Hooked to Failure
One of the biggest controversies surrounding a superpower is the invasion of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), the country which has never been completely conquered. Reporting from the Joint Crisis Committee (JCC): Warsaw Pact, Animesh Ranjan ponders over the brilliance behind this move.
An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.”
This statement perfectly describes the relationship between the East and the West. The states suffering from blindness this time are Afghanistan and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In the year 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan friendship treaty of 1978[1][2]. However, a single inspection of the borders of the USSR under a microscope reveals much more.
The big daddy among all the concerns is the border of the USSR. Afghanistan and the People's Republic of China (China) share a border with the USSR while the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) is the neighbour it did not wish for. Ever since the Sino-Soviet split, the two states have not been on the best of terms. Recently, the United States of America (USA) and China resumed their diplomatic relations. With the USA selling weapons to China [3] and with the seemingly negligible scope of reconciliation between the two states, the most natural thing to do is to protect the borders against possible threats.
Iran, on the other hand, presents a hopeless situation. Even before the revolution, it expressed its support for the West. Ever since the revolution [4], the stance towards the West may have changed, but it does not necessarily reflect a permanent change. Under no circumstances can it justify a hostage crisis [5]. Under no circumstances can the USSR support such an action. Today, Iran is engaged in a war with the Republic of Iraq (Iraq) [6]. Clearly, this neighbour has its own issues to deal with. It will not sing prayers of the USSR, regardless of where it gets the weapons to fight the war with its neighbour.
This leaves Afghanistan as the consolation prize. However, why invade a country without any reason? The answer that comes to mind is communism. The form of governance introduced via Marxism, followed by Leninism and currently taking the form of Stalinism is the reason behind this invasion, or so the world believes. In the 1978 coup [7], the communist Khalqi government overthrew the then president Daoud. Turn the wheel of time by one year and the new government has failed miserably. Afghanistan is a nation which follows Islam. Without gaining popularity and acceptance of the people, without proper military installations to suppress uprisings, how exactly did they plan to implement changes in the society? The way things turned out, they clearly did not. This just made things tough for the USSR. First, they had to deal with the neutron bomb that the USA proposed [8]. Then, the euro missile crisis created a conflict which they failed to resolve. With the crisis in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, things were definitely not turning the way they wished. They needed to take some action, and they needed to do it quickly.
So, the USSR did what it had done multiple times in the past: invade. Be it the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Soviet invasion of Poland or the Hungarian revolution of 1956, the Soviets, just like the US, have their own history of invasions. In the case of Afghanistan, there was a multitude of factors at play. It was probably one of the best decisions they took. Sadly, it is one of the most irrational decisions they took. Why was invading another country a good idea? It served multiple purposes at once. A victory would give USSR a foothold in Asia. Considering the situation in Europe, it is a good strategy to raise the alarms of the USA and China and divert their attention. Ever since World War II, the USSR has been cautious when it comes to border security. With the changes in the Muslim countries in the world in those days, it made sense that the USSR desired to control the activities of Muslims near its periphery. Of course, they had to stand by their own rhetoric of supporting communism throughout the world.
Despite such overwhelming reasons, if they feared a US retaliation, there would have been no invasion. Fortunately for the Soviets, Afghanistan holds significantly more value for them than it holds for the USA. At the same time, Europe continued to serve as the real battlefield between the two states. With the involvement of China and Afghanistan, the battlefield has changed. With this, the USSR has attained a new height when it comes to irrational decisions. Scholars say that history is the best teacher. History says that no one has been able to conquer Afghanistan completely. The terrain of Afghanistan makes it a naturally arduous task. The Soviets thought they were up for the challenge. It has been almost four years since the invasion began. No one knows when it will end.
This statement perfectly describes the relationship between the East and the West. The states suffering from blindness this time are Afghanistan and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). In the year 1979, the USSR invaded Afghanistan under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan friendship treaty of 1978[1][2]. However, a single inspection of the borders of the USSR under a microscope reveals much more.
The big daddy among all the concerns is the border of the USSR. Afghanistan and the People's Republic of China (China) share a border with the USSR while the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran) is the neighbour it did not wish for. Ever since the Sino-Soviet split, the two states have not been on the best of terms. Recently, the United States of America (USA) and China resumed their diplomatic relations. With the USA selling weapons to China [3] and with the seemingly negligible scope of reconciliation between the two states, the most natural thing to do is to protect the borders against possible threats.
Iran, on the other hand, presents a hopeless situation. Even before the revolution, it expressed its support for the West. Ever since the revolution [4], the stance towards the West may have changed, but it does not necessarily reflect a permanent change. Under no circumstances can it justify a hostage crisis [5]. Under no circumstances can the USSR support such an action. Today, Iran is engaged in a war with the Republic of Iraq (Iraq) [6]. Clearly, this neighbour has its own issues to deal with. It will not sing prayers of the USSR, regardless of where it gets the weapons to fight the war with its neighbour.
This leaves Afghanistan as the consolation prize. However, why invade a country without any reason? The answer that comes to mind is communism. The form of governance introduced via Marxism, followed by Leninism and currently taking the form of Stalinism is the reason behind this invasion, or so the world believes. In the 1978 coup [7], the communist Khalqi government overthrew the then president Daoud. Turn the wheel of time by one year and the new government has failed miserably. Afghanistan is a nation which follows Islam. Without gaining popularity and acceptance of the people, without proper military installations to suppress uprisings, how exactly did they plan to implement changes in the society? The way things turned out, they clearly did not. This just made things tough for the USSR. First, they had to deal with the neutron bomb that the USA proposed [8]. Then, the euro missile crisis created a conflict which they failed to resolve. With the crisis in Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan, things were definitely not turning the way they wished. They needed to take some action, and they needed to do it quickly.
So, the USSR did what it had done multiple times in the past: invade. Be it the Warsaw Pact invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1968, the Soviet invasion of Poland or the Hungarian revolution of 1956, the Soviets, just like the US, have their own history of invasions. In the case of Afghanistan, there was a multitude of factors at play. It was probably one of the best decisions they took. Sadly, it is one of the most irrational decisions they took. Why was invading another country a good idea? It served multiple purposes at once. A victory would give USSR a foothold in Asia. Considering the situation in Europe, it is a good strategy to raise the alarms of the USA and China and divert their attention. Ever since World War II, the USSR has been cautious when it comes to border security. With the changes in the Muslim countries in the world in those days, it made sense that the USSR desired to control the activities of Muslims near its periphery. Of course, they had to stand by their own rhetoric of supporting communism throughout the world.
Despite such overwhelming reasons, if they feared a US retaliation, there would have been no invasion. Fortunately for the Soviets, Afghanistan holds significantly more value for them than it holds for the USA. At the same time, Europe continued to serve as the real battlefield between the two states. With the involvement of China and Afghanistan, the battlefield has changed. With this, the USSR has attained a new height when it comes to irrational decisions. Scholars say that history is the best teacher. History says that no one has been able to conquer Afghanistan completely. The terrain of Afghanistan makes it a naturally arduous task. The Soviets thought they were up for the challenge. It has been almost four years since the invasion began. No one knows when it will end.
The invasion of Afghanistan, on paper, is a brilliant move which supports the Soviet hold in Asia, serves as a strong move against China, diverts attention from Europe, strengthens communism and at the same time secures the border of the USSR. However, it will work only when the Soviets can finish the job. That will require either persistent effort for a few more years, an increment in the military personnel in the region, or some other strategy which could be counted as an improvement over their current strategy. Until that happens, invading Afghanistan is the most irrational decision any state can take.
Sources:
1. https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soviet-tanks-roll-into-afghanistan
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1978/12/06/soviets-sign-treaty-with-afghanistan/20bf658b-a229-44e7-a08b-70e92fd488c0/?utm_term=.53ba6162cfc3
3. https://www.nytimes.com/1981/06/17/world/us-decides-to-sell-weapons-to-china-in-policy-reversal.html 4. https://www.mei.edu/publications/iranian-revolution-february-1979
5. https://worldhistoryproject.org/topics/iran-hostage-crisis
6. https://www.wilsoncenter.org/sites/default/files/Iran-IraqWar_Part1_0.pdf
7. https://www.nytimes.com/1978/05/05/archives/a-communist-coup-in-afghanistan.html 8. https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/06/25/pentagon-wanted-secrecy-on-neutron-bomb-production/96a418bd-6d66-45c1-9ea3-5df52ed32c9c/?utm_term=.1454d4b75cc5
9. http://russianhistoryblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/graveyard.jpg
(Edited by Harsha Sista)
Rule of Chaos
Reporting from the Joint Crisis Committee (JCC): Warsaw Pact, Animesh Ranjan inspects the issue with the hope of finding a peaceful solution.
The first time that atomic weapons were used was during the second world war. They were used for a variety of factors, including but not limited to the show of strength. At least that is how the world interpreted it. With the evolution of atomic weapons into hydrogen weapons, the world realised the cons of war far outweigh the pros. Compared to the previous era, this was considered a reversal of policies for those capable of waging wars. This led to these weapons transforming into a political tool. However, the recent changes in the situation of the world have reignited the threat of a nuclear war. The rise in escalation between the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) and the Warsaw Pact can be contributed to the recent Euromissile crisis. Or so the NATO would like to believe.
Under their military policy, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) has continued to work on strengthening the buffer zone between Western Europe and its border. USSR has had a history of invasion, with the most recent memory being the invasion attempt by Mr. Hitler during World War II. Ten years after the invasion, the Warsaw Pact formed. The states of the Warsaw Pact mostly constituted nations which formed a buffer zone between the Soviet and the Western European nations. Scholars may have interpreted it as a reaction to the inclusion of West Germany in NATO and the rejection of Soviet desire to join the same. However, if one of the states of the Warsaw Pact is attacked, the other nations would come to its aid. This was an attempt to mirror the military alliance of NATO.
"Good artists copy, Great Artists Steal."
Under their military policy, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) has continued to work on strengthening the buffer zone between Western Europe and its border. USSR has had a history of invasion, with the most recent memory being the invasion attempt by Mr. Hitler during World War II. Ten years after the invasion, the Warsaw Pact formed. The states of the Warsaw Pact mostly constituted nations which formed a buffer zone between the Soviet and the Western European nations. Scholars may have interpreted it as a reaction to the inclusion of West Germany in NATO and the rejection of Soviet desire to join the same. However, if one of the states of the Warsaw Pact is attacked, the other nations would come to its aid. This was an attempt to mirror the military alliance of NATO.
"Good artists copy, Great Artists Steal."
This was the final stamp which confirmed world polarisation. Ever since then, an uneasy relationship has existed between the two sides. Recently, according to the updates received in the council, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed a resolution urging the United States of America (USA) to withdraw its forces from Grenada. The point of contention between the West and the East here was the fact that Grenada follows socialism. Move further and a Soviet submarine was sunk by the NATO forces found violating the territorial integrity of Iceland. Tensions have escalated over lesser events.
The Trans-Siberian pipeline was attacked. This pipeline was the lifeline of trade relations between the Soviet Union and Western Europe. Such action further begs the question of the importance of middle east oil. However, with the Iran-Iraq war in progress, both the West and the East are attempting to tread carefully in the region. On the other hand, planes are falling from the sky like hailstones. The tensions are escalating. It seems as if everyone is waiting for a direct declaration of war which would allow either side to begin conventional warfare. Under the war doctrines, they could decide to go through with flexible warfare. This would lead to an unpredictable situation in which no one would know when the war escalates to nuclear war.
Today, the world has polarised so clearly into capitalism and socialism, actions become important. The world has reached a situation in which the deployment and further deployment of military systems seems to be the way to go. Be it the regular invasions of Socialist countries or the continuous shooting down of planes, this system seems to be in place all over the world, divided between socialist and communist nations.
This exchange of hostilities seems to be the norm until disarmament occurs between the two superpowers. Until then, there will be no peace.
Source:
1. https://cf.geekdo-images.com/itemrep/img/EP7g4FJYupFO3Bl7l3I0WUhgTOg=/fit-in/246x300/pic1164205.jpg
(Edited by Harsha Sista)