The Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. 1979
- Soviets wanted to influence region and fit their southern expansion policy
- Sept. 1979, Soviets invaded and installed Babrak Karmal as a puppet President
- The West, China and India were alarmed and many boycotted the 1980 Moscow Olympics because of it
- The invasion and Reagan being elected are seen as the ends of detente
- Soviets opposed by rebels called the Mujaheddin
- By 1985 Soviets had 100,000 troops here
- 1987 Karmal replaced by Mohammed Najibullah who was even more of a puppet
- Soviets accused of practicing inhumane types of warfare
- Soviets eventually withdrew
- Many parallels to the U.S. in Vietnam
Summary: In 1979, the Soviets invaded afghanistan and installed Babrak Karmal as president. As a result, many nations including India and China boycotted the Moscow Olympics. The Soviets eventually withdrew due to their opposing by the Afghan rebels.
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Quote: "There is no Soviet domination of Eastern Europe and there never will be under a Ford administration.... The United States does not concede that those countries are under the domination of the Soviet Union."
-Gerald Ford |
How would the relationship between the Soviets and Afghanistan be different today if they didnt invade in 1979?
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