| ID | 070803 |
| Title Proper | Soviet penetration into Afghanistan and the Marxist coup |
| Language | ENG |
| Author | Hilali, A Z |
| Publication | 2005. |
| Summary / Abstract (Note) | Afghanistan is a landlocked country and a famous cockpit, as well as heart of Asia. It has long been a chessboard of power politics of the "Great Game" between many great powers. The country is a mosaic of races and ethnic communities and has a tribal and feudal structure. Historically, Afghanistan served as a showcase for the Russian and Soviet political and strategic interests and, in the recent past, Soviet political and economic influences fundamentally altered the domestic scene in the country. The monarchical era was replaced by democratization and the political process first gave rise to the dominance of the Marxist Peoples' Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) and, ultimately, the Saur Revolution of 1978, which brought the Marxists to full power. However, the PDPA's reforms de-stabilized the Communist regime as the Afghan masses reacted against them. Therefore, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan in 1979 to protect its client regime, which was on the edge of collapse. |
| `In' analytical Note | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol. 18, No. 4; Dec 2005: p673-716 |
| Journal Source | Journal of Slavic Military Studies Vol: 18 No 4 |
| Key Words | Soviet Union ; Afghanistan ; Soviet-Afghan War |