ABSTRACT
After more than eight years of bitter counterinsurgency warfare, the April 1988 Geneva accords have paved the way for the withdrawal of Soviet forces from Afghanistan. This chapter aims to trace the roots, course and implications of Soviet policy in Afghanistan. It focuses on the historical evolution of Russian and Soviet policies toward this key border state. The chapter examines the factors underlying the Soviet decision for direct large-scale military intervention in December 1979. This discussion in turn leads to an assessment of Soviet military and political policies within Afghanistan during the 1979-85 period, as well as the counter-strategies pursued by the mujahideen resistance coalition. The chapter turns to the Gorbachev period and considers the dramatic re-evaluation of Soviet policy under his leadership. Finally, it explores the domestic, regional and international implications of the Soviet decision to withdraw the Red Army from Afghanistan.
