CHAPTER 7: AFGHANISTAN

“THE SOVIET UNION’S VIETNAM!”

NOTE TO SELF: DON’T EVER INVADE AFGHANISTAN!!!!!!!!

As one Afghan tribal leader put it, “Congratulations, you have taken Kabul (the capital), but how do you expect to ever leave?”

As we saw in Vietnam, when you mess with a country’s religion, and when they use guerrilla warfare against a conventional army, you may not lose, but you will never win. And more likely than not, it will simply bankrupt you, as it did Russia.

1. You see, the British invaded in the 1800’s and not a single Englishman survived! (In fact, the Afghan King let England open up an Embassy in Kabul in 1879, but within one month they were all murdered!!!)

2. Russia invaded in 1979 and went bankrupt as a result.

3. We invaded in 2001 and to date have spent over 500 BILLION DOLLARS there. (That’s $100,000,000 per day. And that is added to the $100,000,000 per hour that our military costs!) When u take into account long term medical care for our wounded veterans (of which there are many) that number shoots up to 2 TRILLION. DON’T 4GET that 25% of all homeless people are veterans (Vietnam). BY THE WAY, all this military spending began with……NSC-68!

And to make matters worse, over 75% of the American population can’t even find Afghanistan on a map. Can you? It’s next to Iran and next to Pakistan.

Afghanistan is one of the reasons why the Soviet Union collapsed. They invaded in 1979 and by 1991 the USSR was dead. Let’s learn how.

Afghanistan (1979-1986)Afghanistan is a backwards country thousands of years behind the rest of the world in terms of development, infrastructure, electricity, the internet, literacy, health, women’s rights and religious freedom.

As Hillary Clinton once noted: “If you don’t give women equal rights, you are losing half of your country’s intellectual power.”

It is wrong to even refer to Afghanistan as a “country”: it’s really just a collection of tribes that have never referred to themselves as “A NATION”. It has been their Muslim faith which has bound them together, that and killing invaders!

Some of the tribes hate each other and some don’t, but the only group they hate more is either Russia, America, non-Islamic nations, or communists. Good luck!

You see, communism HATES religion. Karl Marx called religion “the opiate of the masses”. Yet if you try to rid Afghanistan of Islam you will find yourself in a battle to the death.

They are fierce warriors who are expert in the art of guerrilla warfare. In fact, one of their most heated insults is “Your father died in bed!” They have been battling for thousands of years, and make no mistake, Afghanistan is the only nation to bankrupt England, Russia AND America!

- The Afghans fought Alexander the Great- The Afghans fought the Persians- The Afghans fought the Islamic Empires of the Middle East (AP World)- The Afghans fought the Mongols- The Afghans fought the Indians- The Afghans fought the Persians

GEURRILLA WARFAREAfghanistan is a mountainous country that lends itself well to GUERRILLA WARFARE. Groups of soldiers can hide in the impassable Hindu Kush mountains, separating Pakistan and Afghanistan, and then come out only at night. You can launch 1000 rockets per day, at a cost of $30,000 per rocket, and STILL you will not kill them. In fact, every year when the snows melt, around April, CNN will alert us to the fact that the guerrillas are coming out to play….spring time is fun time in guerrilla warfare!

ISLAMThe Afghanistan branch of Islam is especially fierce in their interpretation of Islamic law, or Sharia Law

Sharia Law (Islamic Law)- A man can have up to 4 wives. (Polygamy)- Women are NOT allowed to learn to read or write (6th hour)- Women are NOT allowed to work outside the home (7th hour)- Women MUST be veiled at all times, head to toe - Even in Pakistan, which is relatively more advanced than Afghanistan, blasphemy is PUNISHIBALE BY DEATH.

That means that literally making a joke about Islam will get you the death sentence. And Russia tried to rid Afghanistan of 1000 years of Islam.

Russia didn’t like the idea of veiling a woman or having 4 wives. You can argue that theoretically, Communism’ insistence on Women’s Rights was its only positive attribute, but forcing another country to practice your religious beliefs is recipe for continuous insurgency. (Although I see polygamy as the next Supreme Court case for religious freedom.)

THE SOVIET INVASION OF AFGHANISTAN

BACKGROUND:If you remember correctly, Russia already controlled several Central Asian Republics; Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan etc. So they wanted Afghanistan too. Of course, America was not going to let this happen because Iran and the oil fields of the Persian Gulf were too close. Don’t 4get that on an IB Exam, Afghanistan is part of Asia, not the Middle East. Some essays require you to choose one country from 2 different regions.

Russia installed a Communist government in Afghanistan in the 1970’s. - They started making strict Islamic laws illegal.

In addition, Russia mandated that all girls be allowed to (Gasp) go to school. This the tribal leaders, imams and Islamic mullahs (religious leaders) could not stand. R

- Even today, in 2013, the Afghan Constitution states that a woman must sexually satisfy her husband.- In Pakistan for a woman to prove she was raped, she must find 4 witnesses-which is of course impossible.

Finally the stupid Russians started collectivizing the land, and this went against THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF TRIBAL AND CULTURAL TRADITION.

- Plus, Islam forbids alcohol and the Russians have vodka with their oatmeal!Alcoholism is WIDESPREAD in Russia!!!!!! Even today.

A group of tribal and rebel organizations called THE MUJAHEEDIN start to fight back. They practiced a strict form of Islam and desperately wanted

the infidel Communists OUT of Afghanistan.

The MUJAHEEDIN are Afghan Islamic rebels trained in the art of guerrilla warfare, and they feel they have a mission from GOD to get rid of the godless atheist Commies! This is where the TALIBAN will come from in 9-11.

EVERYTHING GOES TO HELLIn 1979 Afghan Communist leader #2 (Amin) assassinated Communist leader #1 (Taraki). Then, the Russians assassinated Communist #2 Amin, who they were afraid was working with the CIA. There was chaos. That’s when the Afghan communists called Papa Brezhnev and the Soviet Army. The Russians started killing everybody…….

LEONID BREZHENVThe Cuban Missile Crisis was such an embarrassment for the Soviet Union that Moscow decided to get rid of Nikita Khrushchev. They didn’t kill him or anything, they just sent him to live out his life in the countryside.

For their next leaders, Moscow wanted the most boring and predictable guy they could find. Enter Leonid (Lenny) Brezhnev

The Brezhnev Doctrine states:“Communist countries anywhere have a duty to protect Communism everywhere. Therefore, if you start to revolt, in the name of global communism, Russia will go in.”

And I just have to say that when Brezhnev went into Afghanistan, the world really saw what Russia was all about: evil!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

**Even the Communist sympathizers here in the United States had no way to defend Russia’s actions. Actually, the invasion of Afghanistan and the Berlin Wall both laid to rest ALL the excuses Russia made for the Iron Curtain. Their true objectives laid bare.

In fact, after the Soviet troops went in the commies would execute people by the thousands; 27,000 one month, 24,000 the next. In fact, their own Afghan Communist army of 90,000 got so disgusted with their tactics, they stared to quit by the thousands. So now even the Afghan communists are quitting. The Russians knew that there was NO WAY they were gonna defeat the Afghans unless they fought a brutal war with no consideration for civilians or rules of war. Entire villages would be destroyed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Russians would just kill everybody instead of going door to door like we do now. This was their wartime strategy!

The Russians: killed 1,000,000 CIVILIANS (women, children, senior citizens) wounded probably around 3,000,000 more They would bomb hospitals, bridges, factories, whatever This is what victory would require

Of course we dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan so do we really have the moral high ground here?!

We also firebombed the civilian city of Dresden, Germany during WWII to break Hitler’s back,

Also, this is EXACTLY what Russia is doing in Syria now. In fact the United States has just accused them of bombing 20 UN food trucks meant for the villagers. (But there’s not enough proof)

Actually, in the 1970’s America and Russia were getting along pretty good (well). This was known as ‘DÉTENTE [pronounced Day-Tahnt]. It is a French word which means “a relaxing of the tensions”. When Moscow invaded Afghanistan, however, DÉTENTE WENT KAPUT (a Yiddish word meaning bye-bye). Nixon and Brezhnev were all ga-ga, but after the troops went into Kabul, no more Mr. Nice Guy.

BUT WHY DID RUSSIA GO IN really???????????????????????????????????????A. We have to remember that the Soviet Union contained the following

Central Asian Muslim countries: Kazakhstan/ Uzbekistan/ Tajikistan/ Azerbaijan/Georgia/Turkmenistan and Kirgizstan.

So Brezhnev did not want these Central Asian Republics getting the wrong idea and thinking they could simply revolt.

B. The official Soviet press release was that the Afghan government asked for it after the assassinations. Brezhnev said “They asked for help”.

C. Maybe they wanted the OIL in central Asia. Maybe they wanted to invade Iran. Probably it was to prevent other Central Asian republics from revolting.

Jimmy Carter passed the Carter Doctrine which stipulated “Stay the hell out of the Middle East!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT JIMMY CARTER IZ A GENIUS!

Jimmy Carter is actually considered one of the worst Presidents in history. He was President after Nixon (68-74) and Ford (74-76), and just B4 Reagan (1976-1980). He presided over one of the worst economies in American history, but in Afghanistan he was a genius. This is because he was responsible for Operation Cyclone.

Operation Cyclone: The United States actually starting supporting rebel Mujaheedin BEFORE Soviet troops moved in.

That is, we supported the rebels to MAKE Soviet troops come in as soon as there was a Communist coup in Afghanistan. BRILLIANT!!!!!!

We knew that an Afghan war would crush the Russians. We were right. This is called playing hardball. This is called REALPOLITIK. This is called ‘no rules’ and this is called the VERY, VERY COLD WAR!

JIMMY CARTER THEN GOES AHEAD AND BOYCOTTS THE OLYMPICS

You see, theoretically the Olympics are about sportsmanship, brotherhood and all that other jazz. But really they’re just about making $$$$ and looking good in front of other countries. In Finland if you win the gold you get $100,000. In the last Olympics, when Russia only came in 3rd Putin, FIRED everyone!

Well, in 1980 the Olympics were supposed to be held in Moscow. But how could we support a country that just INVADED another country after we went through Détente, and the Cuban Missile Crisis and all that NEGOTIATION jazz.

Jimmy Carter told the US team they could not go. Hundreds of gymnasts and synchronized swimmers start to cry together!!!!!

Normally, every country in the world can participate in the Olympics, even the bad ones: Iran, North Korea, Uganda, Pakistan etc.- Perhaps Jimmy Carter thought that he could hurt the Soviet Union financially.- Perhaps he thought he was making a moral decision.- Perhaps he thought he could make the Soviet Union look bad in the eyes of the

world.- For whatever reason, he made the unprecedented decision to disallow American

athletes from flying to Moscow and representing the United States.

Opinion Question: Does the President have a right to cancel the Olympics and disappoint all those athletes?

FAST 4WARD TO RONALD REAGAN

Ronald Reagan’s nickname was The Gipper. Why? I have no idea. He, along with Nixon, was an anti-Communist hardliner in Congress from California. Actually, Ronald Reagan was an actor first (he made movies like ‘Bedtime for Bonzo’ about a dude with a monkey). Then, he became Governor of California, just like Arnold Schwartzenegger. And he was one of the dudes ratting out Hollywood types for alleged “communist activity” during the Red Scare.

Ronald Reagan is considered by some to be one of the 4 best President ever; Washington, Lincoln, FDR and Reagan. Others disagree and think he was one of

the worst. Same as Obama: Love him or Hate him!

Actually, Ronald Reagan should be credited with bringing down the Soviet Union as much as Mikhail Gorbachev. The two of them are kind of the heroes of the 1980’s. Them, and Michael Jackson.

Born: 1911Died at 93 yrs. old (He got Alzheimers when he was 79)

- President: 1980-1988 (2 terms)(His V.P. was Bush’s dad; George H. Walker Bush (Papa Shrub))

- Reagan was the oldest President ever elected (69 yrs. old)

- Fun Fact: everyone thinks Nancy Reagan slept with Frank Sinatra- Have you seen Nancy Reagan?

It’s true that Carter refused to go the Moscow Olympics, and its’ true that it was Carter’s National Security Advisor who started funding the Afghan rebels before the Russian came in, knowing that it would draw the Soviets into Afghan quicksand, into Russia’ Vietnam War (Operation Cyclone)

But it will be Reagan who will take the hardest approach with the Soviet Union. It will be Reagan who refuses to sign any Arms Agreements. It will be Reagan who will dare the Soviet Union to keep up with us in the Arms Race. And it will be Reagan who will laugh when Gorbachev begs him to stop the outer space Star Wars program. Reagan is as much a part of the fall of the Soviet Union as anyone else.

PRESIDENT RONALD REAGAN UPS THE ANTERonald Reagan knows that Afghanistan is Russia’s Vietnam. He will use it to BANKRUPT Russia. Brilliant!!! He REALLY increases the amount of aid we give the Afghan guerillas.

UNDER REAGAN1. HE UPS THE ASSISTANCE TO $650 MILLION PER YEAR IN FUNDING FOR THE

MUJAHEEDIN!!!!! (That’s 2 million dollars per day)

2. We gave the Afghan Rebels $20,000,000,000.00 (BILLION DOLLARS) TOTAL

3. TRAINED OVER 100,000 MUSLIM FREEDOM FIGHTERS (including many of Osama Bin Laden’s fighters) They kept the weapons we gave them.

We also gave the Mujaheedin Stinger Missles, which are portable, shoulder fired, and can bring down a soviet helicopter.

This is what changed the war. The Afghan rebels were now able to blow up tanks, shoot down Russian helicopters, and wait in their Afghan mountains for the right time to launch their guerrilla warfare)

The only problem is that we couldn’t be seen as openly supporting the Muslim fighters. Thus, we had to secretly and skillfully supply the mujahedeen without exposing ourselves. And this is exactly what Carter, and then Ronald Reagan will do.

We will take weapons made by the Soviets,(AK-47’S USUALLY), purchased by Israelis, given to Pakistani soldiers, who will take them and give them to the Afghan guerillas.

Thus, when a Muslim Mujaheedin gets caught with them, the United States has no connections to them and WWIII won’t begin!

Interestingly enough, some people, like Congressman Charlie Wilson from Texas, warned about forgetting about Afghanistan when the Soviets leave. After all, the country was a complete wreck. He wanted to rebuild it just like Japan and Germany after WWII.

We didn’t rebuild it because the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. Eastern Europe was now free and the Berlin Wall was just torn down. Afghanistan was last on our list. Within one year the Taliban took over.

Our shortsightedness has since cost us dearly, first with 9-11 and then with Osama Bin laden and his guerillas shooting at us with weapons that we gave them………….

MAIN IDEA: The Soviet Union lost for 3 reasons1. The US gave the Mujaheedin weapons (Carter and Reagan)2. It was costing the Soviet Union WAY too much and they were already kind of

broke

3. It is impossible to defeat a guerrilla force, one that has the allegiance of the peasants, with a conventional army. Even if you are as brutal as the USSR.

4. If u mess with a country’s religion, get ready for a long, protracted war.

HOMEWORK QUESTIONS

LONGER RESPONSE QUESTION: Does the President have a right to cancel the Olympics and disappoint all those scrawny athletes?

LONGER RESPONSE QUESTION: It is said that Afghanistan was Russia’s Vietnam Explain:

LONGER RESPONSE QUESTION: What was the Russian military strategy and how effective was it?

(It should be noted that of we didn’t fund the mujaheedin, Russia probably would have just destroyed the whole country and …won? They would probably still be there, shoo6ting at geurrillas . Instead, we have been there from 2001-2016. So who is the fool? The fool, or the one who follows the fool?

Make sure you can identify and explain the following themes of the Afghan War:A. The Brezhnev DoctrineB. Jimmy CarterC. Ronald ReaganD. Guerrilla WarfareE. Islam and Communism

To help u do so, please answer the following questions:1. What were some differences between Afghan and Soviet culture?

2. How does Afghanistan, and the Afghan people, make it difficult for conventional armies to succeed?

3. So WHY did Russia invade Afghanistan (both stated and un-stated reasons)?

4. What is the Brezhnev Doctrine?

5. How did Jimmy Carter help the Afghans with Operation Cyclone?

6. How and why did Reagan help the Afghans?

7. What was the significance of ‘stinger missiles’?

MY FAVORITE QUESTION: How do you explain Afghanistan defeating England, then Russia, and then the US going in in 2001 with no understanding of what we were getting ourselves into?

NEXT PLEASE GRAB A COPY OF:CHAPTER 9: CUBA

CHAPTER 10: CHINA

THEN WE MOVE ON TO OUR IA’S.- START THINKING ABOUT TOPICS.

- IT COULD BE ABOUT ANYTHING IN HISTORY BEFORE 2007.

** If you PASS your IA with a ‘4’, you PASS Ib History