fighting forces are far better trained and equipped, and Afghans still support the international drive to establish a viable Afghan state."

One could make the argument that the soviets were better trained and equipped with the latest in Soviet Army technology, or similarly about the US Army in Vietnam. At the end of the day, take a look at who was left standing in each country. Or better yet, recall the conversation between a US negotiator and his North Vietnamese counterpart at the end of the Vietnam War where the US Officer, in an attempt to salvage some pride tells the other officer that the US Army never lost a battle in Vietnam. The Vietnamese officer ponders the statement for a second and then tells the American that while true, it was the American, that was standing there suing for peace.

Though I wouldn't quite go along with the narrative that the US is doomed to failure in Afghanistan simply due to the past history of foreign armies in Afghanistan, it would be well served to have a complete grasp of history in Afghanistan and realize when its pitching down well down roads, as Feifer shows in his article. Sphere: Related Content